Back to school for everyone, indeed!

Dear friends in Christ, 

It is time to go back to school! For Carter, Grade 7 began last week. The first-year students of Lutera Akadēmija also started last week with their orientation class. Five countries are represented in this new group of students. When students in the US go to college, there is that period of time trying to get all of the students to the same place for education to take place. That issue is significantly complicated when working with students from very different countries with very different traditions and educational norms. They need to understand what we are doing, what the expectations are of them, and their place in the program. 

But that isn’t all for getting back to school. Our other students began the fall semester on September 1! We had an opening chapel service and icebreakers for all the students to get to know each other before concluding with a seminar regarding important Academic Information for the coming semester. 

But even that’s not all. I, too, am going back to school. “But wait,” you might be asking, “didn’t you just finish a doctorate?” Indeed. I did. I have a Doctor of Ministry, the highest degree a pastor can obtain. It is for pastoral ministry. But in European and US academia, the real need is to have a PhD. So, I applied and have been accepted to the PhD in Missiology program at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne. I will be able to do most of my studies while still in the field and return to Ft. Wayne for intensive classes a few times a year. 

This will give me the qualifications to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with academics here in Europe and worldwide, which is important for the work we are doing for Theological Education. Praise be to God that the word is spreading about Lutera Akadēmija, and people are beginning to have a greater interest in who we are and what we are doing. It is a joy to be part of the continuation of Confessional Lutheran theology in Europe and to help train a new generation of pastors who will be taking the Gospel into parts of Europe where the Gospel has faded from sight to many.  

May the Lord bless all of you as you yourselves prepare for school, have children or grandchildren going off to school, or other important milestones in life. Thank you for your support of the work over the last year, and we look forward to much more service ahead!

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Cundiff

Around the continent in 30 days...

Another busy month for the Cundiffs! Quintin was invited to a student’s church in Romania to talk about the relationship between faith and mental health (see photo on bottom left). During that time, we also spoke to one of our sponsoring churches in Iowa near Lindsay’s hometown for their Mission Festival. After Quintin returned to Latvia, we took a few days to reconnect as a family in Estonia before making our way back to Jūrmala (not far from Rīga) for the annual Eurasia Regional Missionary Retreat. This allowed us to (finally!) meet all the other region missionaries face-to-face (upper right photo) and hear presentations from Rev. Dr. Joel Biermann on The Study of Work, Rest and Sabbath. After getting back home, Carterreturned to school and Quintin and Lindsay turned to preparing Lutera Akadēmija for the Fall Semester – it is a LOT of work, but so worth it!