Goodview Trinity will be sending a crew of Christians to Quito, Ecuador from June 11-18. We will be assisting the local missionary, Nathan Schulte, as he begins his mission. There are no Lutheran churches in the area, but there are thousands of people asking for spiritual help through our church's Facebook page.
Not only will our group serve the Ecuador mission, but they will use their experience to start a new project in Winona.
Supporting this mission will be a gift that keeps on giving!
The Story
Who’s going to Ecuador? And why?
Last November we were approached by a new ministry initiative in the WELS called “Journey Ministries.” The goal of Journey Ministries is to send congregations on short-term mission trips, so that they might be able to assist in a world mission, but also that they may gain a new perspective and skills to be used in their own congregation.
Shannon Boehme (member of St. Matthews, Winona) is the head of Journey Ministries. He presented this opportunity to our leadership last November. He asked if we were willing to send a group to Quito, Ecuador from June 11-18, 2018 to help start a new World Mission. The Church Council and Elders approved of the idea.
I was excited, but I still wondered if anyone else was willing to go on the trip. Thankfully five members of our congregation have jumped on board. Below are their personal testimonies, explaining why they want to go to Ecuador.
5 Missionaries from our church
Anna Hemmelman
I am excited to go to Ecuador and see how the gospel is working outside of the Midwestern WELS region. I think it will be an excellent opportunity to learn about another culture and how to reach this different culture with the never-changing Word of God. Back in high school, I took 3 years of Spanish, so I am looking forward to putting that to good use down in South America. So many people are in need of the gospel message, and this trip will reach some of these souls, God-willing. Overall, the Ecuador trip will be an awesome experience that will benefit my future ministry as a called worker. My passport and I are ready - send me, Lord!
John Hemmelman
I'm really excited to go to Ecuador this summer because I have never been outside of the United States before. I think that spending a whole week in a Latin American country will be a huge shock for me. I could use a good shock. I can't imagine what it would be like to be in an entirely different country with an entirely different flag, let alone the cultural, linguistic, and culinary differences. I haven't flown very much, either, so being in an airplane still fills me with childish awe as well as childish fear. I pray that God will use this trip to spread the knowledge of his salvation, to increase my zeal for sharing the gospel, and to strengthen my trust in his loving preservation.
Megan Meyerhoff
As most of you all know, my name is Megan. I am going with the church to Ecuador this summer, and I am beyond excited. I cannot wait to not only spread God’s world, but to help the missionary in Ecuador fulfill his calling there as well. On top of this, I’m ecstatic to learn about their culture. I’m very curious as to how they live their everyday lives, so living with a host family for a week will be a great way to learn firsthand. I cannot wait to travel to Ecuador and to spread the word of God. It will be a once in a lifetime experience to be able to be a part of something bigger then myself.
Dalton Scharmer
There are many reasons as to why I want to go on this mission trip to Ecuador, but I think what has me most excited is being able to preach the Gospel to people who may have never heard of Jesus before. Finding Jesus, and believing in him as my savior, has dramatically changed my life, and I hope I can help the people of Ecuador discover what it truly means to be accepted by God. While some people will believe the message that we are going to share with them, I realize that there will be some people who don’t. At the very minimum I hope to leave a positive impression on the Ecuadorians, and hopefully disprove the negative stereotypes that they may have for Americans. Being able to have a positive impact on the community, and spread God’s love, is the reason I want to go on this Ecuador mission trip.
Lori Hagen
I am super excited to be part of Goodview Trinity's first mission trip! The opportunity to help our WELS missionary to spread the gospel and to guide people in Ecuador towards Jesus is a privilege. As God's children we reflect his light and love. I hope to deepen my relationship with God through this experience and then bring that home to Winona and continue practicing and sharing what we learned. Our congregation here builds me up and fills me with love. Let's share the Lord's message and love with others.
What will we be doing in Ecuador?
WELS World Missions in Latin America is reaching people primarily through an online institute through Facebook, which has over 1 million followers. Thousands of Latinos have taken classes through this resource. But now our mission wants to put “boots on the ground”. So Pastor Nathan Schulte is moving to Quito, Ecuador this month. He will be making initial contacts in the community.
Then, in April, St. Matthews, Oconomowoc, WI will be sending down a group to assist the missionary. Our group will follow behind in June to continue the work.
The goal is to connect with and invite Ecuadorians to Biblical workshops, so that they may be exposed to the Gospel. Ultimately, we ask the Lord to guide us in the work, and we will be open to whatever the missionary believes will be the best use of our time and energy.
Currently, the group is going through training so that we are ready to be flexible to the culture and useful to the mission. The purpose of such training is not just for this trip, but also so that we might be equipped to serve God’s church back home.
How can you support this trip?
Journey Ministries will be paying for my (Pastor’s) costs. But everyone else will have to raise their own funds. We will NOT be staying in hotels, but in Ecuadorian host families. Not only will this be better stewardship, but it will allow us to experience the heart of the culture.
Our food, lodging, and transportation will cost about $400, and the plane ticket will cost about $600. That means each person needs to raise at least $1000 for the trip.
If you would like to support these individuals on this mission trip, here are a few opportunities:
1. Attend the Lenten meal on March 8 at 5:30. The mission group will be serving an Ecuadorian style meal.
2. Give on this fundraising page.
3. Use your special offering envelope, and mark it “Ecuador Mission” and put it in the offering plate.
Thank you for praying and supporting this mission effort. I believe this trip will not only bless our mission in Ecuador but will bless our congregation and transform the lives of those who participate.
In Christ,
Pastor Ben Sadler