Pastor Andrew and Barbara Hinderlie serve as our missionaries in Eastern Africa. They recently moved to Tanzania. The following was published in the Fall 2011 "Hand in Hand," the ELCA's Global Missionary Support quarterly newsletter:

"Today," reflected Barbara, "I stand on the successful ministries of our predecessor missionaries." An ELCA missionary in Madagascar, Barbara Hinderlie has served with the Malagasy Lutheran Church in Madagascar. She has assisted the church with strategic planning, self-reliance and the monitoring and evaluation of existing ministries. ...

As Barbara's family recently prepared to leave Madagascar for new missionary responsibilities in Tanzania, she felt privileged to have helped prepare the Malagasy Lutheran Church for the next generation of missionaries. She notes that the "next missionaries will assist with bridge-building for the long-term relationships of the church. They will be called to fill a gap identified by the local church and their work will be done in coordination with a Malagasy counterpart."

"As a member of the ELCA, it has been exciting to serve in one of the fastest growing churches in The
Lutheran World Federation," concluded Barbara.

Our support of missionaries helps to equip the church for missions. We are thankful that as First Lutheran Church, we are part of it through our missionary sponsorship of the Hinderlie family!