With a Little Help from My Friends

I thought about this great Beatles song recently while attending a gathering on the occasion of my good friend John Nunes’ graduation ceremony. John is now officially “Dr.” Nunes, having completed his PhD from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. Way to go, John!! During a reception in his honor held after the graduation service, John thanked the group assembled and shared that earning this degree wasn’t his accomplishment, but the result of a joint effort that involved many friends, colleagues and family members who took the journey with him and supported him in many significant ways.

The staff and board of Wheat Ridge was blessed by a little help from our friends a few weeks ago as we began a very important strategic thinking and planning process with a “Future Summit.” In fact, what our friends provided was much more than a little help. Twenty four very talented, perceptive and wise people from our various stakeholder groups – donors, grant recipients, supporting congregations, church bodies and partner organizations – gave of their time, talent and treasure to join us for two days of deep thinking and discernment. The focus of our conversation was the future of our mission – how Wheat Ridge will impact the world through our seeding mission and what “business” model we need in order to sustain and grow our impact.

Our journey through the summit began with a look at our past. Then we explored the present, considering our internal and external environments, including trends that impact the pursuit of our mission. Participants shared “proud ofs” and “sorries” about Wheat Ridge from their perspective. Teams developed several scenarios and descriptions about the work of Wheat Ridge in the future. From all of this work emerged a series of “common ground” statements that captured the collective wisdom of the participants. The statements address concepts and strategies such as long-term equity investment in new ministries, crowd funding and other means of digital engagement, strategic partnerships, high impact grant making and creative outcomes-based funding models. These statements will provide direction as our planning efforts continue. The Summit participants have agreed to continue to pray for our efforts, encourage and help us along the way, and hold the staff and board accountable for action moving forward.

The Summit would not have happened without a little help from many other friends. Generous donors who understand the importance of our strategic efforts are providing significant funding for our planning process. Great friends Chuck Dull, Kurt Bickel and Les Stroh, who are such talented consultants and facilitators, provided outstanding leadership, guidance and structure for the Summit. Another great friend, Gary Hubbell, is using his skills as a planning consultant to help us move from the Summit through the formulation of our strategic plan. Of course, what friends Wheat Ridge has in its office staff, who make meetings like the Summit successful by their careful arrangements and caring attention to the needs of participants, and who keep our ministry moving forward today, even as we plan for the future.

Getting this help from our friends during the Summit is a great blessing and reminds me that helping people get by with a little help from their friends is the work of Wheat Ridge Ministries. We help those with generous hearts and resources become friends with people who have inspired ideas for changing lives so that together they can help others experience the healing touch of Christ and wellness of body, mind and spirit. What a blessing it is to be a friend maker!

Aren’t you glad that God determined early on in the creation story that “it is not good for man to be alone?” Thanks, God, for giving us friends who help us get by, and for creating us to be friends to others. A world filled with friends is a world filled with health and hope!

Viva TACO!!

Our annual President’s Circle Retreat took place earlier this month in San Diego, California. This event is always a highlight for me. It’s an opportunity for our donors to come together to be updated on the seeding work they are supporting, to grow personally by exploring topics of common interest, and to enjoy Christian fellowship anchored in devotion and prayer.

One of many highlights of this year’s retreat was worshipping with the family of believers at First Lutheran Church in San Diego. It was one of those times when the Scripture lessons seemed especially matched to the occasion. The New Testament lesson for the day was from Acts 4: All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. How wonderful it was to hear these words while in the midst of our retreat attendees. These inspiring people reflect the special qualities of our friends and donors - great generosity and willingness to serve and share freely of their time, talents and treasures in order to ensure that new ministries of health and hope are established that touch lives in Christ’s name.

The Gospel reading at First Lutheran was from John 19. Pastor Wilk Miller reminded us that this is always the Gospel reading on the Sunday after Easter. How interesting that so soon after the joyous celebration of Christ’s Easter victory we’re already reminded that doubt is so much a part of our lives as we read the story of the disciple known as “doubting Thomas.” Perhaps Thomas is a distant relative of mine as I can sure be a doubting Rick. Our Easter days at Wheat Ridge this year are filled to the brim with important work related to budget preparations and strategic planning. It’s so easy to let doubt get the best of me during times like these instead of trusting God’s promises and living the joy of Easter.

Rick Herman (right) with
Jim Lovell, Director, TACO

First Lutheran Church has a long history of serving the homeless and other “underserved” people in downtown San Diego. In the 1970s, First Lutheran was typical of many urban churches. Their membership was rapidly declining as people moved out of the downtown area. God’s Spirit led them to make a bold decision to serve the people who remained, no matter what their circumstances. Today, they provide meals for hundreds of people each month. Several years ago, they created the Third Avenue Charitable Organization (TACO) to expand their services to the homeless to include a wide variety of medical and legal services. They are led by an inspiring leader, Jim Lovell, who cares deeply about the welfare of people in the city.

Wheat Ridge has had the privilege of helping seed the work of TACO. Most recently, we provided a grant to pilot a wonderful program called Simon’s Walk. Imagine being a homeless person and, after visiting a free clinic or emergency room, you are told that you have an incurable disease and have only weeks or months to live. It’s very likely that you have no family or friends to rely on and to confide in as you contemplate the final days of your life and as you experience the pain and discomfort that often accompanies the dying process. There are many such people in downtown San Diego. Simon’s Walk trains volunteers who accompany homeless people along this difficult journey. The volunteer helps them experience the final days of life with dignity and helps them identify and access community services that are available to them. Word is put out on the street to friends and acquaintances who otherwise may not know that their friend is dying. After death, a memorial service is held at the church. More information about this beautiful ministry of care and compassion is available on the TACO website.

It must be very easy to doubt God’s presence when you are homeless and hungry. What a blessing it is that congregations like First Lutheran Church and organizations like TACO help people in these difficult circumstances “touch” the hands of Christ as they serve in His name. By doing so they are proclaiming the Good News that Christ is Risen! He is Risen, indeed. Hallelujah!

Where Have You Gone, O Britannica?

The recent announcement that the Encyclopedia Britannica will no longer be available in hard copy sure caused a stir. Those of us who are a bit older remember that having this set of books on the shelves at home used to be a sign of parental commitment to quality education. Not everyone could afford these books, however. My parents settled for a nice set of Time-Life books on world history and geography. I liked the pictures. I’m glad to see the Britannica can still be accessed online. I’m not quite ready to accept Wikipedia as a trusted alternative.

So, encyclopedias join a large and growing number of resources and tools that have disappeared during the past 30 years as technology has advanced. When I taught school in the 1970s, mimeograph machines were the most valuable device in the school office (and the paper smelled so good, too!). Eight-track tape players and cassette tapes came and went quickly and eventually LP records as well, although they seem to be making a comeback among young music fans who are impressed with the sound quality of “vinyl.” I’m no longer adding many books to my shelves at home, having become a fan of the convenience and portability of my iPad for downloaded books and reading the Chicago Tribune.

Even churches come and go. The recent disclosure that the Crystal Cathedral in California, home of the televised worship service, “Hour of Power,” is being sold to the Catholic Church after the ministry declared bankruptcy is a case in point. Robert Schuller’s daughter is trying to grow a new congregation. I read somewhere that 100 people attended the first service.

These examples are, among other things, a reminder to all of us who care about the effectiveness and success of the organizations and institutions we serve about the importance of recognizing and adapting to change. A world in which technology advances so quickly, with microchips getting twice as small and twice as fast every six months, in which unlimited amounts of information is instantly at our fingertips, and in which communication with almost anyone at anytime and anywhere is possible, requires us to be nimble, creative and adaptive in the pursuit of our mission.

A significant conversation about change and the future will take place very soon among the leaders of Wheat Ridge Ministries. I’m very excited that our board of directors and staff are gathering with two dozen other thoughtful people for a “future summit.” This meeting, which is part of a larger strategic planning process, will bring together people with a variety of expertise, perspectives and experiences to consider the effective pursuit of the Wheat Ridge mission in the years ahead. We’ll be discussing what the changes around us mean for how we seed new ministries and for our business model. Please keep this process in your prayers as we seek God’s blessing on our conversations and decisions. I look forward to sharing more about this after the summit.

Wheat Ridge has the advantage of being able to draw from its past when considering future opportunities. Our history as an organization includes significant experience in organizational change. I was privileged to recently attend the memorial service for Rev. Dr. Edward May, who served as the director of the Wheat Ridge Tuberculosis Sanitarium and as the president of Wheat Ridge from 1958-1973.

During Ed’s years at Wheat Ridge, medication became available to treat people with tuberculosis, thus reducing the need for the tuberculosis hospital that had been operating for over 50 years in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Rather than “fold up shop” at that point, Ed and his colleagues decided to sell the sanitarium and invest funds from the sale in a foundation to provide resources to assist in the development of new health ministries in the United States and around the world. They called it the Wheat Ridge Foundation. Given all of the jokes that I’ve heard over the years on the theme of Lutherans and change, I imagine there were many people in Ed’s day who thought this shift of strategy and focus would never work. Thank God for Ed and for his vision and persistence that set the tone and direction for the next 50+ years of Wheat Ridge’s service to the church, service that continues today and, God willing, for a long time to come.

We know that God’s love and presence never changes, even in the midst of our changing times. We are assured that even though heaven and earth will pass away, God’s Word will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35) This is Good News as we conclude another Lenten journey with a celebration at the empty tomb. Talk about transformative change!

Thank God for Conference Planners!

I recently returned from Phoenix where a great gathering of Lutheran congregation leaders convened. Of course, it’s a sacrifice for any Chicagoan to have to leave the “windy city” in February to go to Arizona! I must admit that our strange “winterless” winter here made the usual draw to the south less compelling than it is most years. That said, Arizona was as beautiful as ever.

Participating in the “Best Practices for Ministry” Conference has me appreciating, once again, the skills and service of people who know how to put together conferences and meetings with excellence. I know from personal experience at Wheat Ridge Ministries what a challenge this can be. We are fortunate to have several individuals on our staff who are great at event planning. In fact, they are engaged at the moment planning for two major spring events – our annual Seeds of Hope Awards Dinner here in Chicago and our President’s Circle Retreat that will be held in San Diego in April (see our website for further details). In this month’s “reflections,” I’d like to focus on one example of the impact of good conference design as a way of praising God for all those who are called to this unique service.

Clearly, Christ Church – Lutheran in Phoenix knows how to host a conference. It’s also a congregation with an exciting vision for ministry that reflects their serious intent to share the love of Christ in word and deed. Their outreach is multi-faceted and includes a very large Christian day school. Their most recent venture is the establishment of the Christ Cares Clinic, designed to provide medical services to the many uninsured individuals and families who live in Phoenix. Wheat Ridge awarded a seed grant to Christ Lutheran to assist with the start-up of this important ministry.

One of the unique features of this national conference is that it was conceived, sponsored and hosted by the congregation itself. Pastor Jeff Schrank and the leadership team at Christ Lutheran decided to invest the revenue earned from their summer camp program by serving leaders from other congregations across the United States. If you could get there and find a place to stay, the conference, including all of the food, was free (really!). Keynoters and workshop leaders volunteered their services, too.

The purpose of the conference, quite simply, was to gather inspired Christian leaders for two days of sharing “best practices” in ministry and engaging in mutual support and encouragement. All sessions were led by practitioners … pastors, teachers, lay leaders.

Is there a need for yet another conference when there are already so many? Apparently so. I was told that the original vision was for a couple of hundred people to attend. If you’ve sponsored or helped lead a conference recently, you know the usual quandary is what to do if the turnout is lower than planned. Guess what? Almost 500 people showed up! As an example of their conference hosting abilities, the good folks at Christ Lutheran stepped up, seamlessly and graciously providing, for the needs of all of these additional attendees. Even with the unexpectedly large numbers, great food was provided in abundance throughout the conference – sort of a “five loaves and two fishes” experience. Facilities were made available, volunteers showed up and workshops were added. Impressive!

There was a point on the first afternoon of the conference when, within a span of a couple of hours, 400 school children were picked up by their parents, followed shortly thereafter by the arrival of 250 people coming to attend Christ Lutheran’s weekly addiction recovery program, which includes dinner. The 500 conference attendees enjoyed presentations in the family life center while these folks made it through the buffet lines in the lobby and went to another location to eat. Then it was our turn at the buffet. It was amazingly seamless from a participant perspective. Wow!

As impressive as all of these arrangements were, of course, they were not provided for their own sake. Rather, they helped set the tone and the spirit for the conference. God’s spirit was indeed present in and among these inspired leaders as we discussed ways to serve others and impact lives, as we worshipped together, and as we encouraged and supported one another. It was a celebration of hope, health and healing made possible in Christ.

So, thanks to Pastor Jeff and all the good people of Christ Church – Lutheran for their servant hearts and for investing time, talent and treasure so that those who came to Phoenix could leave with new ideas, new connections, and especially renewed energy for ministry.

And, thanks to all who plan and lead conferences that inspire, educate and encourage others – challenging work that requires the special gifts of planning, hospitality, creativity and extra measures of patience. You are a blessing to many!!

Some Children See Him

The Alfred Burt carol, “Some Children See Him,” written 50 years ago, is one of my favorite Christmas carols. Although it wasn’t a part of any Christmas worship services I attended this year, the James Taylor version got plenty of airtime on our car’s CD player, as it does each year.

Some children see Him
Lily white,
The baby Jesus
Born this night.
Some children see Him
Lily white,
With tresses soft
And fair.

There is something special about the way children see Jesus. This was evident at a Christmas worship service I attended that was led by the children at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Tempe, Arizona. Not distracted by parents trying to capture the service on video, the children took great care to reenact the gathering of shepherds, angels and wise men around the Christ child’s manger. The children also helped us understand the importance of all of God’s creatures in the Christmas story, even the camel that helped deliver gifts to the baby Jesus!

Some children see Him
Lily white,
The baby Jesus
Born this night.
Some children see Him
Lily white,
With tresses soft
And fair.

I also thought about how some children see Him the following week when I happened upon a TV interview with a young boy who has become quite famous for reporting on his experience in heaven and seeing Jesus when he had a near-death encounter as a four-year-old. His experience has been translated into the best-selling book, “Heaven is For Real.” Jesus, as seen by this boy, has long brown hair and blue eyes.

Some children see Him
Bronzed and brown,
The Lord of heav’n
To Earth come down.
Some children see Him
Bronzed and brown,
With dark
And heavy hair.

During the Christmas weekend, I read a report on homelessness in the United States and around the world. This provided yet another sense of how children see Him, or perhaps more accurately, why Jesus loves and understands them. Like Jesus, so many children today arrive into the world without a home of their own. Many spend a portion, or all, of their childhood homeless. According to the National Center for Family Homelessness, 1.6 million children were homeless in the United States in 2011, an increase of 38% since 2007. Data from UNICEF indicates that these children are a small percentage of the over 100 million street children worldwide.

Some children see Him
Almond-eyed,
This Savior whom
We kneel beside.
Some children see Him
Almond-eyed,
With skin
Of yellow hue.

Praise God for those who work tirelessly to decrease these numbers and to help children who are homeless see Jesus through the caring touch of people in Christian congregations and organizations. Three great examples of God’s people reaching out in this way are new ministries that recently received seed grant awards from Wheat Ridge Ministries in Oregon, Florida and in Ghana, West Africa.

Some children see Him
Dark as they,
Sweet Mary’s Son
To whom we pray.
Some children see Him
Dark as they,
And, ah
They love Him, too!

Thank you for supporting new ministries like these through Wheat Ridge Ministries and for helping children and adults see Jesus through the many ways you care for the health and healing of others. Enjoy the blessings as you let your light shine during this season of Epiphany and throughout the new year!

The children
In each diff'rent place
Will see
The baby Jesus' face
Like theirs,
But bright
With heav'nly grace,
And filled
With holy light.

O lay aside
Each earthly thing
And with thy heart
As offering,
Come worship now
The infant King.
‘Tis love
That’s born tonight!

“Some Children See Him” - Words by Wihla Hudson; Music by Alfred Burt

The Clinic

There is no denying that local churches face many challenges and many expectations during these uncertain times, including financial and demographic. The other day I read the summary of new research by Empty Tomb, a Christian service and research foundation. They report that in the mainline Christian congregations they studied, the average percentage of individual income donated to the church in 2009 was 2.38%, the lowest in 40 years. Unfortunately, also down was the percentage of the budget committed to benevolences outside the congregation – 3.4%, which is down from 6.6% in 1968 – as congregations invest an increasing percentage of the offerings they receive in their operating costs.

On the expectation side, local faith communities are being asked to increase their human service activities as local, state and federal governments cut budgets for important programs that serve those without economic means to pay for these services. I find it interesting that at the same time churches are being asked to increase their caring efforts, there are also voices in congress questioning their tax exempt status. But, this is a topic to write about at another time.

Of course, it is not a burden for our congregations to serve as centers of health and healing in their community. It’s wonderful to see people in congregations respond to the Gospel by reaching out to those in need. The Spirit-inspired leaders in congregations seem to have an ability to identify and unleash the assets of the congregation to touch lives in significant ways. Perhaps more than any other type of organization, congregations possess the ability to engage volunteers.

I had a first-hand experience at one such congregation recently when I served as a volunteer for “The Clinic,” an initiative of Trinity Lutheran Church in Roselle, Illinois. Trinity continues to be a strong partner with Wheat Ridge through its support and encouragement for the seeding of new ministries.

Like many suburban congregations, Trinity is located in a community where one might assume there are very few people in need of food, clothing or medical care. Of course, this is not the case. The northwest suburbs of Chicago, where Trinity is located, include a large number of people who are among the millions nationwide who are currently underemployed or unemployed and lacking access to affordable health care.

The Clinic is a one-day intensive effort to provide a wide range of caring services to people in need. It is based on a model developed by Touched Twice United that is designed to help congregations touch lives in Christ’s name. Perhaps you are familiar with this model. If not, check it out at http://www.touchedtwiceunited.org/

This was the fifth year Trinity has sponsored The Clinic and it has continued to grow in the number of people served and the scope of services offered. This year, 949 people, including 411 family units, were served. The range of services included medical, dental, vision and hearing screenings, chiropractic screenings, haircuts and even family portraits. 30,000 pieces of clothing and 640 quilts were distributed. Over five tons of food was given away, and everyone received a hot meal. Pretty amazing!

The organization and dedication to service was also amazing. Under the able leadership of Trinity staff member Amy Herring, over 550 volunteers served in some capacity before, during and following The Clinic. I was impressed to learn that among the volunteers were many members of other congregations as well as others from the community.

My job at this year’s Clinic was to serve as one of over 200 “advocates.” After a thorough training session, I was “on call” and during the course of the day I was assigned to two different families. My task was to help each family understand the services available and make sure that they were able to find and access the services they needed. The most important items on the list for the families I served were clothing and food. A mother whose medical issues prevented her from taking full-time employment led one of the families. The other was a family of five who had recently moved to the Chicago area. The father was having difficulty finding a stable job. They were most grateful for the help they received.

Whether your worshipping community is large or small, urban, rural or suburban, thanks for the ways you touch lives in the name of our healing Christ. Thanks for responding generously to opportunities to serve, for using your gifts of organization and motivation so effectively or, if you don’t possess these gifts, for allowing others to lead, and thanks for sharing the abundant resources with which you have been blessed.

May God bless you as you live out your Christian vocation as a leader, a volunteer, a care provider, or an encourager in your workplace, congregation and neighborhood. May you experience the healing touch of Christ even as you share it with others during the coming weeks of Advent and Christmas!

The Road to Hong Kong

With apologies to Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, this title seems like a fitting description as I write this on my journey back from Hong Kong and China. The “road” included direct flights between Chicago and Hong Kong – 15 hours to travel to the other side of the world – another miracle of God’s creation!

The long and winding roads of Hong Kong weave around bodies of water, up hills, through tunnels, and on crowded streets. If you haven’t been there, imagine New York on steroids, with awesome hills and mountains on all sides. What a place! One of the great financial centers in the world, Hong Kong has beautiful high-rise office buildings and apartments and masses of people everywhere. The energy level of the city is off the charts. A state of the art mass transit system is particularly impressive. I was able to check my bag and check-in for my return flight at a train station in the heart of the city before hopping on a train to the airport. I hope someone in authority at O’Hare airport is reading this!

The road that brought me to Hong Kong from Wheat Ridge Ministries’ office was our Center for Urban Education Ministries, a part of our program services dedicated to encouraging new models for Christian education in our cities. The Center’s work includes a lecture series named in honor of Dr. Mel Kieschnick, a leading Christian educator in the Lutheran church for over 60 years, and a man with a special heart for ministry in the city. Early in his career, Mel served as a missionary in Hong Kong. He remains highly respected among the Christian community of Hong Kong and they invited him to come to Hong Kong to serve as the speaker of the lecture series that bears his name. Wheat Ridge Ministries also has a strong history of seeding new ministries in Hong Kong and China, so we were also invited to promote and encourage support for Wheat Ridge and for the Center for Urban Education Ministries.

The road in Hong Kong led us to Hong Kong International School, one of the premier American schools in the world, and owned by the Lutheran Church. With over 2,400 students from countries around the world in grades K-12 on three campuses, this school is a model of excellence in education in the Lutheran Christian tradition. Dr. Kieschnick was the founding board chair for HKIS and his lecture to the faculty was a powerful reminder of what God has caused to happen over the years, as the school overcame tremendous obstacles to become the great institution it is today.

The road trip continued as Mel also delivered a lecture at Concordia Lutheran School in Kowloon, where he served as principal for many years. Concordia is another school of distinction, serving over 1,000 local students in a beautiful new facility. It is one of 34 Lutheran schools operated under the banner of the Hong Kong Synod of the Lutheran church. I met principals and teachers from several of these schools. As is the case in the U.S., these teachers are filled with a passion for sharing God’s love with children as they provide an excellent academic environment. And, as in the U.S., these urban schools are much more than academic institutions. They are ministries of human care that serve the needs of students, families, and the larger community.

I’ve known and respected Mel for many years, but I was still overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for him and his wife, Jane, by people in the Lutheran community in Hong Kong. A beautiful garden was dedicated in their name at Concordia Lutheran School while we were there. And a large number of school alumni, many of whom knew Mel as their teacher and principal, gathered for a great party one evening to honor them. Among the reasons these people praise God for Mel and Jane is that many of them came to know Jesus through their witness.

After this wonderful occasion, I took a left turn from Hong Kong to visit mainland China to see firsthand work being seeded by Wheat Ridge. There are 31 cities in China with a population of over 1 million. There are also thousands of rural villages like the Miao (Hmong) village of Long Tan. This village of 120 people is tucked away in the hills three hours northwest of Kunming in the Yunan Province. I met the people of this village thanks to a wonderful organization, Concordia Welfare and Education Foundation. Through CWEF, Wheat Ridge is helping seed a program that equips people from churches in villages like Long Tan to serve as health educators. The hard working people of Long Tan are representative of millions of people who live off the land in China, earning a meager income and living without basic resources many of us take for granted such as clean water, modern sanitation, and access to medical care. It was inspiring to meet several of the people who have been trained as health educators. These are full-time farmers who work hard just to provide for themselves and their families. Yet, they care so much for the people of these small villages that they take time to become trained as volunteer health educators in order to promote good practices that reduce illness and premature death. They are, indeed, sharing health and hope in Christ’s name! I’m thankful for the great food and hospitality provided by the people of Long Tan, who were so generous to this strange looking very tall (by their standards) white guy who is the poster child for Mandarin language deficiency!

Contrary to what many Christians in the U.S. assume about the ability of people to practice their faith openly in China, the church is growing rapidly. While denominations do not exist as such in China, the Chinese government supports the establishment of non-denominational Christian seminaries, and pastors establish churches that are organized into regions. Mr. Long, who traveled with us to Long Tan, supervises pastors and lay evangelists in one of these regions. On the way back from Long Tan, we stopped to visit an evangelism training class. We were treated to several hymns sung beautifully by those in the class and accompanied by a man playing, of all things, an accordion! We came to learn that evangelists are taught how to play this very portable instrument so that they can accompany singing during worship services. What a creative and practical idea!

The road back to Hong Kong led us to one more unique and exciting experience: 250 Lutheran educators from a variety of Asian countries were gathered for a conference sponsored by the Asia Lutheran Education Association (ALEA). Did you know that there are over 150 Lutheran schools in Asia? I was thrilled to see that the focus of this conference was “service learning.” This is an intentional process, also used by many schools in the U.S., designed to help students become aware of the needs of underserved people and become involved in acts of service. I learned that virtually all of the Lutheran schools in Asia include service learning as a significant part of their curriculum … a wonderful way that these schools are helping students share God’s love with others.

So now it’s time to hit the road toward home. I return to the states reminded once again that the more I learn, the less I know. I’m in awe of the beauty of God’s creation in Asia, God’s love for His people there, and the impact of Christian congregations and schools, including the significant presence of Lutheran Christians. I’m made aware again that God’s Spirit has no boundaries. And, I’m so thankful for the opportunities that God continues to provide Wheat Ridge Ministries to encourage and assist leaders in places like Hong Kong, Kunming, Long Tan, and even Chicago, Illinois, as they respond to God’s call to develop new ministries that share health and hope in the name of our healing Christ.