More Christmas Greetings from Colombia

Hello, brothers, sisters and friends in Christ,

Your brother and servant Raul, Colombian seminary student, greets you with deep affection in Christ Jesus. For many people, Christmas is a time of joy because they find themselves with family whom they haven't seen for a long time, or for similar reasons. By the saving grace of God, for believers, this is one of the most important dates, not for such reasons, but rather because we remember that on a day like this, the most important person of all, Jesus, was born. Being God, he came from heaven and became man in order to save us from the dominion of the devil and from the terrible punishment that we deserved to pay in hell for our sins. We remember how Mary praised God for such great grace that he granted her:

Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

-- Luke 1:46-50

May the marvelous news of the birth of the Savior, and of the marvelous and perfect saving work which he accomplished for all humanity, continue to overfill us with joy and gratitude to God. May he keep us strong, correctly using the means of grace, while we wait for the second coming of the Savior. Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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Hola hermanos, hermanas y amigos en Cristo, 

Les saluda con entrañable afecto en Cristo Jesús  su hermano y servidor Raul, Colombiano,  para muchos las navidad es una fecha de regocijo, porque se encontraran con familiares que hace mucho tiempo no veían  o por motivos similares a ese,  Por la gracia salvadora de Dios, para los creyentes, esta es una de las fechas mas importantes, no por tales motivos, si no porque recordamos  que en una fecha como esta  nació el ser   más importante de todos, Jesús, el cual siendo Dios  vino desde el cielo haciéndose hombre , para salvarnos, del  dominio  del diablo, y del terrible castigo que merecíamos pagar en el infierno por nuestros pecados. Recordamos la alabanza de Maria a Dios, por tan grande gracia que le concedió:

Entonces María dijo:

Engrandece mi alma al Señor;

Y mi espíritu se regocija en Dios mi Salvador.

Porque ha mirado la bajeza de su sierva; 

Pues he aquí, desde ahora me dirán bienaventurada todas las generaciones. 

Porque me ha hecho grandes cosas el Poderoso; 

Santo es su nombre, 

Y su misericordia es de generación en generación 

A los que le temen. 

-- Lucas 1.46-50

Que la maravillosa noticia del nacimiento del salvador y de la maravillosa y perfecta obra salvadora que realizo por la humanidad, nos siga colmando de gozo, y de gratitud, para con Dios, y nos mantenga firmes y haciendo uso correcto de los medios de gracias mientras esperamos la segunda venida del salvador. Feliz navidad y prospero año nuevo en Cristo Jesús. Amen.

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Christmas Greetings from Haiti

My family and I wish you peace, comfort and 

eternal hope in our Savior. Merry Christmas!

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Mi familia y yo les deseamos paz, consuelo, y 

siempre esperanza en nuestro Salvador. 

¡Feliz Navidad!

-- Pastor Rona

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More Christmas Greetings from Mexico

From Mexico:

Pastor Alejandro sends greetings and a strong hug to all of the brothers and sisters in the USA. In these days, may the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus, be born and grow in your hearts. In the company of your loved ones, may you receive all the blessings of love and mercy from our Lord.

In Christ, Pastor Alejandro,

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Desde Mexico:

Pastor Alejandro envia un saludo y fuerte abrazo a todos los hermanos en EEUU. que en estos dias tambien nazca y crezca en sus corazones el Salvador del mundo, nuestro Señor Jesus, en compañia de sus seres queridos reciban todas las bendiciones de amor y misericordia de parte de nuestro Señor. 

En Cristo, Alejandro 

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Christmas Greetings from Bolivia

To all our brothers and sisters who confess their faith in Christ:

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

-- Luke 2:10-12

Christmas, understood correctly, is a sign of joy for us sinners and sad mortals who,  deserving of no other destiny than eternal condemnation, today can jump for joy because of this great salvation which has been put before us -- a child wrapped in swaddling clothes who will finish everything we could not finish and will pay for our guilt: the Lamb who was slain from the beginning of the world (Revelation 13:8).

Let us celebrate together such great and wonderful news! Our salvation has been paid! Let us celebrate in Christ, God, the Son, our Redeemer!

With high regards,

Your confessional brothers and sisters from Bolivia

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A todos lo hermanos confesantes de la fe de Cristo: 

"Pero el ángel les dijo: No temáis; porque he aquí os doy nuevas de gran gozo, que será para todo el pueblo: que os ha nacido hoy, en la ciudad de David, un Salvador, que es CRISTO el Señor. Esto os servirá de señal: Hallaréis al niño envuelto en pañales, acostado en un pesebre." 

-- Lucas 2:10-12

La navidad bien entendida es una señal de gozo para nosotros pecadores y tristes mortales que sin más destino que la condenación eterna hoy podemos saltar de gozo ante tan gran salvación puesta delante de nosotros, un niño envuelto en pañales que cumplirá todo lo que no cumplimos y pagará por nuestras culpas: el Cordero que fue inmolado desde el principio del mundo (Apocalipsis 13:8) ¡Celebremos juntos tan grandes y buenas noticias! ¡Nuestra salvación ya fue pagada, regocijemonos en Cristo, Dios, El hijo, nuestro Redentor.

Con aprecio,

Los hermanos confesionales de Bolivia 

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Christmas Greetings from Mexico

Greetings, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. With all my heart I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a New Year full of many blessings. We will be praying for you that God continue to use you in the expansion of his work and that you may be a blessing for other brothers and sisters. May the peace of God be with you.

Saludos mis hermanos en Cristo, les deseo de todo corazón que pasen una feliz Navidad y un año nuevo lleno de muchas bendiciones, estaremos orando por ustedes para que Dios los siga utilizando en el crecimiento de su obra y sean de bendición para otros hermanos. Que la paz de Dios sea con ustedes. 

 -- Seminarian Dan

Christmas Greetings from Colombia

 

Comfort, comfort my people,
    says your God. 

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
    that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
    double for all her sins.  

                                            -- Isaiah 40:1–2

Sus hermanos desde Colombia los animan en esta Navidad para que tengamos vivo este sentimiento de consuelo, de alegría por el perdón de los pecados que nuestro Redentor nos ha dado y además porque pronto vendrá nuestro Señor Jesucristo por segunda vez. 

FELIZ NAVIDAD LES DESEA 
LA IGLESIA LUTERANA CONFESIONAL DE COLOMBIA.WELS

Your brothers and sisters from Colombia encourage you this Christmas to keep this sentiment of comfort alive, this sentiment of joy for the forgiveness of sins that our Redeemer has given us, and also because soon our Lord Jesus Christ will come again.

THE CONFESSIONAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF COLOMBIA-WELS 
WISHES YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

-- Pastor Henry

Macedonian Giving

 Brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able,  and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 

(2 Corinthians 8:1-4)

On our recent visit to Bolivia, where LATTE Professor Philip is located, we found an example of this type of giving. LATTE Professor Larry, Ernie Latorre, and I were visiting Bolivia. We attended a worship service together with the national congregation. After the service, the members insisted on sending the offering along with us. Our first thought was that they were as much in need of this offering as anyone, but we thought it was very important to honor the spirit in which they offered this, as well as their desire to assist in world missions, so we accepted.

May God bless their spirit of mission giving and promote it among us as well!

Pastor Robert Smith serves as the liaison for LATTE and as the chairman for the WELS Administrative Committee for Latin America.

Learning How To Disagree

Pastor Robert Smith serves as the liaison for LATTE and as the chairman for the WELS Administrative Committee for Latin America. He comments on making decisions for upcoming budgets.

 

I suppose it’s no surprise to the reader that at times there can be disagreement among the Lord’s people about how mission work should be done and how best to use the resources we have. Right now we are at budget time, the time when we have to submit our budget for Latin America for the two fiscal years of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 (WELS fiscal years run from July 1 through June 30). 

 

So the committee has the responsibility of dividing up limited resources among the various fields we have in Latin America - Brazil, Colombia, Haiti, LATTE, Mexico, and the Caribbean. We have limited manpower, 7 full-time missionaries, and limited finances. Of course we should thank the Lord for what we have. To be frank, as we have discussed resource allocation in the last 2-3 months, strong opinions and even differences have emerged as to the optimum allocation of missionaries and financial resources.

Yet I have learned to try not to think of these differences in terms of who’s right and who’s wrong. If one person thinks that these two positions could be best used in this country, and another one thinks that the same positions could be best used in another field or another country, they are both right in a way. Each person wants the gospel of Jesus Christ to reach throughout the world. So even when we disagree on how best to do the work, we are united in the forgiveness won by Jesus and our eagerness to share this good news.

And now decisions must be made. The committee has to decide - so much here, so much there. I’m not sure that we can do this in a way that makes everyone happy because each field might not receive all it’s asking for. Yet I’m not sure that there are “right” or “wrong” decisions here. The Lord’s work advances, and he blesses it.

So it’s OK to have different opinions, as long as we remember what we agree on. We have eternal life in Jesus, and together we serve him to bring that good news to others.

Christmas -- Dourados, Brazil

When considering Christmas customs in Brazil, you have to realize that it is a big country, with many very distinct regions. Food and customs are different by region. They are also different among the many ethnic groups, nationalities and religions that live in Brazil. But there seem to be three things that all regions have in common, perhaps excepting the Amazonian Indians.

Christmas presents are a must in Brazil. Everyone gives presents to as many people as they feel necessary. So right now, two weeks before Christmas, shopping is the big activity - in all parts of Brazil.

The second common custom is family visits. This is similar to the United States, except that here in the southern hemisphere summer vacation has just begun, so the visits can be prolonged. Many companies give collective holidays from the week before Christmas to the week after New Year's Day. City government also closes down for that period, and health posts are left with very few doctors, which is the down side of the custom. What a wonderful time to either visit or receive visitors! (But not a good time to get sick.)

Family

The third common custom is food, but here it is restricted to the Christmas Eve supper. A hold-over from the Catholic midnight mass, all people seem to think that the Christmas Eve supper should happen after midnight, no matter what their religious beliefs. What happens then is that the whole night is taken up, first by the supper and then by night long visiting. The weather is warm, the doors and windows are open, and in many neighborhoods people are in and out of each others' homes all night.

Public Market

In our congregation we try to have several Christmas services over a two week period, to give everyone a chance to worship the Savior at least one.

Youth Group Practicing Christmas Musical

Feliz Natal!

Field Visit

Last month, three WELS Representatives arrived in Brazil for a 14-day tour of Igreja Luterana Brasilera (ILB) – The Brazilian Lutheran Church. Pastor Robert Smith serves as the chairman for our Administrative Committee for Latin American Missions (AC-LA) as well as liaison to LATTE, Mr. Ernesto LaTorre serves on the AC-LA as the newly appointed liaison to Brazil; and Dr. Robert Anderson serves on the WELS Board for World Missions (BWM).  Read below as they share their observations.

 Friendly Counselor Natán, Mr. Ernesto LaTorre, Pastor Robert Smith, 

& Dr. Robert Anderson

In contrast to the densely packed cities are the vast expanses of farmland in central

and southern sections of the country. Smaller cities and a slower paced life allow

us to work with the people to spread the Gospel message. Worshiping with our

brothers and sisters in Gravatai and Dourados warmed my heart and reassured me

that the work of the Holy Spirit through WELS missionaries for the past 24 years

has born much fruit. I am left with the prayer ta, 'Times New Roman', serif;">

In contrast to the densely packed cities are the vast expanses of farmland in central

and southern sections of the country. Smaller cities and a slower paced life allow

us to work with the people to spread the Gospel message. Worshiping with our

brothers and sisters in Gravatai and Dourados warmed my heart and reassured me

that the work of the Holy Spirit through WELS missionaries for the past 24 years

has born much fruit. I am left with the prayer that our Lord will allow us to continue assisting the ministry in Brazil."

-- Dr. Robert Anderson, WELS Board for World Missions Member

"Our trip to Brazil brought many memorable moments. One of them was the church dinner held on a Sunday night in Dourados. The church had prepared a special meal in the Brazilian style of churrascaria, which includes various meats roasted on spits over a barrel of Brazilian charcoal. As the meal was starting, there was a thunderstorm going on outside, and the lights started to flicker. Just a couple minutes later everything went dark. That did not stop the meal. Some people turned on their cell phones to provide light, others their cameras. Together with a flashlight or two there was enough light to continue. And then, just about when everyone was done eating, the lights came back on. 

This event made me think a little bit about the bigger picture. Brazil is a land like any other, filled with people who live in the darkness of sin and unbelief, people who need the light of a Savior. The darkness seems overwhelming, considering that we have only two rather small congregations in the middle of a land of 200 million. Nevertheless, Jesus sends us out with the light of the gospel. Just as with the light of the cell phones was enough for the meal, so the light of the gospel, even though the workers are few, will shine and accomplish God's purpose in Brazil."

-- Pastor Robert Smith, WELS Administrative Committee-Latin American Missions Chairman

  

 

Moros de Habichuela Negra - Black Beans & Rice

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Ingredients

• 3 cups rice
• 2 1/2 cups of black beans -- soaked overnight & boiled until really soft or canned 
• 3 cups hot water
• 2 garlic cloves -- minced
• 1 Tbsp cilantro
• 1/2 cup celery
• 3 Tbsp oregano
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1/2 large onion
• Green peppers -- optional 
  
• 3 Tbsp Adobe (multi purpose Caribbean seasoning)
• Black pepper -- to taste
• Salt -- a few pinches to taste
• Canola oil -- to coat bottom of pan
• Olive oil -- to drizzle over rice once ready

Directions

1. Add canola oil to bottom of a heavy pan & heat oil on medium high heat
2. Add garlic, onions, chicken bouillon cube, salt, pepper, cilantro, celery & green peppers & saute until garlic & onion are tender (after oil is heated)
3. Add black beans (soft) and saute all together for about 5-6 minutes until the mixture begins to bubble (after garlic & onion are tender)
4. Taste the black bean mixture to adjust seasoning  -- add more salt or adobo if needed
5. Add rice & combine with the bean mixture (after seasoning is adjusted)
6. Stir together until rice & beans are well incorporated
7. Add hot water to rice & beans and stir (water should be about 1 inch above the rice mixture)
8. Bring to a simmer until the water meets the level of rice
9. Stir whole mixture once & then cover the pot
10. Lower heat to low and DO NOT OPEN THE POT OR STIR for 20 minutes
11. Uncover & drizzle some olive oil over rice mixture

 Recipe provided by congregation member in the Dominican Republic.

Colorblind

Retired Missionary Charlie and Beth Flunker share details on returning home to Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul where they serving Igreja Luterana Brasileira – The Brazilian Lutheran Church as active volunteers.

When was the last time you thought about the color of your skin? I'm guessing that most of you live in places where one skin color predominates, and people of another race and skin color are few. You might have some in your congregation or neighborhood, but they are the minority. As you might well imagine, different colors of skin are the rule in mission work, and often it is the missionary who is the minority.

Charlie and I just returned from our annual visit to the US. The trip was very interesting! In the Chicago airport, waiting for our flight, we observed the people. That airport has many international flights, and we began to see people of many different nationalities. When we finally decided to sit down in the gate area of our flight, we begin to interact with the many Brazilians, who are returning home from the US. This interaction continues on the plane. The Brazilians often take us for Germans, who are the light-skinned and light-haired people living in Brazil, so we always have a ready-made conversation starter.

Once in the bus station we see a wider variety of skin colors. Everyone uses the efficient and comfortable bus system in Brazil. There are business people, students, store owners with huge sacks of merchandise going back to their small towns after the buying trip to the big city, old people going visiting, whole families, and actually people moving all their belongings in large feed sacks. We can pick out the Bolivians, who have noticeable facial characteristics, and who are returning to their homes just across the frontier from Brazil. Here, as well as in the 15 hour bus trip home, we see all skin tones and walks of life.

This all happened from Wednesday to Friday of last week. So it was rather unique that Gilberto, our evangelist, preached a sermon on Sunday that was based on Peter's vision of the sheet full of unclean animals, and the lesson that Peter learned from it. God does not look at people's skin color, He just wants to find faith in their hearts. So it is important for us to accept one another, and to reach out to all people, because if God doesn't see any difference in skin color or social level, neither should we. Wonderful reminder to get back to work here in the mission field in Brazil!!

We pray that you have also learned this lesson, that a soul is a soul, no matter the external covering, and all souls are tainted with sin and need a Savior. May the Lord bless your mission spirit!

CELC

Pastor Robert Smith comments on his experience at the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC) held this past June 2011 in Minnesota, USA. Pastor Smith serves as the Liaison for LATTE and as the chairman for the WELS Administrative Committee for Latin America.

Pastor Smith Participating in a Small Group Discussion

At the CELC conference, I had the opportunity to join in worship services with our fellow Christians around the world. On Sunday morning, we had a worship service at the chapel on the campus of Bethany Lutheran College. This was a truly memorable experience. Each Scripture reading and prayer was read in a different language by men from different parts of the world. The hymns were accompanied by choirs and brass instruments. More than 400 voices joined in the singing.

Participants from Around the World
Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America

I believe that this worship service is a foretaste of the worship services we will have in heaven. It reminded me of the Bible passage from Revelation 7:

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

Participants from Latin America

Photos provided by Martin Luther College.