News from Natalie:
Serving the Lord in Latin America & the Caribbean 

Dear Partners in Mission, 

It is with great thankfulness to you that I am writing. With your support over the past two years, I have now successfully completed my service as an LCMS GEO missionary. The Lord kept me in His care during my service overseas, and blessed me with experiences that challenged what I thought I was capable of and filled my heart with pure joy as I saw him work in and through the mission. With His guidance, and your prayers and encouragement, I was able to serve and live in ways I never imagined possible in order to proclaim and further the spread of the gospel.

You might be wondering, ‘So what’s next?’ Truth is, I’m wondering the same thing. I have recently returned to my home in Wisconsin and am living with my family until the dust settles and I gain some direction on what to do in this new, but familiar context. I remind myself that God is good all the time and directs the paths of his followers when we walk with Him.

Interested in a visit? I may be available to schedule a visit to your congregation in the near future to talk about my experience. Or, if you are in the area and would like to grab coffee and hear about how the Lord was and continues to be at work in the mission field of Latin America & Caribbean. If you wish to stay in contact with me, please send an email to natalieh5454@gmail.com or reach me by phone: (262) 355-5454.

I was able to visit Peru for a short three day trip during the twice annual FORO partner meeting before orchestrating the team’s efforts a few months later. I had never been to Peru or even South America prior to that first trip. I found the spoken Spanish to be much easier to understand, and just about everything differed from the culture of the Dominican Republic, a place I had very much grown accustomed to.

We saw the Lord working in and through the work of the team from Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church of Mequon, Wis., (not far from my home church– imagine that!) The team successfully taught English, bible stories, music, games, and crafts to children ages 4-14 at the Castillo Fuerte mercy center in La Victoria. They also gave health talks to parents of the children and members of the community. At the beginning of the weeklong VBS type program, there were about 30 children that participated and by the end there were nearly 70. Every day, interested parents came to enroll their children in the program. 

In the evenings, after full days of traveling using public transportation and teaching very enthusiastic children who spoke a different language, the team taught three levels of adult English classes at the mission house in San Borja until about 9 p.m. at night. There were upwards of 60 participants in the adult studies. Some students even traveled an hour and a half each day to attend. 

The week after the team left, the weekly bible study of three attendees jumped up to a total of 18 attendees. Thanks be to God that we were able to share His truth and see almost immediate fruit of our labor.

Want to serve on a short-term team to Latin America? Contact Volunteer Coordinator Erin Mackenzie at erin.mackenzie@lcms.org for information about upcoming trips.