Welcome to the 24th issue of Lutheran Women in Mission e-News! Please forward and share this news and encourage others to stay in touch with LWML by e-mail. To date, there are almost 3000 subscribers to e-News receiving LWML news and updates. I am amazed! And yet, why should I -because of Jesus in the hearts and lives of women from year to year, the mission of the LMWL is carried out! "affirming her relationship with the Triune God so that she is enabled to use her gifts in ministry to the people of the world". Amazed ­ -joy ­ -thankfulness ­ -blessings - -all of that fills my heart and more because of the gift of each of you! Because you have carried the message, because you have shared the need, because you have shared the TEAM effort, because you have helped build the trust and shared the stories of missions, the January mite receipts are AMAZING! Final figures are being calculated, but it will be over $100,000. (Louise Rickey, Treasurer, will share mite updates weekly beginning in the next few days). Although the "goal" is still thousands and thousands of dollars ahead of us, I am thankful for the trust and TEAM effort each of you have given! You have proven that we are not simply about meetings, paperwork, committees, work and stuff! We are about doing God's business and sharing our gifts so that others can know him! WOW! Wwhat a TEAM and I thank you for being great TEAM leaders, being great examples and encouraging women across our 40 districts to be excited about there organization, the LWML, moving forward in mission ministry. I humbly thank you for the opportunity to be amazed, awed and inspired by you! Blessings! Linda K. Reiser LWML President HEART TO HEART TASK FORCE The Heart to Heart Task force will be hosting 40 women at their Pre-convention gathering in Tampa, Florida prior to the LWML Convention in June. Abeba Tyeggia is the newest member of the task force, representing African Immigrant women of our church. Ten women of each of the following groups have been selected to participate: 10 African American 10 Hispanic 10 Hmong 10 African Immigrants The Mission Department of LCMS and Ablaze will be partnering and is providing funding for this Pre-Convention Gathering and the participation of these women at convention. CONVENTION Misplaced your Quarterly? Want to find out the latest about convention? Check the LWML Website http://www.lwml.org/convention_2005/convention_index.html and get information you can print and share! MISSION GRANTS Read about the LWML Grant "Ministry to Impoverished Families in Guatemala City" ­ titled EDUCATING DREAMS. Read about the Mission Grants and how they personally make a difference at http://www.lwml.org/mission/index_mission.html. MITE CALENDAR Ask and you shall receive. The mite calendar will be posted in about 2 weeks - so you have it for your meetings and newsletters. Thanks for the interest. The site is at http://www.lwml.org/committees/mag/. The Mission Advocacy and Grants Committee. 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.