Greetings in His name,

As we begin the journey toward Christmas, it is a blessing to think of those who share with us the love and joy of this holy time. It is indeed a time to give thanks. As another year comes to a close we are reminded that the Lord is faithful and we rejoice that it will soon be time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. 

I am thankful to have had a smooth transition back to the field following home service. Upon my return I was able to retrieve my new passport from the Embassy and was also able to renew my residency card, allowing me to live legally on the island for another year. 

Have a look at what’s been happening around the region:

Regionally

• After over a decade of work, the Spanish Lutheran Hymnal is completed and being printed in Thailand and should make its way into our churches in the new year. 

Dominican Republic

• Schools are back open in the Dominican and our Lutheran schools have seen a great influx of students and attendance. 
• Vicar Rafael Flores and a team of missionaries have started doing community visits in Cien Fuegos, one of the new mission points in Santiago. While there, a group of kids who play volleyball at the school heard from our pastors and nurses about health and faith.

• Missionaries and seminarians do weekly visits in Pueblo Nuevo. During this weeks visit a man asked the missionary pastor when God abandoned Jesus on the cross, did Jesus do something bad to deserve it? The pastor went on to explain that it was us that did wrong and Jesus was the one who took the punishment for it. 

• Concordia El Reformador Seminary
  • Faculty were welcomed back to campus after much of the past year was conducted online.
  • This year, the seminary welcomed a first-year student from Panama and currently has 9 residential students. 
  • After many years and shipments of books, the seminary now has a library of resources for students to access and utilize as they study to become pastors.
  • The seminary is already interviewing prospective students for the next school year.
  • The missionaries and seminarians have started a weekly volleyball match where the community can come play Sunday evenings.

Uruguay

• We rejoice that our Brazilian alliance missionary pastor was installed in Chapicuy. 
• Nine children were confirmed this past month, seven of which are from the Lutheran school. An entire family joined their child and celebrated confirmation together after also receiving catechesis. 

Belize

• Belize celebrated a baptism of a 10-year-old in Seine Bight and another at Christ Lutheran.
• Though curfews are still in place, some government restrictions have been lifted and ESL was able to start again in Valley of Peace.
• Our missionaries in Belize are out of Bibles so they have been doing trips to the border of Guatemala to retrieve more.   

Peru

• Elvis Carrera, a recent graduate of the seminary in the Dominican was ordained in October making him the first Lutheran Peruvian pastor in our church’s history!

Cayman Islands

• After years of vacancies, the congregation in the Cayman Islands have a new church building and also welcomed a new permanent missionary pastor and his wife. 
• Children are still not back to school and it has not yet been announced when they will be able to return.

Jamaica

• We grieve the death and loss of Abas Ite, one of our missionaries in Jamaica. Please pray for Pastor Obot Ite and their 10 year old daughter Goodness as they mourn the loss of their wife and mom.    

"I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me." - Psalm 13:6

Thanks be to God for your continued prayers for myself and my colleagues. I look forward to sharing more updates with you in the new year. May joy be in your heart as you celebrate the Light of the world. Christmas and New Year blessings to you all! 

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." - James 1:17