International Mission Trips

Tuesday, 15 January 2008

Dear Friends in Christ:

Greetings in the name of our Epiphany Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Our “Adopt An Orphanage” program has grown to the point where it is difficult for me to keep up with individual letters.

I really wanted to share some information with you. We are frequently asked questions such as: “Are you doing any good?” “Is your program working?” Let me share the following with you:

1) From Nikolai, our co-worker in Russia:

“Recently, Valentina visited Lopukhinka orphanage. Their head nurse told her that the local administration boss monitoring the situation in the orphanage has noticed that the last several years Lopukhinka had less and less sick children. ‘We were asked, why?,' she said, ‘and I answered that American Lutherans send us regular supplies of vitamins which tell very positively on the children's health.'”

“The same thing has been confirmed by Tikhvin. Their director said: ‘We never had so many vitamins, medical supplies, and women's pads for our girls.'”

“Head nurse, Galina Tjukova, from Stary Peterhof says that she remembers you and the sponsors in her prayers for the help for the chronically sick (retarded) children in Stary Peterhof. With the medicine that we send the staff is better able to provide help locally for the children. This is especially important because quite often a transfer to another clinic (for mentally ill) means not real help but ‘a flight over the cuckoo's nest” where kids are pumped up with strong drugs. Treating them at Stary Peterhof allows us to provide normal, human care.”

2) From Sue Pfeil, our co-worker in Kyrgyzstan:

“New Year blessings to both of you from all the kids and workers at the orphanages here in Kyrgyzstan. They send their love and prayers of thanksgiving to you and the sponsors of the Orphan Grain Train orphanage program. The three directors that work with the four orphanages and their medical personnel say that the children have been healthier this past year with the help of the vitamins and other medicines we have been able to provide for them. The lab results are great and better than what we see in kids we treat on the medical van.”

This answers the questions fairly well, doesn't it. And we are not only helping physically, but spiritually, too, with the Bible and the witness to Christ's love that we share.

Our orphanage program continues to grow as does our prison and hospital ministry. We are currently working in 46 orphanages in five countries. Nikolai and Alla tell us we are helping over 3,000 children in Russia alone. Our ministry also includes three hospitals and five prisons.

May the Lord bless you richly for your caring and for sharing in this ministry of love and compassion.

Love, joy, and peace from our blessed Savior and from His servant,

Pastor John Reehl

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MISSION TRIPS 2006

In April and May of 2006 missionaries Rev. John and June Reehl visited St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. They shared the gospel through their work at orphanages, hospitals, prisons, and nursing homes. In July, lay missionaries Mary Ann Neimoth and Marlene Behm traveled to Alaska to share the gospel with children in Alaska through Vacation Bible School. On August 22, Gary and Nanna Wieck, Terry and Sandy Bricker, and Dehn and Barb Rehnter traveled to St. Petersburg and Moscow Russia. They shared the gospel through their work with orphanages in the St. Petersburg area. From October 4–18, Rev. John and June Reehl visited St. Petersburg area and the Baltic countries to again work at orphanages, hospitals, prisons, and nursing homes. Other Trinity members accompanied them where Alice Bartlett and Krisha Niemoth. God is at work through the missionaries Trinity sends to various parts of the world.

International Mission Trips - 2005

Guatemala Missions

1. Ten people from Grand Island and one from Casper, Wyoming have gone to Guatemala on a mission vision trip August 26 – September 4.

   They worked with the people who live near “the dump” in Guatemala City. It’s a very large area where all of the garbage for the entire city is taken. Our group conducted Bible studies for adults, teens, and children, assisted with a soup kitchen, and assisted with some basic health clinics. Sharing the love of Jesus through these spiritual and social ministry activities was the primary goal.

   The group took 200 basic first aid kits along with them to Guatemala.
   
   International Mission Trips - 2004

   1. Baltic countries/St. Petersburg, Russia: Was on June 7 - 21. Hosted by Rev. John and June Reehl. .
   2. Baltic countries/St. Petersburg, Russia: Was on August 3 - 16. Hosted by Rev. John and June Reehl.
   3. Mission Trip to Jacmel, Haiti: Was on June 11-21. Hosted by Christ Lutheran in Lincoln

   
   
   More about past trips to Russia and Haiti

RUSSIA Because of the missionary work of retired Pastor John Reehl in St. Petersburg, Russia our congregation is involved in a number of projects to support the mission work there. Members contribute clothing, medical supplies, and financial resources for the work. We also sent lay missionaries to St. Petersburg during the summer of 2000 and 2001 to enhance some of the ongoing mission work.
Ministry was done in the boys juvenile detention center in St. Petersburg.	A friendly visit among friends in Russia.	Pastor John Reehl teaching Russian seminarian students.
HAITI In the summer of 2002 we partnered with Christ Lutheran Church in Lincoln to do some work in Haiti. Works there included construction of a school and play ground, teaching Vacation Bible School, serving meals, sports camps, and other types of support for the Lutheran church in Haiti.
Women of Haiti learning how to sew with a paper pattern.	Children of Haiti at Vacation Bible School.	Buildimg the walls of the school.	Jon Heinrich, Director of Missions at Trinity, helping to build the walls of the school.