From Richard Schlak at the Lutheran Hispanic Missionary Institute in El Paso, Texas
“The students of the Missionary Institute worked together to plan and carry out a Christmas ‘posada’ at the house of Pastor Schlak. [A posada is a reenactment of Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem, performed just before Christmas.] The purpose of the posada wasn’t simply to have a good time and celebrate the birth of our Savior. Planning and carrying out a posada was one of the students’ assignments. Through this project, the students learned how to plan a special event, to work together, to organize, and to communicate with each other. This was a little bit difficult because the students from the morning and the evening don’t usually see each other. They had to find ways in which to communicate with each other. Approximately 30 people participated in the posada. This includes the Institute’s employees and their families, the students and their families, and the Schlaks’ neighbors.
“In other news, the Lutheran Hispanic Missionary Institute now has the capacity to teach courses by long distance via the Internet. This would give students who live far away the opportunity to study without having to leave their homes, jobs, and families to study here in El Paso. In order to participate in the classes by Internet, students need to have a computer with high-speed Internet, a Web camera, and a telephone with long-distance service. A church could sponsor a class, so that the students have a place to meet and the cost isn’t prohibitive and students can meet together in one place for enhanced discussions and to avoid increased costs for the students. Admission requirements are the same as for traditional students.
“Also, in January 2009, the Missionary Institute received its first student from South America. Constanza Gonzalez came from Columbia to study at the Missionary Institute. She learned about us through Armenio Pineros when she went to Colorado Springs to visit her sisters. Constanza decided to study at the Missionary Institute after much prayer. She feels that the opportunity to study here was a gift from God and that He had a place prepared for her here. She commented that her studies here are giving her a solid knowledge of the Word of God, which will give her the tools that she needs in order to work.”
(800) 433-3954
Wed, Apr 1, 2009
Good News from the Field, National