Recognizing the rights of children

Children's Day with VBS students.

Every third Sunday in July is Children’s Day in Venezuela a date chosen to coincide with the close of the school year. In 1936, the Venezuelan Federation of Teachers first promoted the idea of a date that recognized the rights of children. That year, a table of children's rights was drawn up, much of which is incorporated into the current national constitution and Organic Law for the Protection of Children and Adolescents. These rights. by the way, include the right to life conception. Abortion in Venezuela is currently illegal except in cases where the mother’s life is in danger. Penalties range from six months to two years in prison for women who seek abortions and two to three years for medical personnel who perform them. Also the right to live as a family, with priority on the biological family. Right to identity: Includes the right to a name, nationality and knowledge of family origin.

This year, Children’s Day fell on July 19, the seventh Sunday after Trinity. We held vacation Bible school on the preceding Thursday and Friday with the theme “Rescatados por Cristo para su gloria” (“Rescued by Christ for His glory”). A dozen children attended the first day and 17 the second day, mostly Luz Maria’s afterschool tutoring students, plus friends and family that they had invited.

Bible stories were the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14) and the Apostle Peter being saved from drowning by Jesus as our Lord walked on the water of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:22-33). The miracle of Jesus walking on water is also recorded in Mark 6:45-52 and John 6:15-21, but only Matthew includes the detail of Peter walking on the water toward Jesus until overcome by doubt. The crossing of the Red Sea is referenced in Hebrews 11:29 as an example of faith, but the example of Peter shows we are not saved by the strength of our faith, but by the power of the object of our faith, Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, St. Paul makes a direct comparison between the crossing of the Red Sea and baptism, and, while St. Peter does not describe his own experience, he speaks of being saved by the Lord’s action in baptism as Noah and his family were saved from the waters of the Great Flood (1 Peter 3:20-21).
 

The Feeding of 4,000
and fried rice

Sixteen children also attended the July 19 service, where we distributed school supplies to all and prizes to those who did the best at memory work. The service was followed by a meal of fried rice with chicken (often called “arroz chino” or “Chinese rice” and a birthday cake for Elzo Meza, one of the students.

The  theme fit in well with the Gospel reading appointed for the seventh Sunday after Trinity, Mark 8:1-9, St. Mark’s account of the miraculous feeding of 4,000 people. In Matthew 15:32-39 as well, Jesus walking on the water is sandwiched between the feeding of the 5,000, mentioned in all four Gospels, and the feeding of the 4,000. In both cases, the multiplication of loaves and fishes prefigures the institution of the Lord’s Supper (the Lord gives thanks, eucaristia, breaks bread and gives it to His disciples to distribute), while the multitudes following Jesus into the desert reveal that He is the Prophet greater than Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18). The difference being that the feeding of the 5,000 was for a predominantly Jewish crowd, while the feeding of the 4,000 took place in non-Jewish territory, indicating the Gospel was first for the Jews, then all nations.

The following week (July 20-24), we made our kitchen available for Luz Maria's sisters, Deniece Vergara and Rosaura Castillo, to prepare more chicken and fried rice for 55 students graduating from the main preschool in La Caramuca. Deniece is a certified gourmet chef and runs a restaurant, "La Mazorka", with her husband and daughter.

The banner we used to advertise our vacation Bible school online was designed by Anyi Garrido, Luz Maria’s granddaughter. Starting in September, Anyi will begin her last year of “liceo” (equivalent to high school). She completed an extracurricular course in graphic design, as well as earning the second-highest grades in her class.

Señora safe and sound

We give thanks for the safe return of Rita Zapata from receiving cancer treatment in Barquisimeto, which is about three hours north of us. Rita was staying at “Cristo es Amor” (Christ is Love) Lutheran Church when the double earthquake struck on June 24. Barquisimeto was much closer to the epicenter so she experienced the walls and her bed shaking, but was unharmed.

Earthquake recovery continues
 

Venezuela as a whole continues to recover from the devastating earthquakes. Therefore, Global Lutheran Outreach has expanded its Venezuela relief program to include help for earthquake victims, as well as continuing the shipment of non-prescription medicines from Chile. To find out more, please visit the GLO earthquake relief page.

Luz Maria's daughter named deaconess

On August 1, 2026, Luz Maria's daughter, Yepci Santana, was consecrated as a deaconess at "Castillo Fuerte: Casa de Misericordia" ("Mighty Fortress: House of Mercy") in La Victoria (Lima), Peru. Yepci is director in charge of the afterschool program, assisting 40 children  , sports, musicin, crafts, cooking and workshops on Christian values, national identity, coexistence and personal improvement.

On July 11, Luz Maria and I had our first meeting, via Zoom videoconference, with the Reverend André Luiz Müller, GLO regional director for Latin America. Born in Brazil and raised in Paraguay, André has more than two decades of church and missionary service. He credits the support of his faith and his family—his wife Maíra Ferrari Reis and their three children, Helena, Martín, and Francisco—with helping him carry out his responsibilities. For more information, see his GLO page.

Why three times holy?

We celebrated the Feast of the Holy Trinity on May 30 at Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas on May 30 and in La Caramuca on May 31The sermon emphasized the evidence for the Trinity in the Old Testament, especially the appointed Old Testament lesson, Isaiah 6:1-7. In the prophet’s vision, the seraphim around God’s throne sing, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts.” We have a hymn here that asks the question, “Why three times holy?” And why, in the Aaronic benediction of Numbers 6:24-26, is the Old Testament name of God (Yahweh or Jehovah) repeated three times? Then, in Genesis 1:26 and 11:7, God speaks of Himself in the plural, as Jesus does of Himself and the Holy Spirit in the Gospel appointed for Trinity Sunday (John 3:1-15). “Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness” (John 3:11)

The Great Commission on Ascension.

We observed Ascension Day on Sunday, May 17, 2026, and we were pleased to have as visitors, Luz Maria’s brother, Robert Henriquez and his wife, Fanny Yamilet Ibarra Vielma.
 St. Matthew does not describe the Ascension of Christ, but Mark 16:14-18; Luke 24:36-49; and Acts 1:1-11 link the Great Commission with the Ascension. So I emphasized this missional imperative by explaining the symbolism of the Jerusalem Cross, a large Greek cross flanked by four smaller crosses: First in Jerusalem, then to the four corners of the earth. (The Jerusalem Cross is the emblem of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela’s Juan de Frías Theological Institute.) 

donation of study Bibles
We received a donation of eight needed study Bibles from an unexpected source: The Roman Catholic diocese of Barinas. The Bibles were published by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation and are bound together with Luther’s Small Catecism! Also included are a biblical glossary, maps and lists of suggested Bible verses for daily reading and special occasions. Luz Maria’s nephew, Roamird Castillo, learned the diocese was doing some housecleaning and wanted to get rid of them. So he obtained permission to take them for us.

Remember in prayer Rita Zapata

We continue to pray for Rita Zapata, who was taken to Barquisimeto (about three hours north of here) for cancer treatment. Rita joined our mission by affirmation of faith on January 11, 2020. She attends our Sunday morning service when staying with her sister, Sotera, in La Caramuca, and Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas with her son, Eliezer Montoya. Rita is the grandmother of Aaron, Oriana and Elias Montoya who were all confirmed at our mission, but now live with their mother, Yepci, in Lima, Peru.

Venezuelans graduate from seminary

Concordia El Reformador Seminary was opened in 2017 in the Dominican Republic, and serves Spanish speakers in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Commencement ceremonies were held May 29, 2026, and several Venezuelans received diplomas. Jesús Barceló of Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela, graduated from the residential seminary program and is eligible for a call. Edgar Coronado, pastor of La Fortaleza (Fortress) Lutheran Church and Mission Cagua in Maracay, Venezuela, completed the Formación Pastoral Hispanoamérica program, which provides continuing education for ordained pastors. Two Venezuelan women completed the deaconess training program and received certificates in absentia. These were Etamarys Rengifo of Cristo Vencedor (Christus Victor) Lutheran Church in La Pica, Monagas state, who was mentored by Luz Maria; and Yepci Santana, Luz Maria’s daughter, who once taught in our preschool. Oriana Montoya, Yepci’s daughter, already graduated from the deaconess program and both mother and daughter teach in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod-sponsored preschool program in Lima, Peru.

Baptized members in the afterschool program
Luz Maria’s afterschool tutoring program continues to advance. We purchased a new electric fan for better ventilation and maintenance work done on the plumbing. All the student have shown improvement in their grades, but two that have shown notable progress in the last few months are Sandro Deonel Pérez and Juan Diego Rodriquez. Sandro Deonel was baptized at our mission on December 15, 2019, while his father, Sandro Pérez, was confirmed here on October 31, 2008. Juan Diego was baptized at our mission on December 15, 2019.

Precious in His sight is the death of His saints

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints. O LORD, I am truly Your servant, the son of Your maidservant, You have loosed my bonds. I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call upon the name of the LORD” Psalm 116:15-17.

My mother, Jeanette Anne Hemmingson Ernst, died April 30, 2026, during Eastertide like my father did on May 9, 2000. I chose Psalm 116 for memorial services on May 3, the fifth Sunday of Easter, at our mission in La Caramuca and at Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas. The sermon text was 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus."

During the Easter season, we celebrate our Lord’s victory over sin, death and the power of the devil by His atoning death on the cross and resurrection on the third day, as He promised. We rejoice that as we have been baptized with water and the Word, as He was, we will share in His resurrection (Romans 6:3-8; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26). This is the great gift that we receive from Christian parents when we are baptized as infants. But not only do we have the promise of resurrection for ourselves, but also the consolation that our parents will be among the great multitude gathered around the throne of Christ, our Paschal Lamb, they that “shall neither hunger anymore, nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them anymore, nor any heat...and God will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:16-17). They already are among that “great cloud of witnesses” whose testimony inspires us and they will be with us in the true rapture, which which occur after (not before) the great tribulation when the Lord returns for the once and final time.

The promise is for you and your children

I returned to the theme of Christian families for the opening devotion of a special meeting on May 5 with Luz Maria's afterschool students and their mothers. The occasion was in anticipation of Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10, and to celebrate Luz Maria's birthday. I read from Acts 2:37-47. First, I emphasized the real manifestation of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was not so much the speaking in tongues and the preaching of Peter and the baptism of 3,000 souls. Then I focused on verse 39: "This promise is for you and your children," citing examples of how entire households, including children, were baptized (Acts 16:14-15; 22:22-34). Nevertheless, although parents have the privilege and responsibility to bring infants and children forward for baptism, there also is the reponsibility to bring children up in the teaching and admonition of the Lord. This is the basis of Christian education: Not simply the formal instruction, but also the formation of living faith through the power of the Holy Spirit which has become active in their lives through baptism.

After the opening devotion, Luz Maria review with the students and their mothers what the children had learned so far and how it was helping them in their public school classes. Then the children sang a lengthy Venezuelan birthday song to Luz Maria before she cut into two cakes, one donated by her daughter, Sarai, and the other by her brother, Robert Henriquez. It is customary in Venezuela to not only a Spanish version of the brief "Happy Birthday to you" as in the United States, but also to sing one or more longer melodies. These may go on as long as five minutes, or, at least, so it seems. That evening, after a videoconference with women enrolled in the diaconess training program of Concordia Seminary "El Reformador" and Amy Rast, associate director of deaconess formation at Concordia Theoogical Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Venezuelan women sang another long birthday song to Luz Maria.

On April 13, we celebrated the sixteenth birthday of Anyi Garrido, Luz Maria's granddaughter. Anyi assists Luz Maria with the afterschool tutoring program. She has the highest academic profile of any student in her high school and is taking an extracurricular course in graphic design. 

On April 12, the second Sunday of Easter, Ana Andreina Cabello Gomez, a member of "Fuente de Vida" (Fountain of Life) Lutheran Church in Puerto Ordaz and her sister, Milade, of the city of Guanare, brought an offering of packaged foodstuffs. Puerto Ordaz is in eastern Venezuela, while Guanare is about an hour and a half drive to the north of us. 

 As a mentor of Venezuelan women in the deaconess training program, Luz Maria was invited to hear annual program reports from Concordia Seminary "El Reformador" online April 24. We were pleased to learn the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod-sponsored seminary in the Dominican Republic is continuing in partnership with one of our sponsoring mission societies, LeadaChild of Olathe, Kansas.

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord

We began Holy Week with the procession of palm branches and the adult confirmation of Josehp Manuel Sala Díaz on Palm Sunday, March 24. Josehp is a contract maintenance worker. We welcome him as a member of our congregation.

In Venezuela, real palm branches are easy to find. We have observed the Palm Sunday processional every year except for the two years of the COVID-19 lockdown. The reenactment of our Lord’s triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem is ancient. Perhaps the earliest account is that of Egeria, a woman who lived in northern Spain, in a region now known as Galicia (many Venezuelans can trace their ancestry to this region). From 381 to 384 A.D., Egeria went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. She kept a journal in which she gives firsthand testimony about how Holy Week was celebrated in Jerusalem in the fourth century. On the Sunday before Easter, people would gather on the Mount of Olives and march into the city with palm and olive branches. Participants sang psalms and proclaimed blessings as they moved toward the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This year, because of the war with Iran, this procession was cancelled for the first time in centuries as the Israeli government prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After the Reformation, the tradition of a Palm Sunday procession was preserved, especially at certain locations like Magdeburg. In April 2003, I spent the entire month in Venezuela (yes, that was during the U.S. invasion of Iraq) and was privileged to witness that year’s Palm Sunday procession at Fuente de Vida (Fountain of Life) Lutheran Church in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela.

Disciples for life

On March 23, I had the opportunity to visit Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas and teach a session in “Discípulos de por vida,” a catechetical course based as much on Luther’s Large Catechism, as much as the Small Catechism. The course was developed as a unit in the deaconess training program of Seminario Concordia El Reformador in the Dominican Republic. The Lutheran Church of Venezuela’s Juan de Frias Theological Institute is now offering the course to all interested members and and all catechumens. Since Corpus Christi has not called a full-time pastor, I will be taking turns every three months with Eliezer Mendoza, pastor of Cristo es Amor (Christ is Love) Lutheran Church in Barquesimeto (about three to four hours north of Barinas) and his assistant pastor, Juan Carlos Silva. Pastor Mendoza also is director of the Juan de Frias Theological Institute. The congregations in Barinas and Barquesimeto comprise the entire Western Zone of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela, which is all the territory between Valencia (an hour and a half west of Caracas) and the Colombian border.The theme was the “first tablet of the Law”, by which is meant the first three commandments. These deal with what constitutes a right relationship with God. “ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). The other seven commandments comprise the “second tablet”, right relationship with other people. “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8). These commandments constitute the universal moral law, that is, God’s will for how all people should live. We also discussed the other types of law contained in the covenant of Mount Sinai: Civil laws for the governing of the ancient nation of Israel, many of which did not apply outside the land of Israel, even at the time; and ceremonial laws governing private and public worship, which distinguished the worship of the true God from idolatry and pointed to the first coming of the Messiah, and why these types of rules and regulations were not intended for all people for all time. Then we discussed the three uses of the moral law: as a brake to keep the evil impulses of men from getting out of hand in the social order; as a mirror, to convict people of their sins and show them the need for a Savior; and as a guide for Christian in making life decisions.

Maximiliano reading the story of Jonah.

Learning in our library
Before the schools closed, Luz Maria had her afterschool students do activities in preparation for Holy Week. The afterschool program continues with 10 to 12 students attending regularly, Monday through Thursday. There are also always five to six in attendance who are not involved with the program full-time, but who are using our books and other study resources for specific projects. We have made our educational space into something of a public library (which the community does not have). It is a place for older students to drop in and study in quiet area with books and no distractions. Two of Luz Maria’s more outstanding students are Mateo and Maximiliano. Maxi is in third grade and came to us not even knowing the complete alphabet or how to write his name. It had been recommended that he receive psychological evaluation to treat his incapacity to learn. Now he reads and writes at a level appropriate to a boy his age. Mateo was delighted to discover that he was named after an apostle and evangelist, and is most enthusiastic about Bible study, in addition to improving his grades at his public school.

Consecrate a fast (Joel 2:15)

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:16-18).

At first glance, this might seem an odd Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday. Making the sign of the cross on one’s forehead with ashes is what this verse forbids. Or, is it? In Matthew 6:5-15, our Lord gives similar instructions on prayer: “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” This is followed by Matthew’s account of Jesus teaching His disciples the Lord’s Prayer, which Christians all over the world and for hundreds of years have prayed in public as well as in private. There are other verses in Scripture to meet regularly to pray and worship God regularly and as openly as possible (Hebrews 10:23-25: 1 Timothy 2:1-7).

In fact, St. Matthew begins the entire section by saying, “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:1). “Charitable deeds” is a translation of δικαιοσύνην (dikaiosynēn: righteousness, justice) which refers to good works in general. Yet in 1 Peter 2:12 we are told, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Then Matthew 6:2 reads, “Thus, when you give to the needy (ἐλεημοσύνην, eleēmosynēn) sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” Yet 2 Corinthians 9:13 describes the gathering of offerings for the poor and for the work of the kingdom as “proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and with all men.” From the earliest days of the church, offerings have been brought forward and placed on the altar as sacrifices of thanksgiving during public worship.

Our Lord is addressing what we would today call “virtue signaling”, ostentatious displays of piety without genuine faith in God. “Sees in secret (κρυπτῷ; kryptō)” implies seeing that which is hidden, or within the heart.

The outward acts, even giving away all one’s possessions to the poor avail nothing if not done in sincere faith and love (1 Corinthians 13:3). They do not gain for us salvation, nor blessing from the Lord. But if done in faith and love, and in common confession with others, not drawing attention to ourselves as individuals, they testify to God’s love and mercy.

One suggested Old Testament lesson for Ash Wednesday, Jonah 3:1-10, illustrates the ancient association of sackcloth and ashes with a fast, or time of repentance, and the other, Joel 2:12-19, speaks of the entire people of God declaring a season of fasting.

We began our observance of Lent on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, with a vespers service of public confession and absolution with the imposition of ashes. Our catechism teaches that we may confess our sins before the congregation as part of the liturgy, or to the pastor in private. Either way we have the assurance that the word of absolution are as sure as if we heard them directly from the Lord Himself.

The imposition of ashes is a more elaborate form of making the sign of the cross, which Lutherans have done since the 16th Century. Martin Luther strongly encouraged Christians to make the sign of the cross as a daily devotional practice. He also retained the practice at the beginning of the service as Trinitarin invocation, during baptism, confession and absolution, during the Lord’s Supper and the closing benediction. Luther viewed the sign not as superstition but as a spiritual weapon against the devil and a proclamation of faith in Christ’s victory on the cross. He believed it strengthened the conscience and reminded believers of God’s promises. Ashes remind us of our sinful nature that will not pass away until we die physically. “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).

Third cycle of deaconess program

Luz Maria has again been asked to mentor deaconess students in the third cycle of the diaconal program offered by Concordia Seminary "El Reformador" in the Dominican Republic. On Tuesday, March 3, we partipicated in an online orientation meeting for "Practical Diaconal Guidance I". Exis Freites and Mineida García, ladies of "Prince of Peace" Lutheran Church, Sierra Caroní, represented Venezuela among the more than 50 women from other Latin American countries.  Concordia Seminary "El Reformador", established in 2017 by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, serves Spanish -speaking Lutherans from all over Central and South America by training pastors and deaconesses . 

Pray for victims of tragedy in Chile
We received word from our fellow Global Lutheran Outreach (GLO) missionary, Pastor Adrian Ventura, that on Thursday, February 19, a truck carrying liquefied gas overturned, spilling its entire cargo onto an avenue in the Renca district of Santiago, Chile. Following the spill, a raging fire engulfed several cars, including their occupants; four people died at the scene, and several others suffered burns over 90 percent of their bodies. One of the young men caught in the flames was Luis Miguel Gómez, a Venezuelan and son of Belkis Mendoza, a member of “Cristo es Amor” (Christ is Love) Lutheran Church in Barquisimeto. Luis passed away on Wednesday, February 25, at the Workers' Hospital. Belkis was able to obtain a humanitarian visa and spend her son Luis's final days with him. We ask for your prayers for the Gómez Mendoza family, who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

At home with the Advent wreath

The lighting of an Advent wreath as a countdown to Christmas has become so globally popular that Venezuelan newspapers run articles explaining it as a “Catholic custom.” This is a matter of some debate, as many sources trace it back to the Lutheran Reformation. Roman Catholic apologists agree that it began in Germany, but claim it originated earlier in the Middle Ages. The mystery arises from the fact that the Advent wreath originated as a form of family devotion, not as a rite of public worship. Lighting the wreath as we know it today did not become a widespread practice outside of Germany until the 19th and early 20th centuries, with the tide of Germans fleeing political conflicts and economic difficulties in their homeland. Only then was it incorporated into Advent services in churches of nearly every denomination. That is how I explained it to our afterschool students and youth of our congregation, drawing a comparison of how the migration of Venezuelans is dispersing Venezuelan customs throughout the world. Also, I emphasized the importance of Bible reading and prayer in the home, not just in the building designated as a house of worship. 

 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 is a classic verse that illustrates the importance of family devotions in the Christian life. So is Ephesians 6:4, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Although the parental duty is set forth in terms of the father’s obligation, yet the mother’s rule and responsibility, being included in that of the husband, is just as strongly enjoined. St. Paul, in 1 Timothy 1:5, commends Timothy’s grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice, for raising Timothy in the faith despite the lack of a faithful father. In Timothy 2:15, the apostle says again that Timothy is fortunate in “that from childhood  known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

With the assistance of Luz Maria’s sister, Rosaura, we presented a special workshop for all the young people in making Advent wreaths for the home. 

A tradition of Christian education

Luz Maria and I are grateful for the opportunity to speak via Zoom on December 4, 2025, to the students of Deshler Lutheran School, Deshler, Nebraska. Our special thanks to principal Todd Voss; Brian Francik, pastor of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Deshler; and José Flores, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Friedensau, Nebraska. Deshler Lutheran School is one part of the ministry conducted by St. Peter-Deshler and TrinityFriedensau. Both congregations have a rich tradition of providing Christ-centered education. Trinity Lutheran at Freidensau called the first teacher to the Nebraska District in 1879. St. Peter's Lutheran School was established in 1889. In 1966, Trinity-Friedensau and Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Kiowa joined with St. Peter's-Deshler to form the Deshler Lutheran School Association using the 1953 building and grounds in Deshler for its campus. Trinity-Friedensau celebrated its 150th anniversary last year. I attended the centennial anniversary in 1974 which featured my father’s older brother, the Rev. Alfred Ernst, as guest speaker. My great-grandfather, Henry Schabacker, so far holds the longest tenure as pastor of Trinity-Friedensau, having served for more than 30 years. His daughter, Theodora Amanda, married my grandfather, David Julius Ernst, who was the sole teacher in the parochial school and also church organist.

Like grandmother, like granddaughter

While we celebrated the first Sunday of Advent in La Caramuca on November 30, 2025, Oriana Montoya, Luz Maria's granddaughter, was consecrated as a deaconess at Jesus of Los Olivos Lutheran Church in Lima, Peru. Oriana was baptized February 15, 2003, at Corpus Christi Lutheran Church, Barinas, and took first communion October 28, 2012, at Epiphany Lutheran Church of La Caramuca. She graduated from our preschool and was active in the Epiphany youth group. She represented our mission at the national youth gathering of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela in 2016. After moving to Peru in 2017, Oriana enrolled in and graduated from the deaconess program offered by Concordia El Reformador in the Dominican Republic.

Caught up in the clouds

 The celebration of the Ascension brings to a close our annual reprise of the earthly ministry of Jesus. He walked among his disciples for forty days to testify to His resurrection. But it was necessary for Him to return to the Father so that His exaltation was complete (John 16: 5-15) . As we confess in the creed, Jesus "ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; and from there he will come to judge the living and the dead." We have no difficulty seeing in the ascension and enthronement of Jesus to the right hand of God the fulfillment of the prophetic words of Psalm 110. That Jesus is to the right of the Father, as a mediator and lawyer, means that forgiveness and sanctification are possible (Acts 5:30-31).

 resurrection of Our Lord was not simply the miraculous revival of a single man. The Scriptures contain other similar stories: the resurrection of mothers’ sons by Elijah and Elisha; the son of Nain's widow; the daughter of Jairus; Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha; and more. God, in His mercy, restored these people to their families, but in the end they were taken from this world. There are also stories in the Old Testament of men who did not die physically, but were taken to heaven. In particular, Enoch, descendant of Adam (Genesis 5: 21-24), and Elijah, in the Old Testament lesson appointed for the Ascension (2 Kings 2:5-15).

But even these miracles of God did not change the common fate of human beings, which is the eternal separation of God because of original sin. Both the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus changed everything for all. They were signs and stamps of His victory, a victory that He won when He died on the cross. It was a victory over sin, the power of the devil and death itself. Those who believe in Jesus Christ may die physically, like everyone else. But for those who believe in Jesus Christ, there is the promise that we also will be raised to life on the last day, not only to see Him return in the clouds as He was taken up (Acts 1:9-11), but also to be "caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Education program continues

On Sunday, May 11, 2025, we presented seven students and three assistant teachers with scholarships from LeadaChild. The assistant teachers who help Luz Maria with afterschool tutoring are all confirmed members of the mission: Anyi Garrido, Yusmelvis Salas and Diana Torres. The students who brought their mothers for Mother's Day also received packages of school supplies. God's providence, the Gospel reading for the fourth Sunday after Easter is John 16:16-22 and the sermon was based on verses 16 to 21:  "A woman when she is in labor has sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man will take from you."

Luz Maria's students are advancing in their studies and have shown distinct improvement in their grades. We have reopened what had been our preschool classroom before its forced closure for afterschool tutoring. We plan to remodel the preschool so that it is more of library and study center for older students.

We were pleased to learn of the high school graduation of Frenyerlin Naleska, a former recipient of LeadaChild scholarships. She was one of Luz Maria´s afterschool tutoring students, attended Sunday afternoon Bible class, and took first communion at our mission on January 8, 2017. Frenyerlin now lives in the city of Coro, Falcon state.

Frenyerlin Naleska, Escarleth Ruíz and Elias Montoya with LeadaChild scholarships.

Ready to serve as deaconesses

From May 1 to 3, 2025, Luz María served as an instructor at the final in-person seminar of the second cycle of the deaconess program sponsored by Concordia El Reformador Seminary and the Juan de Frías Theological Institute in Barquisimeto, Lara state. Other instructors were Deaconess Ginnatriz Vera de Mendoza, and Pastor Eliezer Mendoza, director of the Institute. On Sunday, May 5, eight women graduated from the program and are ready to serve as deaconesses.

The women who graduated from the deaconess program are: Matilde Castillo, Cristo es el Camino Lutheran Church, Barcelona, ​​Anzoátegui state; Cinthia Moreno and Ysaela Cedeño de Lozano of Fuente de Vida Lutheran Church, Puerto Ordaz, Bolívar state; Migdalia Veliz, Cristo el Vencedor Lutheran Church, La Pica, Monagas state;  María Ramírez de Coronado, La Fortaleza Lutheran Church, Maracay, Aragua state; Ana Gómez, Belkys Castellanos and Graciela Peraza de Coronado of Fuente de Vida Lutheran Church.

 

Trabajad, luchad y orad, No. 1037 in Himnario Luterano, is a hymn written by Stephen Starke and translated by Antonio Schimpf.

Three pastors reunited before the altar

On Sunday, May 4, five pastors celebrated the divine service together. Eduardo Flores, Sergio Maita, and I were ordained together at El Salvador Lutheran Church in Caracas on December 8, 2008. The three of us were together once more before the altar. Sergio is now missionary pastor of Cordero de Dios Lutheran Church in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and professor at Concordia El Reformador Seminary, while Eduardo is the pastor of La Santa Trinidad Lutheran Church in Caracas and president of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela.

Pastor Maita preached the sermon for the Third Sunday of Easter on the Gospel (John 10:11-16) and the Introit (Psalm 33:5-6; 33:1; 33:18-20). The Hebrew word translated "mercy" in Psalm 33:5 is חֵסֵד (hesed). It can also be translated as steadfast love, loyalty, faithfulness, or kindness. But in the same verse, the psalmist says that the Lord loves justice and judgment. This blend of attributes is seen in the figure of the Good Shepherd, who does what is right for his sheep because he loves them.

The other pastors present were Eliézer Mendoza, pastor of Cristo es Amor Lutheran Church in Barquisimeto and director of the “Juan de Frías” Institute; and Juan Carlos Silva, assistant pastor of Cristo es Amor Lutheran Church.

Luz Maria's granddaughter graduates

On the same Sunday in Lima, Peru, Oriana Montoya, the granddaughter of Luz María, graduated from the same diaconal program. Oriana was born February 7, 2003, baptized that same month at Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas; and took first communion October 28, 2012, at our mission. On May 7, 2021 we said goodbye to Oriana; her mother, Yepci; and Aaron and Elias, her brothers. Like many Venezuelans, they sought a brighter future in another country. We give thanks that they were found by the LCMS Mission in Peru.

Bookending birthdays

On the evening before the deaconess seminar started, we celebrated Pastor Eliezer Mendoza's birthday with Pastor Eliezer, his wife, Ginnatriz, their two daughters and the deaconess students. The day after the graduation ceremony, we celebrated Luz Maria's birthday. 

Our time in Barquisimeto also included outiings to local attractions, including Tintorero, a village known as a center for folk art and crafts, especially colorfully dyed hammocks. Luz Maria purchased a traditional Venezuelan coffee maker (see below).

Our time in Barquisimeto also included outiings to local attractions, including Tintorero, a village known as a center for folk art and crafts, especially colorfully dyed hammocks. Luz Maria purchased a traditional Venezuelan coffee maker (see below).