Lutheran Brethren International Mission January 2016
P.O. Box 655
Fergus Falls, MN 56538-0655 lbim@clba.org
Matthew Rogness, Director
Gaylan & Joy Mathiesen, Editors
1 st CHAD 2 Cor. 6:11-7:16
Pray for Danny and Mandy and their boys as they have just arrived in Chad from France. Pray for good health and strength for the transition. As they enter this hotter climate, pray especially for Samuel who requires more hydration than normal.
2 nd TAIWAN 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
Pray for the members of Victory
Hakka Fellowship as they take on more responsibility for Saturday morning worship. Mike and
Delores Kittelson are thankful for those who lead the service and the singing, and are praying for more people to help out with the music.
Happy birthday today to Mike !
5 th N. AMERICA 2 Cor. 11:1-21a
Pray for Heidi Jensen as she works to develop relationships with
UN diplomats, who work to bring peace to our world in a time of great unrest. Pray that many would come to know the peace of Christ.
6 th SYRIA 2 Cor. 11:21b-12:10
Pray for an end to the ongoing war in Syria, and for the millions of refugees who have had to flee. Pray that God will use this crisis to bring the refugees into contact with the gospel through the churches and agencies that care for them.
3 rd CHAD 2 Corinthians 8:16-9:15
Our missionaries in Chad gather for the first week of January with
Joel and Marybeth Nordtvedt , our Pastoral Care Team, for a time of spiritual enrichment. Pray for a
Spirit-anointed time of refreshment in God's Word together.
4 th JAPAN 2 Corinthians 10
The Japanese church faces a serious shortage of pastors. Japan
LBC leaders have been working on plans for pastors to oversee at least two churches and plans for more lay training. Pray for more workers for the church.
7 th TAIWAN 2 Cor. 12:11-21
Many of the youth who attend the Hakka service at Enlin LBC play musical instruments, and
Sandy Christofferson has been writing instrumental parts for them.
Pray that as they offer their talents in worship, they will also sense that they are part of the church.
8 th JAPAN 2 Corinthians 13
Dean and Linda Bengtson ask prayer that God would break down religious and cultural strongholds, which prevent people from being receptive to the gospel message.
Pray that God would work faith in hearts through his Word.
9 th FRANCE Micah 1,2
Pray for Joel and Marybeth
Nordtvedt as they are now in
Internet Note: You can access the Daily Prayer Notes online at www.lbim.org.

France ministering encouragement and God’s Word to Jeremy and
Sallee and their girls. Pray for them as they travel back to the States on the 11 th .
10 th CHAD Micah 3:1-4:7
Nathanael and Carrie and their family are thankful that construction of their house is finished and now they are able to focus on building relationships with those they come in contact with in their village.
11 th N. AMERICA Micah 4:8-5:15
Pray for Marcos who continues in the translation work for the people group his family worked among in Chad. Pray that God will use this literature to help them come to the God of the Bible.
12 th TAIWAN Micah 6:1-7:6
Pray for the salvation of Mr. D , who recently joined his wife at a
Hakka service at Enlin LBC. Pray that as he settles into a new job, he can continue to attend church. Pray for Ethan Christofferson as he studies the Bible with him.
13 th CHAD Micah 7:7-20
Paul and Teresa and their boys praise God that they have an official offer of land in a small unreached village! Pray for them as they begin to plan and build for future ministry in this village.
Happy birthday to Paul !
14 th JAPAN 1 Timothy 1
The winter months are grey and windy in Ishinomaki, so people stay indoors a lot. Dean and Linda
Bengtson write that there are many lonely seniors in the community.
Pray for many opportunities to have good conversations.
15 th CHAD 1 Timothy 2
Pray for stamina as Danny and
Mandy adjust to a new culture and language. Pray especially for good health for Mandy during her pregnancy.
16 th N. AMERICA 1 Tim. 3:1-13
Pray for Dan as he works with those who are sensing God's call to go to unreached people groups in
Chad. Pray for churches that are pledging to pray and give financially so that the gospel can advance in Chad.
17 th JAPAN 1 Timothy 3:14-4:5
Pray for an outpouring of God's
Spirit among the Japanese where the percentage of Christian believers remains less than one percent. Pray for a new generation of church leaders to hear his call to serve him in Japan and abroad.
18 th TAIWAN 1 Timothy 4:6-16
Pray for Mr. W as he attends baptism classes at Xin-yi LBC. He is now reading the New Testament and Psalms a second time. Pray for understanding. Pray for wisdom for
Pastor Zheng , the church members and Ethan Christofferson as they befriend Mr. W and his family.
19 th FRANCE 1 Timothy 5:1-6:2
Pray for Jeremy and Sallee and their girls as they continue their
French language study. Pray for good language acquisition and for
Olivia and Abigail in French school.
20 th EAST ASIA 1 Timothy 6:3-21
Pray for Joel, Liz and Tim as they return to Asia for two weeks.
Pray for Joel who has board meetings on Jan. 27-28.

21 st TAIWAN Titus 1
Many members of Victory
Hakka Fellowship have parents, siblings and children who are not yet believers. Pray for the Spirit to anoint their witness to their families and lead many to Jesus.
22 nd CHAD Titus 2
Pray for wisdom from the Lord in how to distribute grain to those most in need. There are sections of
Chad that are in real need. The refugee camps are in desperate need. T HANK YOU FOR GIVING !
23 rd TAIWAN Titus 3
Pray for the Hakka Choir who will have a day of outreach tomorrow. They will be at Zhubei
Victory LB Church in the morning and in the evening they will do an evangelistic service at Victory LB
Church, Hsinchu. Pray that many will attend and receive the gospel of Jesus Christ.
24 th EAST ASIA 2 Timothy 1
Pray for Stephen and Sandra as they attend a conference in Asia for missionaries who serve in creativeaccess countries. Pray for renewal, good fellowship and encouragement in the Word.
25 th CHAD 2 Timothy 2
Pray for Steve and Stella as they manage the Lutheran
Welcome Center. Pray as they give care to LB missionaries and others who find refreshment and encouragement in this place.
26 th N. AMERICA 2 Timothy 3
Pray for the ministry that Roger and Sue Olson have with Japanese people in Seattle. Pray for Japanese hearts to be softened and open to
The Scripture readings are on a “read through the Bible in 3 years” schedule!
God's Word as they attend various events and Bible studies.
27 th EAST ASIA 2 Timothy 4
Pray for Joel at the next
Koinonia consultation for world mission on Jan. 29-31. One focus is on reaching unreached people groups. Pray for national and international leaders as they partner in this mission and also prepare new indigenous missionaries.
28 th TAIWAN Leviticus 1
Pray for wisdom and strength for Enlin LBC pastor and CLBC president Pastor Ye , a key leader in the church in Taiwan. He has a hearing problem and recently asked for prayer because he is having trouble sleeping at night.
29 th CHAD Leviticus 2,3
Dan leaves tomorrow to lead a team from the Western Region churches on a short-term mission trip. Pray as they see the vision of our work in Chad and to then share it with their churches here in the
States. Pray also for safe travels and good health.
30 th JAPAN Leviticus 4:1-6:7
Pray for the Japan LBC pastors and elders as they meet Jan 31
Feb 2 nd st -
to plan for the Synod
Annual Meeting in March. Pray for
President Takayama as he leads.
31 st CHAD Leviticus 6:8-7:38
Paul and Teresa ask prayer for guidance and blessing in finding construction workers who are trustworthy so that they can focus on language study and move into the village before rainy season next summer.

Betsy and I went overseas to visit—and to minister to—our missionaries, and we returned feeling ministered to and blessed.
Sunday morning in Taiwan, we enjoyed worship with Ethan and Sandy
Christofferson at Enlin LB Church. The service was in Hakka, so Ethan translated for us via radio and ear buds with his soothing, “Night Sounds” voice. During one song, we enjoyed singing “Hallelujah” with our Hakka brothers and sisters, delighted to join them on a Hebrew word that we all knew.
Ethan & Sandy, Mike & Delores, John & Caristy Olson (pastor of Victory English), Randy & Betsy
One morning in Mike and Delores Kittelson’s living room, I read the daily Words of
Jesus app that pops up on my Kindle. It was Luke 10:1-2, where the Lord sends out the seventy-two. Verse two reads, “He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” I looked up and noticed our mugs. Mike was using an
International Harvester mug for his coffee, while my mug was from
China Lutheran Seminary . (I will never look at a red tractor or combine the same way again.)
In Japan, Dean and Linda Bengtson took us on a sobering tour of Ishinomaki, where the devastating effects from the tsunami of
March 2011 are still apparent. We saw the gutted shell of an elementary school where over seventy children were killed that tragic day. There’s a memorial listing the children’s names with
Buddhist shrines nearby. There’s not a cross in sight.
Oddly, however, there was a statue of an angel with the English words: “Angel of Hope.” We returned that night to the mission’s
House of Hope , where the true message of hope is proclaimed through music and the Word. Jesus Christ came to save lost sinners.
We are so grateful for our missionaries and the work they are doing in Taiwan and Japan. Please keep them in your prayers, and ask the Lord to send more workers into his harvest field. Randy and Betsy Mortenson