December 2018
Dear Friends of LIMM:
At Lutherans in Medical Missions, 2018 is exiting as boldly as 2019 enters. This year, we have given individuals and organizations approximately $25,000 in grant money. Parish nurses in Madagascar, Australia, Palestine and Papua New Guinea, medical missionaries in Africa, doctors and nurses serving on short term medical mission trips, educators in Lutheran schools in the Chicago intercity, patients who cannot afford treatment in Madagascar and those suffering from malnutrition in Nigeria are but a few of the examples of lives and ministries touched by our presence.
In recent years, our vision has enlarged to include both leading and supporting community health education (CHE) training events at home and abroad. CHE trainings have been brought to West Africa and Belize, and “Women’s Cycle of Life” teaching expanded to include middle school girls, providing much needed health education. If a medical missionary wants to grow in knowledge of tropical medicine, we say “Yes, we can help you with that”. If an educator in Chicago wants to begin a pilot program to help grade school parents and children learn how to take better care of their bodies, we say “Yes, we can help you make that possible”. We want to continue to say “Yes” whenever the need arises, but we can only do that if you are saying “Yes” alongside us.
LIMM has several announcements to share with you. It is with sadness that our amazing Executive Director, Marguerite “Rita” Nickel, has announced her retirement. Rita has served LIMM wholeheartedly for over 6 years with her incredible talents and love for mission and ministry. Her work has helped pave the way for CHE training to continue both in the USA and abroad. She will continue to serve us as a consultant and volunteer when needed, and we are honored to keep her involved. On behalf of the Board of Directors, THANK YOU RITA! You are loved, and your leadership will be greatly missed.
Next, December 2019 marks Lutherans in Medical Missions’ 25th Anniversary. Plans are underway to commemorate this event, and will be shared with you in the coming months. LIMM is 25 years young and still going strong!
Finally, two generous donors have given $10,000 for a matching grant campaign in honor of our anniversary. We would like to see this grant be fully matched by you, our faithful friends, during the next 3 months. Every dollar you give will be doubled up to $10,000!!
We wish you a Merry Christmas and many blessings in 2019!
Sharon Thomas
Interim Executive Director
