Robert L. Rahn, 74301.2325@compuserve.com

4/26/99

Missionaries One and All,

The story of Sudan and Andrew Mbugo Elisa is a powerful story of God's use of one man to establish a church body. What is so unfathomable is the fact that it was done without filing a strategy protocul document or taking an aerial picture of how many people were on a trail walking to one of the seven churches. Is this a significant number or what?

I couldn't do justice in providing all the facts and interpreting how God works. All I can say is that this is God's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. One would have to go back to 1994 to pick up where God caused a voice to be heard from Sudan. Dr. Robert Preus went with me on a tour of Russia and when we parted in Riga, Latvia, he was on his way to Africa to give one of many presentations on the confessions, inerrancy, and whatever he was requested to speak on.

Somewhere in one of the crowds was Andrew. When Preus returned there was a letter asking for Catechisms. Preus sent it to me and asked me to handle it. I sent five copies. This was the beginning of a two year period of messages. Can you send $500.00 for office furniture, tables and chairs? You have had these requests. Your name is taken off some material that made its way into a foreign country and you are now a target. The thought occured to me. Yet, I thought, can't we afford a $500 investment? The next request was for a computer. Well, pictures were sent by Andrew showing office furniture supposedly purchased. Why not provide the investment for a computer? Then more pictures. Now the requests come for funds to publish a hymnal and prayer book. They are completed and funded. Copies are provided. Our investments are well placed. God's plan is being worked out as we look back in amazement.

A red flag goes up from the correspondence when reference is made to the Lutheran World Federation. I quickly write that we do not cooperate with a group that calls itself Lutheran but does not hold the confession we do. If there is any affiliation, we would not maintain our involvement. The question Andrew asks is: "What is the difference?" Now, how are you going to explain this through E mail? My question to him is: "How much does it cost to fly from Khartoum to Nairobi?"

Here you might ask your own question: "why Nairobi?" Because the LHF Director of African work has his office here. The cost for the flight is $400.00 and the funds are sent and the meeting takes place and Lutheran history is in the making. For one week Andrew studies with Dr. Anssi Simojoki and their text is the Augsburg Confession. Andrew had learned some things about Lutheranism from folks in the Ev. Lutheran Church of Kenya and hearing of the confessional commitment of the LHF, he wanted to be associated with this type of Lutheranism.

He writes and asks if we can underwrite the lease for the headquarters of a Lutheran church in Sudan. The office will also have a center for worship. The cost is $11,000.00 per year. We know where this church is heading and we feel the investment is necessary.

Andrew feels it would be good to have a more in depth Lutheran theological training. A donor is found who is willing to help two Africans enroll at Fort Wayne. Mark Onunda from Kenya and Andrew enroll in Fort Wayne. As Andrew tells his story we learn how God works in His own ways to accomplish His purposes.

Five Catechisms and ten Bibles... and a church body with seven congregations and over 1,000 members and the Founder now enters a seminary for theological courses. The Ev. Lutheran Church in Sudan is in place without one missionary visiting from a confessional Lutheran body. Andrew at one point wrote: "We would like to establish a partnership with the LHF and the LCMS." This is when I handed it over to Dr. Barry as we don't establish partnerships.

How can this be? In a country racked by civil wars, with persecution of Christians rampant at the hands of Muslims, especially in the North, a church is planted. The planter has a father who served in the Anglican Church. Andrew became involved as a high lay official in the World Council of Churches and in the Anglical Church. He saw firsthand the seamy side of church politics and vowed he would never be part of this church. When ordination was offered by the Anglicans he refused.

Andrew was driven from his home and lives 1,000 miles away. He explains how it works when you are driven from your own home. You take only what you can carry and you run for your life. Here is a man who has nothing, yet has everything in Christ by His grace. He believes that what he found in the Lutheran Church is what the Bible teaches.

He leaves his family, wife and two children, to come to America to study theology. We feel it is important that he go home at Christmas to see his family and visit his churches. During the Christmas break he plants three new mission stations. The LHF provides funds for two shelters to be built. They call them churches.

Just a few weeks ago Andrew discovered that it would be possible to purchase a parcel of land in the center of Khartoum. When he explained why this was possible and why immediate action was necessary, we sent the funds to make the purchase. There wasn't time to take an offering or even make an appeal. The need was instant. There isn't a person who would not have provided similarily.

The Lutherans now own land in the center of town. There isn't another Protestant or Catholic church within two or three miles because the government never gave them opportunity to be in the city center. Andrew is well known in church and government circles and highly respected. What is even more amazing is the fact that the government wants Lutheranism in Sudan.

Why, you ask? Because they studied church history on their own. They learned of Martin Luther and they want a church body that has his kind of commitment to the Bible and will stand up for it. Government officials told Andrew about this before he ever introduced Lutheranism to them.

On August 29 Andrew will be ordained by the Bishop of the Ev. Lutheran Church of Kenya. As one of the only confessional Lutheran clergy in Sudan he will be the Bishop, Founder, President of the ELCS. I will have the privilege to be with him on that day. He has already informed me that on August 30 we will meet with the Sudan Head of State.

I want the LCMS to stand solidly behind this great churchman. Some have yet to be convinced. Even now there is a question as to how work should be carried out in Sudan. Can you believe it? I believe, as a member of the LCMS, that we have insulted Andrew by not accepting his counsel and advice as to how work should be carried out in Sudan. The effort being carried out at this time is being recommended by Sudanese ex patriots. They recommended working with Sudanese being held in refugee camps in Ethiopia and that when they go back to Sudan they will organize Lutheran congregations. Andrew has informed the mission board that this is destined to fail. Great sums of money will be spent and what we will have is some kind of second Lutheran church body or group in Sudan. Who would know best what the needs are and what approach the work should take than the one who most recently has worked with his own people?

This is why we have asked the synod mission department what they intend to commit to the work in Sudan. I am happy to report that they have assumed half of the yearly lease for the church headquarters. When I asked Andrew to prepare a six month budget for my use, he gave me a plan calling for $53,000.00. It includes major items like a $10,000.00 cost for a generator. Do you know anything about electricity in Africa?? One time when you can't count on it is during the regular working hours. He would also like to purchase a used vehicle to be used for circuit riding, his modern day horse. I want you to know that Andrew is quick to say that he can get along without these items but I know the price he would pay in lost time and inefficiency. Does it require a strategy statement and does it have to fit our budgeting process and time frame. I have asked the mission department to step up. The LHF is ready if the synod can't find the finances. This is not within our normal funding objectives but there is no time to wait. Now the opportunity stands before us. Tomorrow may be too late.

While in Sudan this summer we will be discussing a seminary education plan for Sudan as recommended by Dr. Anssi Simojoki. The Fort Wayne Seminary has already indicated an interest and we will have Rev. Tim Quill travel with us for this purpose and as a workshop leader for the Kenyan church which is beginning the process of publishing a hymnal. Prof. Richard Resch will also participate. Rev. Mark Onunda is heading up this project. But this is another story.

Believe it or not, more could be said. In a few weeks Andrew will be heading home. When people heard that he started a church with five catechisms and ten Bibles, we started receiving boxes. There are now hundreds of Bibles and Catechisms ready to be shipped. Many can read English although the language of the common people and the language we work in is Zande.

The LHF has prepared a PROJECT ANDREW kit that can be used in S.S., VBS, churches, and groups to highlight this mission. Today we submitted a proposal to the MI Dist. Church Extension Fund to provide a special grant that would cover half the cost of producing these materials and getting information out to congregations in MI and beyond. If they decline we will have to proceed once again with the conviction that the Lord will provide.

If our Public Relations department were a little larger we would share this kind of information as a matter of course without having to be asked by someone who has heard Andrew speak. I am pleased to spend the extra time making you aware of a great gift to the Lutheran church in the person of Andrew and the fellowship we can look forward to with the ELCS.

This is God's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. To Him be glory.

Filed for the sake of the ELCS and our brother Andrew.

You are free to edit, adjust, quote, or whatever without prior permission.

Robert Rahn

LHF Executive Director