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Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and
righteousness will look down from the sky.
Psalm 85:11 NRSVue
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Gifts are still rolling in, as we prepare for India staff to return to the boarding homes this week.
In case the end of May snuck up on you, there's still time for your gift to be counted! Just add the word "Hands" to your check, memo, stock transfer, etc., and we will count it toward the critical needs our cooks in India have shared with us.
We are hopeful that we'll be able to meet their requests for updated kitchen equipment, improved working conditions, and increased salaries. Thanks to all who have supported this initiative!
| | Pictured above: Sunithi (right) is a Siloam Boarding Home alumna who tragically lost both of her parents. With your support, she is receiving extended study support and is currently interning at Thindivanam Hospital with a recent shift in the labor and delivery unit. | | LPGM Board & Staff Gather for Annual Board Retreat | | |
"Cheers to new beginnings" read the cake that the LPGM board and staff shared at the beginning of their annual retreat on April 17 & 18. The message symbolizes the various transitions LPGM has been undergoing - moving to our new home at Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities, Mpls Campus, merging with Friends of Mwangaza, saying goodbye to outgoing board members, and welcoming new board members.
Continue reading
Watch a special message from board members
| | Open Houses Attract Friends | | L to R: Bob Hauck, Gordon Olson, Bonnie and Verne Winter, Betty Olson, and Karna (Olson) Hauck were among the esteemed guests at our open houses. | | |
After cancelling our March open houses due to blizzard conditions, we finally had the pleasure of hosting LPGM friends - both old and new - for open houses on Sunday, May 17 and Monday, May 18.
Guests chatted, shared stories, and connected with the LPGM staff while munching on cookies and sipping punch. Video clips of our partners' work played on a loop in the cinema, and guests smiled as they watched students play, learn, and share about their lives.
We were honored to host LPGM co-founders Gordon and Betty Olson, who shared their enthusiasm for our new offices at Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities, Minneapolis Campus. Gordon shared stories about the early days of LPGM and the deep support shown by the Bethlehem community, especially the choir. Gordon and Betty's daughter, Karna, and her husband, Bob, also joined us for Monday's open house, making it a family affair.
Throughout the open houses, LPGM friends shared their excitement about our new space and their support for our return to our roots at Bethlehem. Many shared that they had been connected to LPGM since its founding in 1995. Our staff talked about feeling warm and energized about the deeply rooted love shown by the LPGM family.
| | Annual Fish Fry Reels in Dollars for Mission | | | | |
The town of Garfield, located in central Minnesota’s Douglas County, has a population of 332. The night of St. Luke’s Church (LCMC) annual Fish Fry for Missions, however, the town grows by about 500.
This year’s annual event, held April 24, netted $4,200 to support a long list of nonprofits, from local to national and worldwide, including LPGM.
In fact, this single event raises the funds to sponsor seven girls at our partner’s Lutheran boarding homes in India.
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| | Lunch & Learn Webinar Series Launches | | | | |
In May, LPGM launched a monthly "Lunch & Learn" webinar series. We designed the series to share our partner's programs with you, provide important updates, and offer you a chance to ask questions.
May's inaugural webinar focused on food in our partner's boarding homes in India. June's topic was the Women's Literacy Program in the Central African Republic.
July's Lunch & Learn will be on Monday, July 6, 12-12:30 p.m. The topic is our partner in Guatemala, Community Cloud Forest for Conservation in Guatemala. Join us to learn how CCFC is reforesting the cloud forest and opening doors to young Maya women through education.
Register for July's Lunch & Learn webinar
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“[Committee work] can lead to tangible results. I like working with smart people.”
-Current committee member
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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, and most committees meet bi-monthly or quarterly for 1-2 hours over Zoom.
Email office@lutheranpartners.org to learn more.
| | | LPGM India Staff Visit Sponsored Students & Families | | |
Unlike in the United States, the school year at our partner's Lutheran boarding homes in Tamil Nadu, India, ends in mid-April. From April through June, students return to their remote villages for summer vacation.
While school is no longer in session, our LPGM India team is busier than ever during this summer recess. They spend time traveling to remote areas of the region to visit students (both sponsored and unsponsored), alumni, and their families in their home villages.
These village visits have a number of goals. LPGM's sponsor relations coordinators (SRCs) work to collect feedback from sponsored children and their parents; discuss boarding home life from the families’ perspective; understand the families' social, economic, and educational challenges; and strengthen trust between families, boarding home staff, and LPGM.
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| | Mwangaza’s Powerful Response to Political Violence | | |
"Teacher, author, and former Tanzanian president, Julius Nyerere, said, ‘If real development is to take place, the people have to be involved.’ In this wisdom of these words is a powerful reminder of why Mwangaza’s work for peace in school communities exists.”
Involving the people is exactly what our partner Mwangaza Education for Partnership decided to do in response to the political violence last October amid its general election.
With emergency funds from LPGM, they quickly mobilized Trauma Healing and Nonviolent Communication workshops. The two-day workshops equipped community members with practical tools: understanding trauma, naming feelings and needs, and tapping into deep empathy.
Keep reading about Mwangaza's response to political violence
| | Connecting Activists 4,000 Miles Apart | |
Climate Knowledge Collective (CKC) facilitated a face-to-face conversation between young women climate activists in Senegal and at CCFC in Guatemala.
CKC seeks to provide direct communication between women facing comparable climate challenges. Much of the conversation was spent sharing ways that each group tries to educate women and to encourage them to maintain traditional practices despite the growing pressure of foreign consumer products and habits.
Perhaps the most powerful aspect of the exchange was simply recognizing in each other, separated by an ocean and 7000 kilometers, kindred spirits who were defying traditional expectations to dedicate their lives to the preservation of their community and the environment.
Continue reading
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Generosity Matters:
A Monthly Reflection on Faithful Giving
| | "Sustaining Neighbors" Lay a Bedrock of Support | | By Bethany Krepela, LPGM Development Director | | |
“Sustaining Neighbors” is LPGM's new monthly giving program.
It is a simple way for you to make an ongoing impact on the lives of people at the margins, while allowing us to be better stewards of your dollars.
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Your monthly gift - of any amount - supports our global neighbors from the Central African Republic to Guatemala, and India to Tanzania.
Your gifts help meet ongoing needs of vulnerable students, including food, lodging, school supplies, and transportation, as well as our partners’ salaries and other essential operational expenses.
Learn more and sign up here
Have a question for Bethany to answer in a future post?
Contact her at 612-806-0733 or bethany@lutheranpartners.org.
| | Girls living at Eripoto's Safe House in Tanzania share their powerful testimonies. Individual photos withheld from stories below for their continued safety. | | |
Helena's Dream Was Almost Taken Away
“I always dreamed of continuing my education, but that dream was almost taken from me when I was forced into early marriage. I felt alone, unsupported, and unsure
of what my future would look like.
There was a time when I believed my life had already been decided for me.
Slowly, I began to regain confidence. I returned to school. I worked hard. I completed
Form Four. Today, I am studying accounting. What once felt impossible is now my reality. I have hope again. I believe in my future.”
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Linda Thought Her Future Was Over
“I faced strong pressure to marry at a young age, and it felt like my education and dreams were slipping away. I was discouraged and deeply hopeless.
Step by step, I found the strength to continue. I completed Form Four and went on to graduate with a diploma in clinical medicine. Looking back, I realize how close I was to losing everything.
Today, I stand with confidence, knowing that my future is not defined by fear but by determination and
possibility.”
| | | Last Chance to Register: September Trip to Tanzania | | |
Trip dates: September 10-20, 2026 (Register by June 10)
What makes this year's trip unique?
This trip is unique, because it will coincide with Mwangaza Education for Partnership's 30th anniversary. You'll get a special opportunity to celebrate our partner's milestone with their dedicated team.
You'll also get the opportunity to be some of the first people to tour Eripoto's brand-new campus addition. This important expansion was made possible by LPGM supporters.
$4,275/person + airfare
Learn more about traveling to Tanzania
| | Our Tanzanian Partners Invite You to Visit Tanzania | | |
Watch the videos above to hear why our partners and the young women they serve think you should come visit them in Arusha, Tanzania, this fall. Students are eagerly waiting to connect with you and show you how you are nurturing, empowering, and educating them through your support of Mwangaza Education for Partnership and Eripoto for Girls & Women.
You'll have the opportunity to meet face-to-face, listen to one another’s stories, and build connections. Our trips aren’t designed around sightseeing checklists or volunteer projects. They are “risky endeavors” built around people. The primary goal is not to consume culture or to offer charity, but to share life together—listening, learning, and connecting across borders.
| | Photos of the Month: Spring is here! | | Pictured above: On May 7, Pastor Angela from Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities, Minneapolis Campus and LPGM team members Shannon Mahedy and Laura Feile escorted a family of ducklings from the Minneapolis courtyard all the way to Lake Harriet, just a few blocks away. A little unexpected joy, a lot of teamwork, and one very memorable afternoon at Bethlehem, Minneapolis! | | | |
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Upcoming Events
May 29-30 – SE Michigan Synod Assembly (ELCA), Farmington Hills, MI
June – LPGM is Mission of the Month, United LC, Red Wing, Minn.
June 5-7 – Eastern ND Synod Assembly (ELCA), Fargo, ND
June 13-23 - Intergenerational Trip to Guatemala
June 14 – Board member The Rev. Katelyn Rakotoarivelo and Bethany Krepela at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Faribault, Minn.
July 16-19 – WELCA Triennial Gathering, Des Moines, IA
July 11-21 - Youth Trip to Guatemala
September 10-20 - Trip to Tanzania
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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.
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