December 17, 2004 We are pleased to share the 20th issue of Lutheran Women in Mission e-News! Please forward and share with those who either do not have Internet access or have not subscribed to e-News. MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT I just had the privilege of writing a letter to a Sunday school in Indio, CA (Trinity Lutheran Church) to thank them for the gift of $522.61. They had collected it for the women and children in Latvia, but if that grant was already paid they agreed to apply the offering to any mission grant. Wow again!! something to share as an example from our children. The training they are receiving through prayer and mission awareness being instilled in their hearts is awesome. Those children are being taught the mission vision that even their small gifts God can use mightily so that His love can be shared! Linda K. Reiser, President Lutheran Women's Missionary League 2005-2007 MISSION GRANT PROPOSALS Your prayers are requested for the grants selection process and meeting. Those involved in this process are President Linda Reiser, Vice President Judy Knebel, both Counselors, Rev. Dan Heuer and Rev. Larry Miller and the Mission Advocacy & Grants Committee. They are currently reading 83 mission grant proposals and will meet in St Louis on January 9-11, 2005 to review them and prepare a viable ballot of grants for the delegates to vote on at the LWML Convention in Tampa in June 2005. We ask you to pray for God's clear will and discernment and for unity in our hearts. Pray also for safe travel. MISSION-MINISTRY VISION CONSULTANTS Does your LWML group need a jump start? Contact the MMV Consultant in your district. If you don't have her name, contact your district president and see what can happen! That contact might just turn out like the following true-life example: Eight women from an LWML group recently met with their Mission-Ministry Vision (MMV) Consultant. They were so open to new thoughts and asked many questions. Because of this excitement, the presentation lasted two hours instead of the normal one hour. The women shared how everything they were doing had been directed toward making money and that they never thought about doing Bible studies. They were very appreciative to learn how LWML is encouraging prayer life/devotions/Bible study. They realized they needed these activities more in their group and made the commitment to meet occasionally just for prayer. Discussing the LWML Mission Statement* was eye-opening for them and they are now hoping to change some of their former ways. The consultant challenged them to work on setting goals and targets as well as possibly updating the name of their society. They were encouraged to order more copies of The Lutheran Woman's Quarterly " enough for possibly every lady in the congregation. * Call your MMV Consultant right away so that your group also realizes that the mission of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League is to assist each woman of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in affirming her relationship with the Triune God so that she is enabled to use her gifts in ministry to the people of the world." MITES, MITES AND MORE MITES Have you seen the new traveling mite container label? These free colorful downloadable labels can be attached to a small Pringles ™ potato chip or similar container. Use them anywhere in the cup holder of your vehicle, your desk, the laundry room, etc. Here are some ideas to promote the use of the labels Print on 8 1/2" x 11" plain or sticky label paper and cut to size with a scissors Use as an additional mite "box" on your desk or in your vehicle Fill containers with candy (LWML candy, butterscotch, purple coated candies, gold coins etc.) and use as table favors or gifts Use as bulletin board borders Enlarge, laminate and use as a placemat in your home or at rallies, conventions Include covered cans in your LWML displays Use as invitations, bookmarks and other promotional items for your events and meetings You may find them at www.lwml.org Click on the Mission Advocacy and Grants Committee Home Page from the pull down menu on the home page. Of course, you may continue to promote and use the purple Mite Boxes™ and the Children's Mite Boxes™. The traveling mite container label is one more way to collect mites for missions. This holiday season make gift giving simple & meaningful Stumped about what to give for the holidays? Struggling to find the perfect gift that won't be returned? Looking for something that leaves more than a hole in your wallet? Why not consider honoring that special person by making a gift donation to Mites. It is easy and trouble-free, gift donations are accepted on line, through catalog items like honor cards (item number 18100) and Mission Grant pockets (item number 149997) both which are free for the price of postage. Christmas is a time of gift giving, but the most important gift of all is the one that God gave when he sent his Son so that we might have our sins removed and be brought into fellowship with him. Because of our sin and disobedience, we were separated from God who is perfect and just and we were unable to find a way back into fellowship with him. But God found a way for us through his son, Jesus Christ, whose coming into the world we celebrate at Christmas. And really this is what Christmas is all about. Help others to accept God's gift through mite giving this holiday season. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made if women, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons, and because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying, ABBA, Father, wherefore thou are no more a servant, but a son and if a son then an heir of God through Christ. Galatians 4:4-7 (Portions adapted from devotion supplied by Helen Peters, Atlantic District.) THE LUTHERAN WOMEN'S MISSIONARY LEAGUE The Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML), with a membership of over 250,000, is the official women's auxiliary of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The LWML focuses on affirming each woman in her relationship with Christ to enable her to be in ministry among the people of the world. For over 60 years the LWML has been encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and to financially support global mission. The first issues of LWML e-News are available as text documents; click here: http://www.lwml.org/e_news.html. To subscribe, click the link below and follow instructions to add your email to the LWML subscription list under "Mission and Ministry." "Full Text Version" will include LWML graphics and logo. The "Weekly Summary" version comes on Friday in a weekly abbreviated version with links to the entire text without graphics. Refer to your Internet provider about enabling images and links embedded in email.