LAMP Mission Team: Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots

Hi LAMP Partners,

Hello, hello, hello!

It’s been a while since I’ve written! I want to share a few things with you and ask for your prayers.

First—please pray.
Pray for a successful mission trip in every way: as we teach and love the children, connect with the Sucker River community, and encourage the congregation at La Ronge Lutheran Fellowship.

Yes, we’re headed back to Sucker River again! This will be our fifth year traveling to the middle of Saskatchewan in the winter to share the Good News of Jesus with the children of the Indigenous community just north of La Ronge.

We’ve got a great team going this year: Cindy Gliesman, Jan Pratt, Peter Rynearson, Keith Armbruster, Monica Rynearson, and Kate Pioch. Monica and Kate are new missionaries, and we’re excited to have them along. This is one of the largest teams we’ve ever sent, and we can’t wait to see what God does this time—He always surprises us.

One more thing—we need your help in keeping LAMP visible at Trinity Lutheran. Sometimes it feels like we have very little support from our church and if it wasn’t for us who choose to stay involved, the mission would quietly fade away. Please pray with us about that and help encourage others to keep LAMP a priority in our church family.

Thanks so much for your prayers, encouragement, and partnership. We’re grateful for every one of you.

Blessings,

Hezekiah received the letter . . . and spread it out before the Lord. 2 Kings 19:14

Can’t go?  Well, we’d really appreciate your prayers!  Seriously.  Making the arrangements, traveling, decorating the school and making a good positive influence on the children and community for Jesus does present some challenges.  So please keep us in your prayers, especially from August 9-16.  We know that God is faithful and will help us reap rewards in Jesus name.

Lastly, I’m going to ask for money.  I don’t like doing it but the reality is that not everyone can afford to go to Northern Canada.  We feel strongly that bringing the gospel should not be dependent on whether one can afford it or not. We don’t usually ask for funds and to be honest it is awkward for all of us.  But we also know that there are some who would like to go but can’t afford it and we would like to help.  I don’t know how you normally give but please send your donations through Trinity Lutheran Church, Alive In Missions (AIM), LAMP.  Let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

The letter to you about our last mission trip to Sucker River has been difficult to write.  The trip was very physically challenging: driving to Toronto in a snow storm, -40 in Saskatchewan, no heat in the school.  How do I report that without discouraging you from considering a trip in  the future? My wife Jan wrote a review that I’d like to share with you:

Yet this winter 2025 trip was different.  The challenges we encountered have me questioning our (perspective/focus/determination/perseverance/resolve???)

I can list the challenges that seemed to shake our minds and bodies – sometimes literally.

·       Friday (14th) before we leave, P. Randy tells us he can’t get the van (too cold for any of the available to have dependable batteries)

·       Ray struggles with reserving a rental vehicle in Saskatoon (still not certain when we land if we will have what we need)

·       Friday night/Saturday we begin to watch the weather more closely, 8-10 inches of snow predicted from home to Toronto (flights in Toronto are being cancelled, P Randy mentions they are in a deep freeze ‘severe cold warning’).  We decide to leave immediately after church Saturday night (putting some of us in a bit of a tail spin.)

·       Saturday night drive to Toronto, snowy roads all the way.  Ray excels in his driving skills.  We spend the night at a hotel in Toronto.

·       Sunday flight delayed.

·       Arrive in Saskatoon to an extreme cold warning -20F real feel -32F.

·       Cargo door frozen shut on the plane, delay in getting luggage.

·       1 hour to shop for food before closing (P. Randy and Peter sprinting skills!)

·       Success for Ray in a truck rental, although too small to get all us and gear to Sucker River.

·       Over dinner, P. Randy is able to confirm a Ford Flex rental from a friend (who comes in on her day off for us!)

·       Frigid temps for loading and unloading vehicles.  Thankfully P. Randy has an extra extension cord to plug in our truck!!

·       By pizza dinner time we are finding the school cool, usually it is 70F. We turn up the heat.  It doesn’t seem to help, it is -39F outside.  The kindergarten room is really cold (our usual place for lessons).

·       The boiler is blowing cold air, the propane is gelling at -40 degrees (C or F: all the same) We find a couple of space heaters, and Randy has a box of quilts he brought for the community.  Dare I say it was a cold night in our light sleeping bags (why would we need heavy ones in a normally 70F school?)

·       Tuesday lessons are held with space heaters trying to mitigate the 8.12C in the classroom, and quilts on top of the kids coats & boots to listen to the lessons in the gym (that gym had to be in the 30’s F).  Peter calculated the hallways & Classrooms were around 45F.

·       Challenges with credit card to buy KFC for community dinner.

The reality is we never know what spiritual impact we are making.  We never know how the Holy Spirit is working where and when we cannot see.  God did indeed provide!

·       Our flights were not cancelled / our plane did not flip over (issue at Toronto A/P on the 17th)!

·       Pastor Randy was with us on the trip.

·       Devin did much to help us with heat.

·       Rental vehicles were provided.

·       Connections with Pastor John & members were reinforced.

·       In spite of the cold, 26 children came to hear about Jesus.

·       It got warmer, the temperature rose to 1F on Tuesday, with a real feel of 4F!

·       More connections with the community were made, as P. Randy said, “the community trusts us.”

So we continue to believe we are making an impact.  We continue to pray for Sucker River and we continue to resolve to bring the love of Jesus to the children.

Pray without ceasing!!!

LAMP Partners,

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.  Luke 18.16

Thank you for your prayers and love.  This latest trip to the indigenous community of Sucker River, Saskatchewan was probably the best ever.  Thank you again for all of your prayers and the support given by Trinity Lutheran Utica.

Let me start with the highlights.  Our first day, Monday July 29 saw us hosting MORE CHILDREN THAN WE’VE EVER HAD, 42.  Our community supper, which in the past has attracted 5-7 adults had a whopping 90 people participate. Our last day, Friday August 2, had a record breaking 25 kids.  We are so blessed and very encouraged with the numbers that we witnessed to.  Of course, we know that witnessing for Jesus is not about numbers but we are very encouraged that we were able to touch so many lives.

Now for some details.  We flew to Saskatoon where we rented a couple of pick-up trucks (cheaper than cars believe it or not).  After stopping at Pastor Randy Heide’s house for supplies, we continued the 5 hour trip to Missinipe, not counting stops for lunch, groceries and a tarp (due to unexpected rain).  Now Missinipe is a nice place but it’s 45 minutes north of Sucker River on a gravel road. I frequently say that the travel days are the most difficult part of the trip.

Sunday we were warmly welcomed at La Ronge Lutheran Fellowship church followed by preparing for VBS at Chief Moses Ratt School (CMRS) our headquarters.  Monday the kids were lined up out the door.  They were very happy to see us and a little unruly.

“There are different varieties of gifts, but the same spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different forms of activity, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.” 1 Cor 12:4-6

We had an awesome team.  I’ve heard it said that some of the best teams function well at their jobs in spite of having personal differences.  We had that team.  Cindy Gliesman did an incredible job of planning out the entire trip.  Jan Pratt was looking out for potential problems and solutions. Jan Hastings and Tom Schlegel worked tirelessly in the kitchen preparing lunches and snacks. Jessica Campbell and Ty Spalding, I don’t know how they kept up the energy to deal with the kids.  Jessica had girls constantly braiding and playing with her hair. Ty had a kid on his back every step of the 2 miles that we walked the neighborhood.  They went swimming with the kids and they provided music.  Me, I sang songs and tried to keep everybody motivated.  None of us could have done the others jobs as well

Kids.  The kids were very happy and very undisciplined.  It’s bittersweet.  We’re pretty sure that they feel our love which is why they want to be with us and we pray that Jesus whom we come to proclaim will be a part of their lives. We pray that if nothing else they feel the love and know that the love comes from Jesus.  But they have so much energy…

Community Supper.  We’ve been trying for at least 5 years to reach out to the adults in the community with the love of Jesus.  We have done this by hosting a community supper and previously had dismal results maybe 5-7 adults.  This last February, Peter Rynearson came up with the idea that we should serve KFC chicken, a popular meal.  We were giving away a lot of chicken at the end of the night. This time we had about 90 people show up.  We ran out of food.  We’re still not sure what made the difference. Maybe it was the grandmother (Kukum) who showed up at the last supper.  Maybe it was the 20 kids who helped us pass out 50 fliers (remember Ty carrying kids for 2 miles?) Maybe it was having it outside at the Old Cultural Site.  Whatever it was we will be more ready for them next time including thanking them for coming and telling them more about Jesus.

I think of the children with their smiling faces and love.  I think of our team of missionaries.  We all came back with mixed feelings of joy, accomplishment, amazement, disappointment and fatigue.  Yes we were all very tired at the end of the week.  I also think of the little girl who showed up in the same pair of pajamas all week long.  I think of a young girl who has been a problem child in the past.  She is still a problem, but we all saw a softening of her heart.  I know that we still have a lot of work to do.   We’re already making plans for February

Lamp Partners,

When I thought, “My foot slips.” Your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.  Psalm 94:18

We’ve made it back safe and sound.  Long days of travel to be sure, that for me is the most difficult part of the mission trip.  But once again the hardship was immediately dispelled when we drove into the community and encountered two of the children whose faces lit up when they realized that we were back for another round of Vacation Bible School (VBS)!  By the time we drove the quarter mile to the school, we had more than enough help unloading the truck and van.  We then had to ask them to come back tomorrow because of course, they wanted to get started right away!  We explained that we were not ready for them yet but we would be tomorrow.  All glory be to God.

The theme of the VBS was Weird Animals: Where Jesus’ Love Is One-of-a-Kind!  The youngsters got to experience what it is like to be Left-Out Lepers.  Using round sticker spots they were separated from the fun that the Non-Lepers were having before being “healed”.  The tots learned that “Even when you’re left out…Jesus Loves You!  The next day the tykes got their feet washed.  It was a time of confusion and some resistance.  The lesson was “Even when you don’t understand…Jesus Loves You!”  On our last day the young’uns heard the story of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion.  The children all put their names on a cross learning that “Even though you do wrong…Jesus Loves You!”  But of course, that’s not the end of the story.  The kids heard that Jesus had come back to life!  Jesus is alive!  And His love for them will live forever!

We had a total of about 30 youngsters for the three days of lessons.  We started each day by serving lunch.  We learned a couple of years ago that some tots break into houses to steal food, so we decided to start the VBS’ with lunch.  That was a good decision.  And although some of the tykes stay only for lunch a big majority of them stay for the lessons.  We do a skit, learn some dance moves, play some games, eat some interesting snacks; all designed to emphasize and support the Bible Point of the day.  We’re told by many adults that our visits are anticipated by the young’uns and that they seem genuinely happy when we’re in town.  Lord, I pray that our spreading of the Gospel message is changing the lives of the children.

We also had a community supper.  This year we held it at the Band Hall rather than the school and served Kentucky Fried Chicken, something that is popular in the area.  Again, our numbers did not meet our expectations.  But the bright spot is that one of our guests was a grandmother or kookum.  We’ve been told that the key to getting adult participation is to get support from the grandparents, so maybe this is the beginning of more adults at our community suppers.  We put it in God’s hands.

Please put us in your prayers as we are seeking God’s will for our next steps.  Some of the things being prayed over are: should we minister to another community; should that be in addition to or instead of Sucker River; should it be a drive to or fly in community; when is the best week(s)  to go in the summer;  we pray for God continue to supply new missionaries; should we be looking at ways to help fund missionaries who are willing to go but do not have the resources?  These are some of the decisions that we are asking God to help us with.

Once again we thank you for your prayers and support.  God Bless You All.

LAMP Prayer Partners,

Thank you for all your wonderful prayers during the resent mission trip to Sucker River Saskatchewan.  God is good.  What a blessing it was for the eight of us to bring the gospel message to 38 wonderful indigenous children and to let them know that we serve an Awesome God who loves us no matter what, who is everywhere, who is in charge, who’s stronger than anything and who is full of surprises.  AWESOME GOD!

God had His hands all over this from the beginning, helping us with travel situations, classroom set up, bringing local helpers, providing equipment, encouragement and support from the adults of the community and of course the 38 smiling and helpful faces of the children.  He really is with us everywhere, AWESOME GOD.

We did have a couple of trials but that’s typical for this type of endeavor.  Eight missionaries is the largest team that we’ve ever had.  And of course with a team that size there are always challenges with lodging arrangements, transportation coordination, food preferences,  assignments and just generally trying to fit in an unfamiliar environment.  But God is good and He helped us work together with with little difficulties.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

We look forward to returning next year. There is some talk about going in February but the decision hasn’t been made.  We prayerfully leave in in God’s hands to direct our next steps.

Thank you again for your prayers.

Attached are some pictures