October 2011

Darkhan, Mongoli

Lutheran Bible School students and teachers-I’m in the back row

I finally had the opportunity this past month to return to Darkhan to continue my course on the Pentateuch (First five books of the Old Testament). It had been almost a year since the opening of the first Lutheran Bible School in Mongolia, but other duties had kept me from returning to finish the course. The phenomenon of a Bible school is actually a traditional means for educating laypeople in the Scandinavian countries. In Norway, students will often take one year after high school to study somewhere, at a cooking, sports or dancing school, whatever your fancy. But others will explore their faith more seriously and thus Lutheran Bible schools have become a means for strengthening the faith of young Christians. Oddly enough, out of its education budget, the state will give the taxpayer money for this! (One of the pluses of having a state church that I had never considered before).

In Mongolia, our friends from the Norwegian Lutheran Mission (NLM) and the Finnish Lutheran Overseas Mission (FLOM) have utilized this Scandinavian tradition to elevate the biblical knowledge of new believers in Mongolia. In addition, this is an excellent opportunity for Mongolians to understand a little more clearly what it is that makes Lutheran theology so special.

Buddhist shrine in the center of Darkhan

The students are primarily but not exclusively young. Some are working in the church as deacons or deaconesses. Most, though, have completed university and are now looking for work. Still, they take their Christian faith very seriously and want to learn more. It doesn’t often occur that I have a class respond negatively to my request to take a break. But they frequently asked to keep going when I was ready for a break! If I can keep myself from taking breaks J, I plan on concluding my course when I return to Darkhan in November.

A Milestone for Christianity in Mongolia

While walking to the city center in Darkhan, I noticed that a Buddhist statue was still the main attraction in the city. But even here in northern Mongolia, one couldn’t miss the fact that Mongolians were celebrating 20 years of Christianity this past month. In the capital of Ulaanbaatar, a major civic center was rented as a large number of Christians reflected with joy upon the explosive growth of the faith in this predominantly Buddhist country. When the communist system fell near the end of 1990, it was said that there were all of four Christians in the entire country. As Christian leaders came together during the weekend of September 16-18, estimates of the current number of Christians ranged anywhere from 40,000 to 100,000. All of this in just twenty years! The uncertainty surrounding the number of Christians reflects the fact that many Buddhist fathers in this patriarchal society answer census takers on behalf of the entire family. Highlighting a developing conflict between generations, a father will often claim that his whole family is Buddhist when in fact many of them are Christian, especially the young. Whatever the actual number of Christians in Mongolia today, I am reminded of Luke’s account of the Early Church in Acts 2:48 “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

At a cemetery on the outskirts of Darkhan and a Christian Gravesite

Changing of the Culture

On a free Saturday afternoon, Norwegian professor Knut Kirkholm and I wandered off to the outskirts of Darkhan. There we spied a sprawling cemetery in the distance, encompassing what my Western mind would conceive as quite a few football fields. As I inspected the tombstones, I noticed that virtually all of them seemed to have emblems of little flames. Others were wrapped with blue ribbons, symbolizing the blue sky. As I calculated the birth and death dates, I also observed that people died quite young. The life expectancy rate in Mongolia is 68 (compared to 78 in the U.S.), but it seemed that the overwhelming majority of those buried here were in their forties. Alcoholism is one of the reasons, a scourge in Mongolia that cuts short potentially productive lives and depletes the male population.

Nevertheless the culture of Mongolia is changing as this isolated country, now freed from an oppressive communist system, makes its way into the 21^st century. Most importantly, though, Mongolians are coming to faith as the Holy Spirit fills their hearts with joy to lead lives worth living and confess that Jesus is Lord. Just before we left the cemetery, I found the gravesite of one named Zh. Enkbayer. I assume from the first letter that this was most likely a woman, but whoever it was, the cross on her tombstone proclaimed a believer now resting with our Lord.  Our prayer is that the Lord will use the witness of these new believers to add to the number of saints in Mongolia. Soli Deo Gloria! (Glory to God alone!).

Sunset adds color to the hills of Darkhan

Prayer Requests:
Please continue to pray for my cousin Shawn Nunnink, battling cancer.

Thank the Lord with me for safe travels and pray for continued safety and blessings in teaching as I travel to Russia (October 12), Kyrgyzstan (October 25) and Mongolia in early November.

Please pray for the students at the Mongolian Lutheran Bible School. Pray that the Lord will bless them with deeper spiritual understanding, courage to witness to their faith, and suitable employment for those seeking work.

E-mail: matveih@yahoo.com—mailing address- 26650 Woodshire, Dearborn Heights, MI., 48127.

To support my work financially, you can send a tax-deductible gift to:

LCMS World Mission; Missionary Support; PO Box 790089; St. Louis, MO 63179-0089 —–Make checks payable to LCMS World Mission. Mark checks “Support of Matthew Heise.”

If you would like to partner with me in my ministry with ongoing support as an individual or congregation, please contact Debra Feenstra for information on Together in Mission or Mission Senders at 1-800-248-1930 Ext. 1651 or Debra.Feenstra@lcms.org Thank you, and may God bless you!

July 2011

This 18th century cross is all that remains from the first Ingrian Lutheran church in Lembolovo, Russia

 Russia’s Time of Troubles

Reflecting the changing times and ever-fluctuating interpretations of history in modern Russia, the internationally recognized celebration of the Bolshevik Revolution (November 7) was officially replaced a few years ago by the remembrance of an even more distant historical event. Now on November 4 Russians get a day off and memorialize the defeat of the Polish forces who invaded their country in the early 1600s. The so-called “Smutnoye Vremya” (Time of Troubles) was a catastrophic time in Russia’s past. Not only were the Poles invading the country from the west, the Swedes were also launching their own attacks upon Russia’s northern frontier. Meanwhile, to add insult to injury, Russia had been undergoing a succession crisis ever since the death of Czar Ivan the Terrible’s son Fyodor in 1598.

In that year an influential yet controversial figure in the Kremlin by name of Boris Godunov took the reigns of power and was declared czar. His short rule, while not popular with Russians, actually proved to be quite hospitable to Lutherans. Some historians even claim that he allowed the construction of a Lutheran church inside the Kremlin! Unfortunately for Lutherans, Godunov was perceived as being far too chummy with foreigners, a veritable no-no in Orthodox Russia. So after Boris’ death in 1605, followed by a protracted civil war and several imposter czars (known as False Dmitrys I and II), Russia and the Orthodox Church finally regained control of the land in 1613 with Mikhail Romanov being crowned czar. (See the book “O Luteranakh v Rossii”- “About Lutherans in Russia” by Pastor Slava Boychenko).

 A New Lutheran Church is Born in Russia- 1611    As you can imagine, these troubles forced a religious people to wonder whether God was punishing the nation because of its sins. Amidst all this turmoil, in the northwestern border village of Lembolovo, a Finnish-speaking people known as the Ingrians founded a small Lutheran congregation in 1611. Before that time, the message of the Reformation had minimal influence on Russia even though Ivan the Terrible had invited German and Scandinavian Lutherans into the land. He allowed them to form Lutheran congregations but sternly forbade Russians from joining what he considered a “heretical” church. (He soon reneged even on this permission, calling for the destruction of all Lutheran cathedrals. Alas, he didn’t earn that moniker “The Terrible” for kindness to strangers).

St. George’s Lutheran Church in the Ingrian region of Russia

A peace treaty with Sweden in 1617, though, gave new life

My visit with longtime Ingrian Lutheran and Gulag survivor, Lena Saakonen

to the Lutheran Church as the Ingrian region came under Swedish sovereignty. By the time Russia regained this territory one century later, the Lutheran heritage of the Ingrians had been firmly established. Today that Reformation proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues through the bold witness of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia, church partners of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod since 1998. I continue to teach a course every semester at the Ingrian Lutheran Seminary in Koltushi, about 10 kilometers east of St. Petersburg. This year as the Ingrians reflect upon and celebrate 400 years of God’s faithfulness, Russia’s Time of Troubles and Communist experiment in the 20^thcentury are reminders that trials and tribulations do not negate but rather accentuate God’s sure promise of eternal life through the death and resurrection of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. His church continues to witness to that certainty amid all of life’s difficulties in Russia today.

Future Travel

Confirmed upcoming visits: After classes in Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in July, I will be at…

July 26-August 3: Bethel Bible Course Training in Madison, WI
July 31: Living Christ Lutheran in Madison, WI
August 6-7: Grace Lutheran in Rochester, MN
August 9: Trinity Lutheran in Shenandoah, IA (7 PM)
August 10- Mission Central, Mapleton, IA  (at 1 and 7 PM)
August 11- Peace Lutheran in Grand Island, NE
August 12: Beautiful Savior Lutheran in North Platte, NE
August 14, 10 A.M.- Trinity Lutheran in Des Moines, IA
August 14, 5 P.M.- Grace Lutheran Mission Festival in Le Mars, IA
August 21: St. John’s Lutheran in Midland, MI
August 27-28: St. Lorenz Lutheran in Frankenmuth, MI (Mission Festival on the 28^th)
Then in late August/early September, I will be meeting Pastor Sainaa from Mongolia and getting him set up for classes in St. Louis at Concordia Seminary- then, I head off to Mongolia to teach at the Lutheran Bible School in Darhan, Mongolia.

DUE TO THE AFOREMENTIONED TRAVEL, THERE WILL BE NO NEWSLETTER FOR AUGUST- I WILL WRITE TO YOU AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER.

Prayer Requests:

Please continue to pray for our Eurasian mission accountant, Karen Roemer, and my cousin Shawn Nunnink, battling cancer.

Please pray for safe travel in the States and then on to Mongolia in September.

E-mail: matveih@yahoo.com—mailing address- 26650 Woodshire, Dearborn Hgts., MI., 48127.

To support my work financially, you can send a tax-deductible gift to:

LCMS World Mission; Missionary Support; PO Box 790089; St. Louis, MO 63179-0089 —–Make checks payable to LCMS World Mission. Mark checks “Support of Matthew Heise.”

If you would like to partner with me in my ministry with ongoing support as an individual or congregation, please contact Debra Feenstra for information on Together in Mission or Mission Senders at 1-800-248-1930 Ext. 1651 or Debra.Feenstra@lcms.org Thank you, and may God bless you!

Pastor Matthew Heise

Grace Lutheran Church helps support Pastor Heise, one of two LCMS missionaries serving in Russia.  Pastor Heise assists Russian churches with church planting and mission outreach programs. He also assists Jonathan Muhly, the area facilitator of LCMS work in Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia who resides in Warsaw, Poland with his wife Julie.

Rev. Matthew Heise also serves as a theological educator to Russia and other former Soviet republics, such as Georgia, where he resides. Matthew teaches seminary students in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria. He also conducts theological seminars throughout Russia, identifying future students for the ministry. In Georgia, he supports the work of Georgian evangelists as they reach out with the Gospel to others around them, leads Bible studies, and works toward planting churches. He has long had a fascination with Russia, being the grandson of Russian-German immigrants. Before studying for the pastoral ministry, Matthew served as a missionary in Moscow from 1994 to 1996, where he taught English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes and was the ESL coordinator.

Born in Dearborn, Mich., he is a lifelong member of Guardian Lutheran Church in Dearborn, MI. Matthew holds a bachelors degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, a masters degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI., and a masters degree in divinity from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO. His hobbies include sports, traveling, and reading.

Church of Ingria 400 years

Leif the soundman at International Christian Academy's graduation

Leif and Andrei Savilainen, the Ingrian pastor

Pastor Bill Moberly of the AALC, head of the Eastern European Mission Network, has partnered up with Ingria to organize 3 English language evangelism camps this year.  One in Petrozavodsk, one in Koltushe, and one in Gubanitza (Zhanya) 0r helps organize transportation, busses and so forth,  at one of the camps, Karl and Nastya will help translate–as I am responsible for coordinating the camp in Gubanitza).

Leif with Pekka

Lyle Thomas teaching seminary students

The Bishop gave a pointed sermon.

Leif, Nastya, and Karl

Prayer Requests

Another Call for Volunteers

To be with Thee forever

Above: The view from my apartment in Tbilisi, Georgia

The Mountains of Tbilisi

Psalm 121:1-2  “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

This past week saw me arriving in Tbilisi and moving into a new apartment. The Georgians have a wonderful setup where a renter can put down a sum of money for one or two years and get the money back after the period is completed. (Bank rates are fairly high for lending, so this is a way in which one can get some quick capital to start up a business). All of this makes me pretty cheap by missionary standards (no snarky comments, please)- I only need to pay for utilities.

My move was made necessary when the old landlord decided to sell his house, where I had been renting the basement. So after one and half years in this setting when I didn’t always know if it was day or night (although I do travel every month and am not often at home), I now have the view you see in the picture above. Not a bad tradeoff. The Psalmist certainly put my thoughts into more poetic language than I could manage, but I am thankful that the Lord has provided me with a nice place and a room with a view.

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia: 1611-2011

The image you see above is the anniversary logo for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia, which is now celebrating its 400^th year of existence with special evens throughout the year. I hope to share with you in the course of this year the rich history and current mission work of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod’s partner church in Russia. The first Ingrian congregation was formed in Lempaala in 1611 (in Russian, Lembolova), a town now mostly in ruins located just north of St. Petersburg. The Ingrian people’s introduction to the Lutheran Church took place during the Time of Troubles in Russia (1598-1613), an era replete with foreign invasions (Poles and Swedes), intrigue and instability after the death of Czar Fyodor, Ivan the Terrible’s son. I’ll provide you with more details in the future as the church has commissioned authors to write histories of the church and its life in Russia.

St. Michael’s Lutheran in St. Petersburg Completes Restoration

St. Petersburg, Russia 1876- Russia was undergoing monumental

St. Petersburg, Russia 1876- Russia was undergoing monumental changes under the leadership of the Liberating Czar, Alexander II.

changes under the leadership of the Liberating Czar, Alexander II. He had freed the serfs a decade earlier, much like his friend and acquaintance President Abraham Lincoln, who announced freedom for American slaves in his Emancipation Declaration of 1863. The famed novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, while gravitating from apartment to apartment due to his gambling debts, was completing a short story based upon his conversion to Christianity (“The Peasant Marey”) and perhaps already laying the groundwork for his classic The Brothers Karamazov, his last published book before his death in 1881. These two historical figures lived in St. Petersburg and were most likely unaware of the one story wooden house on the corner of Sredny Prospect and 3^rd Line street on Vasily Island.

In 1874 the property was sold to the Church Council of St. Michael’s Lutheran congregation, who had been searching for a site on which to build a church. In that way, St. Michael’s soon came to the attention of Czar Alexander II as military architect Col. Karl von Bulmering proposed the use of government money to construct a neo-Gothic cathedral on the site. With the czar’s approval construction began immediately; and although the work wasn’t completed until 1877, the church was consecrated on December 19, 1876.

In 1935 the communists closed the church and destroyed and reconstructed the interior of the building so that the company “Sport” could take possession. So for the next forty years “Sport” produced volleyballs in their new “factory” setting. Given this sad chapter in the church’s history, it was a happy day when 135 years later to the day, December 19, 2010, Bishop Aari Kugappi and Pastor Sergey Tatarenko re-consecrated the newly reconstructed cathedral to the service of our Lord in the heart of this island in St. Petersburg, not too far from the Winter Palace and Hermitage.

As you can see from the picture below taken on Sredny Prospect, parishioners of St. Michael’s gathered to commemorate the day of the re-consecration with some members from the few congregations who pay rent to use the church (with which Pastor Sergey pays his other pastor and utilities). St. Michael’s comprises 1/3 of the people on the street, so it is wonderful to see that other Evangelical Christian groups are given space where they can worship in St. Petersburg. St. Michael’s is always buzzing with activity, holding services, Bible studies, and Christian musical concerts where it provides a home for Christian musicians of all types (classical and contemporary) to gather and worship the Lord.

We are especially grateful that The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod was a strong partner in the reconstruction, actively campaigning for funds to restore the cathedral through “Fan into the Flame.” We are especially thankful for the hard work of Len Fiedler and the extraordinary generosity of Michiganders Laura Sias and Keturah Thunder-Haab. They have helped provide an opportunity for the Gospel to be proclaimed in a setting comfortable for most Russians.

Ingrian Lutheran Church as it celebrates its 400th anniversary

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for the Ingrian Lutheran Church as it celebrates its 400th anniversary this year. May their dedication to the Great Commission of our Lord remain strong.

Pray for Pastor Sergey Tatarenko and the good people of St. Michaels, that they might use this building to strengthen and nurture those in the Faith and share with those who don’t yet know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Please pray for my travel to Odessa, Ukraine this Saturday and for the six weeks I will spend there teaching. Please pray for wisdom and the gift of language as I teach new courses in Russian. (I will be there from March 12-April 25).

Please continue to pray for the recovery of our current Eurasian mission accountant, Karen Roemer, and former Eurasian accountant, Larry Ogg. Both are dealing with issues related to cancer, but we are thankful to the Lord that they appear to be on the road to recovery. Thanks be to God!

E-mail: matveih@yahoo.com—mailing address- 26650 Woodshire, Dearborn Hgts., MI., 48127. To support my work financially, you can send a tax-deductible gift to:

LCMS World Mission,  Missionary Support,  PO Box 790089, St. Louis, MO 63179-0089

—–Make checks payable to LCMS World Mission. Mark checks “Support of Matthew Heise.” If you would like to partner with me in my ministry with ongoing support as an individual or congregation, please contact Debra Feenstra for information on Together in Mission or Mission Senders at 1-800-248-1930 Ext. 1651 or Debra.Feenstra@lcms.org Thank you, and may God’s peace be with you in Lent!

The Christmas pageantry on Red Square

A happy and blessed New Year to you! I was busy getting reacquainted at the end of this past year with familiar faces, celebrating our Lord’s birth among family and friends. Before getting to St. Louis for classes in January, though, you can see in the picture above that I took in some of the Christmas pageantry on Red Square. I am truly thankful for your continued support and for God’s blessings this past year- a new Lutheran Bible school in Mongolia; continued spiritual growth and teaching with our church partners in Russia, the Ingrian Lutheran Church; the multi-faceted work in Georgia; and lastly and certainly not least, God’s protection upon me and the Kyrgyz Lutheran Church during a bloody revolution there in April. The New Year will see a continuation of the mission work that I have been called to do as well as new opportunities for teaching with our Canadian Lutheran Church partners in the Ukraine. Many thanks for your prayers to our Lord who leads and guides me every day.

Siberian mission work

Pavel Malinov (far left) with new believers after their riverside baptism

Pavel Malinov is my student at the Ingrian seminary in Koltushi and an evangelist in the remote regions of Siberia. A prison convert, Pavel has since his release been actively engaged in sharing with others the hope in Christ which has given his life new meaning. I first met Pavel and his wife Alyona six years ago in the Siberian city of Chita, just north of the Chinese border. Pavel is Russian while Alyona is a member of an ancient Siberian people group. Since LCMS World Mission has helped fund some of his mission trips, Pavel recently filled me in on his activities this past summer traveling the empty spaces of Siberia.

He and Alyona had initially planned to take a few days of swimming and relaxation after the school year, but upon arrival in the village of her birthplace that plan soon changed. The people whom Pavel had baptized in the village said to him, “Gee, we thought you might teach us some more from the Bible.” How could he refuse? Pavel told me that as he was teaching in another village this summer, a man came into the house drunk. He even wandered into the picture that you see here below, giving the victory or peace sign while in the process of feeling no pain. Pavel continued with his lesson while the drunk man settled into a comfortable position. Afterwards he came up to Pavel, sheepishly and rather soberly asking, “Um, would you mind telling me a little bit more about God?” Of course Pavel wholeheartedly agreed!

Boris Lukyanovich showing me the natural wonders of Siberia

Follow-up on an old newsletter

When I was in Chita six years ago, I mentioned that a Boris Lukyanovich had given me a tour of his hometown and the natural wonders in the surrounding countryside. When I began teaching the people there about Baptism, Boris became silent and was clearly deep in thought. He sadly told me that he would like to believe but couldn’t. I told him that what was impossible with him was not so with God, who desires that all people would come into His family. I then asked you to join me in praying for Boris while Pavel continued to witness in the following years. Well recently when I was teaching at Koltushi, I asked Pavel about Boris. He told me that Boris had become a believer and was now attending a local Orthodox church! It is timely reminder as we begin the New Year that no witness is ever useless. The Holy Spirit works through our imperfect witness and can bring people to the Lord in His own time and place.

Elvira Jaskovskaya (1935-2010)

Elvira and me about seven years ago in Moscow

Elvira Jaskovskaya was a longtime member of Lutheran congregations in Moscow who came to faith rather late in life. When I returned to Russia in November, I learned that she had passed away in August. Elvira had a fascinating life. She was born literally a few blocks from the Kremlin in central Moscow on the main street, Tverskaya. Her father was a German born in Berlin while her mother was Latvian. Both were dedicated communists who believed that they were creating a better world back in the 1930s when they lived along with many other foreign communists in the Hotel Lux in central Moscow. This hotel was famed for housing influential communists on the world scene like Walter Ulbricht, the future leader of East Germany. Others like Stalin’s nemesis, Nikolai Bukharin, were known for frequenting its quarters. Even Josef Stalin came to visit on occasion I’m told. Fortunately for Elvira, her father left for Spain soon after her birth and became part of the Russian communist troops who defended Republican Spain during the civil war with General Franco’s Fascists. I say “fortunately” because a large number of Elvira’s fellow apartment dwellers would soon be swept up in Stalin’s Great Terror, which killed not only Christian believers but die-hard communists during the years 1936-39.

When I was an LCMS volunteer in the mid 1990s I had the chance to get  to know Elvira. She always appreciated a good sermon, so upon returning to Moscow ten years ago as a vicar, I was touched when she told me that she truly enjoyed the sermons of LCMS missionaries like me and my colleagues John Mehl and Brent Smith. Because of the pain in her arthritic knees, these past few years she could no longer manage to navigate the city Metro system to get to church. I tried to bring her communion and do a short service at her apartment whenever I could (way up on the 18^th floor!). Afterwards I was always treated to a fine meal, often including her delicious “borscht.”

Our conversations were always far-ranging, typical of an intelligent woman who relished interacting with people from different cultures. I remember once that we discussed the communism of her parents, me wondering how difficult it must have been to come to terms with the communism of her parents. Elvira answered that they thought they were creating a better way of life through communism. She herself wasn’t enamored of the high prices for goods in the new Russia and said that it was better in the old days when bread and milk were kept artificially cheaper. But, I interjected, she couldn’t worship the living God freely in the old Soviet Union and she of course agreed with that. Afterwards I felt a bit ashamed that I had tried to score a polemical point with her. After all, she was a widow who had to struggle day to day and lived more poorly than a foreigner like me. But if Elvira was offended, she never showed it. She had a heart of gold.

I tried calling her this past June when I was traveling through Moscow, to see if she needed communion. There was no answer and I just assumed that she had been at her son’s summer home (known in Russian as a “dacha”). So I was truly heartbroken to learn of her death when I got back into Russia in November. As we end the old year and begin the new, we reflect upon those who have gone home to our Lord this past year. I will especially remember Elvira and thank God for the faith that He created in her heart. We thank Him that He has created the conditions today in Russia so that young and old, like Elvira, can hear the Gospel and come to eternal life through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. May God’s peace guide you all of the days of 2011!

Prayer Requests:

Thank the Lord with me for all of His blessings and safekeeping throughout 2010. Pray with me for open doors in His mission and for His blessings and safekeeping in 2011.

Please pray for the missions in Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Mongolia, Georgia, the Ukraine and Belarus.

Please continue to pray for our Eurasian mission accountant, Karen Roemer. She had successful cancer surgery in December and we pray now needs only a follow-up surgery in February. Please pray for the Lord’s strength and healing hand upon her. Please pray also for God’s healing upon our former accountant, Larry Ogg, who is battling cancer.

E-mail: matveih@yahoo.com—mailing address- 26650 Woodshire, Dearborn Hgts., MI., 48127. To support my work financially, you can send a tax-deductible gift to:

LCMS World Mission

Missionary Support

PO Box 790089

St. Louis, MO 63179-0089

Make checks payable to LCMS World Mission. Mark checks “Support of Matthew Heise.” If you would like to partner with me in my ministry with ongoing support as an individual or congregation, please contact Debra Feenstra for information on Together in Mission or Mission Senders at 1-800-248-1930 Ext. 1651 or Debra.Feenstra@lcms.org Thank you, and may God bless you in 2011!

Along the road to Darhan, Mongolia

Advent in Mongolia

As we enter Advent and begin to meditate upon our Lord’s First Coming at Christmas, I pause to reflect upon the spiritual darkness that has pervaded the Mongolian landscape for ages. Buddhism has kept the people in spiritual captivity to a remorseless system of perfection which no man can possibly achieve. The prophet Isaiah’s words are especially pertinent and inspiring at this time of the season: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2). The light of Jesus Christ is beginning to make inroads in the nation of Mongolia, dispelling fear and hopelessness among those who have come to faith. As I remember at Christmas God’s greatest gift to us all, His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, I rejoice in seeing the contagious joy and peace that is being reflected in the lives of these mostly young Mongolian believers. What is happening today is exciting to see and experience—a growing Pentecost in what is known as “Mongol Nation”.

Lutheran Bible School in Mongolia

The first exclusively Lutheran Bible School opened its

Bayern Medii Lutheran Church in Darhan

doors in the northern city of Darhan on November 22. This school had long been in the planning stages, a joint cooperation of the missionaries of FLOM (Finnish Lutheran Overseas Mission) and NLM (Norwegian Lutheran Mission). Now its reality dawned upon me as I touched down at Ulaanbaatar’s Genghis Khan Airport on November 20. The three hour ride north to Darhan with LCMS volunteer missionary Mikayla Stephenson and FLOM missionary Joel Norrvik was on a paved road and so thankfully, relatively uneventful. The bleak yet hauntingly beautiful landscape didn’t change too dramatically, either, when we arrived in Darhan. A planned Socialist city from the 1940s plopped down in the middle of nowhere, I soon discovered that there was both an old city and a new city, the “old city” being only two years older than the new!

The church where we gathered, Bayern Medii

The class at the Lutheran Bible School in Darhan

(News of Love), was literally a converted Russian military barracks. How ironic that a base for the old Soviet army was now being used 24/7 to proclaim the Good News! 25 students gathered from various professions—some were Ulaanbaatar Bible School students where Pastor Purevdorj serves as Director. Others were simply college students who were parishioners at various Lutheran churches throughout the country. I taught the courses along with Purevdorj (colloquially known as Puje), Bertil Andersson, a Swedish missionary from NLM, and our Sainaa (EIIT long distance student at Concordia Seminary). I was supposed to go through the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. Well, I made it through Genesis. Almost. Just through chapter 35. So many questions from the smart and inquisitive students slowed us down, which pleased me to no end. I really prefer a dialogue between student and teacher. There are four intensive sessions planned for the school year, each about two weeks in length. I hope to continue my course in the future when I can fit it into my schedule.

Graduation from FLOM’s Training Course

Thieving rice from the Khan at a real Mongolian Barbecue!

For the past two years, I have traveled to Mongolia to assist FLOM as my good friends, missionaries Pentti and Marja Marttila, trained leaders from their churches before heading back to Finland. I have taught various subjects like Law and Gospel, the Life of Martin Luther, Romans, Galatians, 2 Timothy and Hebrews over the course of the two years. Now after the completion of the first classes at the Lutheran Bible School in Darhan, I decided to stick around for a few more days in order to give a talk on Missions as the students returned to finish their final courses. I was also eager to celebrate the completion of this two-year course with the participants—especially at a real Mongolian Barbecue! It was a joyous event full of laughter and song as the students received diplomas for their studies. I have come to know and truly respect my fellow Mongolian Lutheran believers and was happy that I could be a part of this celebration.

Sheep’s head for dinner? Um, no thank you.

Now while it was fun to gather with everyone around traditional Mongolian food, I realized how very American I am and will most likely remain. After seeing what you see in the picture below on one plate at my table, the fake Mongolian Barbecues in America will never be entirely authentic to me. But to be honest, my stomach will be more relieved with fewer surprises on the menu than it would be at a “real” Mongolian Barbecue. Just a traditional hamburger, please, for this Yankee.

Prayer requests:

Thank the Lord with me for safe flights and pray for safe flights this month (Dec. 8th) to Tbilisi, Georgia and Detroit (Dec. 22nd).

Thank the Lord that His Word is growing in Mongolia and pray for a unity in truth among the Mongolian Lutherans and Christians in general.

Thank the Lord for a successful course at the Ingrian Lutheran Seminary in Koltushi.

Please pray for God’s grace and successful surgery for our LCMS Eurasia accountant, Karen Roemer on December 14.

Please pray for God’s peace and comfort for Dr. Henry Rowold, my old Missions Professor, and his family as they mourn the death of Henry’s wife, Phyllis. The Rowolds had been in Koltushi two years ago teaching a course on Missions. One of my students, Eduard Juronen, was kind enough to find a wheelchair for Phyllis and drive all of us to St. Petersburg’s world famous Hermitage. Phyllis still remembered that trip fondly when I and classmate Olav Panchu had dinner with her and Henry this past summer in St. Louis. She will be dearly missed by all of us who loved her. But as we mourn, we also rejoice that her faith in Jesus Christ has allowed her to hear those comforting words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Good and faithful indeed! R.I.P. in Jesus, Phyllis!

Let me take a moment to wish you all a very blessed and merry Christmas! I am grateful for your support, whether it be prayerful or financial or both. You help me serve the Lord on your behalf in the former Communist world. God’s peace be with you at Christmas! I will write my January newsletter to you just before the New Year as I have to travel to St. Louis on January 2 for classes from January 3-21.

E-mail: matveih@yahoo.com—new mailing address- 26650 Woodshire, Dearborn Hgts., MI., 48127. To support my work financially, you can send a tax-deductible gift to:

LCMS World Mission

Missionary Support

PO Box 790089

St. Louis, MO 63179-0089

Make checks payable to LCMS World Mission. Mark checks “Support of Matthew Heise.” If you would like to partner with me in my ministry with ongoing support as an individual or congregation, please contact Debra Feenstra for information on Together in Mission or Mission Senders at 1-800-248-1930 Ext. 1651 or Debra.Feenstra@lcms.org Thank you, and may God bless you!