Sharing GOD'S WORD for Life

From LifeDate - Fall 2008.

Sharing GOD’S WORD for Life
by Ellie Menz

What is Life?

That question was posed to a twenty-eight member IOWAY mission team to contemplate for a day. What is IOWAY? Individual Outreach With Adults and Youth. It is an amazing Iowa District West (LCMS) mission outreach. As the IOWAY director for the past seven years, I have the privilege of organizing mission trips and events for youth and adults. One yearly trip is a two week mission trip to work with Pastor Arthur Porter and the Nehemiah Project in the inner city of Los Angeles. This summer, our IOWAY team worked with eight of the eleven Nehemiah churches from July 8-21.

The first few days were spent planning the following week’s VBS and canvassing the church neighborhoods to invite children to VBS. They also used their Midwest muscles as they scraped, painted, pulled weeds, landscaped, and cleaned the property of some of the churches.

On Friday afternoon, the caravan of five minivans headed south to the Mexican border. What excitement and anticipation as they headed across the border on foot carrying much needed dental and school supplies to children at two Lutheran missions in Tijuana on Saturday and Sunday! We joined Melissa Salomon, with Lutheran Hour Ministries, to share the love of Jesus with children and adults through the nativity story (in costume), crafts, and activities. We provided funding for a new outdoor worship area and a stone oven. They treated us with yummy goodies baked in the stone oven. It will be used to bake bread for sale to provide funds for the church while it provides bread for the community.

On Sunday, we were privileged to be part of the procession with an amazing congregation who has worked for 15 years to build a new church. What an exciting day! It did not matter that we did not understand the two hour service in Spanish. We understood their joy!

Then back to the inner city of Los Angeles for a week of VBS in six Lutheran churches. God worked in amazing ways to reach the hearts of the Iowans and Californians.

Before heading out on this mission trip, the parents and youth attended training meetings. At the meeting, the parents met privately and I presented the Bible, GOD’S WORD for Life, from Lutherans For Life, for them to give to their child. I asked them to mark their favorite verses and to write a statement of faith and words of encouragement to their child. The parents were to then secretly have family, friends, pastor, sponsor, neighbors, and anyone important in their life to also write in the Bible. The Bible was then presented to their youth before leaving on the mission trip. Many parents found that it was very meaningful and challenging to express their faith to their youth.

I first saw GOD’S WORD for Life at a Lutherans For Life display by Pastor Ed and Eileen Brandt. I appreciate the Topical Index with reference to many topics as abortion, adoption, biotechnology, Christian responsibility, value of human life, end of life issues, and much more. I believe we in the Church need to address these issues. If not the Church, then who will present the truth according to God’s Word?

On the first day of the trip, I challenged the group to answer the question, "What is Life?" That was the topic and theme of our twice-daily devotional time. Topics covered were abortion, abstinence, dating, making choices, when life begins, partial birth abortion, goals in life, and end-of-life issues.

Our theme song was God Knew Your Name by James Likens, which is a beautiful and powerful message: "God knew your name before the light of day shined on your little face." (Song available on the Just Imagine CD from LFL. Item 1507. $8.00 ea.)

On the last day before returning to Iowa, we released butterflies to their new life. As they were released, the team was reminded that through Christ they also are released to a newness of life. They are free to make different choices in their lives. 2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us "Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence" (GOD’S WORD).