February, 2004

Psalm 23

Here’s a meaningful way of mediatating on Psalm 23:

The Lord is my Shepherd

That's Relationship!

I shall not want

That's Supply!

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures

That's Rest!

He leadeth me beside the still waters

That's Refreshment!

He restoreth my soul

That' s Healing!

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness

That's Guidance!

For His name sake

That's Purpose!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

That's Testing!

I will fear no evil

That' s Protection!

For Thou art with me

That's Faithfulness!

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me

That's Discipline!

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies

That's Hope!

Thou annointest my head with oil

That's Consecration!

My cup runneth over

That's Abundance!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life

That's Blessing!

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

That's Security!

Forever

That's Eternity!

Real Love!

It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 am, when an elderly gentleman, in his 80's, came to have sutures removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him.

I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, we began to engage in conversation. I asked him if he had a doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's.

As we talked, and I finished dressing his wound, I asked if she would be worried if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him. "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?"

He smiled as he patted my hand and said. "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life."

True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

How Often We Miss The Obvious!

The story is told of a Franciscan monk in Australia was assigned to be the guide and "gofer" to Mother Teresa when she visited New South Wales.

Thrilled and excited at the prospect of being so close to this great woman, he dreamed of how much he would learn from her and what they would talk about. But during her visit, he became frustrated. Although he was constantly near her, the friar never had the opportunity to say one word to Mother Teresa. There were always other people for her to meet.

Finally, her tour was over, and she was due to fly to New Guinea. In desperation, the Franciscan friar spoke to Mother Teresa: If I pay my own fare to New Guinea, can I sit next to you on the plane so I can talk to you and learn from you?

Mother Teresa looked at him. “You have enough money to pay airfare to New Guinea?” she asked. “Yes,” he replied eagerly. “Then give that money to the poor,” she said.

“You'll learn more from that than anything I can tell you.”

Self-discipline is when your conscience tells you to do something and you don't talk back.

W.K. Hope

The most valuable of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do when it has to be done, whether you like it or not.

Be Careful When You Decide To Temp The Lord!

An atheist professor was teaching a college class and he told the class that he was going to prove that there is no God. He said, "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you 15 minutes!" Ten minutes went by. He kept taunting God, saying, "Here I am, God. I'm still waiting."

He got down to the last couple of minutes and a big 240 pound football player in the class walked up to the professor, hit him full force in the face, and sent him flying from his platform.

The professor struggled, obviously shaken and yelled, "What's the matter with you? Why did you do that?"

The football player replied, "God was busy; He sent me!"

Happy 2004!

(from Keri Henkel, Beijing, China)

Shenma? What happened to 2003? I have no idea! Since I’m way behind in my correspondence, I’ll just give you the highlights...

First of all, I hope everyone had a happy Christmas and New Year. Once again, I enjoyed the LACK of Christmas in China...that is, the lack of commercialism surrounding Christmas. Though this year it seemed there was much more Christmas than last year—more stores had Christmas trees, more students had their classrooms decorated for Christmas. Some of the classes even had Christmas parties. Of course, one physics teacher decided to have an exam on Christmas Day because, my students told me, he said Christmas is not a Chinese holiday, which is true to some extent. But for some Chinese, there is a real reason to celebrate.

Previous to Christmas, I had a cookie baking party with the Saturday night girls’ group. I was able to find cookie cutters at IKEA, so we did cutout cookies, peanut butter kisses, and snickerdoodles. It was so much fun, especially watching my friends decorate the cutout cookies with so much precision you really hated to eat their work! I think the snickerdoodles were the all-around favorite, probably because they’re not as sweet as the other cookies. My friend Sandy is coming over next week to make snickerdoodles to take home to her family for Spring Festival.

We also had a big Christmas party for our friends. We decided not to have a dinner this year, which many of us decided didn’t work too well because we just didn’t have enough time with our friends. The whole thing was much too rushed because we had to be out of the place we rented by 9:00 sharp, and many of our friends didn’t arrive until 7:30. But you learn by trial and error. We played Christmas BINGO and acted out the Christmas story. This year, since I wrote the play, I made myself the angel. I decided someone else deserved the honor of being Mary!

I celebrated Christmas with the Senior 3 English teachers, who once again took me out to dinner. This time we had oysters. They were cooked and placed on the shell and tasted a lot like crab to me, though maybe it’s the butter and garlic on the oysters and the crab that tastes the same. I don’t know. Of course, there was one extra oyster that ended up on my plate. Apparently, you can distinguish between the male and female oysters even after they’re cooked, and the teachers thought I should have one of each. I always have a lot of fun when I go out with the teachers, and it’s because of them that I’ve tried (albeit grudgingly, sometimes) many new kinds of food.

All of us Americans had time off from school for our celebrations. Christmas Eve, we had a fabulous Chinese dinner with Yong Hong, and believe me, there was very little left in our wake! Then we exchanged white elephant gifts. I got a mooncake from Lynelle, who saved it just for the occasion. Yummy. On Christmas day, we attended a choir service that Josh and Derek were asked to sing in. The music was absolutely beautiful...many of our favorite songs sung in Chinese. Josh and Derek sang Silent Night in Chinese and then did some other numbers (like Jingle Bell Rock) with two other members of the choir. Jingle Bell Rock was followed by the Hallelujah Chorus. Not a typical combination, but that’s why I love China so much!

The day after Christmas, we piled on a train and headed out to Renqui, where two of our friends are teachers. Actually, they’re the only two foreigners in the whole town. And then all of a sudden there’s all these foreigners in the town, and I’m sure everyone thought the sky was falling or something. One of our friends in Beijing who is from Renqui went with us back to her home town. Her father owns a restaurant in Renqui and prepared a huge buffet for us. We were all full, but the food just kept coming and coming and coming...till they had to roll us out the door. Have you noticed a theme in how we celebrate? TOO MUCH FOOD! Oh, but it’s delicious food. And I figure I might as well eat all the Chinese food I can while I’m here, because back in America it’s just not the same! After dinner, we had another gift exchange at Missy and Anne’s apartment. I got rid of the mooncake!

I don’t think much happened between Christmas and New Years, so I have nothing to write about that. On New Year’s Eve, the Senior 1 and 2 students at my school had a talent show that Josh, Artie, and I attended. It’s always a shock for us to see our kids without their uniforms on—you forget they have lives outside of school (somewhat)! Some of them sang, others danced, and some of the teachers also sang and did a comedy routine. The show began with a performance by the school band (I didn’t even know there was a school band!) that was absolutely fabulous. One group of boys played a saxophone quartet with a soprano, alto, tenor, and bass (I don’t know the official name) saxophone. They walked up and down the aisle playing their music. As Artie said, they had the moves! I think sometimes I underestimate my students and forget they are very talented in many ways, even if they can’t always speak English very well.

On the evening of New Year’s Eve, Rachel, Cliss, and I had several friends over. Cliss made homemade salsa, and we played games and did karaoke and laughed a lot (until 2 in the morning to be precise), and then on New Year’s Day we did nothing. We had to teach on Sunday because our schools had two days off for New Years, and then Cliss and Rachel were done teaching for the term. I still had class Monday and Tuesday. Well, half a day on Tuesday. Then I took down all my Christmas decorations, cleaned my classroom, turned out the lights, and left. Another term completed... until Friday afternoon when the English teachers asked me to return to school to give my exam to the students who missed it, even though the students had more than two weeks to make it up. They really wanted the students to have just one more chance to take the exam. No comment.

Whew, that was a whirlwind. We’re leaving on Monday to spend three days in Harbin, which I guess is similar in weather to a really cold January day in MN. Many friends have warned me to keep my ears covered so they don’t freeze and fall off. I wonder if it’s a common problem in Harbin? There’s a famous ice festival with ice carvings and other activities that I’m excited to see. After Harbin, we’re heading south, but I’m not sure about the names of the places we’re going. As you know, you will get the scoop when I return whether you want it or not.

Funny story of the week:

The other day I was riding my bike through the back alley behind our apartment building on my way home from school when a man called out behind me, “Hello! I love you!” Now THAT is love at first sight! (I just kept riding.)

Well, my friends, that about sums up the holiday season in Beijing. Thanks again for all the cards and greetings. If I haven’t heard from you for a while (and you know who you are), now is as good a time as any! :-)

God’s blessings in 2004!

Love, Keri

…On A More Serious Note…

(from Missionary Terry Schultz, Lima, Peru)

For months and months Ronal and I had waited for the waters to rise in the small jungle rivers. We had personal invitations to visit two native Chayahuita villages that we had never entered before! However, as we met on a plane in Tarapoto for the 20-minute flight to Yurimaguas, Ronal greeted me with devastating news that would immediately change our plans.

3 ½ hours down the Huallaga river, (one of the 3 main tributaries of the Amazon river), lies the village of Pelejo, where we first began our Amazon work. The village of hardworking mestizos contains our dear congregation, “la iglesia luterana de mi Jesus,” – The Lutheran church of my Jesus. Last week the village was hit with a torrential, rainforest-strength, deluge of a downpour that did not stop for four days and four nights!! Believe me, until you see one of these legendary downpours, you simply can’t believe it is possible for it to rain that hard!! How bad did things get in Pelejo?

The entire town found itself underwater as the river and lagoon overflowed their banks. The town quickly ran out of food. The mud-and-brick ovens of the village bakery were reduced to a little pile of bricks. (“And we forgot the taste of bread…” – Ok, not really, but there would be no bread in the town for about a week!) Various wild jungle animals, - huge boars, deer, and rodents, were spotted racing through town, panicked by the flooding in the nearby jungle!

The one and only telephone that connects the village to the outside world went out. Water began to rise foot by foot! Quickly it rose to 3 feet, and began entering the low-lying, frail, dirt floor and wooden board houses. (By U.S. standards many of these houses would be considered shacks or sheds!) All the roads and paths through town soon disappeared underwater. To try and visit relatives or old folks stranded in their homes without food would be a treacherous undertaking Amidst the flooding and the driving rain, how could one get to them?

Well, as there are so many fish in the surrounding rivers, nearly every family in Pelejo has their own dugout canoe. So, during the deluge, people got in their canoes, and began paddling right down the flooded streets! The people found themselves paddling past rats, dogs, chickens, and snakes that were all in the streets swimming for their lives! When a person finally got to their loved one’s house, they simply paddled right through the front door and into the home!

Once inside the house, one might find grandpa sitting in his dugout canoe along with the dog and the radio, with the rest of his meager possessions just floating and bobbing about! What little food had been in the house, (a little flour, sugar, bread), would all have been used up or lost, with no way to restock it!) People huddled together in their canoes inside their homes, listening to the unrelenting rain. If the house didn’t contain a “second floor,” (i.e. a few boards laid across the roof beams like an attic), there would be no place to sleep. People simply lay down and slept right in their canoes!! The long days were passed talking and consoling one another, as the rain just kept coming.

And what a lot of consoling there was to do! For as the huge downpour continued day and night, the people all knew it spelled disaster for their carefully tended rice fields. Imagine, you work for months sloshing through the muddy rice fields in the blazing tropical sun. With your back bent completely over, you push the rice shoots into the mud, row after row, while insects swirl around you, biting and stinging away. Normally, in three months, you will have something you can harvest. You take this to market for a little hard money with which to feed and clothe your family, or to buy much needed medicine. Now, as the people of Pelejo sat in their flooded homes, they knew with each passing hour that it was more and more likely that their entire rice crop, (3 months of work or ¼ of the year’s income), would be completely lost. At times like this, you simply cling to your God-given faith, knowing that he is still watching over you amidst the tragedy. You remind yourself that he absolutely loves you, and that he never takes his eyes off you.

By the third day, the water was over four feet high. It was now exceedingly dangerous for small children who could easily drown inside a flooded house! Such was the case for our dear church member Tomasa, who has three small children. Weighing the various risks involved, on the third day Tomasa raced out of her flooded house with her three children, and made a dash for the home of Jose and Sandra, our two Sunday School teachers. They live right next door to our church.

Now by the grace of God, our church that sits less than 10 yards from the lagoon was constructed on poles a couple feet off the ground. It had been difficult and much more costly to construct the church that way. For, instead of going with just a dirt or cement floor, expensive, wooden planks had to be made or bought. Thick wooden poles or columns had to be used to support the raised floor. (Thank the Lord for those Crosstitch funds and other contributions that paid for most of these materials!) That raised-floor construction saved the church building and everything in it from being flooded!!!

However, let’s get back to Tomasa and her three little kids, who were desperately looking for the Sunday School teachers that dark, rainy night! Tomasa found Jose and Sandra inside their flooded house, their two little kids floating about in Jose’s canoe.

Jose and Sandra immediately agreed to Tomasa’s request to unlock the church, so she and her three children could seek refuge there. Once inside, Tomasa hung up mosquito nets, and the four of them crawled under them and slept on the floor. Meanwhile, the nearby lagoon was now overrunning its banks! Tomasa and her children had the eerie experience of sleeping on the dry, wooden planks, while a dangerous, sweeping torrent of river water rushed by just inches beneath them! It was almost like a mini, sideways version of the parting of the Red Sea, what with the family passing the night on “dry ground,” while the rain and waters piled up all around them!! Tomasa didn’t sleep at all as the water went roaring beneath them all night long, for the rains just kept coming!

As I mentioned, the rain went on for four whole days and nights. At the height of it all, much of the town was submerged in over 4 ½ feet of water. All human life survived, thank the Lord. Many animals were lost. Everyone saw his or her rice crop completely destroyed. About all most people had to eat for many days were just fish and bananas. The waters quickly subsided, leaving everything covered in thick mud. This of course brought on an explosion of insect life, adding more misery to the depressing situation. Inside and outside homes, people found themselves walking in a virtual 6-inch-thick carpet of biting gnats and flies.

Less than 1 ½ hours from stepping off our plane in Yurimaguas, Ronal and I were on the river to Pelejo with our Jungle river pilot Segundo. We bought as much food as we possibly could without putting our originally planned exploratory trip in jeopardy. (Indeed, we would need a transfer of money by our Lima secretary to pay our Yurimaguas bills before it was all over!)

After 3 ½ hours on the river, we were in Pelejo. It was now three days since the rain had stopped, and the water had soaked into the ground. The city looked dreary, downright abysmal, covered in mud and insects, yet with a scorching sun out now, sapping what little strength people had to try and get everything cleaned up. There was a water line half way up the walls of every wooden house.

We immediately began offloading our precious cargo: A huge bag of high quality rice, three garbage-bag-size sacks of bakery buns, (we cleaned out one whole Yurimaguas bakery), a case of individual packets of spaghetti noodles and a case of individual bags of coarse brown sugar. (Ronal and Segundo had made all the food choices. Yes, we were a little heavy on the carbohydrates. However, in the hot tropical sun, vegetables and fruits would immediately spoil. Our dry goods could feed the people for several days.

We set up our food distribution center in the church. Our completely surprised, elated church members came racing to meet us, many with tears coming down their cheeks. They of course had no idea we were coming. We all sat in the church, and Ronal, Segundo, and I quietly listened as the story of the city flood was told and retold by nearly every member. Quite obviously, the shock of realizing the entire family crop and income was lost was just beginning to sink in. Our contribution of a simple bag of food was extremely welcome, especially as there was basically no food in town to purchase.

Meanwhile, a helicopter could be heard passing overhead! In anger and frustration, our members reported that the mayor of the next-door village of Papaplaya, just a 20-minute walk away, had political connections. Pelejo’s mayor apparently didn’t have any connections. Papaplaya had already received 3 food drops! The loud helicopters, which signaled relief and assistance for others, were yet another bitter pill for our members to swallow.

Before we distributed the food, we held a simple church service, in which we thanked God that no one had perished in the 4-day flood. In my message, I emphasized that we don’t have answers to all the why questions when tragedies strike, but we certainly have an answer to the who questions: Who’s in charge: Our loving Heavenly Father who loves us so much that he spared not his own Son that we might live with him forever. We cling to the incomprehensible, yet unequivocal promise that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” We have God’s word on that, and we know he doesn’t lie! Our dear members nodded their heads in agreement, clinging to these precious promises, amidst all evidence to the contrary as each family’s field lay in ruin.

After many songs and prayers, it was food distribution time. And like some mini-U.N. operation, the people formed a line to receive their food supplies. They came forward with a jar or plastic bowl, kids came with cups, and we filled them all with rice. Then, they moved over to the table for a packet of spaghetti noodles, a bag of rolls, and a bag of brown sugar. That our humble contributions swelled nearly everyone’s eyes with tears was almost more than Ronal, Segundo and I could take!

Not too surprisingly, more than a few nonmember moms with their kids had shown up and gotten in line with their plastic bowls and cups. More recipients meant cutting back just a bit on everyone’s portions. However, during this distribution time, an extraordinary moment occurred that I will never forget. It was simply, absolutely, breathtaking: I saw some of our members get out of the line and quietly go sit down on a bench. They waited to make sure all the others, even non-members, received a little food before they would get back in line. What an incredible example of Christian love in action!! I can’t remember when I ever felt so proud of our precious Peruvian brothers and sisters.

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

[John 13:35]

Until next time Amigos,

Terry

(A freewill door offering was received here at Mt. Olive and about $800 has been sent to help in the relief efforts.)

The Lutheran Home Association Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting of The Lutheran Home Association was held on January 20, 2004 at The Lutheran Home, Belle Plaine, MN. The meeting was called to order by Chairman, Pastor David M. Ponath at 1:00 P.M The meeting was opened with a devotional service. Pastor John Zeitler, Director of Spiritual Services at The Lutheran Home, Belle Plaine, served as Liturgist. Pastor David Ponath, Chairman, TLHA Board of Directors, delivered a message based on Colossians 3 (selected verses), with the theme: "Compassionate Christians". Hymns 525 and 490(CW) "The Son of God, Our Christ" and "Love in Christ Is Strong and Living" were also sung in this service.

Following the service, Mr. Terry Neubarth, TLHA Board Vice-Chairman read the Mission Statement of The Lutheran Home Association. Then the registration report was given: 19 pastors and 27 delegates from 34 churches and 22 guests were in attendance.

Pastor Matthew Rauh, Secretary, read the minutes of the previous meeting. The minutes were approved as read. New applica-tions for membership were presented.

One congregation applied for membership to the Association and was accepted. Membership total as of January 1, 2004 was 216 congregations.

Pastor David Ponath gave the introduction to the Annual Report and the following reports were presented and discussed:

· The Lutheran Home Association Today, by Mr. Michael R. Klatt, CEO

· The Care of the Soul, by Pastor John Zeitler, Director of Spiritual Services.

· Our Financial Health, by Ms. Kay Inglett, Corporate Controller

· Nominating Committee Report & Elections:

· Pastor Matthew Rauh, Incumbent for Board Member – Pastor

· Mr. Terry Neubarth, Incumbent for Board Member – Layman

· Mr. Arvid Schwartz, Incumbent for Board Member – Layman

· There were no nominations from the floor. The incumbent board members were re-elected by a unanimous vote.

New Business included a report on the Lutheran Home: Hope Residence – Legislative Strategy, by Mr. Michael Klatt, President and CEO. The legislative action proposed is to reverse an amendment passed by the 2003 Legislature which now requires the county to pay 20 percent for certain non-federal Medical Assistance costs.

Other reports presented:

· SMILE Conference Promotion by Mr. Jim Esmeier, Staff Minister.

· “Care of the Soul” Leadership Award presented to Mr. Bruce Cuppan, presented by Pastor David Ponath.

· Mission Advancement by Mr. Jon Scharlemann.

· The Lutheran Home Foundation, by Mr. Norm Lindberg, Chairman of the Board of Regents.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:22 P.M with the singing of “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”

Following adjournment and a brief recess, there was an education session titled: “Jesus Cares – David Cares” presented by Jim Esmeier and Bill Truebenbach, JCM Coordinators with special guest, David Koss, JCM participant and supporter.

The meeting was attended by Harold Brown and Dean Mahlke. If anyone is interested in any further details of this meeting, please contact me.

Harold Brown
Mt. Olive's Delegate

ICLD

International Christian Litura-ture Distributors, Inc. (ICLD) is a nondenominational, nonprofit ministry representing many different churches. Its staff consists of over 50 non-salaried Christian volunteers dedicated to spreading Gospel literature around the world.

The Seekers Bible study group started a service project collecting recycled Christian literature in 1993! Please help to continue to spread the Word of God by placing your donations in a box located in the large cabinet in the Fellowship Hall.

Contribution Of Material: All materials must have a clear Bible message that can be understood by Foreign nationals - a message that glorifies and praises God and His Word. The high cost of postage is a great burden, therefore money is also needed for mailing.

Cancelled Stamp Ministry: Cancelled stamps are forwarded to C&MA Florida where auction sale receipts are used for publishing Sunday School material in Spanish. Please place your cancelled stamps in this box also.

Used and Unused Greeting Cards: Mae Schmidt collects all used and unused greeting cards and has found places where they are gladly recycled.

ICLD’s focus is to provide Bibles, Christian books, devotional and other Gospel literature, primarily to Third World countries.

People around the world are hungry for Christian literature, but in many nations it is either not available or too costly for people to purchase. ICLD meets this need by shipping over I ,600 pounds of material per week to over 85 countries.

Missionaries report how vital our literature is in reaching people who otherwise might never be open to hearing the Gospel.

What is needed?

· Bibles – all versions

· New Testaments

· Commentaries

· Concordances

· Bible Dictionaries

· Forward in Christ magazines

· Bible Studies

· Bible Stories

· Bible Studies Scripture Reading

· Unmarked Sunday school materials

· Postage stamps – new or used

· U.S and Foreign

Mae Schmidt, ICLD Coordinator

Is Going To The Dogs Bad?

I have read selected portions of the book by William Safire entitled “Lend me your ears Great speeches in history.” One particular speech struck me. It was given by George Graham Vest when he was a young lawyer in Georgetown, MO. The speech was the closing argument for a plaintiff suing his neighbor for the killing of his dog. I have never had a dog, and in general I am not particularly fond of pets. I think they detract from the love we should have for our fellow man; however, my point is not to start a bitter argument with every one who has an animal. In fact, I believe God knew exactly what He was doing when he created the dog. Please read.

“Gentlemen of the jury:

“The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads.

“The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog. A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens. If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard him against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even in death.”

Rather moving. But let me repeat that God, our loving and gracious Lord, knew exactly what He was doing when He created the dog. For if we understand the dog, we can understand what Lent is all about. Jesus is everything for us and more, because there is a greater purpose in His love for us. The difference is that “when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground,” He will whisk our souls away to His bosom, and on the last day He will command the ground to give up the dust so that we may be with Him forever in Paradise.

Please, come, let us join together and worship God in this coming Lenten season.

Timothy Wiedmann,
Chairman, Mt. Olive Congregation

Lenten Services At Mt. Olive

Wednesdays ~ 6:30pm

The theme for our Midweek Lenten Services this year is “Let Me Learn Of Jesus.” Pastor Henkel will be joined by Pastor Norb Meier and Pastor David Ponath. Lenten luncheons will again precede each Wednesday evening worship service. The meals, served most graciously by our congregational Limbs, will be served from 5:30 to 6:10pm. Worship follows at 6:30pm. The children of St. John Lutheran School will be joining us on March 24^th.

Here is the schedule of service themes and luncheon serving limbs:

Let Me Learn of Jesus…

2/25 Learn of Him to Love

(Palm Limb)

3/3 Learn of Him to Serve

(Cedar Limb)

3/10 Learn of Him to Speak the Truth

(Oak Limb)

3/17 Learn of Him to Pray

(Almond Limb)

3/24 Learn of Him to Forgive

(Pine Limb)

3/31 Learn of Him to Bear the Cross

(Sycamore Limb)

Sunday School News & Notes

February 29th is Christian Education Sunday. The children will be singing for our service that day. We will have a Sunday school open house, a potluck dinner and the annual running of the Mount Olive Minute Pinewood Derby.

The parents of our Sunday School children are invited to join us for a fun singing time before Sunday School on the 29th. We will sing familiar Sunday School songs with your children. You are then invited to join one of our Sunday School classes and participate or observe, which ever you wish. We hope to have all our parents participating in some way. Please plan to join us.

The cars for the Mount Olive Minute will be sent home with your child on February 1st. There will be two work nights to help make and test the cars. Watch for the “Parent Page” with more infor-mation. (There is also an adult catagory for the Derby so perhaps you would like to make a car too.)

We are continuing our study of the Old Testament and are still following Moses and the Israelites. Please check your child’s folder each week and go over the lesson and the memory work for each story. We need your help at home so that your child can grow in the knowledge of the Lord.

Linda Henkel,
Sunday School Superintendent

Christian Education Sunday

Mt. Olive Minute Race
February 29th

Mt Olive Lutheran Church will have our Christian Education Sunday on February 29^th. This will include many activities focused on all aspect of our support to the education process including both children and adults.

One of the key events is our Mt Olive Pinewood Derby race. This event is open to all in the conger-gation who would like to partici-pate. Some of the key dates include:

Feb 1^st Begin Car Building

Feb 18^th 6:30 Car Building Assistance Night

Feb 26^th 6:30 Car Building Assistance Night

Feb 29^th 1:00 Race Begins

Please plan to attend on Sunday, February 29^th to learn, and to enjoy all the events

Thanks

Kevin Marschel, Chairman
Child, Youth, & Family Committee

Winter Congregational Assembly

On February 15, we have planned our winter Congregational Assembly. The one required agenda item is to identify a nominating committee. This committee is charged with identifying members that can stand for selection to the Coordinating Council in the spring. One committee member must be an outgoing Councilman, but anyone can fill the remaining two positions. As you may recall, the selection of Councilmen will occur by casting lots among those who have been nominated by the Committee. Therefore, the Nominating Committee has a great deal of influence in determining the leadership of the church. Please carefully consider serving in this capacity and let me know if you are interested.

Timothy Wiedmann,
Congregational Chairman

Welcome…
Amy Marshall and
Ryan Young

With great delight, we welcome Amy Marshall and Ryan Young as our newest communicant members. Amy, who lives right down the street, always seems to have a smile on her face. Her two precious daughters, Sidney and Emma, are members of our Sunday School.

Even before attending our Bible Information Class, Ryan faithfully attended worship services here every Sunday, sitting next to Angela, his loving wife. Ryan and Angela love cold, Minnesota winters!

Get to know these dear folks!

Youth Update

The youth are once again preparing for this summer's regional youth rally held at the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells. This year's theme is Fun In Serving Him (FISH). For three days in July, our youth will focus on stewardship and service. We have a total of eight youth and two chaperones going. While the total cost of the rally is $240, our youth will be doing fundraising in the months ahead to help offset the cost. Your support is appreciated!

The Youth Group will be greeting, serving, and ushering on Christian Education Sunday - February 29^th, 2004. We will be serving a tasty pastry called Butter Braids during the fellowship hour. If you like the pastry, you can help support our youth by ordering your Butter Braids afterwards. The proceeds will be used to pay for our youth rally.

Ryan Jacobs, Youth Leader

English Tea

Women of Mount Olive and their guests are invited to our fourth annual English Tea. It is being held on Saturday, March 20th, from 2:00 to 4:00pm, here in the Mt. Olive Fireside Room. Your participation and help would very much be appreciated. May this day be a special time to spend together with our friends, and to share God's love with each other. If you are able or unable to come, please pray for this event, that it may be used by God for His glory, and may be an opportunity for us to invite others into our Fellowship.

Jane Murray

Memorials

We would like to thankfully acknowledge the following memorial to the congregation:

…Special gift from the Katie Bauer family

Thrivent Financial For Lutherans

A $800 grant from Thrivent Financial For Lutherans for Care in Communities for Mt. Olive Church November Food Shelf was approved by the South Ramsey County chapter. Ryan Jacobs, the new leader of the Youth went with the Youth Group and purchased the food from Rainbow. Harold and Jean Brown helped deliver all the Food Shelf items to Merriam Park Food Shelf. Thank you to everyone for your part in helping keep the Food Shelf well supplied.

Mae Schmidt
Thrivent Congregational Coordinator

Treasurer’s Report

A couple of topics this month. First off, here is a recap of the contributions made with the special designated envelopes for last year. Thank you for your generous support!

Envelope: Designated for: Amount:

Reformation SCLHS Ministry in Motion $1035.00

Thanksgiving WELS Committee on Relief $1091.91

Christmas Eve LIMA (Hospital and Campus Ministries) $ 531.00

Christmas Day The Lutheran Home Association $ 391.25

New Year's Eve Mt. Olive Building & Maintenance Fund $2438.00

Maundy Thursday Mt. Olive Scholarship Funds $ 718.30

Good Friday “Message From The Master” Radio Program $ 433.00

Easter Friends of China $1675.47

Mother's Day Christian Life Ministries $ 957.43

Pentecost Peru Mission (Special Projects) $1000.00

The following chart depicts general fund or envelop contributions for 2004. We have budgeted needs of $2,950 per week. After three weeks, you can see that our actual contributions are running behind by about $3,200. This is a rather concerning trend to start the year, but prayerfully the trend will reverse itself as the year continues.

Jerry Holen, Mt. Olive Treasurer