Sharing the Good News with Refugees in Northern Kenya

Elijah and His Group Return from Morning Visits

Home Service in Nebraska and Iowa

As a Regional Director, Shauen is an Advisory Delegate to the LCMS Convention which this year is being held in Phoenix, Arizona. Our family is grateful for the opportunity to join him for part of his trip to the United States this month. Unfortunately, as we were arriving at Shauen’s parents’ home last week, Elijah re-injured his same knee that has required surgery twice over the past 18 months. An MRI showed another injury that required surgery to repair. Elijah’s surgery was today and he is now starting the process of recovery. Consequently, our summer plan and travel schedule has changed a little bit but the family has made a visit to Chattanooga, TN, and Madison, AL, and Shauen will still make some additional visits to the following congregations this month, before and after the LCMS Convention:

Tuesday, July 7th - St. John’s in Wilcox, NE

Wednesday, July 8th - St. Paul’s in Malcolm, NE

Saturday, July 11th - Mission Central in Mapleton, IA

Sunday, July 12th - St. Paul’s in Arlington, NE

Monday, July 13th - St. John’s in Madison, NE

Tuesday, July 14th - Peace in Marcus, IA

Wednesday, July 15th - King of Kings in Cedar Rapids, IA

Sunday, July 26th - Our Redeemer in Wauwatosa, WI

If you are near one of these great places, please come and hear about what the Lord is doing through His church in Africa! 

Photos in Focus

Financial Support

To support this work financially, please give a recurring
or one-time gift securely through one of the Give Now
buttons above or online at https://www.LCMS.org/trump or
https://missioncentral.us/trump/ 

OR

Make checks payable to "The LCMS" and mark the memo line “Trump-Africa” to send a tax-deductible gift through one of the following: 

Planting Lutheran Churches

The Lutheran radio program in Rwanda reaches across the nation. It started as churches were closed in 2020 and proved so popular that the church leadership continued the program after churches re-opened. The weekly program is supported by a grant from LCMS International Mission, one of many ways the LCMS walks with The Lutheran Mission in Africa - Synod of Thousand Hills (LMA-STH). We support the training of pastors in regional seminaries, the translation of Gospel-centered materials into local languages through Lutheran Heritage Foundation, the credentialing of pastors in online and intensive-format programs, the training of lay helpers and congregational officers, the purchase of land in urban locations, seminars on the Lutheran approach to reconciliation through the lens of Luther’s Small Catechism, and a sweeping effort to bring congregation buildings into compliance with updated building codes which now also require all religious facilities to include a social ministry like a school (photo above) or medical clinic. 

Through these efforts, the clear and pure Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached and shared in Rwanda. This year, LCMS International Mission will launch a new way to support and engage with the LMA-STH. Through a FORO (forum), or Partner’s Consultation, we will coordinate a gathering of supporters and interested parties from the LCMS who are eager to walk together with the LMA-STH and with each other. The local church body hosts this annual gathering to share the current state of the church, their plans for the years ahead, and areas of opportunity or concern. Those who attend the FORO listen for ways they can plug in to the plans the Lord has entrusted to the leadership of the church, bringing personnel, experience, materials, or resources to collectively and collaboratively serve the efforts to plant Lutheran churches.

The use of FOROs started many years ago in the LCMS International Mission Latin America and the Caribbean region. As the model of partnership gained traction, LCMS congregations, districts, and entities unified in their support of the church, doing more together than they could alone. Recognizing the success of these collaborations, the LCMS in convention directed LCMS International Mission to expand the use of FOROs across all regions. 

The Africa region has FOROs supporting the formation of church planting pastors in South Africa at Lutheran Theological Seminary and supporting the church-planting efforts of The Confessional Lutheran Church—Malawi Synod. In the months ahead, we will coordinate the first FOROs in support of the churches in Rwanda and Eritrea. The FORO introduction plan extends more than five years, bringing FOROs to a few more church bodies each year. 

Pray that together we can collaborate, cooperate, coordinate, and communicate through the FORO in support of the planting of Lutheran churches across the continent! 

Trump Family Update

Josiah (16) has a significant load of AP classes in his sophomore year of high school. He is currently working on his Scouting America Eagle Scout project proposal, supporting a primary school to establish a useable library. He plays basketball on the junior varsity team and is looking forward to a mountaineering camp this summer. Elijah (14) recovered from knee surgery last year and was able to swim on the swim team last season, medaling in the international school championships his first season. Unfortunately, he re-injured the same knee last month - although a slightly different injury - and went through surgery again. He is once again on crutches and in a knee brace as he begins the long process of recovery. Isaiah (12) has started middle school and crossed over from Cub Scouts to Scouting America. He ran cross country and is on the middle school basketball team. He loves ambushing his father with nerf guns at bedtime. Jeremiah (8) has continued to grow into his love of reading and - even though he is only in 3rd grade - joined the cross country club, running after school a couple days a week. Esther (4) has taken well to school after all these years of dropping off and picking up brothers. She maintains a good balance of playing princess/queen, being a mom to her stuffed animals, and engaging in rough-and-tumble play with her brothers and dad. 

Krista has settled into her increased work hours and manages it well, still supporting the kid’s school, sports, and scout schedules along with the usual play-dates and other activities of the family. Shauen continues to lead the region and support the work of many Lutheran churches across Africa. His PhD dissertation proposal was approved and he is now in the midst of field research, visiting congregations with notably good stewardship to learn from them why they do what they do. 

Praise the Lord for contentment, good health (and recovery from injury), success in studies, and joy in life.

Little Bits and Bites

With more than 35 relationships in 25 countries across Africa, there is always something going on. Rejoice with us in a few select items of note from 2025 that came to fruition through the financial support of LCMS donors just like you:

• Ethiopia - A new LCMS-funded missionary apartment building was dedicated at Mekane Yesus Seminary in Addis Ababa. This replaces missionary housing on campus that was condemned after recent flooding.

• Germany - LCMS President Matthew Harrison (photo above) co-hosted the LCMS International Mission’s Africa region continuing education program in Wittenberg, Germany, with Concordia Seminary St. Louis professor Stephen Pietsch. 

• Kenya - The LCMS Field Office hosted workshops for the half-dozen students completing their master’s degree theses for the Concordia Seminary St. Louis online Master of Arts in Theology program. As this initial proof-of-concept cohort completes their program, Concordia Seminary is working through the process to formalize the program and intake 15 new students from Africa as the next cohort.

• Tanzania - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania’s SouthEast of Lake Victoria Diocese seminary campus was dedicated. This Book-of-Concord confessional Lutheran seminary is heavily supported by the LCMS with residential missionaries, infrastructure development, and block grants to supplement the operations. They did their second intake this year.

• Kenya - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya dedicated the Chapel of the Cross at Matongo Seminary, built to accommodate the largest gatherings of the church and the first chapel purpose-built on campus.

• Tanzania - Two Congregation Connect partners (LCMS congregations committed long-term to partnership with a church body/congregation) made visits to The Lutheran Church of East Africa to support the church in evangelism and training in areas of recent expansion of the church.

• South Africa - Lutheran Theological Seminary in Pretoria hosted their first FORO/Partner’s Consultation, coordinated by LCMS International Mission.

• Kenya - The Evanglical Lutheran Church in Kenya hosted an Africa Luther Academy conference on exegesis and preaching with hundreds of their pastors in attendance and special guests from Lutheran churches across the continent. 

• Malawi - The Confessional Lutheran Church-Malawi Synod hosted their first FORO/Partner’s Consultation, coordinated by LCMS International Mission.

• Rwanda - The Lutheran Mission in Africa - Synod of Thousand Hills celebrated their ten year anniversary as a church body, preceded by a mission training center course with a guest lecturer from the SouthEast of Lake Victoria Diocese seminary in Tanzania.

• Zambia - The Lutheran Evangelical Church in Africa hosted an Africa Luther Academy program for continuing education of their church workers.

• Madagascar - The Malagasy Lutheran Church provided training, training materials, and resources like bed nets to promote proven techniques to fight malaria.

• Tanzania - Missionaries Rev. Michael and Shanna Hageman accepted calls to serve in support of the SouthEast of Lake Victoria Diocese seminary in Tanzania.

• Kenya - Missionary Kaelin Peralta accepted a call to serve as a Communication Specialist out of the Africa Field Office in Nairobi, Kenya.

• Kenya - Alliance Missionary Rev. Kalle Väätäinen and his family from the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese in Finland moved forward in an assignment to LCMS International Mission to teach at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya’s Matongo Lutheran Theological College (Seminary).

• Africa - Building on the success of a small group of pastors working through the online bachelor of theology program with Riga Luther Academy, 12 new students from across the continent were accepted for studies and have completed their first semester. Over the next three years, 36 additional scholarship slots will be offered, providing openings for almost every church body we work with to send candidates to study towards a bachelor’s degree, qualifying them to teach in certificate-level seminary programs in their own countries.

• Africa - Arrangements have been initiated for the inaugural Africa Confessional Lutheran Bishop’s Conference in 2026, marking the first time delegates from all our partner church bodies will gather together.

Photos in Focus

Financial Support

To support this work financially, please give a recurring
or one-time gift securely through one of the Give Now
buttons above or online at https://www.LCMS.org/trump or
https://missioncentral.us/trump/ 

OR

Make checks payable to "The LCMS" and mark the memo line “Trump-Africa” to send a tax-deductible gift through one of the following: