Herb Hoefer
Update
February 12, 2007
Family and Friends,
I am now in Sri Lanka, meeting with the leaders and
workers of our partner church here, the Lanka Lutheran
Church. It's such an inspiration to meet with the 12
probationers. They have completed their third year,
and have only one more to go before their ordination.
In our discussions, they were discussing how they
began their work 3 years ago with fear and tears after
facing so much opposition. Now many find that the
ones who attacked them at first now are their
strongest supporters and some are converts. They are
invited to weddings and funerals in the villages.
They just made friendships, played sports with the
youth, and provided after-school tutoring.
They now have 20-30 in worship services and a steady
stream of baptisms. I discussed with them what brings
people to baptism, and it is almost always the
experience of answer to prayer in Jesus' Name:
healing, peace of mind, a job, etc. It's just what I
wrote about in my article a couple years ago on
"Proclaiming the Gospel of the Ascended Lord."
Some of you will remember our prayers for the
probationer Francis, who was kidnapped for one month.
He has been transferred to another plantation and is
doing well. In his captivity, he just kept on praying
for God's protection, and God spoke to his heart that
he would be freed. He spoke of what he learned about
trusting God in the most difficult of circumstances. These young men are amazing!
The probationers have this year to develop the
micro-business for their self-support as their
congregations grow. Their stipend from the Jesus Is
Lord mission society ends a year from now. By then,
we need to provide them at least with the Mission
Station to live in. JILM provided the $15,000 for one
of them, and I traveled out to see that. It's a house
that they bought, right on a main road, that will be
used both as a residence and as a worship/teaching
place.
The LLC organized another mass baptism service on
Sunday from the work of the probationers. 157 were
baptized. It's so moving to see people of all ages
come, some shaking with emotion. When they give their
responses to the traditional questions ("Do you
believe in God the Father.... in God the Son...."),
they respond with such attention and devotion.
This morning six students from the new set of seminary
students came to join the probationers in their
meeting with me. I used the occasion to have the
older students prepare the new ones, having them share
their initial struggles and current joys. I assured
them that the church of God is with them, both in Sri
Lanka and in the LCMS.
One big event in the region was a mass strike by the
tea plantation workers all of December. They did it
on their own, without involvement from the trade
unions, so it had total support. They had been
getting $4 a day as wages and they wanted $10, but the
owners finally agreed for $6. You can imagine the
suffering in those homes all month, as they live on
daily wages. What courage and determination!
Visitors to Sri Lanka are always struck first by the
friendliness of the people. They are always smiling,
as you pass them on the street or on the road or meet
them in the shops. I think it must be from the
verdant surroundings in which they live. There is
little poverty because everything grows easily in this
climate. Life is good, so smile!
God bless.
Herb