Warehouse Fire Damages LHF Books

Above: One of the damaged areas of the warehouse. Below: A water-damaged Russian edition of A Child's Garden of Bible Stories.

Greetings, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. As some of you may have heard through other outlets, the warehouse where LHF stored our Russian-language books recently caught fire and was substantially damaged. You can read more about the incident here. We at LHF are very thankful for the quick response of the firefighters, who kept the fire from spreading through the entire warehouse. We're also very grateful to Rev. Leif Camp, who has been coordinating the distribution of LHF's books throughout Russia. With the help of numerous volunteers from Lutheran congregations around the Martyshkino area, Rev. Camp is sorting through the books and distributing those that can be salvaged to other temporary storage places. Of course, this fire has presented an unexpected expense to the LHF budget. The demand for good Lutheran books remains high in Russia, both for the laypeople (Small Catechism and A Child's Garden of Bible Stories) and for seminarians and pastors (Book of Concord and the like).  Please prayerfully consider how you or your congregation can help LHF replenish the books that have been so effective in introducing the Russian people to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Just $5 covers the printing cost of one catechism or Bible storybook; most other theological books can be printed for less than $10. Yours in Christ,

Bringing the Reformation to Southeast Asia:

Michigan circuit congregations adopt Book of Concord project for Vietnam When Carl Bassett left the Vietnam War behind in the mid-1970s, he left with a hardened heart. After years of seeing his fellow soldiers killed at the hands of enemy fighters, he couldn’t have cared less whether the Vietnamese people lived or died. So it was a poignant moment when Rev. Carl Bassett urged his fellow circuit pastors to lead their congregations in working together to provide for LHF’s Vietnamese translation of the Book of Concord. “Christ worked on my heart over the years, opening my eyes and my heart to remember that Christ died for the Vietnamese people, too,” said Rev. Bassett, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Niles, Mich. (Read more)

Rev. Bassett's circuit is taking part in an exciting LHF project to celebrate the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Reformation (2017): translating and printing the Book of Concord into 8 different Asian/Southeast Asian languages, including Vietnamese.  Each translation will cost approximately $18,000 to produce. Although that seems like a large sum, the 10 congregations in Rev. Bassett's circuit are working together to raise the funds for the Vietnamese Book of Concord − reducing each congregation's commitment to only $1,800 over the next 18 months. "I think a project like this is going to really unite our circuit around a common mission," said Circuit Visitor Rev. Michael Roth. Would your congregation or circuit like to play a part in bringing the Reformation to Southeast Asia? Email or call LHF at (800)554-0723 for more information. LHF speakers can come to your church, free of charge, to share more about this and other projects.

The Spirit of the Reformation: One of Martin Luther's greatest projects was translating the BIble into the common language of his people - German. Today, LHF continues working in the spirit of Martin Luther, translating and publishing the foundational books of our Lutheran faith into nearly 100 languages. LHF's work depends on your faithful support. This Reformation, help open Scripture's meaning for your Christian brothers and sisters worldwide by sending your mission offering today.

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