As we close out this Epiphany season, I continue with my two main tasks. As you know, one is to bring Christ in Word and Sacrament to our Persian immigrant friends—conducting the Divine Service in Farsi several times a month. God willing, we will also have the privilege of baptizing about nine Persians in March and around another seven people in May. Also, every other week we now offer a Zoom class in German and Farsi for more advanced Christian teaching (catechesis). My other task is to teach future pastors online at Riga Luther Academy (RLA). This past week we began our spring semester of Overview of the Bible. There are five students from across Europe in this class, including one man from Eritrea who lives in Norway. Lula is helping me coordinate a number of ministry trips this year. Among other trips, in June I will travel to Latvia to participate in a one-week in-person RLA class, which most of our international students (from some 17 countries) will be able to attend. In July I will fly to Moldova (which formerly belonged to the Soviet Union) to teach a one-week intensive together with one of my RLA colleagues. As you might recall, we have several students in Pakistan, for whom it is impossible to attain visas for the European Union. They may, however, travel to Moldova. Finally, I am very grateful that I have been invited to teach three different break-out sessions on spiritual warfare at the annual Corpus Christi conference, to be held in Prague, Czech Republic, in July. Corpus Christi is a “Higher Things” type event for twenty-somethings and draws some 300 young people. All this Gospel outreach is possible only because of your continued prayers and support. Lula and I are so thankful for all that you do for us. May the Lord continue to bless you and keep you—and thank you for your prayers!
Hamburg
The Tiews in Germany 