Missions

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El Salvadore and Navajo Reservation....scroll down to see what they are all about

Hope Lutheran Church continues to follow our mission statement with the active participation in a couple of Mission Trips this year. The ladies of Hope will support a El Salvadoran Mission (both by making/donating quilts and other gifts and by physically attending) and the youth of Hope will travel to and support a Navajo Reservation in Arizona.

Mission Statement:
We, as members of Hope Lutheran Church, as witnesses for Christ, see as our purpose, sharing the loving grace of Christ among the people in this place and spreading the gospel message to our community and the world.

El Salvadoran Mission Trip

At the end of July, 2009, three members of Hope will be making a missionary journey to the Central American country of El Salvador. They join pastors Kristian and Anna-Kari Johnson (First Lutheran of Inglewood, CA) on this annual trek to their Salvadoran Lutheran friends including Bishop Gomez, Pastor Matias Bonnila, Principal David Mena, Hope House homeless shelter, Colegio Luterano, a rural community in Guaycume, Pastor Martina, Brisas del Valle Lutheran Church and San Jose Buena Vista Lutheran Church.

Other participants will be representing churches in Washington, Maryland, New York and Minnesota; at last count there were 34 people in the 2009 group.

Work that will be done includes
     overseeing a dental clinic (Diane Schmidt),
     helping with a Vacation Bible School (Kari Schmidt),
     building a house (Pamela Billings),
and marching in a parade to celebrate Christian unity.

Diane has also been active in gathering donations of quilts, health kits and pocket crosses for the people in El Salvador. It turns out that carrying—and checking—two 50-pound suitcases per participant is the easiest way to get donations to these needy Salvadorans, so each traveler attempts to pack the large suitcases, then use a carry-on bag for his or her own luggage. If anyone is interested in providing donations, you may email Pamela Billings for the appropriate suggested items. (I have room left for more!)

On Sunday, August 2^nd, we join our brothers and sisters in worship services, then a Praise and Talent show “to praise God and make people laugh.” We also will march in the Lutheran Peace march for human rights on Thursday, the 6^th.

Another way for you to support this missionary journey is to pray. Please pray for each of the American travelers as well as the Salvadorans we’ll encounter. Additional requests might include language/translation, spiritual guidance, patience, safety, health and harmony. Thank you for the support already given—quilts and pocket crosses made, prayers offered up.

With joy~
Pamela Billings

For more information about this San Salvador Mission Trip, for the PDF Brochure

		Marilyn Humphrey, Linda Doust, Diane Schmidt, and Dorothy Bennett attending to the prayer dedication of the quilts made for the San Salvador Mission. Pastor Carl is leading the prayer.
Quilts made by the ladies of Hope for the Mission Trip

Building a new home with Maria Soyla Alvarado and Family

Maria Soyla is a mother of four. Her living conditions are some of the most difficult in the whole community. For this reason, her Pastor and many members of her church have volunteered their own labor to help her build a new home.

How does Maria make it? Maria Soyla does not have much support at all, but she keeps going forward. Her family are refugees from the wartime. She now farms the tiny plot of land she received in the peace accords with her own hands.

As an adult, Maria Soyla studied for her confirmation with Lutheran Pastor Matias Bonilla and confirmed her faith at Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church in Brisas del Valle. Pastor Matias signed up her youngest 3 children with the sponsorship program co-ordinated by Family of Christ Lutheran in Chanhassen, Minnesota to have the support of Minnesotan “Godparents” to make sure her children could afford to continue in school.

Soyla and her daughter in front of their house

We all feel heartbroken that her 14 year old daughter, Rocivel (RosyBell) made a desperate decision to leave home and studies in order to find work to send back money to help her mother. When her 14 year old daughter left town with a harsh 40 year old man, we wished we could have turned back time to change the conditions that led to this endangerment of a vulnerable life. We’re still praying she comes back home.

The shack Maria Soyla lives in is very unsafe. We feel convinced that we need to support Maria Soyla so that her other 3 children benefit from better living conditions in which they can grow and receive good education.

Her small shack could be lit with only 3 light bulbs. The electric light could help her children study and bring many more possibilities.

Some Photographs from the Mission Trip:


The street in San Salvador across from Hope Homeless Center; a typically poor neighborhood with typical scenery in the background.		On National Saints' Day, hundreds of Christians came together to march in a parade championing human rights. The slogan is, "For a new El Salvador, take up your cross and follow Me." 23rd anniversary of the Salvadoran Lutheran Synod!


Interacting with the children, again at Hope Homeless Center; Lukas shared music while Kari rocked little Favio.		Diane Schmidt with one of the many patients she helped at the Homeless Center


One of the 5 community congregations that Pastor Matias serves; this one already has a permanent building, where we joined in celebrating their 8th anniversary. Congregation was about triple the building capacity, so many stood or sat on plastic chairs just outside the open windows.		The house that Habitat finished during our week there. Floor is tile; one public room for kitchen and dining; two bedrooms. Bathroom is outhouse, for which we dug a 4x4 foot hole 12 feet deep. Biggest improvement: three lightbulbs! powered by a single solar cell smaller than a piece of legal-size paper, donated by Jack's father.

Navajo Reservation Mission Trip

Eight of our teenage youth will be traveling with 2 adults to the Navajo Reservation in Northeast Arizona in late July, 2009. This mission trip is organized through Youthworks! whose purpose is doing ministry with youth.

There is a focus on two primary areas of ministry: children and home improvement.

The work with children consists of a hands-on program led by our youth, known as Kids Club. Kids Club offers high-energy games, crafts, skits, songs and interactive lessons all designed to help kids learn about Jesus.

Work projects include minor home repair and painting projects. The group’s willingness to refresh a worn out exterior of a house with a new coat of paint brings real hope and an opportunity to share the love of Christ.

Adult leaders will separate youth into ministry groups, and the youth in the Hope group will be mixed with the youth from other groups for their week of service..

Our Youth will explore the tradition and heritage of the Navajo people on Arizona’s Navajo Reservation. The natural beauty of this area is unparalleled, with its deserts, forests, majestic mesas, mountains and canyons. Although the Navajo people are strong and proud, their economy has struggled, leaving many tribal members without jobs and living in poverty.

The mission groups will serve many of these needy community members through working on homes and ministering to children and elderly residents on the reservation.

The Navajo Reservation extends into the states of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, covering 27,000 square miles of beautiful land—larger than ten of the 50 states in the U.S. We will be serving in the communities of Window Rock and Fort Defiance in the northeast part of Arizona.

Members of the Navajo Nation traditionally call themselves “Diné,” which means “people.” The Navajo economy includes traditional work such as sheep and cattle herding, weaving and jewelry making. Coal and uranium mining have more recently become part of the economy in this mineral-rich land. Sustaining a viable economy in the Navajo Nation has become more challenging as the population has grown. Due to the remote geographic location, some communities lack modern conveniences such as utility services and plumbing. The unemployment rate has been steadily increasing to what is today nearly 50 percent. Federal statistics have found that about 43 percent of Navajo individuals are living below the poverty level. Increasing the community’s struggles has been the high incidence of health problems on the reservation, most notably cancer and diabetes. But the Navajo people are working hard to improve their community.

Evening activities during a YouthWorks week are designed to give participants insight into the lives of local residents and the culture of the area. Some of the evening/cultural activities that have been done in the past include: go on a hike up to local landmark: Window Rock; visit cultural center and learn about tribal dances; attend a community Bar-B-Q; and take part in a community educational experience. These are examples of what the Hope group might partake in during the mission week.

Window Rock


The Hope Group		Playing with the kids


Waiting for more paint to arrive


	In case you missed it on the Current Events page:: Pastor Dave and Pastor Carl at the July 5 Pot Luck Good sports having the pie in the face as one of several fund raisers for the youth Mission Trip. We Lutherans do share our pies!