This is what I wrote back in April when we started this blog site. The blog itself is meant to help the Minnesota North and North Dakota Districts of the LCMS come together and participate in partnerships and projects that will help the mission and mininstry of the Districts but also our partners around the world, especially in Kenya.
“It has been 8 years since I first went to Africa and visited with our Lutheran partners there. Since then I have been back many times. I have been a to visit India and see our churches mercy work there in partnership with others. I have been to flood sites and tornado damaged towns to see how the compassion of God’s people is poured out. I have also stood alone with folks in crisis when it seemed there was no where to turn and I can tell you, partnerships and a presence, even if there is nothing that can be physically done, is infinitely preferable to being alone.
God made us that way. Ever since he saw that “it was not good for the man to be alone”, human beings have been “in community”. Christians call it the “body of Christ” and it is not a metaphor. It is an organic reality created by God’s mercy and connected with the suffering, death and resurrection of His son. This little site is designed to help us to see how the body of Christ functions, communicates, works, struggles and cares up here, in this part of God’s creation. Up North, where you might see the Northern Lights, we are hoping to give glimpses of God’s light shining in our hearts as we “live together as Christ’s people”. We hope to hear from those people in the months and years ahead as paths “cross” and partnerships are formed and we witness, show mercy and share our “life together” in Christ.”
That was back in April and I am continuing to be amazed at the “crossings” that are taking place. Here is a small example. MaryAnn Anderson, who is trying to get mercy work accomplished in small ways on the Standing Rock Reserve, has crossed paths with the parish nurse from my congregation, Gloria Gebur, and another crocheter, Kathyren Rath, to get some yarn to make scarves and mittens etc. While they were getting together Joyette Eysner from my old home town of Leadville CO, volunteered to donate some yarn as well. She is also a cardiac nurse, or was and commiserated with me about my wife and her surgery. I want to hook Joyette up with a medical mission team to Kenya in the near future.
This is just a small example of how God connects us in little ways that can make a big difference in the lives of others.
