As the summer draws to a close we at the Kuwaa Mission hope that you had an enjoyable summer and were able to spend some quality family time and enjoy God’s great outdoors.

The Board of the Kuwaa Mission greatly appreciates all the support that we have received over the past year.  July marked the beginning of a new fiscal year for us and as a result of matching funds from employers we start this year on a very sound fiscal footing.  As you consider your financial gifts to the Kuwaa Mission please check with your employer to see if they have matching funds program.  We are a 501c3 organization with the IRS and can provide you, or your employer, with any information required.  This program makes a huge difference in the amount of work we are able to do to serve the Kuwaa people.

I also ask each of you to consider being a “Mission Member” in your congregation.  As a “Mission Member” we ask you to carry the Kuwaa Mission program directly and frequently to your congregation by speaking about the work we have accomplished, our financial needs, and the programming we have planned for upcoming seasons.  We will provide you with brochures, videos, fundraising ideas and all the prayer support one could ask for.  We do receive good congregational support from congregations across the US but we need to increase this support base.  While we realize that much of our individual support comes through the local congregation we also have a line item in our budget for “congregational support” and we are looking to increase our financial support here as well.  As a “Mission Member” we also ask you to visit other congregations in your geographical area and spread the word about the Kuwaa Mission.  There are many congregations that have a mission program, or would like to start one, and just need a bit of direction.  Every new congregation that supports our work is a valuable member of our team.  Please contact our congregational coordinator: Karen Voris at kvoris@kuwaamission.org and we will work with you to serve the Kuwaa people.

Many, if not most, of you receiving this newsletter use “Facebook”.  Please consider passing on the work of the Kuwaa Mission to your “friends”.  The Kuwaa Mission website receives many “hits” and the more “hits” we receive the more support we will receive, both financial and prayer support.

Fall will soon be upon us and many Sunday Schools and Christian Schools will be selecting some of the missions that they will pray for and support this coming school year. If you are looking for a children’s mission project, Kids4Kuwaa in Liberia would be an excellent choice to consider and pray about. They need our prayers and support.

Consider that half the children in Liberia die before they reach the age of 10. Many die due to childhood and tropical diseases along with malnutrition. Children must pay to go to school and they must have uniforms or they cannot attend. They need school supplies. Their desks are often just wooden planks. Kuwaa children live in remote villages. Only a very few are on the motor road so there is limited schooling and even more limited medical facilities and help.

These factors are currently being addressed by the Kuwaa Mission. We and our supporters have built a clinic in Kondesu which is staffed by a nurse that attended nursing school with our scholarship help. We currently have helped to build and repair bridges that allow for easier transportation by motor bike or by foot to the farthest villages. We are currently seeking information from the Dept of Education in Liberia so that we can assist the teachers to get better training with workshops we can provide.

Kids4Kuwaa was the idea of a young Lutheran girl in Alaska who had a heart for these very children. She collected “noisy” offerings in her church services in little tin pails. Since then the Kuwaa Mission has promoted Kids4Kuwaa within Sunday Schools and Christian Schools.The Liberian children deserve to live longer, be healthy, and a quality education. They are the future leaders of the Lutheran church and Liberia.

To assist you with this project, we have a children’s Liberian Coloring book for you to photocopy and colorful bookmarks for the children.  Please contact us if you would like to have any or both of these items for your mission project this coming school year.

Diane Stelling

dstelling@kuwaamission.org

Kuwaa Mission Board Member

Give thanks to God for his Holy Son, Jesus Christ, for he has risen. Risen, indeed!

I was very excited to be invited to Lutheran Church of the Pines in Waveland, MS (pastor Brock Cain) on April 10, 2016. It was a very wonderful opportunity to share the Kuwaa Mission story with the Sunday morning Bible Study classes that consisted of all ages. They were very interested about the life and needs of the Kuwaa people in Liberia, West Africa.   The members were pleasantly surprised to learn that a member of their church, Rev. Dick Thompson, was one of the founders of the Kuwaa Mission seven years ago, and actually lived among the Kuwaa people for 10 years, translating the New Testament into their language.. After the presentation, the Sunday School was excited to learn what their church could do for the Kuwaa people.

We were invited to a wonderful dinner hosted by Dick & Shirley Holterman at their beautiful home, The discussion continued about what their church could do for the Kuwaa people. We talked about funding for clean water wells, education, health, roads, bridges and volunteers. But most of all the need for prayers and spiritual guidance for the Kuwaa Mission and the Kuwaa People. Thank you so much for the invitation to introduce the Kuwaa Mission to the Lutheran Church of the Pines. My husband Eddie and I thank you all for your Southern hospitality.  ?
I also had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Terry King, a representative of Thrivent Financial, who is eager to list the Kuwaa Mission with Choice Dollars, a Thrivent Financial charity site. If you are a Thrivent member and receive this newsletter, please ask your local rep. what you can do financially for the KM. If you are not a Thrivent member, please know that anyone can join Thrivent! Check out their website.
?I have personally served on the KM Board of Directors for several years now, and it is time for my term to end. I have served on the board as the Event Coordinator. I can truly say it has been a great journey serving the Lord and working with the generous and humble fellow board members. The Kuwaa Mission is looking for volunteers.
Please visit the Kuwaa website for more information on how you can serve.

May the Lord richly bless you all.

Lolitha Shepard

We greet each other in many ways, such as: The Lord be with you. And also with you. Good morning.

The typical Kuwaa greeting is: Mu wuhnee nu veh?  Kajeh Ngala deh.   

The translation is: How was your sleeping place? Thank God.

The greeting tells us a lot about the Kuwaa People.

They thank God that they woke up this morning. Sometimes, they’ll say, “Thank God for life.”

Sometimes people ask me what I learn from trips to the Kuwaa Chiefdom. There are many lessons.  First, I learn gratitude.  I thank God for waking me up this morning. I’m thankful for my cozy sleeping place.  I’m thankful for the health and safety of my family members.  I also learn that if I “Let go and let God”, things will work out better for me than if I try to control my life. I listen to God’s calling and try to do His will.  God provides what we need, if not everything that we want. I learn humility. Relationships are so much more valuable than things. I learn that with God, all things are possible.  I do not claim credit for the things God has done.  To God be the glory.  Our God is a mighty God!

My experiences in the Kuwaa Chiefdom also bring questions to mind.  Why is it that people who have so little in the way of material possessions put a high value on their relationship with God?  Why are they thankful for their very lives?  On the other hand, why do people with so much material wealth lack the spirituality that is much more valuable than all those burdensome things?

I can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit when worshiping with the Liberians, whether in a half hour daily Chapel service at the Lutheran Church in Liberia in Monrovia, a 3 hour New Year’s celebration at a beautiful church, or in a mud hut with a thatched roof.  For wherever two or more are gathered in My name, I am there. His presence is felt.

I believe that the Kuwaa people live closer to God than we do.  They say that America is the second heaven. And yet, they live much closer to God than we do.  They must listen to Him for their very survival. They live only by God’s grace. And still they are thankful. For life.

Go in peace, serve the Lord.

THANKS BE TO GOD!!!

 By Cindy Bye