Jesus says, “Rejoice with Me, for I have found My sheep that was lost” (Luke 15:6). Last year, a teenage Iranian girl was taking baptismal instruction in our Persian Lutheran church here in Hamburg. At the beginning of our course, I asked her why she wanted to be baptized. Her story surprised me. Some ten … Continue reading I Have Found My Sheep
“Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Very early yesterday morning, I was walking to Hamburg’s main station. I had to catch a train to preach and give a missionary presentation in a country church on Ascension Day. As in many cities, Hamburg’s central station is located in … Continue reading Joy Comes with the Morning
“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11). Currently returning to Germany from Klaipeda, Lithuania. The Lutheran Church in Palanga had invited me to teach a seminar on Six-Day Creation. This topic is dear to my heart, … Continue reading For in Six Days the Lord Made Heaven and Earth
“And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold” (Luke 8:8). I was recently back in the homeland of my ancestors, the temporal kingdom of Spain. Even though I was born in Munich and work as an LCMS missionary with Persian refugees in Hamburg, Spain is the home of my ancestors on … Continue reading Witnessing God’s Mission in Madrid, Spain
Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” We spent some very productive days in Rome with our Lutheran missionaries and pastors stationed there. They presented their work in the Eternal City and across the Italian peninsula. A highlight of our stay … Continue reading A Roman Marriage Advice
With Lula as communications specialist for LCMS Eurasia and me now also serving as “area visitor” for Western Europe (in addition to my two other tasks—the Persian Project and teaching at Riga Luther Academy), Lula and I have been sent on several trips this April. One highlight this month was our visit to our new … Continue reading Dear friends and supporters of our ministry to Germany and across Eurasia!
“Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). During our meeting at the LCMS Eurasia Outreach Center in Braşov, Romania, I had a delightful chat with Vicar Jesse Liebman. A student … Continue reading From Military Dreams to Missionary Work – A Vicar’s Story
“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed…the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown, it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree…” (Matthew 13:31-32). Lula and I just completed the first leg of our trip. The highlight was visiting our Hungarian Luther Academy students at … Continue reading Church Planting in Budapest, Hungary
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3). Last month, I wrote about LCMS Vicar Peter Williams who was already able to read the lectionary readings from his Persian Bible and preach in Farsi at our Wittenberg Persian Conference. Last Sunday, he once again put his God-given linguistic skills to … Continue reading Share in Suffering
The war in Iran is having an enormous impact on our work here with the Iranian refugees. The internet in that country has been shut down for weeks (to curtail any coordination of a potential uprising against the government) and so our parishioners have limited contact with their families back home, even though they are … Continue reading Dear Friends and Supporters of our Ministry to Germany and across Eurasia!
The Tiews in Germany 