But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26 NRSVue

July News from LPGM

Pictured above: LPGM development director, Bethany Krepela, hugs Arcot Lutheran Church Pastor Jane Anitha at a dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, during the WELCA Triennial Gathering. Pastor Jane had just presented Bethany with a garland and tote bag from Saron Boarding Home in Tamil Nadu, India.

Local News

Making Connections and Finding Joy at the 2026 WELCA Triennial Gathering

Pictured above (left to right): Dora Hemalatha (Arcot Lutheran Church), Shannon Mahedy (LPGM), Bethany Krepela (LPGM), Debra Quinn (Northern Illinois Synod), Sandie Weckerly (Northern Illinois Synod), and Pastor Jane Anitha (Arcot Lutheran Church) smile in front of LPGM's booth at the 2026 WELCA Triennial Gathering in Des Moines, Iowa.

By Shannon Mahedy, LPGM Communications Manager

On the evening of July 15, LPGM development director Bethany Krepela and I loaded our rental car with 1,000 lip balms, bookmarks, stickers, and stacks of printed materials and began the three-and-a-half-hour journey from Minneapolis to Des Moines, Iowa.

We were on our way to represent LPGM at the Women of the ELCA (WELCA) Triennial Gathering from July 16 to 18. LPGM was one of 50 exhibitors in the Exhibit Hall, and many of the event's 1,078 attendees visited our booth over the next three days. The Gathering's theme was "I am Worthy."

Continue reading Shannon's reflection

Partner News

News from Tanzania

Creating peace within ourselves

Last October, a group from Mwangaza flew from Arusha, Tanzania, to Ruhpolding, Germany. There, on the blue Bavarian waters of Lake Chiemsee, they stayed on the island of Fraueninsel.

For nine days, they studied nonviolent communication (NVC) in the oldest nunnery in Germany, founded in 722 AD. The Mwangaza representatives were joined by 40 others from around the world, including the Philippines, Ghana, India, Kenya, Uganda, and Germany.

Continue reading

News from Guatemala

Recent Health Survey Guides Future WALC Programming

Reposted from CCFC's June email newsletter

A collaborative research team composed of three health researchers from the United States, as well as five members of the Community Cloud Forest Conservation (CCFC) team, surveyed Q’eqchi mothers living along the watersheds of the Méstela and Chilax rivers.

The purpose of the study was to identify positive and negative health behaviors related to perinatal health, contraception and family planning, family nutrition, access to healthcare, childhood vaccines, responses to diarrheal illness in the home, hygiene practices, use of improved stoves, and access to water.

The study team collected responses from 958 mothers in 30 villages. The U.S. research team has joined forces with a social sciences researcher from Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET Tucumán, and a GIS researcher from Macalester College in Minnesota to complete analysis and work on manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications. Most importantly, the results of this research will be disseminated to CCFC leadership and staff to guide future health and nutrition planning.

Meet Padmavathi: A Young Girl with a Spirit as Strong as her Dreams

Padmavathi is a 7th grader at Melpattampakkam Boarding Home in India. She is a young girl with a spirit as strong as her dreams.

Born to Kalaiselvi, a hardworking hospital sanitary worker, Padmavathi’s life began amidst violence and abuse. Her father, Kaliyamoorthy, burned Kalaiselvi while she was pregnant with Padmavathi, leaving her mother with burns over a quarter of her body.

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Nashipai's Story

“Before, my life was filled with fear. I was forced into early marriage and FGM [female genital mutilation] against my will, and my dream of becoming a health professional felt out of reach. I felt powerless and uncertain about tomorrow.

Being given a safe place and the chance to continue my education changed

everything. I completed Form Four, and today I am studying clinical medicine.

I now wake up with purpose. I am preparing for a career where I can help others.

What once felt like the end of my story became the beginning.”

Nashipai lives at Eripoto's Safe House in Tanzania. The Safe House provides safe lodging, meals, school supplies, uniforms, tuition, vocational training, childcare, counseling, and spiritual support to girls escaping forced early marriage and other forms of gender-based violence. The girls study at boarding homes and stay at Eripoto when school is not in session, in order to avoid returning to unsafe living situations. In 2025, 42 girls, children, and boys were given safe refuge at Eripoto's Safe House. The recent expansion, provided by gifts from LPGM donors, will increase their capacity to 116. Nashipai's name has been changed for her safety.

LPGM Now Offers a Free Will-Generator Program!

Join Bethany Krepela for LPGM's August Lunch & Learn webinar. This new monthly series provides LPGM updates, highlights our partners' programs, and offers a chance to ask questions.



At August's webinar, you will learn about how you can use our new will generator to create your will. This announcement comes during Make-A-Will-Month, celebrated throughout August. This service is provided to you at no cost.



Register today

Bring your Creativity to Help us Plan for the 2027 ELCA Youth Gathering in Minneapolis

Bring Our Vision for the 2027 Youth Gathering to Life

We are dreaming up an interactive experience for 2027's ELCA Youth Gathering in Minneapolis, and we're looking for creative folks to help us engage young people in new ways.

If you have a background in youth ministry, visual art, or theater, we'd especially love to hear from you. Interested in learning more? Email office@lutheranpartners.org.

Learn more

Join an LPGM Committee

Help shape the future of our ministry!

Join LPGM's Finance, Program, Transformational Travel, Congregational Engagement, or Development committee.



In your role, you'll contribute to meaningful work, share your unique point of view and skill set, provide hands-on support for our programs and travel, and collaborate and connect with like-minded people.



You do not need to be an LPGM board member to serve on a committee. Most committees meet bi-monthly or quarterly for 1-2 hours over Zoom.

Email office@lutheranpartners.org to learn more.

Intergenerational Travel Groups Finds New Perspectives at CCFC

A group of travelers of all ages journeyed to the central highlands of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, to visit our partner, Community Cloud Forest Conservation (CCFC) this past June. From June 12-23, they met indigenous Q'eqchi' Maya young women who are transforming their communities through agroecology education. 

The trip was led by Pastor May Beeken, an ELCA pastor in Peoria, Illinois and former LPGM board member, current committee member, and LPGM traveler.  

Continue reading

Preparations Underway for September Tanzania Trip

On June 23, travelers preparing for this September's trip to Tanzania met via Zoom on for their first pre-trip meeting.

During this meeting, travelers learned more about LPGM and our Tanzanian partners, heard preliminary details about the in‑country itinerary, connected with trip leader, Pastor Sara Spohr, and fellow traveler/LPGM Development Director, Bethany Krepela, and reviewed next steps.

Pre-trip meetings are crucial for LPGM Transformational Travel, because we want to ensure that travelers are logistically prepared, familiar with fellow travelers, grounded in the context of the country they'll be visiting, and knowledgeable about our in-country partners.

The travelers met again on July 30, and they will have one more pre-trip meeting before they leave for Tanzania in September, with LPGM staff guiding them every step of the way.

Generosity Matters:

A Monthly Reflection on Faithful Giving

Small Gifts, Generational Impact

By Bethany Krepela, LPGM Development Director

Mid-July, my colleague Shannon (in red) and I spent three inspiring days with Women of the ELCA at their Triennial Gathering in Des Moines, Iowa.

What made our experience even sweeter was having two of our partners from the Arcot Lutheran Church there amongst us: Pastor Jane Anitha (pictured at right), who managed Siloam Boarding Home from 2012 to 2023 and currently oversees Lebanon Home for Abandoned Women, among other church initiatives, and Mrs. Dora Hemalatha (pictured at left), who teaches physics and lives on the campus of Saron Boarding Home for boys, which her husband manages.  

Continue reading

Have a question for Bethany to answer in a future post?

Contact her at 612-806-0733 or bethany@lutheranpartners.org.

Our Indian Partners Affirm the Power of Women

Two representatives from our Indian partner, the Arcot Lutheran Church (ALC), shared powerful words during July 18's morning plenary session at the WELCA Triennial Gathering in Des Moines, Iowa. Click the videos at the left to watch clips from Dora Hemalatha and Pastor Jane Anitha's presentation.

LPGM has partnered with the ALC for 30 years, opening doors to education to Dalit (formerly "Untouchable") children at the margins, especially girls. The ALC owns and operates a network of boarding homes as part of their mission to address the spiritual and physical needs of Dalit and other marginalized people groups through programs in education, healthcare, and community development.

Pictured above: Students at the English+ summer camp in the Kalrayan Hills spend their summer break learning various English words. Thanks to support from friends like you, these students' educational journeys are able to continue while school is out for summer.

Our Mission: LPGM provides access to quality education for people at the margins – especially women and girls. We work together with global partners to listen, respond and bear witness to local needs and priorities.

Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 41-1818525. Your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.