Photo above: Laura Davis at Emmanuel Lutheran in Maui
For those of us involved in life ministries, we know that it can be a lot of hard work with long, emotional days. However, we also know it can be the greatest joy and encouragement. My work with Y4Life gives me the opportunity to meet all kinds of students and youth from across the country—students who are strong supporters of life, students who are new to the concept of life ministry, and students who have no idea what we are about or what we stand for as Lutherans For Life. I think one of my favorite things to do is to talk to a group of students and see the light bulbs turn on, to see that moment when they realize that ALL life is valuable because God has made it valuable, including their own lives!
Recently, I was invited to Hawaii as the first representative from Lutherans For Life to visit the islands. One of our Y4Life college leaders is from Oahu, and she and her father, a local pastor, arranged the entire trip. I spoke at two churches and their affiliated Lutheran schools while I was there: Our Savior Lutheran in Aiea and Emmanuel Lutheran on the island of Maui. Both of these schools are unique in that the large majority of their students are not members of the church, and many do not attend church at all. These schools are truly mission schools, reaching out to their community with the love of Christ. This also meant that, for most of the students, they were hearing about Lutherans For Life, and our mission, for the first time.
I was blown away by the welcome I received from these two congregations. I was housed in two loving host homes, I was shown all around the two islands, and, most importantly, I was able to share our passion for life with a new and eager group of students. You can always tell how interested a group is by the quality of their questions, and these youth asked GREAT questions—some of which I had to stop and think about for a minute!
My prayers and the prayers of Lutheran For Life will continue to be with the churches in Hawaii who are working diligently and with great joy to share the truth of God’s love with the people around them. Aloha! And God bless!