The Mays' Travels in May

Greetings, Dear Friend!

Students have returned to the LST for the ongoing Biblical Greek course. Their instructor, Peter Ventimiglia, a Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne (CTSFW) student, along with his wife, Brooke, and their six children, have settled into their new environment. Rev. May and Tiina are also back home after spending May in the USA. We will share updates on the Greek class and the Ventimiglia family next month. This letter covers the ins and outs of the Mays’ time in America.

In the USA, the church visits for Lutherans in Africa (LIA) began with two services and a mission presentation at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Dubuque, followed by a service at Saint Matthew LC in Sherrill, IA. It was a joy to reconnect with Rev. May’s seminary classmate, Rev. Jesse Cearlock, and his wife. Rev. Cearlock shepherds both Our Redeemer and Saint Matthew congregations.

From Iowa, the May’s headed to Fort Wayne, IN, where they had a wonderful opportunity to attend the CTSFW alumni reunion. No other 2006 graduates were present, but they were delighted to meet Rev. Stephen Skov, their pastor when they were newlyweds living in Santa Barbara, CA. Rev. May was working in California as an architect during his two internships while he was an architecture student at the University of Cincinnati, OH.

The Mays also had a good time interacting with other alumni and CTSFW professors and discussing LIA's work. Among the many people they met on campus were Boris Obare (Kenya) and Pastor Frank Mdindi (Tanzania), two international students at CTSFW. It was nice to have conversations in Swahili and reminisce about shared memories and the people they know in Africa.

During their time in Fort Wayne, they were happy to spend time with their eldest daughter, Maggie, and her family. Her husband, Christian Salemink, has now finished his first year of studies at CTSFW (he and Peter Ventimiglia are classmates). Their son, Oliver, just turned one! The Ventimiglias invited the Mays and the Saleminks to dinner, which gave them a good opportunity to ask questions about coming to Kenya and preparing for their two-month stay.

After the alumni reunion, the Mays drove to New Haven, MO. LIA church visits took Rev. May to Immanuel LC in Washington, where he preached at three services and spoke about mission work during the Bible study hour. Tiina joined him for one of the services and also visited Trinity LC in New Haven, MO, where LIA Vice Chairman Rev. Andrew Preus leads the congregation.

That same weekend, Tiina got to join in the celebration of Hannah Rethemeyer’s (Tristan May’s fiancée’s) bridal shower. It was a beautiful day that brought together many family members and friends, including Sofia May, one of Hannah’s bridesmaids. In addition to spending time with Hannah’s family, the May parents loved having both Tristan and Sofia around for those couple of days!

Near the end of the month, Jonas, the fifth-born of the May kids, graduated from Mayer Lutheran High School, and all the siblings were able to travel to Minnesota to celebrate. Jonas’s host parents during his final two years of high school, Paul and Diane Erdman, graciously opened their home for the graduation party. The time around graduation was truly special, as the kids, their current or future spouses, and other friends often gathered for meals and games and attended church together. As an added bonus, another bridal shower was held for the family’s other beautiful bride-to-be, Sofia. The Mays are exceedingly blessed to have two of their children marry later this year. Indeed, there is much to be thankful for to our Heavenly Father, who led Hannah into Tristan’s life and Adam Erdman into Sofia’s! They’re wonderful, faithful Lutherans, and the Mays joyfully watch their kids starting families built on the solid foundation of shared faith.

When everyone was together, the Mays also held a small early birthday party for Oliver because none of them could attend his actual birthday in June. During the final two weekends of Rev. May and Tiina's stay in the USA, Rev. May served at Zion LC in Mayer, MN, and at St. Mark LC in New Germany, MN. Both churches held two services and a Bible class. It was a blessing to have the children and friends attend.

Thank you, everyone, who hosted the Mays during their time in America, and thank you to all the congregations that invited Rev. May to preach and share about LIA’s work in Africa. We appreciated your warm welcome and active participation during mission presentations and Bible studies! God bless you!

For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Ps. 100:5

We Are Looking for LIA Treasurer

The requirements include quarterly Zoom meetings, maintaining up-to-date financial records, filing returns with the IRS, undergoing an audit, making occasional payments, and working with our accountant to ensure payroll is up to date.

Please direct all inquiries and interest to Rev. James May, proliturgy@icloud.com.

Support the work of Lutherans in Africa

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Checks may be sent to

Lutherans in Africa

7140 Tacoma Avenue

Mayer, MN 55360

Australia

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Lutherans in Africa - Australia Inc

C/O PO Box 6094

Shepparton, Victoria, 3630

Canada

Cheques, payable to “Concordia Lutheran Mission Society” with the memo line “2625 Lutherans in Africa”, may be sent to

Concordia Lutheran Mission Society

P.O. Box 455, Water Valley, AB T0M 2E0

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