Video Update from Rev. Ted Krey

It isn’t very often that Rev. Ted Krey is available for an interview so when he had a few minutes in between his busy meeting schedule with the Office of International Mission at the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, we jumped at the chance to get a video interview.  Here is the first in the series.  Enjoy!

Interview with Rev. Ted Krey – Part 1

Happy Birthday Dr. Marisol Martinez!

Dr. Marisol Martinez is the director of Hogares Luteranos el Buen Pastor and she is the “mom” of the children in our home. Marisol is a general practitioner who has spent over twenty years working with people with developmental disability. This November 17th, we celebrated Marisol’s birthday! Ramona, Estefani, Marisol and Danelle had a girl’s morning at the beauty salon, where the salon graciously and patiently fixed us up and donated their services. Then we went to the group home for a surprise lunch with the children, aunts and uncles, church members and special friends! We had a great time singing, eating “asopao” (thick rice soup), and celebrating the many blessings we have received as a family in our group home!

Introducing Estefani

A sweet smile and pleasant nature are just a few of Estefani’s appealing qualities. Each day, Estefani grows in wisdom and understanding. Estefani has positioned herself as the big sister in the home and she visualizes herself as a valuable member of socieity that can give and receive love.

Estefani is making friends, both at the home and at Concordia Lutheran School, where she has learned how to write her name and is learning how to read. She faithfully does her homework with the help of aunts and uncles. She knows the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer that she learned at school.

Her mobility was limited to a wheelchair due to paralysis on her right side, but through daily therapy, she is learning how to walk, taking one step at a time with a walker. Estefani had trouble speaking clearly due to the partial paralysis but again, through daily speech therapy, she is able to communicate more clearly. She loves to announce the arrival of guests to the group home, and as one of two children that are verbal in the home, she leads the children in prayer before each meal. Estefani is also learning sign language so that she can help communicate with Francis. Her accomplishments in just a few short months are impressive!

Along with the other children in teh group home, Estefani was baptized on Easter Sunday and now all the members of the church are her Godparents. The small church community in Palmar Arriba assumed the responsibility for the physical and spiritual well-being of each of the children in the group home. Estefani now knows the security and love of being part of a family and she now knows how much Jesus loves her. She has a promising future!

Thanksgiving Day and Prayer Requests

By Pastor Ted Krey

Our missionaries gathered on American Thanksgiving Day for a rare day of fun and fellowship. Everyone contributed in bringing a dish of some kind. Before dinner, we sang “Holy, Holy, Holy” and heard Psalm 138 with that beautiful refrain, “and His mercy endures forever.” The food was fantastic and our stomachs were so very full! After dinner and before dessert, all took turns saying one or two things for which they were thankful, not the least of which was the privilege of being in the Dominican Republic to give witness of Christ and His mercy which does in fact endure forever. Afterwards, all sorts of good fellowship followed!

Please Pray For:
The Kellers as they spend December and part of January in Wisconsin.
James Neuendorf and his travels to Argentina
Ana Ries and her continued university studies.
Danelle Putnam and the termination of her Masters.
Continued health and safety for Pastor Willy Gaspar and his travels to Haiti in the different mercy projects.
Our seminarians – Jon, Armando, Army, Pedro, Iban, and Manuel.
Thankfulness for our partnership with Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and their solid Christ-centered teaching.
God’s mercy for all our new people in confirmation classes that their faith would continue to grow.
For health and safety for all of our missionaries throughout Latin America.
For the Peruvian mission team as their witness continues to grow and that the Lord would bless their initial efforts in Lima.

Our Vicar, Adrian Solis

 Our vicar, Adrian Solis, from Argentina, will be concluding his time with us on January 11, 2012. We have enjoyed having him here with us for his term of 18 months. His service has been exemplary and we are thankful for him standing shoulder to shoulder with us in the service of the Gospel. At this time, at the mission in Licey, he is preparing five individuals who will meet twice a week for confirmation classes. Lord-willing, these five will add to the first group of four who were confirmed earlier this year. Adrian has also been pivotal in aiding us in establishing the online seminary program for our seminarians though Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Argentina. He has formed a wonderful rapport with each one of our students and has consistently encouraged them and been a good brother to each and every one. We are thankful too for his friendship and his Christ-centered sermons!

Concordia Lutheran School Activities

By Pastor Walter Ries Jr.
This past month we have begun preparations for the Christmas program. Our children have been busy memorizing the Christmas story and are now able to recite it by memory, along with other Bible verses and Christmas carols. Our principal, Kissayris, also holds daily devotions with our teachers just before school begins and the children have their daily morning prayer with the pastors. On Friday mornings, we continue to have a morning chapel service, where the Word is preached. Since many of our church members are taking night classes and cannot make our regular Wednesday evening services, we have begun to offer the Lord’s Supper at the conclusion of each Friday service at school Six school children have already been confirmed, and four of the school children are in confirmation classes at this time. Many projects are planned for the next year at our school. We hope to build a playground parking lot and back plaster the building itself.

On a personal note, Kissayris (pictured here along with her sister, nephew, and brother) rejoiced over the birth of her 1st nephew, Alan, and then his rebirth in Holy baptism, on the last Sunday in November, at our mission in Santiago! Praise God for His many gifts from above!

November News

 In Palmar Arriba, all of the children always come to Divine Service Wednesday evenings. Francis always likes to greet the two pastors before the service with a hug. As is their custom, they folded their hands before the service and Francis who is profoundly deaf did too. To our great surprise, when Pastor Ries said, “Amen”, Francis did too! He is learning to lip read and sign and his desire to communicate is obvious. What a privilege it is to see this young boy begin to emerge as one who will be able to both receive and give through his daily studies at his deaf school! We are thrilled to see him grow and thankful that our aunts and uncles, Danelle, and Pastor Ries are all learning how to sign so as to open a whole new world to this wonderful young man!

Looking for an Alternative Christmas Gift? Do some good this year!

Sponsor a child at the Group Home!

Looking for a creative gift this Christmas? Why not consider sponsoring Moises, Estefani, Junior, Randy, Ramona, or Francis? Sponsoring a child will help to provide food, education, therapy, clothing, medical needs, Christian care, and the expansion of future group homes!

For $35 a month or $420 per year, you can help support a child in the group home and become part of their family. For more information and to sponsor a child, please contact Special Children, Inc.

www.specialchildreninc.com
e-mail: spchild@spcglobal.net
Tel: 262-821-2125

Our Seminarians

By Vicar Adrian Solis

Our five seminarians continue to take on-line classes through Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lord-willing, in December, they will be concluding their first year of a four-year program.

The challenges have been many. Frequent rolling black outs are a constant challenge, and some zones only have electricity six hours a day. At other times, our seminarians do not have the necessary money to get to our two centers where they gather for the classes. Prayers are needed. conversations have already taken place with our missions so as to assist these men with their offerings, and with the seminary so as to offer the courses in different formats so that lectures can still be received when there is no electricity. Please pray that our men would continue steadfast in their studies of Christ and Him Crucified and would continue to grow in their faith for the edification of many others.

Staff Training in CONANI!

 By Danelle Putnam – The kids that live in our group home came from a government orphanage for children with developmental disabilities called, “Angeles de CONANI.” For several years, we have worked to offer training for the direct care staff of CONANI as part of our desire to improve the quality of life of the children in the orphanage. We are pleased to share with you that the director of “Hogares Luteranos el Buen Pastor,” Dr. Marisol Martinez, is now leading the training for 60+ caregivers! The training is going very well as the staff has been overwhelmingly receptive and enthusiastic to the program. We hope that in working with the government, we can also continue to bring awareness to the Dominican republic regarding care for people with developmental disabilities. We are thankful to IMPACT who was given us a grant for the trainings. IMPACT is an international alliance made up of Lutheran organizations that care for people with developmental disabilities who supports projects in less developed countries that aim to promote inclusive societies.