Stories from the Mission Field | CGO Blog

Can you imagine what it would be like not to own a single book?

You wouldn’t be able to get lost in an adventure. You wouldn’t be able to learn about whatever struck your fancy. You wouldn’t even be able to read the Word of God.

For the three hundred children at the Sanga school in Uganda, that reality is very, very real.

It’s a long way from Janesville, Wisconsin, to Comayagua, Honduras, especially when you’re a family of four traveling with two hundred (and one) pounds—four suitcases packed to the max—of medical supplies and Spanish Arch Books, coloring books, and Bible stories.

If you’ve ever had to go through customs, you might be able to relate—at least in part—to the experience Deaconess Olga Preisz Groh had on her way to Nicaragua last year.

On June 16, 2014, twin tornadoes ripped through the small town of Pilger, Nebraska, leaving in their wake a path of devastation. Families lost loved ones, many were critically injured, and nearly 75 percent of Pilger’s buildings were destroyed, including the town’s only elementary school. And all that was left of St. John Lutheran Church was the bell tower.

In western Iowa, just outside the small town of Mapleton, is a set of old farm buildings that have been transformed into Mission Central—the largest LCMS mission-supporting agency in the United States. What was once the hog house is now a fellowship hall; the barn is the worship center; and the old house was renovated to include offices, a kitchen, and rooms for visiting missionaries and their families.

“Never did we envision what God had in mind,” said Gary Thies, known as Old Missionary Gary.

Ellen Kehe, a frequent short-term missionary through LAMP [Lutheran Association of Missionaries & Pilots] Ministry, brings the Gospel to villages in the remote northern regions of Canada. Ellen has a heart for reaching children and has conducted VBS mission trips through LAMP for the past 11 years. Though she faces challenges in villages that have not heard of Christ’s love, she, along with others, is shining the light of God’s Word in dark places. Concordia Gospel Outreach partnered with LAMP to provide the teams with Christ-centered VBS materials. Read our interview with Ellen Kehe to learn more about the important work she and others like her are doing for the sake of the Gospel—and the impact you have when you donate to Concordia Gospel Outreach.

“I want to go back,” said Megan, a fifth-grade student.

Her second-grade sister excitedly agreed, “Me, too!”

The girls, along with their mother, Kim Boyll—members of The Lutheran Church of Webster Gardens—spent their spring break this past March in Belize on a mission trip. They joined a group of two-dozen people from the St. Louis area, which included nine other children. The group went there to teach, to talk, and to share God’s love.

Five years ago, John Gates, a member of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church (ASLC) in St. Louis, set out for his first mission trip through Hearts for Honduras. He joined a group of missionaries in the water well division from Salem Lutheran Church in Tomball, Texas. A driller of oil wells by trade, John says there was something about this trip to a third-world country to help its people gain access to life-sustaining water that appealed to his sense of humanity. It was a greater purpose.

Situated on the north-central stretch of the Gulf Coast, Mobile, Alabama, is rich in culture and history. But not all who call this seaport city home boast of having enough.

Retired pastor, hymnwriter, and grandfather of two survivors of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Gregory J. Wismar has written and donated to Concordia Gospel Outreach a hymn commemorating the first anniversary of the Newtown tragedy. His family and the town he once called home have been greatly impacted by this tragic event, but now he hopes his words might be used to help bring hope and healing to those suffering and in need of encouragement.