Colombian Hospitality

One of the results of Gospel proclamation is that the Holy Spirit moves people who hear the message to want to show their thankfulness. This is why people give offerings in church and try to serve the Lord in their lives. The members of the LATTE team who make regular trips to Colombia experience this thankfulness for the Gospel message in some very special ways. The members of the church in Colombia are not only thankful for the Gospel message itself, but they also want to show their gratefulness to those who have brought that message to them. The following are some of the things that happened during our latest teaching trip there. As usual free transportation was provided to the various places the missionaries needed to get to. During this trip the Lutheran school owned by one of the families who are members of the church had its end-of-the-year graduation ceremony while we were there. We the missionaries were invited to attend as special guests of honor. When we entered the room where the ceremony was to take place, the director of the school told us to “go on up” and pointed to the front of the room. We thought she meant that we should go up and sit behind the front rows of chairs where the graduates would be sitting. So we went and sat in those rows. When the director saw this, she came running up to us and said, “No, go on up to the table located up on the stage” where all the administrators of the school would be sitting. After the ceremony we were also invited to the private banquet for the school officials. Both at the ceremony and at the banquet we were presented as the highest guests of honor. We felt humbled but also grateful to the Lord for working these expressions of gratitude in the hearts of the Colombian members.

(Posted by Professor Philip)

Mexican Seminary Christmas Party

Seminary faculty and students, a local pastor and the president of the national church and their families all enjoyed traditional Mexican tamales during their Christmas party on Friday evening. A balmy evening added to the enjoyment of our outdoor celebration. The photo captures the two students, Carlos and Jorge in the foreground, with Vicar Lehmann from WLS in Mequon and Pastor Sanchez of the El Redentor congregation here in Torreon. Santa's cutest little helper is Trinity, daughter of Missionary Mike and his wife Rachel.

(Posted by Professor Larry)

Bolivia Blessings

In an October 31, 2007, blog we asked you to pray for LATTE's work with the Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Bolivia (FIEL). We want to report on the blessings the Lord showered on Bolivia during the November 7 - 20 teaching trip. The following is an excerpt from an article Rachel Hartman wrote for the WELS Mission Connection about the trip.

"It was decided that Missionary Lorenzo would travel to Bolivia in November 2007. While he was there, he taught a course on basic doctrine. He gave a class on Law and Gospel, and another one about fellowship. Every day, around 40 people came to listen. Of these, seven were pastors. The others were lay leaders of their congregations.

“The people were very warm and welcoming,” reports Missionary Lorenzo. And they were eager to have him. They set up the classroom and invited others to come. They prepared certificates to be handed out at the end of each course.

The best part, Missionary Lorenzo notes, was to see the “the people listen to God’s Word and put it into practice.” After hearing what God had to say about baptism, the leaders decided to begin baptizing babies (previously some had not). Those who were not doing so also decided to incorporate the Lord’s Supper into their services.

Promising Future

This is exciting, but the Bolivian church still faces doctrinal challenges. “We are trying to take baby steps with them,” comments Missionary Lorenzo. He recalls that the Lutheran church in [the Caribbean] , at one time, had similar weaknesses as the one in Bolivia . Today, however, the [the Caribbean] church is easily recognized as a Lutheran church. It bases its beliefs on the Bible. The hope is that the church in Bolivia will reach that same point.

Two more missionary trips are planned for 2008. They will include more courses that focus on God’s Word. The goal is to help the church in Bolivia establish a Bible Institute and seminary. This way, FIEL will be able to train future pastors for its congregations.

Starting mission work in Bolivia is exciting. It is an example of how a local congregation and foreign missionaries can work together. By doing so, the Gospel crosses new borders and touches more souls."

(Posted by Lorenzo)

Back Home

With the end of November two of our LATTE professors are back home again. Professor Ralph  is back home in Caguas, PR after having spent nearly three months teaching at the Mexican Confessional Lutheran Seminary in Torreón. And Professor Larry is now back in Torreón after his three months of teaching in Puerto Rico. The two professors and their wives swapped houses for their teaching trips. Both made good progress in their course instruction. Prof. Ralph was teaching dogmatics and early church history as well as some review of homiletics and pedagogy. Prof. Larry concentrated on teaching Hebrew grammar, trying to get as much of the normal six-month course taught as possible during the three month stay. He also taught the course of Romans exegesis.

By the way, check back here soon for the latest news on the last trip into Bolivia to work with a small Lutheran church body there.

(Posted by Professor Larry)