Hospital Loma de Luz is a hospital in Honduras.  Our congregation has sent missionary teams to the hospital in order to work construction projects.  The first year we donated money for a nurses station so that the nurses in the hospital would not have to leave their patients in order to use a bathroom or eat their lunch.  The second year we worked to repair some casitas - little houses - that are used by some missionaries as well as families who have children staying in the hospital.  

This is a growing relationship for us, one that our congregation is embracing more fully each year.  When a team travels to the hospital, the congregation purchases supplies for the hospital that the team takes down as a part of their luggage.  Many of the team intentionally pack barebones so that we can take as many medical supplies as possible to support the hospital.

We are also fortunate to have a daughter of the congregation serving at the hospital as the head of the laboratory.  Christine Bell has served off and on at the hospital for years, the last few of them have been full time living as a missionary in Honduras.  Christine supports a local Honduran congregation while she's working in Honduras helping to disciple adults and young people alike.

For more information:  https://www.crstone.org/

To Donate:  https://www.crstone.org/get-involved/

The Kathryn E. Larson orphanage is an orphanage in India that our congregation helps to sponsor through Global Hope.  This orphanage is a place for children to go to who are cast out of their homes, neglected, or otherwise in need.  The orphanage also helps to feed children whose parents cannot afford to feed them so that the children can stay in their homes.

Our congregaiton has provided school uniforms for the orphans.  We have also helped to sponsor a dinning hall addition to their orphanage so that more children can be fed and served within the community.

For more information:  https://www.globalhope.org/

To Donate:  https://www.globalhope.org/giving/

Word of God puts baby or school kits together for those in need every year.  Per the Luthern World Relief website, "Often, when natural disasters strike or when war drives families from their homes, our hearts ache with compassion, but we don’t know how to help. Making Lutheran World Relief Kits is a simple, fun and tangible way to offer comfort to those suffering and express love to our neighbors in need.  LWR Kits are specifically designed to help people coping with poverty, disaster, conflict and more. Whether a kit helps someone to maintain good hygiene, care well for a newborn baby, keep education going during a crisis or learn a new vocation, LWR Kits provide dignity and hope in the direst situations."  Word of God members come together after church or during VBS to pack the kits.  It is a wonderful way to help those in need while enjoying some fellowship.

For more information:  https://lwr.org/kits

To Donate:  https://donate.lwr.org/give/156547/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=website&c_src2=top_menu

One of our beloved Christmas projects is the Operation Christmas Child boxes.  Each November we gather the boxes in our sanctuary until the distribution centers open to receive them and we can deliver them.  Individual families pack boxes.  Fish Stix, our adult special needs group, pack boxes when miscellaneous supplies are provided.  The Operation Christmas Child boxes truly are a congregation movement of generosity.

What's in a box?  Many things can be in a box, and boxes are usually arranged for children of a particular age.  Box contents can include sunglasses, toys, coloring books, socks, toothbrushes, kazoos, pens, paper, pencils, hairclips, soap, washclothes, and so much more.  They are fun to pack.  In fact, many of us buy things all year long on sales so that when the time comes we're already ready for the boxes to be packed!

For More Information:  https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/

To Donate:  https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/ways-to-give/

The Operation Christmas Child: Distribution Center is a natural extension of the Operation Christmas Child project in our congregation.  Each year we try to arrange for slots within the distribution center where we can go and help pack boxes into shipping cartons to be delivered overseas.  The packing trips are a lot of fun, and fellowship among church members is always a priority on such a mission.  However, there is great joy that comes knowing that we've been able to do our part getting a portion of the hundreds of thousands of Operation Christmas Child boxes to go overseas.

Word of God provides monetary funding to assist the Spiritual Orphans Network.  

Spiritual Orphans Network (formerly East European Missions Network – EEMN) has placed career missionaries in Poland, Latvia, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Albania, and Turkey. We also strive to equip the indigenous Church and lay leadership to serve as missionaries within their own culture. Each summer, short-term mission teams serve with these long-term missionaries and ministry partners. Additionally, SON staff and representatives teach and preach at conferences and conventions throughout the year, all over the European continent and throughout North America.

Spiritual Orphans Network is a confessional, evangelical, Christian mission organization that connects partners with indigenous Christians living in former communist and Soviet bloc nations. Though we are a para-church organization founded in the confessional Lutheran tradition, at our core is the belief that we are first and foremost Kingdom Builders on mission with Christ. As a result, we also partner with other conservative, evangelical Christians who share in these core values.

SON is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is registered in Bloomington, MN and headquartered in Albuquerque, NM. We are blessed to serve alongside a vast network of North American supporters, throughout the US and Canada.

In September 1992, Pastor Don Richman founded East European Missions Network (now named Spiritual Orphans Network) during the wake of the fall of the communist Soviet Union in response to the Great Commission. The idea was to educate American Christians to minister alongside their brothers and sisters in east European churches and ultimately seeking to rebuild and equip the Body of Christ in Central & East Europe, the Baltics, the Balkans, and in Russia by the grace of the Word of God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Through this concept of mutual fellowship in prayer and sharing of resources, the idea of the Network began to take root.

From 2004-2014, Pastor Bill Moberly served as Director, where he built upon Pr. Richman’s original vision by expanding the scope of ministry partnerships throughout North America and former Soviet Bloc nations.

Pastor David Breidenbach joined the staff as Executive Director in March of 2015. Though, beginning in 2006, Pr. David and his wife, Angela, served as volunteer short-term mission team members, hosted fundraising opportunities, and led short-term summer missions teams with SON (then EEMN) to several former Soviet Bloc nations. As ministry partnerships developed well outside of east Europe and the ministry itself continues to mature beyond evangelism through English Bible Camps to a more holistic ministry that also connects and equips pastors and ministry leaders around the globe, Pastor David recognized the need to rebrand and better tell the story of what the ministry actually does: Connecting Spiritual Orphans to the Global Family of Christ. Thus, in April 2020, Spiritual Orphans Network (SON) was born!

Today, SON continues to develop and nurture international partnerships that produce a strong network of people, ministries, and resources between European, African, Mongolian, and North American believers, and beyond. This is how relationships are strengthened, disciples are made, and the Body of Christ is equipped for Kingdom building.

For more information:  https://sonetwork.org/

To Donate:  https://sonetwork.org/give/

Word of God also provides monetary funding to assist with the needs of Tartu Academy of Theology (TAT) in Estonia.  TAT is located in the Estonian city of Tartu.  TAT was founded in the Autumn of 1992. Eight Lutheran pastors from USA visited Estonia earlier that year and met with pastor Eenok Haamer. He shared his vision of Christian College as there was big need to train Christian leaders. These pastors decided to support his initiative financially. This was starting point for TAT founding activities. Since beginning is TAT a Strategic Ministry Partner of East European Missions Network, now SON, Spiritual Orphans Network.  It is run as a joint school with the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran  Church seminary.

GOOD RESULTS OF TAT AND SEMINARY JOINT WORK DURING LAST 3 YEARS

49 Graduates

20 completed bachelor studies:

• 7 continued their studies at master’s level to become pastors in the Lutheran Church
• 4 continued their studies at master’s level to become pastoral care givers
• 6 graduated from the pastoral care specialty and 3 of them already work as pastoral care givers
• 1 is preparing for a prison chaplain position
• 1 is preparing for a hospital chaplain position
• 1 conducts grief groups in his church

16 completed Master’s studies in Theology:

• 7 of them are already pastoring in the Lutheran Church
• 2 are continuing preparations for Lutheran Church pastor positions
• 3 are working on pastoral care giver positions
• 1 is pastoring in the Adventist Church
• 1 is pastoring in the Pentecostal Church
• 2 are pastoring in the Orthodox Church

10 completed Master’s studies in Christian Culture:

They work in different specialties. The curriculum is created to expand Estonians knowledge of Christianity and its introduction into Estonian and European culture. Education in that field is very poor in Estonia due to 50 years of Soviet Occupation.

3 completed the 2-year church musician (organist) course.

Approx. 1,200 participated in life-long learning courses. 

TAT's is now in a new building called the Home of Hope.  It not only houses the school and seminary, but is a Christian outreach center for ministries:  Bible school, pastoral care center, pastoral care hot line,youth activities, spiritual mentoring center, and even a Christian radio station.

Story of 4 generation Haamer Family and TAT in Estonia:  https://tatest.org/videos/

For more information:  https://tatest.org/

To Donate:  https://tatest.org/give/