Asia
The Asia One Team comprises 17 missionaries serving 16 different countries throughout Asia. The team, largely based in Thailand and Hong Kong, partner with God’s people in Asia to equip, encourage, and empower others to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to 1.8 billion unreached souls throughout Asia. The team is made up of missionaries and a stateside administrative committee appointed by the Board for World Missions to help facilitate this work in Asia.
Meet the Team
Rev. Tony Barthels - Hong Kong
Missionary Tony Barthels accepted the call to permanently serve on the East Asia mission team in 2021. He will continue to teach classes both in the classroom in Hong Kong and online to students in East Asia, and he is heading up recruitment for Asia Lutheran Seminary. Solid theological training institutions and well-trained church leaders are in great need, so Asia Lutheran Seminary has been given an incredible opportunity to build up the kingdom.
Before moving to Hong Kong, Missionary Barthels spent 10 years in East Asia where he served as a lay missionary and team leader. He concentrated on building gospel-centered relationships, which often resulted in being able to hold in-home Bible studies. Most of the time this, where we would share the gospel to a room of people who knew nothing of it before walking into that room.
Missionary Barthels is originally from Green Bay, Wis., where his parents and youngest sister live. He has three brothers and three sisters, seven nephews, and eight nieces.
Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.
Rev. Tom Chaleunsouk - Thailand
Missionary Tom Chaleunsouk was born in a small village outside of Vientiane, Laos, where he also met his wife Kaysone. He worked security at the American Air Base. Fearing for his life after the regime change, he left his family and home in 1980 and crossed the Mekong River to Thailand where he was detained in a refugee camp. Months later, Kaysone and two of their children escaped Laos and joined him in the refugee camp. She had to leave their eldest son behind with her father; he was 5 years old. It would be 3 years before Missionary Chaleunsouk and Kaysone would see their son again. They were introduced to Christ in the refugee camp by a Christian aid worker.
In 1981, Missionary Chaleunsouk and his family were brought to Pease, Minnesota, where their family was sponsored by the Christian Reformed Church. The community and church helped to locate and bring their eldest son and Kaysone’s father to the United States. They were baptized, and that is when Missionary Chaleunsouk became interested in becoming a pastor to share Christianity with his people.
In 1998, Tom began studying part-time through the WELS Pastoral Studies Institute. By 2000, he became a full-time student and graduated in 2005. After graduating, Tom was called to serve as a missionary in the Nong Khai province of Thailand. Since 2005, he has offered pastoral instruction to interested students.
Kaysone and Tom have three grown children and one grandson. Their two sons and their families reside in Minnesota and their daughter and her family live in Southern California.
Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.
Rev. Matt Doebler - East Asia
Missionary Matthew Doebler graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1997 and was assigned to serve at St. Peter, Collins, Wis. In 2001, Matthew and his wife Christine moved to Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., to serve at St. Paul. In 2006, they moved down to Round Rock, Tex., to help start Christ the Rock Lutheran Church, where Matt served until 2014. From Texas, the Doeblers moved to Hong Kong where Matt served as a professor at Asia Lutheran Seminary. Their three teenage children—Madeline, Samuel, and Caleb began expat life as high schoolers. After two and a half years in Hong Kong, the family moved “up north,” all except Samuel who returned to the U.S. to attend Wisconsin Lutheran College. In 2019, the Doeblers again relocated, this time to Chiang Mai, Thailand, as empty nesters. Now, their daughter Madeline lives in China with her three-year-old son Oliver; Samuel lives in the Phoenix area and works in the solar industry; Caleb recently graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College and lives and works in Madison, WI.
Matt serves as a professor of missiology, practical theology, professional development, and mentoring for Asia Lutheran Seminary. Christine volunteers for Thai Village, a non-profit committed to employing low-income people, supporting Christian education, and sharing God’s love in community.
Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.
Rev. Peter Janke - East Asia
Missionary Peter Janke serves on the Asia One Team. He currently serves the team as the support team leader and by writing curriculum and teaching classes online to equip and train church leaders and pastors.
This is Missionary Janke’s first call since graduation from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2016. He completed his vicar year at Holy Word in Austin, Tex., under Rev. Don Patterson.
Missionary Janke is married to Alanna nee Habben. They have one son, Marvin (1), who is excited to visit America for the first time this summer.
Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.
Rev. Guy Marquardt - Thailand
Missionary Guy Marquardt serves as the Regional Theological Education Coordinator for the WELS Asia One Team. He and his wife Linda live in Chiang Mai, Thailand, as empty-nesters.
Missionary Marquardt was first assigned from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1994 as a church planter in southern Brazil. Over the next fourteen years, he was also asked to train some of the first national pastors of our sister church in Brazil and eventually to serve as field coordinator for the WELS mission there. In 2009, the Marquardts moved to Northern California where Guy was called to pastor a congregation in Lodi. Seven years later, he began his new work in South Asia where he served as a Friendly Counselor and principal of a pastor training program until 2022.
Guy and Linda’s four children (David, Holly, Sara, and Jonathan) grew up mostly in Brazil. Now they are grown and starting families of their own in the Midwest United States. The Marquardts are grateful for Internet technology that allows them to keep in touch with their kids and four grandchildren.
Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.
Rev. Tim Matthies - Hong Kong
Tim Matthies was called to the Asia One Team in 2019 to serve in Hong Kong as a professor for Asia Lutheran Seminary. He teaches courses in the areas of Old Testament, Hebrew, and the Lutheran Confessions. He previously served at Cross of Glory Lutheran Church in Washington, Michigan.
Professor Matthies married Rachel in 2013, and they have two children: Irene, born in 2016, and Zadok, born in 2019.
Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.
Rev. Joel Nitz - Vietnam
Missionary Joel Nitz began serving the Hmong believers in Vietnam in May 2020. When COVID-19 travel restrictions eased, Missionary Nitz began teaching trips to Vietnam and has now traveled there five times. He continues to learn the Hmong and Vietnamese languages, to write and teach courses for use in rural congregations, and teaches classes online to Hmong church leaders. He and the mission team plan to use the new Theological Education Center in Hanoi for in-person classes as soon as they have government permission to do so.
Nitz previously served at Northland Lutheran High School in Merrill, Wis.; Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton, Wis.; and was a mission explorer and pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Olympia, Wash., from 1988-2020.
Joel Nitz married Kathryn (Hinderer) on July 15, 1990. They have five children: Iver (Mackenzie) Nitz and baby Isla in Tacoma, Wash.; Ruth (Conifer) Berg and baby Emmanuel, are living in London to serve the WELS mission there; Iraina, a bank manager in Olympia, Wash.; Faith, a senior at the University of Washington in Seattle; and Talitha, a senior at Evergreen Lutheran High School in Tacoma, Wash.
Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.
Rev. Dr. Steve Witte - Hong Kong
Professor Steve Witte has served as president of Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong since 2009. Apart from personal evangelism work here in Hong Kong, his mission work is done through the students he teaches and mentors. Missionary Witte previously served as a parish pastor at Emanuel in New London, Wis., from 1985 to 2001 and Beautiful Savior in Green Bay, Wis., from 2001 to 2009.
Professor Witte is married to Mary, and God has blessed them with five children and 11 grandchildren. Hannah, a Martin Luther College graduate, married to Karl Henselin who designs computer programs. She now stays home with her five children where they live in Green Bay, Wis. Charis, a Mary Kay director, is married to Rev. Stephen Kuehl. They live in Columbus, Ohio, with their three children. Seth, an aerospace engineer, is married to Katelyn, an emergency room nurse. They live in St. Paul, Minn., with their three children. Lydia, a lawyer, lives in Green Bay, Wis. Micah oversees a laboratory that works with genetic engineering and lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.
Rev. Mark Zondag - Thailand
Missionary Mark Zondag was assigned to serve on the Asia mission team after his graduation from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in May 2021. He completed his vicar year in College Station, Tex., at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church. As the vicar, Mark preached, taught, and worked the campus ministry associated with Texas A&M University.
Currently, less than 1% of the population of Thailand is Christian. Much of Missionary Zondag’s mission work in Thailand will be standing alongside and helping the preexisting, local congregations with their mission to reach the lost in Thailand. This will include activities like training the current leaders, equipping Thai members, and looking for avenues to reach more Thai people.
Missionary Zondag and his wife Sarah have been married since March 2016. They met while teaching English at WELS’ sister church in Russia. The Lord has blessed them with two girls: Esther Irina was born in 2018; and Anastasia Carol was born in 2020.
Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.
Mr. Jeremy Seeger - Tech Missionary
Jeremy Seeger, son of Paul and Jane Seeger, was born March 6, 1987, and baptized at Bethany Lutheran Church in Manitowoc, Wis., on March 14, 1987. He was confirmed in the Christian faith at Bethany on May 5, 2001. He graduated from Manitowoc Lutheran High School in 2005 and received a Bachelor of Science in education from Martin Luther College in 2009. He later earned his master’s degree in education through Martin Luther College in 2019.
Jeremy has served as a teacher at HOPE Christian School: Prima in Milwaukee, Wis. (2009-2012), Rising Eagles Academy in Beijing (2012-2013), Martin Luther in Oshkosh, Wis. (2013-2017), and Divine Savior Academy in Doral, Fla. (2017-present). He has also been serving as an online math instructor for Amazing Grace Virtual Academy since 2018.
He and his wife Grace, née Bey, were married in Milwaukee, Wis., at St. James Lutheran Church on May 30, 2010. They have been blessed by God with two daughters, Liliana and Aurelia.
Jeremy has accepted the call to serve on the Asia One Team as a tech missionary, a role that includes coordinating and developing the in-person and online technology used by the team to spread the gospel throughout Asia.
Download and read more biographies at wels.net/missionarybios.
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Asia Mission Partners
Other Mission Partners
WELS Missions also partners with sister synods and independent churches in fellowship with WELS throughout Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan. This partnership and support can come in the form of financial assistance, theological training or continuing education through the Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI), visits and assistance from other World Missions representatives or missionaries, as well as the sharing of outreach ideas. A church in South Korea and another Lutheran synod in India are directly connected with our partners in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS). Visit the ELS world outreach page to learn more about that work.
Many of these mission partners are a part of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC), a worldwide fellowship of confessional Lutherans. To learn more about the CELC and these mission partners, visit celc.info.
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PICTURES OF ASIA
Browse through and share pictures of Asia taken by WELS missionaries and national workers.
