“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth (1 Cor 3:6). For us missionaries in Eurasia to spiritually plant and irrigate, we need two things, both of which are guided by the Lord: continued prayer and support from you—our generous friends across the LCMS—but also financial experts who work through myriad budgets, spreadsheets, and apps to disburse the necessary resources so we can do the work. Thankfully, we have two brothers in the faith—themselves missionaries—who are deployed to the Czech Republic and Italy, respectively: Herman Strozier (top right, next to his wife Sheila) and Michael Morizio (bottom left, shown with his wife Nancy). Together with their colleagues at the LCMS International Center in St. Louis, Missouri, and in addition to governing many other projects, Herman and Michael keep our mission work to the Iranian immigrants in Germany moving forward and also disburse funds to Luther Academy Riga, where my fellow theological instructors and I teach future pastors and deaconesses online. To build on the Apostle Paul’s metaphor, while we pastors plant and water, and God gives the growth, it is Herman and Michael (and church administrators in general) who put the figurative sprinklers and irrigation devices in place so that God’s divine water of Word and Sacrament can be transported from the rich reservoir of Holy Scripture, flow through the pipes, and finally saturate the ground. The church is a collaborative effort and she needs experts from a variety of disciplines. And as the Lord uses all of us to bring His heavenly gifts to a spiritually parched land—whether Iran or largely post-Christian Germany—He uses the financial skills of Herman, Michael, and their colleagues so that “the wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus” (Isa 35:1).
The Tiews in Germany 