In carrying out its mission statement of Bringing Christ to the Nations—and the Nations to the Church, Lutheran Hour Ministries employs a variety of methods through local staff and volunteers to share the Gospel in understandable ways with people around the world. One way is by incorporating "holistic" approaches that share Christ's love by attending to people's physical and emotional needs as well as their spiritual needs. In places where people may be struggling with poverty, LHM assists individuals by providing vocational training, educational sessions, nutritional supplements, hygiene supplies, and more.
Near the end of summer, LHM—Indonesia staff visited a farming community to share the Gospel through a unique holistic outreach event. In this area, about 68 percent of the population relies on agriculture to sustain them. LHM staff arrived not only with a Gospel presentation but a gift of seeds for community members to use in planting their gardens. Seeds for tomatoes, chilies, beans, peanuts, melons, and mustard greens were distributed among the more than 4,000 people in attendance. Seeds are expensive to purchase and difficult to come by as they require travel over long distances to reach the nearest city where they are sold, so the event participants received them with happiness and gratitude.
Our staff shared, "The seeds given by LHM—Indonesia will always be remembered by the community. Even though our team has returned to our home office, the seeds will become plants that provide food for the community and help to ease their burden. Every time it is planting and harvest season, residents will remember our efforts and how they helped the local economy."
In the afternoon following the seed distribution event, LHM staff taught English to students and residents who longed to learn this language. The attendees enjoyed the interactive session for applying their new language skills.
In Mongolia, the summer season marks the time that people go out to do farming and tend to their sheep in the countryside. During this time, ministry staff go out to meet them where they are while sharing the hope of the Gospel. During one of these visits, LHM—Mongolia staff partnered with a mission organization to organize a week-long English camp for 30 children from a local school and a local church. During that time, they also made visits to the homes of their students and were introduced to students' parents who appreciated the camp being hosted for their children.