7-8  September - Olathe, Ks

Monday:  Met with DCS Peggy Gott and Nola Gray to discuss the scope of their DeafOutreach efforts in Olathe area, Kansas City area or Kansas area.  Great discussions.

Tuesday:  Met with Pastor David Kahle, Redeemer Lutheran Church, to continue the same discusion.   

6 September - St Charles, Mo 

Meanwhile in St Charles 

On Sunday 6 September in St Charles, members of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in downtown St Louis visited all of the services at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St Charles. Bethlehem is one of the oldest LCMS churches in the St Louis area, founded in April 1849 nearly parallel with Immanuel's founding in 1847.  

The Bethlehem Praise Band performed along with the Immanuel Praise Band at the 1045 service .AND. they also brought their Deaf Interpreter too!! 

Deaconess Interin Katie Beegle connected with their 2 pastors after the 1045 service and might get to go Bethlehem to talk about Deaf Outreach.

4-10 September - Kansas City/Olathe Area

On Friday, 4 September, Pastor Reinke and Dacia left the St Louis area headed to Kansas City (Olathe) area.  They plan to be there until about 10 September.  

Deaconess Commissioning and Installation  

On Sunday. 6 September, Peggy Gott and Nola Gray were commissioned and installed as Deaconess' at Redeemer Lutheran Chirch in Olathe Kansas.  Congratulations to Peggy and Nola.  

Additional Photos are available at Commission and Installation 

Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August - Flying Home 

07:00 AM Sunday

Deaconness Becky Catchpole flew out of Accra Ghana early on Saturday morning.  Pastor Reinke and Deaconess Intern Katie Beegle flew out of Accura about 10:30 PM, apparenlty to Dulles in Washington DC.  They are currently flying from DC to Chicago and then from Chicago to St Louis later today.  Weather delays in Chicago, but should be in STL this afternoon.

Friday 28 August - Ghana Day 6

Friday was a half day of training and prepartion to head back to the US.

Received a brief text from Katie that they had left the seminary and were at a hotel near the airport.  Becky has an early flight Saturday morning.  Looking forward to an update tomorrow and praying for safe return home. 

Thursday 27 August - Ghana Day 5

Ghana Update for Thursday August 27

Deaconess Intern Katie Beegle 

What do when electric goes off? 

Keep teaching! No electricity for 4 hours! It was hot but our class kept going! We taught about the 10 commandments - they drew pictures of each commandment and acted out the good Samaritan.    

What do you do when you have rice balls and ground nut soup?  You use your fingers to eat because that is culturally expected!   

What do you drink on HOT day in Ghana? HOT tea! Be careful when pouring so you don’t burn your fingers! Ouch! 

After dinner we went to the roof one last time to watch the sunset!  I will miss going on the roof and looking out at the mountains.  

We walked a Deaf student back to her house.  It was fun to walk at night (we had flashlights and went with a group).   On our way back, we went through the African Bush!   I was hoping to see a snake or crocodile or monkey or bug... but we didn’t see any!   We had one person interpreting in Twi (The language spoken by the family) and one person interpreting in sign language.  What a fascinating experience!  

Tomorrow we are here until 1 and then we start working on our way home!   I have learned much and feel God with me every step of this adventure.   Taking time to soak it all in and do what God has planned for me to do this trip!   

Stay tuned for all exciting details of the last day!

To God be the Glory!

Deaconess Rebecca Catchpole Thursday report

Today was our last full day of training before we began our journey home. The weather was beautiful, making it a wonderful day to spend together!

Katie and I taught a lesson on the Ten Commandments, and the group practiced acting out the story of the Good Samaritan. They had fun doing it! 

During the afternoon, several cows wandered past our classroom. It was enjoyable to watch them peacefully grazing on the grass nearby.

Our electricity was out for most of the afternoon, which is a common occurrence in many parts of Ghana. Thankfully, it did not disrupt our training, and we were able to continue without difficulty.

Later, we walked a 15-year-old Deaf girl home and had the opportunity to meet her mother and other family members. Their home was not far from where we were staying. 

On our return, we took a different route and observed how bamboo is commonly used as support scaffolding during the construction of homes and businesses. It was interesting to see it.

I thank God for all the Deaf individuals who were able to participate in the training this week. We are grateful for the relationships that were built and the opportunities to share God’s Word together. We would appreciate your prayers as we prepare to fly home to America on Saturday, asking for safe travels and continued blessings on the work that was accomplished here.

Ghana Update 08/27/2026.

Deaconess Intern Katie Beegle 

Need things done ... Now! 

In US we are used to not waiting. God said Be Still and know I am God! We are to trust in God and His timing.  

I did my laundry this morning before heading over to start teaching at 7:30. I wanted everything to dry on the line outside by this evening! In Africa things take time-

Drinking Safe water, hand washing, having Hot tea, and line drying clothes, andteaching. Today I learned if there is no gas to cook food... we wait until after 1pm to eat lunch. There were no complaints, we just kept teaching! Thanking God, we have people cooking food and making sure we are fed.  

Today We arrived by 7:30 and students were in classroom studying! They can’t get enough of diving into Gods word.  Our class started by signing the Lord’s Prayer. Then dove into the Apostles Creed. Two finished drawing days of creation early. They taught the other 2 the lesson for the day! One thing we do is train Deaf Leaders! We encourage Deaf to lead, have them Pray, and teach others.  

After dinner, Becky and I went to roof to look over the city of Accra. My favorite is being on roof and seeing God His creation. I am filled with excitement at this trip knowing I am doing Gods will!   

Then we did a little Bible studying and.... Our students were looking for us! It was after 7 PM and they wanted us to teach more! God is working here and the Holy Spirit is pouring our students! We ended up a little after 8:00 talking about the Story of the Fiery Furnace!   

One the way back to the house, I saw ducks! Now I have seen cats, dogs, cows, goats, birds, lizards, chickens, roosters and fire ants! ..... one thing I have not seen - mosquitoes! 

Tomorrow is our last  full day teaching! That is unbelievable! Praise God for all His blessings!

Deaconess Catchpole Wednesday report

Our students were so motivated and kept on learning! We had two students that helped and explained to the other students! We continue to work on the BLAST material. The highlight of the day came after dinner when several students asked to continue learning. Katie and I gladly spent the evening teaching and reviewing the material with them. Their desire to learn is truly inspiring. God is good!

For breakfast, we enjoyed bread with a semi-sweet chocolate spread and hot tea. The weather was beautiful, but we learned that the ultraviolet index was extremely high, so we remained indoors and focused on teaching throughout the day. Dinner consisted of rice and chicken, a simple but satisfying meal.

I thank God for all the wonderful people we have met and served alongside during this trip. We have only two more days before we begin our journey home, and we are grateful for every opportunity He has provided.

Wednesday 26 August - Ghana Day 4

Ghana Update 08/26/2026.

From Deaconess Rebecca Catchpole

We finally have the hot water! Several Ghanaian men came and fixed our water tankless in our bathroom. No more cold showers and we are grateful for their help!

We teaching on the Lord’s Prayer and practiced several stories from the Bible. Jesus heals ten men who have a skin disease and Jesus feeds five thousand were the stories that they practice and act out. We talked how important is to pray - we emphasized on 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “never stop praying.” Together, we explored how God strengthens us to resist temptation and remain faithful in our daily lives.

Before dinner, we had the opportunity to join a Zoom session with the ASL class at Lutheran High School in St. Louis. Our students enjoyed meeting the hearing students, and it was encouraging to watch them interact. The hearing students had a chance to practice their receptive ASL skills, and it seemed that everyone enjoyed the experience.

One of the highlights of the day was tasting fresh sugar cane straight from the plant—it was absolutely delicious! Later, Katie and I went to the rooftop of the seminary, where we were rewarded with breathtaking views of the mountains and the surrounding Ghanaian villages.

God continues to bless our time here with meaningful opportunities to teach, learn, connect, and witness His work among His people.

From Rev Dr John Reinke

First, I am thanking God for all of his blessings!!

Second, I want to thank you for all of your prayers and support!!

Third, I would like to give you 3 of my Insights into our trip.

•  One of our pastors watching us teach, the deaf people. And he commented on how we are teaching. All day from seven thirty in the morning until eight thirty at night. He commented and said he preaches and teaches 2 or three hours on Sunday and needs a nap:)

I thank Jesus for the strength. He teaches us to be able to study and answer questions.

•  I am amazed by our deaf leaders!! we have 2 more pastors in Liberia, and now in Ghana, we have seven studying to become pastors and deaconesses. Lord willing, next year, we will be ordaining, two new pastors and one new deaconess in Ghana!!!!

I think this is phenomenal, and I thank God, and all of the people involved in helping train these deaf leaders and share the gospel with more deaf people and their families.

•  I thank God for the materials. Both ABC Deaf and ASL Jesus Signs that God has helped us to develop over the years!! We have deaf and hearing and pastors and teachers that are using our materials to study and grow and spread the gospel. 

I thank God for all of the people in America that are helping us to develop this and be able to put this online!! Without all of you helping us this would not be possible. I thank God that He has led us to work together!!!

I pray; you are seeing all of the pictures and praying for everyone in the pictures.

I want to thank God for our team and their willingness to be flexible. And adaptable and fantastic to work with

I want to thank God for our spouses and families and their support without their support this training would not be possible!!

God's blessings to you. As you continue to share the gospel in your area!!

Tuesday 25 August - Ghana Day 3

Tuesday August 25

Deaconess Intern Katie Beegle 

Morning by morning new mercies you bring

Standing on roof looking out at Ghana... 

I can look down and see all the flaws ( too high ) or I can look across at the landscape and see beauty! Focus on the positive and the more positive you will see. 

The good is teaching Deaf how to read Bible, spending time in Gods word, teaching how to pray and the Lord's Prayer, exploring new places / learning more history, and trying new foods! Knowing I am doing Gods will gives me joy!  

Breakfast.... food for the brain what I learned : 

Righteous - good person perfect person 

Holy separate from world. Perfect 

Except means only in Bible 

God is Faithful sign :

Faithful- God Keep promise

Amazing I learned all of this eating an egg sandwich!  

How should you pray? 

Class today was on the Lord's Prayer! We talked about all things prayer. Does God answer prayers - sometimes yes sometimes no and sometimes not yet are the answers. I told the class - I wanted to go to Africa and prayed to God. God His will be done. He answered my prayer and I am teaching Deaf in Africa!   

We wrapped up class today Zooming into Mrs Thaemerts Lutheran St Charles HS ASL class ;). Becky and I showed the class the Ghanaian sign for Deaconess- D over heart making a cross). We plan to use that when we get back to the US!  

We were able to see the trash being burned. We talked about forgiveness today. It is like burning trash. When we ask forgiveness, the trash (sin) disappears.   

Sweet ending to the day....

After dinner of rice, veggies, gizzards,& red sauce..... We had sugar cane!     

Thanking God for the little things -

Having a working light in our bathroom

possibly have warmish water for bucket baths! 

Getting buckets to have a bucket bath with!

Ghana Report – 08/25/2026

Deaconess Intern Katie Beegle 

Katie, can you believe you are In Africa?

I am seeing people knock mangoes out of trees with a long stick. Students do not want to stop studying to eat or sleep. Seeing goats. Dogs running around inside seminary.

Learning that dogs, cats, mice, rats are all considered meat (no have not tried those).

Time moves different. Learning that things take time like laundry drying on a line or hanging on windows. Living without AC (no don't miss it). 

Learning buckets baths, hot tea, safe foods, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper are important (Thanking God for all of those).

Tea breaks happen here too! 

Trying new foods: spicy is my new favorite and plantains.

Finding quiet time on the roof of the seminary building (4 floors up)

Eating donut holes and spaghetti that are not gluten

Notebooks and pens are not easy to get 

Spicy food kills things in stomach 

Who is God and do we believe in one God or many gods???

Today we taught about the Bible.  Our class had tough time with question: How many Gods do we have?  One said 7 one said 2 .... it took 3 hours of explaining and now they understand- We only have one God! 

Deuteronomy 6:4 states our LORD is the one and only God.   This verse helped explain!   

We talked about who God is and the 10 commandments.   We discussed what Law is and what Gospel is.... and the different names of the Bible.   Explaining what heaven and hell are led to questions about who is in hell.  

Tomorrow- The Lord’s Prayer! 

Thanking God for this adventure! Growing and learning many things...!

Monday 24 August - Ghana Day 2

Deaconess Rebecca Catchpole

Monday report:

Our group was so hungry for God’s Word! They asked some challenging questions such as, “Is Jesus God?”, “What does it mean that Jesus is Lord?”, and “If I steal, will God forgive me?” Our discussion was great! 

We talked about who wrote the Bible, the Ten Commandments, who is God? the triune and many other things. We looked at several verses together and had a volunteer to sign it. One of our deepest discussions centered on Trinity. Some participants believed there might be four or even eight gods, so Katie and I spent time explaining that there is only one true God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Using an apple as a visual illustration helped make this difficult concept easier to understand. Otherwise, we had a fun day!

The weather was beautiful. It did rain a little bit. 

The food was great! We had rice with vegetables and chicken for lunch and dinner. For breakfast we had homemade donuts and cream of wheat. It was delicious! 

We thank God for another day filled with learning, fellowship, and the joy of sharing His Word.

More Ghana - Day 1

Note - the Outreach Team did not have Wifi coverage nor cell service for most of the 2 day transition from Liberia to Ghana.  No contact for more than 48 hours.  No one else seem worried, but I was.   Katie later reported that they were delayed more than 4 hours at the airport with no service then an hour long ride to the seminary in Accra after landing.  (7:30 PM).  Still no WiFi.

Sunday they went to the Deaf Village.  Then the Deaf came to the seminary and they started classes.   Did not have wifi until they got back "home" Sunday night.   

Ghana Update - Sunday August 23

Deaconess Intern Katie Beegle 

Today we went to the Deaf Village for church! A fantastic experience! The surrounding mountains, trees, flowers, and animals... I can’t imagine leaving such a place!

The Deaf church has been worked on for the past few years and looks incredible! They have many options for the area nearby. It will be fun to see what the Deaf decide to do with space!   

The children in the village walked with us, holding our hands, and touching our skin to make sure the white didn’t rub off. Walking in the village everyone was friendly and said hi. I even went with Pastor Reinke and Becky to meet the Chief of the village.  

We saw chickens, goats, cows, dogs, cats... the children loved collecting snail shells for us! They are huge shells!  

Back at the seminary, we met some Deaf who arrived early for the workshop, set up the classrooms, Becky gave me a tour of the building! The best part was going on the roof to look at the entire town. One thing we saw was the giant termite mound at the seminary. I have been seeing many different bugs of all sizes.   

We did start class tonight to get to know our students. Our class discussed Noah's Ark and had many questions.    

We wrapped up the night with discussions and dinner and meetings with more discussions over tea. We talked about Lord's Supper, Holy means separate, and Simal Justus et Peccater means (it is my new Deaconess Intern Word to memorize- it means saint and sinners at same time).   

Thanking God for all that are at workshop in Ghana this week. praying that they grow in their faith and find more pastors and Deaconesses.

Sunday 23 August - Ghana Day 1

Friday 21 August - Liberia Day 7 

Liberia Update 08/21/2026.

Deaconess Intern Katie Beegle

WOW! This adventure began a whole week ago today!

This morning we headed out early to meet with people before the workshop began!

Breakfast was delicious! It was called short bread, and you eat it with preserves. Plus, eggs with meat.

This morning, Becky and I had the group pick and act out Bible Stories. Every day, I am amazed at the youth! We had no electricity most of the day and it was HOT! How, the young group of boys worked for 3 hours on their story! We are encouraging leaders in our group to help others! That way it will continue when we leave. Then, this afternoon. went over Bible Stories and the Lord’s Prayer. We talked about Law and Gospel & dove into the Deaf Catechism!

We had 30 Deaf people in our group today. We, also worked on signing some up for our Deaf materials online. 

The best part is Becky, and I are learning Liberian signs. Our group is patient and eager to teach us!

It rained on and off today too! Tonight, for dinner we had eggs and chicken with rice. The eggs were hard boiled and delicious!

After dinner, we sorted out our action packers, and We walked back to the place we are staying: most cars on road were the trotos (mouse cars). There is a vehicle car lot, and it has Fords, Jeeps, Nissan, Hyundai, and Corollas.

I loved coming to Liberia and will be sad to leave! I have made new friends and will look forward to seeing them again next year!

Thursday 20 August - Liberia Day 6

Liberia Update 08/20/2026

Deaconess Rebecca Catchpole

Today, we continued our work with the WLGA. The group especially enjoyed acting out Bible stories, including the story of David and Goliath. Their enthusiasm and participation made the lesson come alive. We also spent time discussing the Ten Commandments and were encouraged to see several leaders step forward to help and support others in the group.

I am continuing to learn their sign language, which is very similar to ours in many ways, while also gaining a deeper understanding for their culture and food. On the drive back home, it was interesting to see so many people along the roadsides selling a variety of goods. Each day brings new experiences and opportunities to learn, and I am grateful for the chance to serve and connect with the people here.

Wednesday 19 August - Liberia Day 5

Deaconess Rebecca Catchpole 

Wednesday’s report:

We woke up to a heavy downpour this morning that lasted for several hours. It was my first experience with Liberia’s rainy season, as my previous visit in November 2019 was during the dry season. Seeing the contrast between the two seasons has been fascinating.

Rev Dr John Reinke

Today was a very wet and rainy and awesome and frustrating and fantastic day  

Start it off with rain everywhere. And we could not get through the flooding, and we could not walk as we would need to take our shoes off, but we rented a mouse car to get us through and bring us to that church

Class today started off. Great, we talked about baptism and circumcision and law and gospel and many other. Theological discussions with the deaf leaders.  

It was a fantastic morning getting into God's word!!

This afternoon we lost electricity, and we taught in the dark. But we continue to study and discuss just not much Reading.

And after afternoon tea, we worked on preparing them for doing the training online after we are gone, and many were amazed at how many materials we study and what they would be learning

Thank you. God, they are wanting to learn. And they are eager to study Gods word  

Again, they asked today if we could stay 4 months or longer:)

This evening, we walked back with our deaf leaders. The water has gone down. And it was a nice evening for a walk. Now we are doing prep work for tomorrow

Highlight for the evening, we got the electric hot water pot back. So we can make hot bucket baths tomorrow!!

We pray every night as the muslim call to prayer goes out and we pray for all of those who are hearing it and who are going to the mosque

Liberia Update 08/19/2026.

From Deaconess Becky Catchpole

Yesterday’s report:

We had a great and productive day! We had about 20 deaf people in our Deaf Bible study group. Katie and I taught the group. They had great questions! Some of the questions were “Did God make the devil? Who creates God?” We were impressed that some of them know Bible stories. We started to talk about Mark 7:32. Jesus and the deaf man. We practiced and acted out the story. 

We practiced on how to find the verses. We took our time to help them find verses. We studied creation by using 3 and 3 visual pictures. It was awesome to see them motivated and want to learn more about God! On the way home, I decided to go for a walk instead of taking trotro. Of course I didn’t go alone. I was with our group. It was surprising to see many mosques set up near us. It is really sad to see increasing mosques. Please pray for them that the Holy Spirit touch with hearts and mind to know the truth about Jesus.

Today’s report:

We started the day with a big breakfast! We had cream of wheat, scrambled eggs mixed with meat, bread and tea. Then we had Bible study all morning focus on different verses. We had some great questions from the deaf people. Katie and I continue to teach and help them to understand God’s Word. We were impressed that they remembered God’s stories. In the afternoon we had the groups practiced WLGA (what happened in the story, law, Gospel and application). Then we practiced acting out the stories. 

Before we head “home”, we all rode Trotro for the first time. It was a little bigger than normal trotro. This time it can carry 7 people at once!

Note  "trotro" is public transportation - often a mini-van

Tuesday 18 August - Liberia Day 4

Another Day 4 update from Deaconess Intern Katie Beegle 

Liberia Update from Katie

Deaconess Intern Katie Beegle 

Happy Tuesday!

I am amazed! We started the day on a little mouse car (small Taxi) adventure and watched the crocodile being fed!  Class today was all about Bible Stories. First, we had the class look up verses, read, and explain what verse meant.   We acted out the verses!   The verses led to many questions about what is a sin, who can be saved…

Then, 

We did WLGA- What happen, Law and Gospel, Application for Bible Stories with our group.  My favorite was acting out the three men and the fiery furnace!  The Deaf really enjoyed doing the story and want to do more tomorrow.   

We ended with review creation story and the Lord's Prayer! 

Today we had many young teen Deaf.  They sat the entire day and wanted to learn! 

They participated and asked good questions!   I was amazed how dedicated they were - sitting in a church with no AC, no water bottles, and wanting to study the Bible!   They were excited to hop up and show what they learned too!   When they left , they had the biggest smiles and are extremely excited to come back tomorrow!  God is awesome! 

The food was good! We had chicken and fried rice this evening!  We even have a mid-afternoon hot tea break!   It really helps!   

Today I met a Deaf man who plays on the Liberian soccer team and a Deaf man who is attending university to be a social worker!   

It was a rainy day which meant it was cloudy and would ne dark early because clouds hid the sun.

Tuesday 18 August - Liberia Day 4

Pastors Palmer and Reinke provided these updates

Liberia Update 08/18/2026

From Rev Bud Palmer

Liberia has been a great experience for in-depth training. The Bishop Rev. Dr. James Coley, ordained, 2 of the deaf men, Howard Poigne, and TK Torquepore. We have about 40 deaf in total, including men, women and youth. 

I preached the sermon on Mark 7:31-37. Jesus makes the deaf man to hear and speak a new Pentecost. Be open. The hearing people of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah Lutheran Church were fantastic hosts. They had African style rhythms and traditional lyrics. For hymns, they danced in processional for the opening of the worship. Wow, so wonderful. It was a little different worship service for me to the Lord. But I am sure He loved it as much as I did. 

We had many Lutheran pastors from Liberia. We even had pastors visiting from another country.  Just outstanding.  We had meals and drinks afterwards, and great celebration of the first two deaf pastors joining the full-fledge, clergy, the deaf congregants, were all ecstatic and praising our gracious Heavenly Father for bountiful, mercy in providing two deaf pastors to work in gathering the harvest of his sheep

From Rev Dr John Reinke

August 17th, 2026. It has already been 5 days - with 42 hours of travel. Met deaf people in the airport. I think the team is doing great. Saturday was mostly prep day meeting with the deaf leaders planning for the workshop. Meeting with the bishop and Pastor Boley working on ordination workshop worship arranging things for food. Sorting the bibles and materials we brought

Sunday was fantastic! 9 years after starting Howard and Torkpor became ordained and installed as pastors. Thanking God. Began the day with deaf Bible study, then we joined the hearing for worship. We signed the worship songs, et cetera. Flooding, like crazy by the end of the first song, everyone was impressed with many deaf coming to support the new pastors, then we had me all together and talked with all of the deaf

We have no meeting room where we are. Staying, it is dorm-room style above a chop bar, safe place, loud music, cold minerals

Monday 17 August – Liberia Day 3

Pastor Reinke reports: Start of the day, and we already have almost 30 students

Deaconess Intern Katie Beegle and Deaconess Becky Catchpole provided a summary of the events from arrival through Sunday 

Sunday - 16 August - Liberia Day 2

Ordination Day and Bible Study

Katie texted:  Love that Sunday's in Liberia are a day of rest!  

Saturday - 15 August - Liberia Day 1

Summary - Pastor Reinke texted and said: 

Lots of prep work today:)    Getting ready for ordination and teaching for the week

I think team did great today!! (After 42 hours of traveling:))

15 August 2026

The Outreach Team arrived in Liberia late yesterday (Friday) evening.   Not sure exactly, but the trip was well over 30 hours.  WOW!  Only 1 picture from last night, but Katie and Becky sent daily reports, Posted Below 

14 August 2026

ALMOST THERE!

Message from Dacia around 2PM local (STL) said that the team had landed in Freetown, Sierra Leone.  One hour layover and then short flight to Liberia.  Continue to pray for save travels.  

13 August 2026

On their way!

Rev John Reinke & Deaconess Intern Katie Beegle are on their way to meet up with Rev Bud Palmer and Deaconess Rebecca Catchpole. They will travel together to Liberia to attend the ordination and installation of a new deaf pastor. After a week of training in Liberia, they will travel to Ghana for a week of training and disciple-making.

30 June 2026

Pastor Reinke and Dacia are headed back from North Carolina.  They should arrive back in the STL/STC area by 6 or 7 July.

9 June -

Traveling from Wisconsin to Kentucky for International Lutheran Deaf Association (ILDA) conference. 

Paused near Casey, Illinois

3 June 2026 - Gaylord MN 

Saturday and  Sunday - 30-31 May

Can you tell Pastor's sermon from these 4 signs?

28 May 2026

Travel Day - Pastor and Dacia moved from Milton. WI to Phillips, WI.  They will be staying in the Solberg Lake County Park and reaching out to many people from there.

24 May 2026

St Paul Luthern Church, Janesville, Wisconsin 

21-24 May 2026

17 May 2026

Worship and Fellowship with Holy Cross Deaf (Kirkwood, Mo) before heading out on the road, again. 

Fellowship after Worship at Holy Cross Deaf 

16 May 2026

Pastor Reinke and Deaconess Intern Katie traveled to Central Illinois 

Zoom Classes continue on the road 2026 Pictures 

Outreach Nevada and Travel back to St Louis  

2 April 2026

Pastor and Daica arrived safely back in the St Louis area on Thursday afternoon.  Thanking God for safe travels and the many outreach opportunities over the last several months.

1 April 2026

Pastor and Dacia are traveling today.  They hope to make it to Joplin Mo for overnight.  That would allow them to make it back to St Charles on Thursday.  

See Pastor Reinke's summary of On way home Nevada, Tulsa etc 2026 Pictures

31 March 2026

Pastor and Dacia had planned to reach Tulsa Oklahoma today and meet with Church Leaders from Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tulsa Oklahoma tomorrow.

High winds prevented them from reaching Tulsa today.

29 March 2026  (Sunday )

Pastor Reinke and Dacia worshiped in Albuquerque this morning.  After church they took a drive .........  

27 March 2026

Encountering high winds the last two days.  Pray for safe travels.

Friday night 27th March in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  They will be doing a Mission Festival on Sunday and will be leaving Albuquerque on Monday morning.

Thursday night 26th March in Holbrook, Arizona  

Wednesday night 25th March Las Vegas/Henderson, Nevada 

23/24 March 2026

Pastor and Dacia traveled from San Francisco to Virgina City, Nevada.   They will work there for a few days before heading back to St Louis/St Charles Mo. 

See Pastor Reinke's summary of Southern California 2026

And California North 2026 Pictures 

22 March 2026

17 March 2026

Pastors' "Winkel" ??

The German word, “Winkel” means corner, angle, place, or spot.   In the early days of the LCMS, the circuit pastors’ meetings were called “Winkels.”  

15 March 2026

Pastor Reinke and Dacia traveled to the San Francisco Bay area on 8 March. They will be working there until about 24 March, then heading back to St Louis through Reno, Nevada.  

On Wednesday, 11 March Pastor Reinke met with the California-Nevada-Hawaii (CNH) District President for LCMS.  Rev Michael Lange serves the district based out of Livermore, California.   

On Sunday morning 15 March - Pastor Reinke preached at Zion Lutheran Church in San Francisco.   Kyle Hovatter, Director of Music, provided a link to their YouTube recording   https://youtu.be/96jc87Gg4MM?si=KqVC8s19xix2fXUL.  Met with Pastor Lenny Szeto and his wife Julie.  Julie is learning to sign and they have people that can sign at their school.  

7 March 2026

Pastor Reinke and Dacia arrived in Bakersfield CA on Thursday and will be there through Sunday.  On Saturday Pastor reported that they had met a woman who signs and reports that there are a lot of deaf who live in Bakersfield.  Pastor Reinke will meet on Sunday with the pastor of a local Lutheran church - meeting with people who sign at church in kindergarten and preschool.

26 Feb 2026

Pastor Reinke and Dacia traveled from the Phoenix area to Southern California on Monday, 25 Feb.   Despite a blown tire on the rear of the RV, they arrived safely at their campground.  Dacia reported that the daytime temperatures there were in the 90s.

Pastor will be conducting training in a number of areas including Riverside and Irvine.

See Pastor Reinke's summary of Arizonia Deaf Ministry Week 2026 Pictures

January 2026 Newsletter 

- Outreach and Training in Texas and Arizona

Update from Deaconess Becky Catchpole - Arizona Outreach Efforts 

Becky Catchpole forwarded these pictures from the Phoenix area visits. 

Teaching and Training at Life in Christ Lutheran Church for Deaf Ministry - Peoria, Az

See Pastor Reinke's summary of  Texas Training 2026 pictures 

11 Feb 2026

Pastor Reinke finished his outreach in the Austin, Tx area and then began the journey to Pheonix, Az.   He will attend the Best Practices for Ministry (BMP) Conference this weekend and continue to work in the Pheonix area until 25 February.  

Workshop at Lifebridge Community Church Sealy TX. JAN 31, 2026 

Daily Reports

- Outreach and Training in Africa 2026

12 January, 2026 Ghana Update 

Pastors Palmer and Reinke landed in Atlanta about 7PM on Sunday, 11 January (Pastor Reinke's Birthday) and then traveled on to their respective homes.  Both arrived home in the early hours of Monday, 12 January.  

Thank God for their safe return and for a very successful training mission in Ghana

11 January, 2026 Ghana Update 

Pastors Palmer and Reinke are on their way back to the US.  Please continue to pray for safe travels.

2026 Jan 11 Ghana Report – Flying home

Rev Dr Reinke

3rd year celebrating my (Reinke) birthday on airplane from Africa!

(Waiting in airport eating Coffee and Soydogs:)

This has been one of the best trainings!

The online resources for training are working GREAT!

The students are working together.

They are studying and learning - MOST IMPORTANT - They are learning how to teach and mentor other deaf people.

Working with Rev Akorful for 29 years – (Our family live 97-98 in Ghana)

(We were much younger when we started this journey!)

In the past all the training with paper copies – now (Thank God) we are able to make things available online - I am praying hard we will be able to expand the training exponentially. 

I am praying, asking God, we will soon be able to have 10-20-more!! Deaf trained as Deaf Outreach Disciple Makers then as Pastors and Deaconesses!

Rev Palmer

Things are great here in Ghana working with the deaf “disciple-maker” group and with the Liberian Deaf too! We really “Up’d” our technology with the deaf. Remember, if you have old smart phones, and tablets (and newer laptops), we can use them. We have our online curriculum they can access and use to learn the Bible and good theology when we are not here. We hope to get some future deaf Ghanaian and Liberian pastors/deaconesses out this group of students! Please continue to pray for us and send donations; $50 or $100 goes a very long way in Ghana ($1 USA = $10 Ghana). Wise men (people) still seek Jesus! Happy 2026!

THANK YOU to everyone praying for us and supporting Deaf Outreach!  It continues to amaze us what God is doing.  We pray He will continue to bless His Word spreading around the world. 

God’s Blessings to you as we serve Jesus Together!

I hope you are enjoying the pictures from Dacia Reinke on here Facebook and posted on the www.DeafOutreach.org website.   

Jan 7, 2026 Ghana Update

2026 Jan 7 Ghana Report

Rev Dr Reinke

Thank God for electricity!!  We lost power for most of the afternoon.  It was all good – we worked outside in groups.  Then we cleaned up the compound.  Normally we do that on the last day but…

Today we started preparing all of the students for their work when they go back home.  We have:

List of students training – 12 Ghanaians and 13 Liberians

Weekly class schedule for the next 3 years. 

Pass/fail report spreadsheet for each student.

While doing in-depth studies, we worked with students on technology.  Making sure everyone has materials downloaded, opens good, and can do the testing.  97% was very good.

THE BEST PART FOR ME is see our Deaf (Pastor, Disciple Makers, etc.…) helping with the teaching.  They led the testing and worked together with the other students practicing the materials!

Sometimes you wonder if Deaf Outreach will continue – seeing the Deaf working together gives me GREAT HOPE (promise).  God is working in the hearts and lives of these Deaf.  Giving up income for almost 2 weeks to come and learn God’s Word.  Then to go back home and share with their people.

I thank God for ALL He is doing!

I pray God will continue to guide His people and give us His strength!

Serving Jesus Together!!

I hope you are enjoying the pictures from Dacia Reinke on her Facebook and posted on the www.DeafOutreach.org website.   

Jan 5, 2026 Ghana Update

2026 Jan 5 Ghana Report

WOW!  Already 1 week has passed!

Rev Dr Reinke

1st Thank you for all your prayers and support!!

2nd Thanking God for the awesome work He is doing with the students as they study together and grow together.  Please pray for the plans for training more students to become Disciple Makers!!

3rd Pray for God to bless the student with wisdom and strength.  We are starting with questions by 7:30am (before breakfast) and finishing after 8 pm.

Yesterday different day: we took all the students to the Village Adomrobe.  In the past this village had a high percentage of Deaf people.  That means many people in the village knew more sign language.  Also the village has it’s own unique sign language.  It is VERY different from Ghanian Sign Language.  Today this village is growing and becoming a town, more people moving to Adomrobe and less people signing. 

We went to help the Deaf to clear some property and do repairs on building.  We met with hearing family of the Deaf come to join us.  It was a good day working together.  The Deaf students ask what about Worship?  I explained we had Worship for 6 days (studying) now on the 7th day we are working! (We did have Worship too:) Everyone came back to the seminary exhausted. 

New Notes:

Needing to kill snakes (poisonous) before we could begin working on the village property.

Women like to use the men’s urinal because it is cleaner than the toilet seat.

(Editor's note:  There are several videos of the man working to kill the poisonous snake and many pictures of the property which the Pastors and student cleared - in the Google Photos file.  (Button at the top))

Rev. Palmer

Wow! The LORD has blessed our trip to Ghana in so many ways, as HE does every time, but each time is different and wonderful. The students are growing and learning. It is great to see how they have changed from the beginning until now. We pray often that the discipleships created here will birth “disciple-makers.” We are ever prayerful that Almighty God will continue to develop the “seeds” we have helped to plant here long after we are dead and gone. As you know, some planted, others watered, pulled weeds, but God is the one who gives the increase. We are attempting to follow Jesus’s pattern of make disciples who make other disciples which leads to an ongoing discipling mission. Jesus picked 12 disciples (students), who picked 6 each (or Jesus did) which made 72, so on and so forth. We are all Christians today because of this work in Word and Sacrament ministry from the time of our Savior Jesus

Jan 1, 2026 Ghana Update

Highlights for last 2 days:

Rev. Reinke

Rained!  Which is very not normal for this time of year.  Helped to make things cooler.  (We were waiting for the power to go off, that normally happens when it rains, BUT it did not!) 

Getting everyone connected to online classes is VERY good.  Most of the students have all the classrooms located on their phones.  They follow along with us as we teach the classes.  Preparing them to use the same materials to teach when they are at home.

Ghana and Liberia Deaf are working good together.  They are helping each other and supporting each other.  (it was rough the first year getting to know and trust each other)

Our two main Deaf leaders are showing great maturity.  I THANK GOD for their eagerness to serve and help the other Deaf leaders.

Food is great Ghanaian food.  Love our cooks! – Hope you see pictures

• Pray for Pastor Palmer – he was very tired today.

• Pray for us as 1/3 of our time here is already past. 

• Pray for our classes tomorrow and our planning on Saturday.  We will be working with Deaf in each area to develop plans for Outreach and training in their area.   

• Pray for our meetings with church and seminary leaders - God will continue to open their hearts for Deaf Outreach.

THANK YOU for your prayers and support!  I am always amazed at what God does and how He makes things possible! 

If you want to know more, please go to www.DeafOutreach.org

If you would like to support the training, you can give on the website or send donations to:

Deaf Outreach

PO Box 283

St. Charles, MO  63302

God Blesses to you and your family!

Dec 30, 2025 Ghana update

Rev. Palmer

I am tired, exhausted, and pooped! I think mainly from the travel and 6-hour time difference in Accra, Ghana. It was a great trip, but things always change even though they stay the same. The entrance road to the seminary is all torn up even by Ghana standards and that is saying something! So, after about an hour and a half trip with and extra couple of miles we arrived in Sasaabi. We quickly unpacked and went off to the classrooms at the seminary. 5 deaf from Liberia were already there and happy to see us. Especially, they liked seeing the Rev. Dr. Reinke. There were also a few Ghana deaf there too.

We arrived about 2 pm.  Catch up on all the news from Deaf, then had a Bible study for an hour and a half. After supper we answered many Bible questions, then we left and walked back to the seminary house and called it a night. The next day, Tuesday, we ate breakfast around 7 AM and started our daily class. We got back to the house around 9 PM. What a day! I hope we made a dent for God’s kingdom.

We will be back tomorrow bright and early.

Rev. Reinke

Great day!  At the end of day we have 20+ Deaf joining us for training!

We taught all morning and after lunch until 3 pm – Tea time. 

While the students did homework, we worked with the main leaders preparing them with advance materials. 

Then we talked about plans we need to finish this week:  preparing for the training when they go home, resources they need, updating their report forms for the Ghana and Liberia Lutheran Churches. 

We also met with the hearing church leaders to see what we need to finish for them before next week.

We make plans for doing work at the Deaf church in Adomrobe on Sunday.

Dinner break with more questions.

Evening was answering questions, continuing homework, helping get connected to the new ABC Deaf online classes.

(If you would like to see and study with us go to https://www.deafoutreach.org/abc-deaf).  I thank God for all the people helping to develop the classes, help put them online, and for ALL the students taking the classes!!

Finally came back to seminary house and working on reports and catching up with emails and online questions.  10:45 and heading to bed soon.

Deaf want to meet at 7 am with more questions

New experiences today – eating meat hotdogs? Beef hotdogs?  No – soya hotdogs made from soybeans

Thank you for your prayers!  We appreciate your prayers and financial support to make this training possible!

Pray for Deaf!  Pray for church leaders as we work together spread His Word.  Pray for us God will keep us healthy and rested.  God please help us!! 

God things happen today at St. Louis airport.

1.     Airlines reduced fee for extra weight by 50% because I am brining Bible for Deaf!!

2.     Because I cannot hear with the noise, plexiglass, masks, etc…  I sign going through check points so they know I can’t hear.  WEELLLL when going through TSA screening I put bags for scanning, then a TSA agent came and started signing with me!!  He helped me through all the rules, etc…  After going through he shared his wife became Deaf 25 years ago.  Cochlear implants did not work.  He learned to sign to communicate with his wife!!  They live in East St. Louis.  I shared about Deaf Outreach and gave him my card.  Praying to see how God guides.

3.    Waiting in line a lady asked me about my shirt and what I do.  I shared about Deaf Outreach and she shared she and her husband work in Kenya with a mission started by her father-in-law – a Methodist Pastor.  They have schools and clinic to work with children and families.  NOW happens many of their workers are Deaf!  But they have no outreach with the Deaf.  I shared our resources and we exchanged information – see where God leads!!

Then other fun thing – saw dad wheeling his luggage bag with small child holding on.  I thought child only holding onto the bag – but NO.  The bag had hand grips and foot peddles like a motorcycle.  Kids riding “motorcycle” through the airport

You never know what will happen and where God leads!  Praying as He continues to guide us and lead. 

Please pray for all the people working with us, the training in Africa, safe travels, etc.  We thank God for His love, forgiveness, strength, and being with us!! 

Late is afternoon Pastor Palmer (and Pastor Reinke) sent a video thanking everyone who donated funds to make this year's trip possible.  They were on board their international flight and just getting ready to taxi for takeoff.

Received Text from Pastor Reinke (3:17 AM Central Time) - "Arrived Ghana"  

Deaf Outreach in Pittsburg Area

Oct 29 - Nov 12  Pittsburg PA Training and Outreach

Monday 3 November:  Continued to meet with Pastor Schmidt to talk about needs and opportunities in the McMurry area.  Peace Lutheran Church will be a Deaf Outreach East center.  Mrs. Schmidt serves on the board of Deaf Outreach East and teaches in the local area. 

Wednesday 5 November:  Pastors Reinke and Mroz visited Mt Calvary Lutheran Church in Murrysville which is about 20-25 min East of Pittsburg near where the Reinke’s were staying.  They met with Pastor Josh Oberman and learned of several opportunities to serve that congregation.  Then they led the Wednesday night ABC Deaf Zoom classes from the church’s community center. 

Thursday 6 November:  On Thursday morning Pastors Rinke and Mroz were searching for a suitable TV stand to use while teaching/traveling.  A store manager that they met works with a Deaf Blind student with cochlear implants.  He is also a school board member and identified that one of the students at that school has deaf parents. In addition, the man’s sister is head principal of Virginia Deaf School.  God provided 5 different outreach contacts from this one man.

Then they went to Concordia Monroeville which is an LCMS nursing home.  Although they do not currently have any Deaf residents, the two chaplains agreed to have Pastor Mroz sign at an upcoming service. Chaplain Adam Silinas is also a vacancy pastor at Good Shepherd South Hills and agreed to host a Deaf Mission Festival in the future. 

Then they did the Thursday night ABC Deaf Zoom classes from that location.

Friday 7 November:  Signed a chapel service at Redeemer Lutheran School in Verona.  Pastors Reinke and Mroz joined Mrs. Schmidt (Pastor Schmidt’s wife) for several classes.  Discovered that one of the first grader’s parents are Deaf – another great outreach opportunity.  The principal invited Pastor Mroz back for future chapel services.  

Saturday 9 November:  Pastors Reinke and Mroz met with Rev Ben Jansen at First Trinity Lutheran Church in central Pittsburg.  Identified opportunities for interpreting for their Sunday service.  

Sunday 10 November:  Pastors Reinke and Mroz went to the Deaf Bible Study and then Signed the 11AM service at Trinity Lutheran.  During fellowship, they saw a number of people that they had met earlier in the week.  

Pastors Reinke and Mroz then went to Concordia Lutheran Ministries annual meeting where Pastor Reinke signed for Pastor Mroz.  Afterwards, several ladies came up and talked with them and later signed up for our on-line ASL courses.  

God blessed all of the activities in the Pittsburg area last week and the Reinke's are expected to complete their travel back to St Louis on or about 12 November.

These are some of the pictures of what I’ve been doing in AZ. God is good!  

Texas & Arizona Deaf Training

2/14/2025

Pastor Reinke and Dacia are traveling and conducting Deaf training.   They headed to Texas on 4 February and will also be in the Phoenix area for 3 weeks before returning to St Charles. Pray for success and safe travels. 

Packing up and heading home

1/9/2025

Pastor Reinke texted that they spent most of the day today at the hospital helping to get things done for Rev. Amos before leaving tomorrow for home.  We compared the 100 degree temperature there with the 7 degree temperature in St Charles/St Peters.  

Pastor texted that they were waiting for "one more thing" and then they could leave the Seminary and head to Accra overnight so that they could catch an early morning flight to start the journey home. 

Two hours later the ASL-2 class at Lutheran High School was able to video call with Pastor as the entire group was leaving for Accra.  Pastor narrated as the van with ?? 22 people weaved in and out of local traffic.  It was quite a phone call and the LHS kids LOVED it.  

Pastor told the kids that he would see them in class on Monday.  We sure hope so. 

Thank God for this very wonderful and fruitful outreach trip!!

Please also pray for Rev Amos and for safe travel home for everyone who participated in the training this year 

MANY more pictures added, click on the

"Ghana Trip Jan 2025"

on Travel Pictures page