From the Shaw’s in Guatemala St. Paul’s shared these encouraging words with Timothy, a “fellow worker” in the Gospel. Paul, even while suffering in prison expresses his concern not only for Timothy but also for the welfare of the early Christian church. In his epistle to Timothy, Paul repeatedly admonishes him to guard the Gospel, to persevere in it, and to keep on preaching it so as to equip the saints and defend the flock from false teachers and their doctrine. Luther commenting on this epistle writes: “St. Paul exhorts Timothy to go on propagating the Gospel, even as he had begun. This is quite necessary, since there are many who fall away; and false spirits and teachers keep springing up all around…always be alert and to work at the Gospel. But he prophesies especially…concerning the perilous time at the end of the world. It is then that a false spiritual life will lead all the world astray, with an outward show, under which every sort of wickedness and wrong will have its fling” (LW 35:389).
My family has been privileged to work alongside the Lutheran Church in Guatemala (LCG) as it carries out the task of equipping the saints and future pastors whom the Lord will use to defend His flocks and continue sharing the Life-saving Gospel message. A portion of my Call has enable me to work with the Lutheran Church in Guatemala’s theological education program. Centro Luterano de Estudios Teologicos (CLET) which was designed to provide formalized theological education for elders and men interested in the office of the Word. LCMS missionary Rev. Dale Talsma and I work side-by-side with the LCG’s director Ared Rodriguez in Antigua, Guatemala. One of the recent courses taught was Confessions II, a study of key Lutheran historical documents found in the Book of Concord. I teach a portion of this course which covers the Formula of Concord, a document that articulates what the Lutheran church believes, teaches and confesses. CLET’s courses are offered as an intensive, in congregational settings and individually.
One of the student who receives classes individually is Gerardo Lopez and he is nearly finished with all his studies. He and I are currently studying the Formula of Concord Saturday afternoons. Once he completes this portion of the course he will continue his studies with Rev. Talsma and later will work with Director Rodriguez to complete his Confessions II coursework. Gerardo is a typical student who is not currently serving as a deacon in a congregation. He works during the week and then attends courses on the weekend. Other students are deacons caring for a flock, as well as earning a living outside the parish. They often attend an intensive course and participate in seminars sponsored by CLET. This reality, of men needing to work as well as serve a parish, has presented the church with many unique challenges. How to provide quality Cristocentric theological education in such an ethnically, economically and educationally diverse country. Flexibility and patience are common expressions that CLET’s director has used when describing the program to visitors to its campus in Antigua. When talking about the importance of equipping men to serve, Ared readily expresses his desire and vision of providing quality theological education that will equip men to defend the flock and equip the saints for sharing the Gospel through their given vocations. To this end he is working with his fellow Latin and South American counterparts to strengthen and improve the quality of instruction that CLET so vitally provides the LCG.
Ared spends his weekdays at the Antigua campus and travels to the department of Zacapa (3 _ hours East) each weekend to be with his family. He often travels by bus which is a risk on the best of days, so please join us in praying for his continued safety and for his wife Jessie and their newborn.
Many of you may know that my family and an LCMS volunteer were attacked in our home one evening in November. It just so happened that I had been in Antigua that day teaching Confessions II (to read about the attack you can go to http://www.lutheransonline.com/guatemala). Since that day there have been many passages that have brought us comfort, strength and hope but one stands out and is from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, especially the following:
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJV Ro. 8:33-39)
We spent many days praying for God’s guidance, strength and comfort and He repeatedly reassured us of His love and presence in what appeared to be a world spinning out of control. His love is certainly no more apparent to us than in the sacrifice of His Son on the cross at Calvary!
This coming May my family will be returning to the US to begin serving the Lord of the harvest at Trinity Lutheran Church in Gallatin, TN. We ask that you keep us in your prayers as we transition into life stateside. Please remember our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Lutheran Church in Guatemala – brothers like Ared and Gerardo.
We will never be able to thank each of you enough for all of your countless prayers and continuous support throughout these past years. A special word of thanks goes to the Talsma family, our fellow missionaries on field for their support, encouragement and love; the Lutheran Church in Guatemala for their prayers, support, and patience; Jorge and Olga Groh for their encouragement, prayers and love; Ken Reiner in St. Louis for his compassion, presence, patience, and Christ-like example and all of the support staff of LCMS World Missions for their prayers and concern; for our families who helped us tremendously from long-distance. Thank you and God’s richest blessings to you my friends!
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. (Ro. 16:25-27)
In Christ’s love,
Ken, Stacy, Melissa, & Cristina