I am missionary Pastor Edmundo Retana and along with my wife, Deaconess Betty, we welcome and work alongside visiting teams from Canada and the United States.

The Lutheran outreach in Costa Rica is grateful to all who visit to help expand the mission work and Christian Education program. Unlike some other Central American mission fields, Costa Rica enjoys a relatively higher standard of living, which means it is more expensive to work and live there.

This project will assist the pastor and his wife with housing, utilities, transportation, office supplies and a stipend.

I want to help support the pastor and deaconess as they share God’s love in Costa Rica (#1408) $6,000

We look forward to our Christian education program when up to 60 of us gather weekly to learn about the Christian faith, hear Bible stories, play and learn together and enjoy snacks and refreshments.

The Christian education program also reaches parents who become involved by attending church.

To effectively operate and grow, the program needs basic materials: Bibles, catechisms, teaching resources, transportation and food.

I want to help support Christian education in Costa Rica  (#1309) $6000 ($150 per child)

Young adolescents growing up surrounded by violence, drugs, sex, street life and broken family relationships are the target for a support group begun by Missionary Edmundo and Deaconess Betty Retana. Six to eight young people gather for Christian education, help with school studies and assistance in looking for work in the job market. The Lutheran missionary team visits with parents to offer support and counseling.

By the grace of God through Jesus Christ, with the help of their church family, these young people will grow to be productive adults.

In addition to the love they receive in the program, they also need teaching resources and snacks.

I want to help young people in Costa Rica learn of God’s love and overcome their life challenges (#1311) $1575 ($235 per adolescent)

My name is Missionary Douglas Aguilar. My mission outreach and educational programs are largely in the northern city of Olanchito. By God’s grace, we will soon be able to focus on outreach in the capital city of Tegucigalpa.

Missionary Douglas has served in Honduras since 2005 and God is blessing the proclamation of His Word and opening doors for further growth.

Your help will assist him with basic living expenses and material for the mission.

I want to help support the ongoing mission work of Pastor Douglas as he shares God’s message of salvation in Jesus Christ. (#1312) $4500

We are so excited to make new friends and once again hear of God’s love.

More than 200 children attend a vacation Bible school camp for one week in August. Nearly 120 youth will have a summer camp and about 50 teens will have a youth conference in the winter.

For some of these young Ukrainians, it is the first time they hear of Jesus. Others who attend these gatherings are planning to become leaders in the church.

The program needs money for Bibles, teaching material, transportation, refreshments and stipends

I want to support Christian outreach to young people in Ukraine (#1313) $6000 ($20 per person)

Children, men and women are scared because they alone and abandoned; old and cannot get around; serving time in jail. But teams of visitors from Lutheran congregations come and give hope and tell them about forgiveness and Christ.

In addition to the Good News, they provide warm clothes and medical supplies, producing smiles and grateful hearts for this practical demonstration of God’s love.

Your support ensures this ray of SON-shine continues to brighten the days of those who society has forgotten.

I want this program to continue touching hearts and lives (#1314) $1,500

As members of our local congregations, we want to help our pastors and volunteers in the church but we need training.

Lay people in Ukraine, as in most places, want to receive training for active service to their congregations but can’t leave work or families to study for long periods of time. The solution is providing short-term seminars – one for men and one for women. Participants will pay for food and accommodation but need help with transportation and training supplies for the seminar.

I want to help lay people learn how to serve their Lord in His church (#1316) $2,000 ($10 per person)

More than 100,000 students attend university in Odessa, Ukraine including a large number of foreign students. Pastor Oleg and the church youth reach out to Russian-speaking students and those from Muslim countries by hosting special events at the church to encourage community fellowship and friendly relationships.

Supporting this program gives the pastor and his congregation an opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I want to help provide transportation, teaching resources, Bibles and refreshments for student outreach. (#1317) $1,200

Pastor Chujit (centre) and members of his congregation welcome visitors.

This is a challenging country for a Christian missionary. There is much outreach that must be done. We work in the southern province of Phang-nga in the region of Takuapa.

Besides the ministry in the local churches, Pastor Suchat Chujit visits mission stations and holds Bible studies. In a country where the Christians are less than 2% of the population, many people need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The pastor travels much of the time, speaking to people about Jesus, holding Bible studies and visiting members.

A gift toward this mission activity will help support the costs of workers’ stipends and transportation, utilities and worship material.

I want to support the ongoing mission work of Pastor Suchat Chujit (#1422) $8,700

Javed Ahkter is a PAT student of Lutheran Church-Canada. For many new Canadians, radio programs in Canada which reflect their language and culture are important. Knowing this, Javed developed a radio program called Hamd-O-Sanaa – Praise and Worship – which features a 20-minute Bible study, 20-minute topical discussion and 20 minutes of Christian music. This program reaches the ears of Pakistani, Hindi and Punjabi people who are also Muslim, Sikh or Hindu by faith. It also enjoys a strong Christian following among its listeners. In addition, the program can be heard in Pakistan and Iran.

I want to support this unique radio outreach (#1404) $5,000