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We are blessed to add the prayer letter of Joy and Paul Mueller to our site.

Thanks to members Del and Dorleen for sharing this with us.

Mueller Email Prayer Letter – December 2007

Volume 3, No. 4

“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.”

Once again – an apology is due all of you. We have been negligent in sharing the marvelous things God has been doing in Africa as you pray and support the work we do on behalf of Him who sent His Son for us. But we “give thanks to the LORD” for you, especially during Christmas, the season of gifts and presents and friends and grace poured out on us by our Father. It is He and His work we proclaim in Africa and around the world – even in your own homes and communities. It is the honor we have been given to be His ambassadors.

We have been VERY busy – the people that can vouch for us are scattered throughout Africa. Of the 119 days between Aug. 10^th and Dec. 5^th, we spent only 19 of those in Nairobi – the rest on the road. WOW! We were in Zambia, Mozambique, S. Africa, Ghana, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and the USA. All of the visits were to firm up our partnerships and relationships with National Churches or to begin talks about new relationships with the LCMS in the future. Those talks are exciting. As we visited all these places, we lifted up the mission of God – sharing Christ with those who still need to hear as well as developing leaders who can carry that message faithfully to the lost – and asked our partners if we could join them in that mission.

Of all these visits, four will be highlighted. In Zambia and Mozambique, we officially met for the first time to discuss if we might begin a relationship between the Lutherans gathering there and the LCMS. As a result, we have been invited back to Mozambique to their “Synodical Convention” to hear them discuss this opportunity and, if they agree, to begin a partnership with our church. In Ghana, two events were held. One was Luther Academy – a gathering of leaders and pastors from Ghana as well as leaders from other countries. At the end of that week-long workshop, we met with leadership from all the African Lutheran seminaries to discuss how a partnership between those churches and LCMS might develop a pan-African Lutheran seminary. This is an aggressive goal. Pray for this conversation. A month later, all the Presidents/Bishops from Lutheran Churches around the world – called the International Lutheran Council (ILC) – met in Ghana for their meeting. Invited were non-member Lutheran Church Presidents/Bishops from Africa – nine of them attended. It was a great experience for them to meet these international Lutheran leaders and begin to network with them and their global Lutheran vision. Finally, while in Liberia, we experienced the ordination of nine pastors – several of them who had worked with the early missionaries in Liberia in the 1980s – we included!! Our friend and faithful servant, Nathaniel Taylor, was one of those men. Those of you who followed our mission work in the 80’s know Nathaniel well since he was instrumental working with us as a co-worker in Liberia. He was not only our language helper but a strong evangelist. When we left Liberia in 1990, Nathaniel stayed faithful to his Lord. During the war, Nathaniel and his family suffered physical, mental, and emotional pain but spiritually kept their eyes focused on the cross of Christ. Nathaniel spoke the Gospel story wherever God led him and shared the story of Christ with many in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Kenya, and even in the USA planting over 50 new congregations. Nathaniel’s journey was not easy. He was jailed, beaten, and ran for his life for two years before finally reuniting with his wife, Elizabeth and family. He graduated from Matongo Lutheran Seminary in Kenya Spring 2005. Nathaniel and his family now serve in Liberia where Nathaniel preaches in several churches and works with Lutheran Bible Translators. We are thankful for his faithful service to the Lord and a role model for many.

The relief efforts in Africa which Joy faithfully leads are unbelievably huge and overwhelming. But, small steps to identify the places where LCMS relief efforts can make the biggest and most strategic impact for the identified need and the Gospel presentation are being taken. Relief ministries in Kenya, Sudan, S. Africa, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Ghana, and other places are being led by faithful church leaders who are now beginning to covet managerial training and support! The need for relief ministries is great. The need for National leadership who are trained to oversee these efforts is also significant.

One of our trips took us to the USA. During one of our many meetings, LCMS WM made a plan to find ways to send more missionaries into international mission fields. Since the financial support to LCMS WM has declined over the years, it has been impossible to increase missionary staff with the dollars received each year. Yet, the need is evident. So, in Africa we have a goal of increasing our missionary force by an additional 2-3 missionaries each year. That means we don’t need only financial support but human resources – people like you and me – to serve in Africa. Interested? Let me know! Remember Isaiah: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Some prayer requests:

1. Some “home” time to recover, get emails caught up, and safe travel for our kids and friends who will be visiting us this Christmas season.

2. A coordination and wisdom for upcoming visits and travels: Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, and the USA.

3. New missionary recruitment for Africa: those still not known, and two families on their way: Mike and Cindy Rodewald and three boys; Jake and Michelle Gillard and two small daughters.

4. Regional Business Manager – we need someone who understands finances, relationships, and has excellent management skills to “run” the African support office for missionaries and National churches out of Nairobi, Kenya.

Christmas blessings to you all. What a GREAT time in the church year. Thanks for your prayers and support. Please keep in touch with us. Paul’s email: Paul.Mueller(atsymbol)LCMS.org. Joy’s email: Joy.Mueller(atsymbol)LCMS.org. Our snail mail address is P.O. Box 22, Karen, 00502, Kenya, E. AFRICA.

If you wish to support our ministry, please send your gifts to: LCMS World Mission, 1333 South Kirkwood, St. Louis, MO., 63122-7295, ATTN: Missionary Support and indicate the support is for us by name. Please inform us of your intentions so that we can thank you personally for your support.

If you are interested in supporting projects of LCMS World Relief and Human Care, please contact Joy for details. You may also visit their web site: http://www.lcms.org/pages/default.asp?NavID=891.

If you are interested in supporting projects of LCMS World Mission, please contact Paul for details. You may also visit their web site: http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=5878.

St. Paul Lutheran Church and School, 1025 Lake Street, Melrose Park, Illinois 60160; Church: 708‑343‑1000, School: 708‑343‑5000

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