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I'm at Convention in US... Julie: "Shauen gets Starbucks and we're dying over here!" Josiah: "Mama isn't dying, she has M&M's!" 

Field Notes Newsletter - June 9, 2016

Writing from Milwaukee, WI July 9, 2016 Rev. Shauen Trump was recently privileged to travel to Mozambique with Rev. Carlos Walter Winterle (FELSISA - South Africa), Rev. Rony Marquardt (IELB - Brazil), and Carlotta Cisternas Tiews (LCMS Photography Intern) to the Igreja Luterana da Concórdia em Moçambique (ILCM, aka Concordia Lutheran Church of Mozambique). While there, Shauen was amazed at the stories of how the 31 congregations of the church were planted. This newsletter shares two of those stories with some photos by Carlotta Cisternas Tiews. For more accounts see our blog: http://TheTrumps.org/blog The Lutheran Church in Amambo, Mozambique

Twenty kilometers from the closest town, beyond the fields of sorghum and desolate places where the savanna grass looks down on a man treading the path, a small group of Christians in the village of Amambo (Maromeo Region, Mozambique) were on their own, abandoned five years earlier by the priest who had been serving them. Without pastoral care, their congregation remained isolated and alone, slowly dwindling as members fell away.  Meanwhile, eighty kilometers away, in Villa de Sena along the banks of the Zambezi River, the Igreja Luterana da Concórdia em Moçambique - ILCM (Lutheran Church of Concord in Mozambique) celebrated their first ordinations, ordaining eight pastors in a ceremony attended by 1,000 joy-filled members. The ten congregations of the Lutheran Church came to town by the truckload for the ordination service in June 2015. What he saw and heard at the ordination service so impressed one of those truck drivers that he talked about it for days and weeks afterwards. A woman traveling in his truck to Amambo heard the story from that truck driver which she then conveyed into the village when she arrived.  At the story she told, the Christians in Amambo felt a renewal of hope and decided to send two representatives to try and locate someone from this Lutheran Church to learn more first-hand.  Benjamin Vinti (on the left in the photo) and Luis Gombegombe set out on their bicycles and rode twenty kilometers to town where they could safely overnight and then take a truck to Villa de Sena. The only possible route by vehicle took them through a park known for lions pulling people right off the back of trucks as they slowly make their way along the rough road. It took Benjamin and Luis two full days to get reach Sena, arriving on a Saturday night and asking around town for the Lutheran Church until they were directed to Rev. Mateus Sifa who welcomed them and directed them to the house of the President of the ILCM, Pastor Jambo, who hosted them in his home. After a night of conversation, they accompanied Pastor Jambo and Pastor Mateus to church on Sunday and returned home the next week to an eager assembly that immediately confirmed the request of Benjamin and Luis to have a pastor from the Lutheran Church visit them and begin a course of instruction.  Within a few weeks those newly ordained pastors from the Lutheran Church did, indeed, visit.  On September 6th, 2015, members, pastors, and visitors dedicated the Lutheran Church of Amambo. Three weeks later they dedicated another congregation some 50km away in Maviga as the Christians in Amambo shared the clear Gospel message they were now receiving.   Nine months later (June 7, 2016) we traveled by truck from Villa de Sena to visit Amambo Lutheran Church to encourage them, pray with them, and share a message from Scripture. 110 members from Amambo welcomed us. In addition, Maviga Lutheran Church sent representatives to be with us for our brief visit since their congregation was too far for us to reach that day. While by truck we had traveled just 3 hours to reach Amambo from Sena, Manuel Tangwe and his wife Maria led 19 representative members from Maviga through a 14 hour journey by foot to welcome us and hear a message from the Word. Local church members hosted the visiting congregation for the two nights they were in town.  The woman who relayed the testimony of the truck driver never joined the church and the truck driver who told her about the ordinations is unknown. Nevertheless, through these two agents, the Gospel has gone forth into Marromeo and God’s people rejoice in response.  The Second Lutheran Church in Cado, Mozambique Pastor Mateus Sifa of the Igreja Luterana da Concórdia em Moçambique (Lutheran Church of Concord in Mozambique) was returning from ministering in the village of Cado. The 45-kilometer one-way ride by bicycle would be taxing in the best of circumstances and even more so on one of Africa’s typical heavy one-speed bicycles on rough dirt roads. About 10km into his ride home, Pastor Mateus stopped at a trading center for some refreshment. While resting, a teacher, Rogerio, approached this stranger in the trading center. Gesturing to Pastor Mateus’ clerical shirt, Rogerio asked if he was a priest. In explaining that he was a pastor of the Lutheran Church, they began to discuss the history and doctrine that is distinct to Lutherans. Very interested in what this bicycling pastor had to say, the teacher wanted to know, "Why don't you start a church here?" To which Pastor Mateus replied, "You have to help me plant the church here!" Several weeks later Pastor Mateus again came into the trading center on his way to Cado to find that the teacher and a collection of villagers were waiting for him, gathered to hear more. Pastor Mateus spoke to them briefly and then said, “Come, and see!” That day they continued on to the church in Cado together. In the trading center, the first worship service was attended by 80 people. Today 150 members regularly attend services where the Gospel is clearly proclaimed. Photos in Focus Amambo and Pastor Mateus all photos by Carlotta Cisternas Tiews http://www.carlottacisternas.com/ Prayer Requests For comfort as we mourn a second pregnancy loss in the last year For wisdom, discernment, and patience for Shauen and Krista in their work as spouses, parents, and missionaries For the missionaries, projects, and relationships Shauen oversees for the church In Praise For the faithful Pastors and eager members of Concordia Lutheran Church in Mozambique For new missionaries called to Uganda and French-speaking Africa For our dear children – Josiah (6), Elijah (4), and Isaiah (2)

Contact Us At: Shauen & Krista Trump PO Box 22 Karen 00502 KENYA shauen.trump@lcmsintl.org  krista.trump@lcmsintl.org TheTrumps.org  LCMS.org/Trump   To support this work financially, you may send a tax-deductible gift to: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod PO Box 66861 St. Louis, MO 63166-6861 Make checks payable to "The LCMS" with memo line “Trump-Kenya”       OR Give securely online at  http://LCMS.org/trump

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Jet lag wins again. Six-year-old kids don't nap often but this time he just snuggled in. It's good to be home.

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Elijah, getting out of bed long before he has fallen asleep comes downstairs to inform us, "My sleepers are all used up!"

How the Lutheran Church in Amambo built their building

Shauen Greets a Child in Amambo (photo by Carlotta Cisternas Tiews)The Lutheran Church in Amambo (Maromeo Region, Mozambique) has endured through years without a minister before they were brought to the Lutheran Church. Their extended time of isolation caused some to leave the fellowship for a time and others to fall away from the faith altogether. For those who remained, they took up a burden of responsibility and self-sufficiency. Faced with the challenge of finding a space sufficient for them to gather together, they endeavored on their own initiative to build a church building that would meet their needs. They fashioned mud bricks for their church with their own hands and fired them using wood they gathered in the thin forest of their area. Out of a sense of pride, desire for a permanent and low-maintenance structure, and to demonstrate their conviction to the community, they committed to roofing their church building in tin sheets rather than thatch. A typical bag of charcoal - sells for $1 in townFor the timbers, tin roofing, and mortar for brick-laying, they cut trees and burned charcoal, walking or biking it the twenty kilometers to the closest town where one very large bag of charcoal sells for $1 (60 Meticals). Through these efforts the Lutheran Church in Amambo today worships in a brick building with a tin roof. While they eagerly desire to continue the work and put in a concrete floor, doors, windows, and to plaster the interior of the church, they’ve stalled in construction because of the drought and violent political conflict which has further depressed the economy of the area, significantly reducing the market for charcoal and increasing the cost of building materials. Nevertheless, the Lutherans in Amambo know that in time, stewarding what God has entrusted to their care - small as it may seem - and perhaps with the assistance of friends in the faith, they will continue to develop their worship space as they gather around Word and Sacrament. Praise the Lord for His people in Amambo and their eagerness for the best possible space set aside to gather together in His name.  

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The baptismal font is dripping with water, overflowing, running down, an abundance of grace spilling over.

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Baptisms today in Villa de Senna, Mozambique. Praise the Lord!

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From today's message - a Brazillian illustration: So tight-fisted he could swim a river with sugar in his hand and use it on the other side.

Food Aid Brings New Neighbors to Church in Mozambique

Sunday Worship at San Paulo in Villa de Sena (photo by Carlotta Cisternas Tiews)Drought had stricken Southeastern Africa. In Mozambique, God’s people in Villa de Sena cried out to their friends and partners with a request for food aid. In compassion, the partners of the Igreja Luterana da Concórdia em Moçambique (Lutheran Church of Concord in Mozambique)(especially the LCMS through a special project sent to Emergency and Relief Fund) responded in February 2016. With the food aid came an acknowledgment that although the provision was meager, the members of the church with whom rice had been shared were requested to also share with those in their communities. Pastor Mateus Sifa and his wife Angelina took up this opportunity to love their neighbor and shared with family of a hard working electrical and motorcycle mechanic, Domingos. Over the years, Domingos and his wife Beauty had a pleasant relationship with Pastor Mateus and Angelina but were not interested in the church. The gift of a bag of rice and 5 liters of cooking oil, though, piqued their interest - why would someone do such a thing, particularly in difficult and hungry times like these? Domingos and BeautyPastor Mateus appreciated the opportunity to talk about the love of Christ and how we are compelled to respond, even in love towards our literal neighbors. Domingos, hard working and well educated did what any reasonable person would do. Domingo searched Google for the Lutheran Church. He read about baptism. He read about the scope of the church - reaching across the world. As is often the case, Domingos’ research on the Lutheran Church raised even more questions. Meanwhile, Beauty had also been doing research of a different kind. As she visited in the home of Pastor Mateus and Angelina she was observing how they interacted with each other and with their children. That love, the living out of the testimony she heard, was compelling to her. But when Pastor Mateus and Angelina invited Domingos and Beauty to church to see for themselves, Domingos declined on behalf of the family.  But the next Sunday, when invited again, Beauty came with Domingos’ approval although he still would not join them for worship. Instead of attending church, though, Domingos is still biding his time but now eagerly and willingly spending time with the pastors and members of the church. The Church Secretary Reviews the Baptism List for Sunday's ServiceDomingos began to repair and provide routine maintenance for Pastor Mateus’ motorcycle. When the monthly church leadership meeting came around at the church office at Pastor Mateus’ home, Domingos brought out his tools and tuned up all their motorcycles. When the leadership of the church gather for a week and a half at Pousada Luterana guesthouse and training center seven kilometers from town, Domingos made himself available to provide on-site support for the electrical, solar, generator, and motorcycle repairs that would be necessary throughout the week. He spent a full week with those pastors, theology students, and visitors from South Africa, Brazil, and the United States. Some sense of fear, though, still keeps Domingos from attending worship - a fear, he thinks, that he might not like it. Domingos is still uncertain about coming to the church and hasn't yet stepped through the doors. But on Sunday, June 5, 2016, I baptized Domingo’s wife, Beauty. That Sunday, Beauty, along with 58 other men, women, and children, celebrated new life in the waters of baptism at São Paulo Lutheran Church in Villa de Sena. Praise the Lord for the faith he has worked in Beauty and the seeds of faith that are planted in the heart of Domingos.

Pastor Forcibly taken to Suero, Mozambique to Proclaim the Gospel

Shauen Addresses the Congregation in Chemba with Members from Suero (photo by Carlotta Cisternas Tiews)Across Mozambique, villagers gather together in the shade of the thatched roof covering the bicycle repair kiosk, the covered porch of the trading center shop, or each other’s homes to listen. Community radio stations give a lifeline to these remote and rural hard-working farmers and entrepreneurs, connecting them to Mozambique and the rest of the world through FM broadcast. As they all do, community radio station host Sinalo Christiano gave airtime to the local pastors in Chemba, Mozambique. But when Pastor Julio Castomo of the Igreja Luterana da Concórdia em Moçambique (Lutheran Church of Concord in Mozambique) had his first moment on air, the host was intrigued. Here was a message quite different from the other preachers who came for their 5 minutes of proclamation. A little girl looks towards the photographer (photo by Carlotta Cisternas Tiews)Sinalo talked to Pastor Julio extensively after the broadcast about the message and about the church. The next day, Sinalo came to Pastor Julio’s home to continue the discussion. On Sunday, the radio host came to church and saw for himself. Immediately, Sinalo traveled to his home village of Suero to tell his extended family about Jesus Christ’s amazing love for us to which the people mandated that Sinalo go back to Chemba, collect Pastor Julio, and bring him to tell them himself. After a few evangelistic visits, the people of Suero organized into a church and invited Pastor Julio to come to their first Sunday morning time together. Sixty people were gathered to hear him. The next week there were 80. Today God’s people in Suero rejoice in Word and Sacrament alongside God’s people around the world. 

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Just me and my goat out for a ride... (Probably a one-way ride for poor Mr. Billy G.)

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Just in case you don't get enough iodine in your diet... Or MSG. You know. Based on a 2,000 calorie diet, of course.

Lutheran Theology and Practice is Embraced in Cado

Church Members in Cado Sing with Joy to Drum AccompanimentThe Christians of Cado, Mozambique, paid dearly for pastoral services, struggling under the tyranny of a pastor who mandated a substantial cash payment for each visit. Their community was remote, some 45km from the nearest town, and it wasn’t until villagers started going to town to find a market for their goods that they realized that not all churches operate in the same way. When the possibility of life together under a different model came to light, the congregation took action to learn more. Two youth were sent by bicycle the 45km to Villa de Sena to make inquiries of the churches there. In Villa de Sena on the banks of the Zambezi River, those two youths met Pastor Mateus Sifa and Pastor Manuel Jambo and eagerly began to interrogate them about the Lutheran Church’s beliefs and practice. Pastor Jambo hosted them in his home as they continued in discussion. Responding in joy, the Lutheran church in Cado gave us gifts when we visitedOf particular interest to these Cado villagers were the teachings on stewardship, offerings, and the matters of financial administration in the church. Through these avenues, Pastor Jambo shared with them the clear Gospel proclamation and the church’s focus on the Word and Sacraments that convey that Gospel. On Sunday, the youth from Cado attended São Paulo Lutheran Church in Villa de Sena and saw those things of which Pastor Jambo had spoken. By the end of the worship service their path was clear. They stood when invited and introduced themselves as visitors to Villa de Sena who had a single task of finding a parent church body for their congregation. In what they had seen and heard they were convicted that this Lutheran Church is the very church they had come to find. Knowing the challenge of reaching Cado and that for São Paulo to share their pastor would mean they would go without their pastor some Sundays, the Cado representatives requested the blessing of the São Paulo congregation to send a pastor to support a Lutheran Church in Cado. The Christians of São Paulo affirmed the request unequivocally for the sake of God’s people in Cado and the Gospel. A few weeks later, three Lutheran Pastors traveled to Cado. The first Lutheran Service in Cado was attended by 50 villagers meetings under a tree. Within the year the congregation had grown to 80. 

On a Quest to Find the Pastor to Care for Our Church

A Theology Student Reflects while a Question is Asked (photo by Carlotta Cisternas Tiews)A Theology Student Shares during Class (photo by Carlotta Cisternas Tiews)During the first week of June, 2016, two leaders from an independent church in Mutarara (Inhangoma region), Mozambique, came the 40km to Villa de Sena in search of a church body with substance. Through relatives, these two leaders from the Christ Forever Church had heard about the Igreja Luterana da Concórdia em Moçambique (Lutheran Church of Concord in Mozambique) and traveled to Sena to learn more. They came to Pastor Mateus Sifa’s home twice in that week looking for someone to tell them about the Lutheran Church to find that only Pastor Mateus’ wife Angelina was home. But, Angelina told them, I know if you go to Pousada Luterana, seven kilometers outside of town, they will receive you well and be happy to visit with you. Much to the joy of those visitors, that week the pastors of the Lutheran Church were engaged in a continuing education course - just the kind of well-trained pastors they were looking for. Pastor Carlos Walter Winterle Teaches a Theology Course (photo by Carlotta Cisternas Tiews)After visiting with the pastors and receiving a meal, they asked if the Lutheran Church would please send a pastor to Mutarara to take over responsibility for their congregation. Theology Class at the Posada Luterana (photo by Carlotta Cisternas Tiews)That visit should be made in the weeks ahead with the dedication of yet another Lutheran Congregation to come shortly thereafter.  Praise the Lord for drawing His people to Himself through the church.

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The joy of seeing a pastor from Brazil who you first met in Paraguay, when you arrive in Mozambique. VP Rev. Rony Marquardt! 

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Josiah, age 6, (sitting on the couch listening as adults chat), "Mama? Do you know that I'm starting to do boring things like grown ups?"

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A little kitty might have adopted us last night. We're all quite content. Hope she stays!

Thank you to the Mercy Medical Team

LCMS Mercy Medical Teams (MMTs) serve across the world. This year we added Tanzania as a new MMT location. Here's a letter from the Archbishop of the church we worked with expressing his appreciation. Learn more about MMTs at: http://www.lcms.org/mercyteams 

Missionaries are Feeble Folk

“Missionaries have on the whole been a feeble folk, not very wise, not very holy, not very patient. They have broken most of the commandments and fallen into every conceivable mistake. And yet God has used their weakness to bring into existence a universal church … And there is no reason whatever to suppose that God is incapable of doing today what he has done in the past.” -Stephen Neill

Mercy Medical Team in Tanzania

Our team in this part of the world does a wonderful job of hosting LCMS Mercy Medical Teams: