Dear Friend,

When I first heard that WELS had been invited to communist Vietnam to train church leaders in the truth of the gospel, I was surprised. Yet, God had opened the door, and WELS members responded with generosity and faith. God continues to surprise us all around the world.

There are over two million Hmong people in Southeast Asia, but it was the opportunity in Vietnam, and our work with the Hmong Fellowship Church (HFC), that provided us with a direct path to share the good news about Jesus. In 2011 WELS missionary Rev. Bounkeo Lor began by training 55 HFC leaders, preparing them to return and serve rural congregations. In July 2023, these 55 men graduated as fully trained pastors. Their graduation photo, taken with President Schroeder under the communist hammer and sickle, serves as a powerful reminder of how God’s gospel can work in ways we can hardly imagine.

Now 120 more men have begun their pastoral studies, a theological training center was built and dedicated in Hanoi, there are 1,400 rural church leaders ready to be trained in the truths of God’s Word, and 700 of them have begun training. This group has the potential to become an army of evangelists, spreading the gospel not only to their 400 congregations but also to Hmong communities throughout Vietnam and neighboring countries. The door remains open, and God continues to surprise us.

The door is open. The manpower is ready. The gospel is powerful. God is providing us with opportunities all around the globe. New work in Australia, London, New Zealand, Tanzania, and the Congo has been launched over the last two years. Dozens of house churches have been opened in Latin America and Africa. We ask for your prayers and offerings to keep these gospel doors open.

Your gift to this work is vital for WELS to continue carrying the gospel through the open door in Vietnam and around the world. Contributions to WELS World Missions help open and support these missions. Your gift can enable this gospel-driven growth to multiply because we expect God to continue surprising us.

Since we began working with the Hmong Fellowship Church, it has grown from 55,000 to 146,000 members. What will God use us to do next? Christians who have heard the gospel for the first time are moved by our Lord to reach out to others who still need to hear it. The leaders we train and equip are reaching hearts, and the Holy Spirit is granting a harvest.

This work could not have been accomplished without the prayers and gifts of God’s people. We thank our Father in heaven for the generous support given to WELS World Missions. If you are looking for a way to extend the reach of the gospel, now is the time. We have extraordinary opportunities to train hundreds more church leaders, who will, in turn, share the Word with their communities. Please consider giving to WELS World Missions.

In Christ,
Rev. Jonathan Schroeder
Chairman, Board for World Missions

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you have richly blessed our synod by allowing us to reach and serve so many souls worldwide—even entire church bodies—and by continuing to open doors to further gospel proclamation. Our world missions efforts are now on every inhabited continent and impacting people in nearly 100 countries. Help us to thank you for our many blessings and to use them to support the gospel ministry of our brothers and sisters across the world. According to your gracious will, multiply our work so that those we train will touch the lives of others with your saving message and, in the next ten years, our fellowship outside of North America can reach one million people. Amen.