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Jaseph (Uruguay) Update – January 2022 #1

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News from God’s mission field in Uruguay from
Pastor Philip and Deaconess Rachel Jaseph
Career Missionaries of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod 

Volume 3

December 2021

We’ve been “green lit”!

BIG NEWS TO SHARE!

Shortly before Christmas we received word that we have been “green lit” for deployment and plan to head into this two-step transition in February 2022. We will dedicate time in the Dominican Republic (regional headquarters for Latin America and the Caribbean) to intensive language study and regional orientation. After a few months we will then leave for Montevideo, Uruguay. This is exciting news and we are thrilled to share it with all of you who have been and continue to pray for and financially partner with us to make our work possible!  THANK YOU to each of you who have been the Lord’s instrument to help us make it to this point. We could not do this work without a support system like you, and we’re excited to share more specifics soon.

A NEW SEASON

As we prepare for the first stage of our departure to the Dominican Republic and eventually, Uruguay, there are many emotions associated with this exciting time. You might be able to think of some of them: relief, joy, excitement, curiosity, uncertainty. These are part of most big moves or career shifts. But sometimes sadness, anxiety, or frustration can affect missionaries as they prepare to deploy, even as they affect all Christians throughout seasons of life. We face sadness as we tell our loved ones that we are relocating for the foreseeable future, quite far away, in places where some may never be able to visit us. We deal with frustration when our expectations and those of others may not be clearly communicated. We work through anxieties about the moving process, the timeline, and what to pack, among others, and take them to the Lord in prayer. We rely on our team of colleagues on the field, and our supporters (like you!) in the United States who are our colleagues in mission and in prayer. 

Preparing to move to establish a new home and begin integration in our target culture and country are exciting but tinged with difficulties this side of heaven. Missionaries are sinful people, not superheroes, and going with the Gospel across linguistic, geographic, and cultural borders is an impossible endeavor for us.

But not for God.

God has given us His Word, given us His promises fulfilled in His Son, and called us to this work. He is always faithful, even when we struggle. Thank you for your faithful prayers for us as we prepare to follow the Lord into something new! We’re blessed to have you as companions on this journey. 

A CHALLENGE FOR YOU

Being “green-lit” means that God’s people have been so generous as to help us reach at least 75% of our total funding goal for the first 2 years of service.

This does not mean that we’re not looking for more partners, though!

If you have not already adopted a missionary or missionary family for 2022 through long-term committed support, we encourage you to prayerfully consider this opportunity and join us. As a family, we are excited to support two other missionary families on a monthly basis, and we are grateful for a few fellow missionaries who have done the same for us. Becoming a Mission Sender is a great way to stay connected in a personal way with specific missionaries and their work! We currently are blessed with 19 recurring donors through the Mission Senders program and before deploying in February we would love to double this team. Whether you are able to commit $5, $10, $50, or another amount each month, this type of giving will help sustain our work into the future. Please prayerfully consider this, check out info about Mission Senders here, and let us know if you have any questions!

Above are photos of just a few of the wonderful folks we were privileged to meet, reconnect with, and visit during the month of December:
Photos, beginning at top and then counter-clockwise: (1) Pastor Phil preached and we presented at Rachel’s home church, Zion Lutheran, in Decatur, Indiana. (2) Pastor Phil preached and shared a children’s message at Hope Lutheran in Aurora, Ohio on December 5th. (3) While in Indiana we had the privilege of visiting a number of family members, friends, and mission supporters, including Rev. Dr. John Pless.

DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

During the last days of 2021, we were blessed to spend time with God’s people in three different states! St. James Lutheran in Baltimore, Maryland, Hope Lutheran in Aurora, Ohio, and Zion Lutheran Church and School in Decatur, Indiana received us with wonderful hospitality and enthusiasm. It was a joy to visit a second Baltimore church with a heart for the city and connect some first-time mission supporters to the work in Latin America. We are excited to have each of you journeying with us to Uruguay through your involvement!

So many of you have had wonderful questions and comments and we have enjoyed the  engaging conversations about the mission of God’s Church during presentations, around dinner tables, and in church narthexes. It was a special privilege to visit the school children at Zion Decatur because this is the school Rachel attended as a child, and where she first considered pursuing missionary service. We had a great morning encouraging some of our church’s youngest members to think of themselves as missionaries in their families and communities. It was also fun to challenge them to learn about Uruguay and ponder the world outside their scope of experience. Zion School has generously decided to dedicate some of their chapel offerings to support our work as well! Thank you! 

 

Right before Christmas, Phil preached at Zion Decatur, where we were married 5 years ago and where Rachel was commissioned as a deaconess in 2014. It is humbling to reflect on the ways in which the Lord has brought many pieces of our lives full-circle and we are thankful for His many mercies. We continue to praise God for all of you wonderful mission partners, whether you’ve been praying for and supporting us since our first deployments 9 and 7 years ago, or whether we met in the last month. It is the Lord sending us, but He is doing it through YOU, because YOU all comprise His Church. 

DID YOU KNOW?
TOGETHER IN MISSION

 

Did you know that YOU, by being a member of an LCMS congregation, have over 100 missionaries serving around the world!? The word “synod” means “walking together”, and we walk together in many ways. Our unity of doctrine and enthusiasm for mission work at home and abroad are two of the ways we live this.

In addition to many congregations that have made generous gifts to help send us to Uruguay, three have paved the way for the long-term sustainability of our work by committing to walk with us through the Together in Mission (TIM) program. Thank you to the saints at Zion Lutheran in Bridgeville, PA; Zion Lutheran in Decatur, IN; and Peace Lutheran in Fort Wayne, IN for your commitment to send us as the Lord’s workers into the harvest field.

If your congregation would like to take an active role in walking together with your Synod by making sending missionaries like us possible, click here to learn about the TIM program. You may request a packet of information about TIM partnership with us, including congregational engagement ideas, by contacting Julie Loehring at julie.loehring@lcms.org.

Above photos counter-clockwise, beginning at top:  (1) A group of young Lutherans made confession of their faith and were confirmed at Iglesia Luterana San Pablo (St. Paul Lutheran Church) in Montevideo. They are pictured here with Pastors Christian Hoffman, Andre Mueller, and James Sharp. Praise the Lord for these faithful young people! (2) This map of Uruguay shows Montevideo on the coast, the capital city where we will be living and serving. (3) Pastor Sharp is one of the colleagues we will be serving alongside. He is pictured here distributing Holy Communion. (4) Parilla is a style of cooking grilled meat and is a big part of Uruguayan culture. [Photo credit: www.guruguay.com/blog] (5) Most of Uruguay is rural farm and ranching land [Photo credit: www.guruguay.com/blog].

Join our team


1. Pray! Updated prayer requests will be sent in each newsletter.

2. On Facebook? Join our group for more detailed updates. Search “The Jaseph Family: Serving the Lord in Uruguay” or click here.

3. Share this newsletter with others at your church by forwarding it, printing and posting it on a bulletin board, or putting it on your church Facebook page.

4. Prayerfully consider becoming a Mission Sender by making a financial gift or pledge to send us to Uruguay as soon as possible. You may partner with us financially at the page found here

You may also send a check made out to “LCMS” with “Jaseph Mission Support” in the memo line to either:

Mission Central
40718 E 16
Mapleton, IA 51034
or
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod P.O. Box 66861
St. Louis, MO 63166-6861


5. Ask us to send you our 15 minute mini-overview video to share with your pastor, church friends, or others who may want to learn more. We’d love to share it!

6. YOU are our greatest advocates for reaching new groups, congregations, and individuals interested in the Uruguayan mission field! Share this newsletter with others in your circles and encourage them to reach out to us if someone is interested in knowing more.

7. Reach out to connect via Zoom with your church family. We’d love to share and get to know your church better!

PRAYER REQUESTS 


For those struggling in various ways because of the pandemic, and that we would be able to travel safely in the coming months.

For our brothers and sisters in Uruguay as they reach the lost.

For our continued language studies, especially Phil’s Spanish acquisition (8 hours/week), which continues to go well.

That God would continue raising up financial and prayer partners for the coming years.

Thanksgiving that we could celebrate Christmas with both sets of parents.

It takes a team to send and sustain missionaries. God has already blessed us with wonderful people to be a part of our team, but we’re looking for more to join us! This map hangs at our “home base” as a reminder to pray for those churches who are already supporting us with their financial gifts, prayers, and interest in a future video call once we deploy.

Learn more about international mission! 

The Jaseph Family: Serving the Lord in Uruguay

Jaseph Info and Giving Page

Copyright © Phil and Rachel Jaseph, All rights reserved.

Our current U.S. mailing address is:
2049 Haverford Dr. Crownsville, Maryland 21032

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The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod · 2049 Haverford Dr · Crownsville, MD 21032-2222 · USA

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