Small Amounts Gathered Together and Blessed by God

But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” … And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men (Mark 6:37–38, 44).

Jesus fed over five thousand people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. It doesn’t seem possible that such a large crowd could be fed with so little. The food was blessed and satisfied all the people with twelve baskets of broken pieces of bread and fish leftover.

Lutheran Women in Mission are spreading the Gospel to the world with their donations in their Mite Boxes. Amounts may be small, but when gathered together and blessed by God they are impacting the world with the message of salvation. Mite offerings collected within districts support both national (25%) and district (75%) grants. During 2022–2024, 31 grants nationally and 455 district-wide are being supported.

Mission grant proposal submission deadline for the 2025 LWML Convention is September 1, 2024. Visit lwml.org/mission-grant-proposals for details.

Sharon von Qualen

Mission Grants Committee Chairman
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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Back To School Hospitality

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality (Romans 12:13).

We are just weeks away from the start of another school year. It is one of my favorite times of the year as I stock up on school supplies at various stores and start the year fresh with new tools and new opportunities.

I have had the privilege of teaching in public and Lutheran K–8 schools. I have seen families that are able to provide for their children and I have seen families that struggle each week to provide the basic necessities. All of God’s children deserve to start each school year with a fresh outlook and fresh tools to be successful.

The LWML website has ideas to assist you in preparing kits to help teachers and college students this fall. I encourage each of you, as you are shopping in stores during the back-to-school season, to pick up supplies and put them in a teacher kit or a college student kit. Please pray for teachers and students as they head back into the classroom this fall that they may have the resources they need and that they may use their God-given talents to the best of their ability.

Amanda Hankemeier

Christian Life Committee Member, 2023–2025
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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Communication

Lutheran Women in Mission have continuous interactions with multiple parties including congregational members, groups, zones, districts, and national. Successful and effective communication ensures the flow of information between all relevant parties, reducing the potential for misunderstanding, and helping to foster collaboration.

We learn from Scripture the following about communication:

• The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice (Psalm 37:30).
• “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).
• “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37).
• So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding (Romans 14:19).
• And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24).

For some ideas for improving your communication skills see these resources:

• Member Relationship to Other Levels of LWML
• Zone President Pointers
• LWQ Winter 2013 “Communication: Mixed Signals”
• Assembly of Leaders 2018 “Leaders Linked: Unbroken Chains of Communication”

This all sounds so simple! Yet as sinners, we fall short of the expectations that God has for us. The Lord is gracious and allows us to ask for forgiveness. Through His Son, Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thank You, Lord!

Kathy Pavelock

Vice President of Communication
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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Shine Your Light

And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Years ago, while teaching in the public schools, I had a 7th grade student whose family fled from Burma to escape religious persecution. He spoke of how he and thirty others left before they were killed for their belief in Jesus. As brave witnesses for Christ, they cleared a section in the forest, placed an enormous cross in the center, and burned it on the side of a mountain to shine for all to see as they flew away into the night sky.

This week, let the fireworks remind us of the freedom that our Savior has given us through His life, death, and resurrection and to always share this news with others. I recommend the LWML resource, A Missionary, Me? No Passport Needed for ideas.

Cheryl Mattil

Strategic Plan Facilitator
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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SUMMER!!!!

Do you have summer plans? Maybe they include long walks on the beach, swimming, hiking, camping, or maybe reading a good book under a nice shade tree. Do your plans include a vacation, cruise, visiting family, or attending a family reunion?

Have you thought about the plans God may have for your summer?

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

He might have many of the items listed above on His summer list for you. Or His list might also include Bible reading and Bible study, servant activities, assisting neighbors with yard work, volunteering with vacation Bible school, assisting at the church picnic, or serving on a short-term mission team.

On this LWML website there are hundreds of ideas for staying in His Word and ways to serve the Lord with gladness by serving others. For more ideas click on the service tab above.

God’s blessings on your summer!

Leslie Colligan

Meeting Manager
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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Fathers and Faith

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

Happy Father’s Day to all our dads, grandpas, uncles, and others that help guide us along our earthly walk. God has commanded us to help our children learn of Him and His saving grace. My dad made sure we had daily family devotions and prayers. We lived on a dairy farm and my father would stop milking the cows and walk up to the house to have breakfast and devotions with us as a family. Actions speak louder than words and Dad’s example is something I try to do — daily be in God’s Word.

We are to help educate our children and grandchildren about God’s gift of salvation and in the way He would have us live our lives. An excellent resource to guide you is Train up a Child, a short Bible study found on our LWML website. An important task we have is to help the next generation learn about the saving grace God so richly gives us.

Arlene Naasz

Vice President of Organizational Resources
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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Holy, Holy, Holy

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! God in three persons, blessed Trinity! (LSB 507)

I love singing this song to celebrate the blessed Trinity! As a choir singer, I find snatches of different anthems and hymns flitting through my mind each day. What a blessing to have them running through my mind and reminding me of our Savior’s love for us.

Another way to focus us on the Lord is to stay in His word. Have you checked out the many fabulous Bible studies on our website lwml.org? In addition to the Bible studies found in our Lutheran Woman’s Quarterly publications, we have many, many free Bible studies available for free download from our website. There are short/single session studies as well as long/multi-session studies. You can also find Bible studies to purchase such as Donna Snow’s Unshakable and Karol Selle’s A Missionary? Me? No Passport Needed.

I hope you will join me in praising the Lord and thanking him for all the many Bible study resources LWML provides us. They keep us in the Word and focused on our triune God.

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:1–3).

Anita Werner

Treasurer
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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