Serving the Lord in

Latin AmericaS E P T E M B E R - 2 0 1 7

Ayuda Humanitaria (Humanitarian Aid) Our Dominican Republic mission team, along with their families, seminary students, local deaconesses, and members of the Palmar church community prepared emergency supplies for people we expected would suffer from flooding during Hurricane Irma. (You are looking at 100 pound bags of rice.) Similar precautions have taken place for Hurricane Maria, which is predicted to bring even more rain than Irma.

News from Rev Dr Jonathan & Deaconess Cheryl Naumann

"Ayuda Humanitaria" (humanitarian aid)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. (Psalm 46:1-3)

Our day-glow-yellow vests from disaster response say 'Ayuda Humanitaria' on them, but when missionaries wear them, we offer much more than humanitarian aid. As hurricanes come, and go, people

in affected areas appreciate the spiritual support that missionaries give. We assure them that natural disasters are not an indication that God has abandoned us. Far from it. Times of trouble are occasions for contemplating our dependence upon God’s strength, and our standing before Him as His redeemed children. In Spanish the word, 'ayuda' means 'help', and it is a very common word in a world where help is needed all the time, from other people, and from God. Psalm 46 describes God as 'a very present help in trouble'. God helps by hearing the prayers of His people for physical, as well as spiritual assistance. And all of God’s help flows from the love that He showed to His

frail and fallen creation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus suffered immensely, even to the point of dying on a cross, so that He could

absorb the full impact of all the evil and sin in this world. And then He conquered death by His resurrection from the dead. Our Savior, Jesus, understands from His own experience what it means to suffer in this fallen world. He it is who is our advocate before God, as we appeal to Him in prayers for help. His Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we are so beset with difficulties that we have trouble expressing them in prayer (Rom. 8:26). We are so grateful to you for your prayers and other support, especially as we go through the hurricane season! Pastor Jonathan

Below: Moises greets Pastor Jonathan when he arrives in Palmar Arriba. He enjoys strumming Pastor’s guitar!

Tax-deductible gifts to support the work of Jonathan & Cheryl Naumann can be given: + Online at www.lcms.org/jonathan.naumann + By phoning the LCMS donor care line: 888-930-4438 + By mailing checks to The LCMS, PO Box 66861, Saint Louis, MO 63166-6861 with "Jonathan Naumann - Latin America” on the check memo line

Please include in your prayers: • That God would protect us (and other missionaries)

from poor health or situations that could impair our ability to serve. In particular, we ask for protection from accidents, parasites, and mosquito-borne disease.

• Thanksgiving for protection from harm throughout Hurricanes Irma, and that God would grant continued protection from Maria & other natural disasters that could hinder His mission work in the DR, Latin America, and wherever the LCMS is actively engaged in mission and mercy work throughout the world.

PROGRESS IN LICEY Above: Our new mission church and school in Licey, a suburb of Santiago. The sanctuary is on the left and classrooms on the right. Bottom left: Constructing a grid of rebar for the roof. Bottom right: Within hours of the end of Hurricane Irma, a cement mixer arrived in Licey and workers poured the concrete roof, which has also now been sealed.

Dear friends in Christ! THANK YOU for your continuous prayers for God’s work here, and especially for your diligent prayers for us during Hurricane Irma! Before Irma arrived (and headed north, so that there was no land fall here), our DR mission team got to work putting together emergency provisions for the people that might be affected by flooding. As seen in the photos above, "bucket brigades" and "assembly lines" helped facilitate efficient teamwork for the task. The final 151 emergency bags included rice, dry beans, sugar, oatmeal, canned meat, laundry detergent, bar soap and baby wipes. These were distributed as needed in Palmar Arriba, Pueblo Nuevo and Licey. As we now wait for the outcome of Hurricane Maria, which is expected to affect the DR starting tonight (Sept. 20), we have 100 emergency bags for distribution, as well as stocks of bottled water, cooking oil, diapers and baby formula. As with Irma, all of our seminary students and missionaries in Santo Domingo have been evacuated to Cerro Alto, which is where we live. Alto means "high" - so an indication that the land is on higher ground than other places in Santiago, and will hopefully sustain less flooding. There are about 45 of us here, all within 6 blocks of

each other. The seminary students are also here, and we have Naphtali and Guilliamo in our apartment with us again while waiting out the storm. (See upper right photo) In the midst of uncertainty brought by natural disasters, God has given us joy in the construction of a new church and school in Licey! Thank you for being our partners in this venture, for the sake of the love and mercy of our Lord Jesus. in Christ, Deaconess Cheryl