Today we met a group of deaf people. About 17. We had a great discussion about many different things about the
Bible. Some of their challenge questions were:

• Jesus is not God?
• Will we know each other in heaven?

We shared some of the Bible verses with them like:

• Matthew 1:23  Talks about Emmanuel. Emmanuel means “God with us”
• John 14:6 talks about how Jesus is the way the truth and the life.

The look on their faces were amazing. Like they are studying to understand God's word. They continue to ask more questions. This is great! please pray for the deaf people in Liberia for their hearts to open and pass on God's word to the next Generation. They shared their food. It was very good and spicy! We had fish heads and papaya for lunch.

Their traffic system is so much different than ours in America. No traffic lights at intersections. No white and yellow lines on the road. No hard-surface roads. Congestion all over. It took us 3 hours to arrive home last night.

We see many Liberians selling food and other things by the road. Many women carrying things on their head and babies were carried in their lower back wrapped in the cloak- like materials.

We had a great day teaching and being with the people. Thank you for your prayers and asking God to continue blessing us and taking care of us.

Rev. Reinke and Dacia get asked that a lot during their travels. People want to know how is the mission and
ministry going? Are we still “having fun” as go from place to place?
​
The ministry and mission are going great. God is opening doors and we are finding that there are so many deaf people out there who are HUNGRY for God’s Word. They want to learn. They want to share. They want to teach and train. Are we still having fun? Yep. God has given us some amazing adventures. But, we have also been given some challenges.

World Lutheran Deaf Outreach pays the salaries and expenses for Rev. William Palmer and Rev. John Reinke.
They have no additional sources of income. While we have gotten some mission grants in the past; one of our major donors is no longer able to provide funding. We appreciate your donations and support. We love to talk about what we do; if you need a mission speaker, get in touch with us.

Interest in what World Lutheran Deaf Outreach is doing to share Jesus with Deaf people is growing. It is a time of changing, growing and transition. It is an exciting time. It is a frightening time. The one thing that we hold on to is that God is leading us. God is the one who is directing us. He will always be with us.

One of our changes is that we have added a new office. We now have two offices.

• Our main business office is still located in Janesville, Wisconsin.
  
• Our new Communications Office is in Sun City, Arizona.

One of our biggest challenges right now is the printing, assembling and mailing of our newsletter. As we are traveling around and meeting people; our mail list has grown to the point where we can no longer publish it while we are “on the road”. If you would be willing to help with the publishing of our newsletter; please contact us.

Rev. Neldo Schmidt (of King of Kings Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Texas) and his wife, Lori, have been working to translate our materials and resources into the Portuguese language. Why? Because her brother is deaf, only speaks Portuguese and has no one to teach him about Jesus.

​WLDO Resources are now being translated into Latvian, Tamil (India), Portuguese, and Australian Sign Language; with a possibility of Finnish in the near future.

Rev. Dr. John Reinke has received and accepted a Call from the Texas District of the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod. Because we work Nationally and Internationally the call through the Texas District gives us more flexibility to continue and expand Deaf Outreach Training. The Outreach and training we are doing is not changing!

Rev. William Palmer continues to work in the southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois state line area and travels to other areas to help with training. World Lutheran Deaf Outreach continues to be the sole provider for their salaries, compensation and expenses of doing their ministry.

​Your gifts make all of this possible.

​Greetings in Christ
 I wanted to give you an update on baptism and explain how we do outreach in other countries.
 
Thank you for all of your prayers for us and your concern for the people!!
 
You can be sure we will always find a way for the people to be baptized!!  I love to baptize people!!  In fact 18!!! Were baptized on Sunday!!  Thank You Jesus!!!  Awesome!!!
 
I also want to explain that when we go to work in an area it is always by invitation from the local LCMS partner churches 
 
We always work with the bishop and the local pastors as we train the Deaf leaders.  We want them to be involved and connected with their local Lutheran Church!
 
On this trip to Liberia I am staying with Bishop Amos Bolay at his house and we are able to talk over many things.  Bishop Bolay and I first met in our doctoral classes at Concordia Seminary.
 
The Deaf leaders here lead deaf worship themselves.  Bishop Bolay is very supportive of them and encourages them to be their own leaders
 
These leaders are working to become deaconesses and evangelist and pastors.  The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia has commissioned one of the deaf to be an evangelist.  He did the baptizing!!  Lord willing, he and the other leaders will be baptizing more people next Sunday!
 
The reason I said "no" for me doing the baptism is now the evangelist knows he can. And just as important the people know he can!  They are continuing their outreach and teaching with the many deaf muslims, jw, and other lost people.  (Two Muslims came to church today because the deaf invited them!)
 
We thank God for all of the deaf people who want to become trained and serve his people.  Please pray for us as we work with people in America and around the world to train them to become Deaconesses, evangelists, and pastors!
 
Also that many many more people will learn about Jesus, become baptized, grow in faith, and serve our Lord
 
 I look forward to the day when we will all be together in heaven and you will meet the many people you are praying for!!
 
Thank you for your support!!  
We very much appreciate ALL your support so we can continue Lutheran Deaf Outreach!!
 

​Nov 14, 2017
 
Greetings from Liberia!
 
Today I scared a lot of babies!!  Some of the hearing pastors brought their young children to church.  Whenever I get too close they begin to cry!!  A young girl in America one time said I “was scary, but nice” :)
 
But one young boy, Amos, was very scared when I first arrive at the house. I was staying in “his” area.  Why should this white guy be living in his house??  But now we have become the best of friends.  He always comes to greet me.  He sits down and shares my food with me.  We don’t understand a word each other says, but we are having a great time!
 
We have no electricity since I arrived, well, one time we did have for about 4 hours.  Once in a while they use a generator, but that is very expensive.  But I really appreciate bishop Bolay and his family for welcome me into their home.  I have learned so much as I get to see the Liberian way of life and all that happens. 
 
Classes with the Deaf again are fantastic.  They have so many questions and want to learn. Yesterday we needed to stop this afternoon at 4 because it was time to eat and several of them became upset because they wanted to go longer!  (they arrived at my door at the house at7:30 in the morning).  So I promised them we could continue discussion during supper time. We did until dark at 6 pm:)  Today we were able to go until 5:30.
 
Please pray for the Deaf as they travel.  I think the traffic is worse than last year.  It took us over an hour to get back from a short trip last night. But also pray for one young couple with two boys.  They have both had malaria for several months.  We are sending people to buy them malaria medication and I pray that will help in healing them.
 
Some interesting/cool things I have learned:
They use a refrigerator for an oven to bake the bread.
If you have bread, you have not eaten.  (they see bread as only a “snack”)
They use floor linoleum on their ceilings for cool look.
We use good smelling ant and bug spray every day!
 

​Today I had to say one of the hardest things in life as a Pastor - I had to say no I would not baptize two people.  The great thing is they want to become baptized!!  But they want me to baptize them.  Normally that would seem like a good thing, but when working to train leaders I must say no
 
Why??  I want the deaf leaders in Liberia to baptize them!!  If I do it, they may think the white man or Reinke or American is better.  NO!!  Also I want them to see their leaders as the people who Baptize.  Their leaders are the ones responsible for their spiritual care.  Their leaders are the people God is calling. 
 
I thank God the people are growing and want to become Baptized.  I thank God for His Gospel working in the lives of His people.
 
Please pray for the leaders as they continue to share His love and forgiveness!!