Zachary and Alissa were approved for missionary call to an unreached people group in Chad at the October 2012 meeting of the Council of Directors.

As Zachary and Alissa have been processing the opportunity to come on staff with LBIM, they have encountered a major setback. Zachary has been diagnosed with a heart condition which could adversely be affected by long-term living in Chad. Even though he has undergone different tests, his cardiologist has been unable to specifically locate the problem area in his heart. Without knowing the specific cause, no treatment is able to be prescribed. With the preliminary diagnosis, there is a procedure Zachary could undertake to fix the condition, but again, this cannot be done until a more specific diagnosis is made. The heart procedure has anywhere from a 50-90% success rate, depending on the area of the heart being targeted. Medically speaking, this condition will stay with Zachary the rest of his life if a procedure is unable to correct it, and the condition would likely be progressive as he ages.

Praise God for the individuals and congregations that gave so generously to Famine Relief during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. As a result, approximately $73,000 has been passed on to the relief and development arm of our sister Lutheran Brethren Church in Chad. These funds have purchased thousands of sacks of grain that will be delivered to those in most desperate need of food.

We believe that you who are a part of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren in North America will be blessed because you are blessing those in need in Chad. Thank you for your generous response to this critical need.

It is God's desire to "...comfort all who mourn...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Isaiah 61:2

Following God’s lead after the 3/11 Disaster in Northern Japan our family has been taken on a rather unpredictable journey. It is not a journey we could have imagined, or sat down and planned. We never would have chosen the circumstances that threw thousands of lives into turmoil and despair. But almost two years later, here we are, ready to move right in.

Up until now we have been working closely with Samaritan’s Purse (SP), which helped over 190 families in Ishinomaki rebuild their homes. The program phased out about the same time Super Storm Sandy hit the east coast, and SP is currently ministering to those victims in very similar ways.

Through the tragedy we have already developed many relationships and, together with volunteers, we’ve had many opportunities to begin sharing the hope we have in Christ.

The Council of Directors (COD) authorized the “Call” of Nathanael and Carrie to a relationship building ministry of planting a church among an unreached people. The cluster of congregations, which includes Bethel LC, Fergus Falls; Hope LBC, Barnesville; Swan Lake LC, rural Fergus Falls, was formed for this mission. This cluster would like to invite other congregations to be a part of this ministry.

Let’s pray together for Nathanael, Carrie, Selma and Cyril!

• September 2012 – French study in France
• July 2013 – Arrive in Chad for further language study
• 2014 – Move to a village for ministry