Dear Friend,
The apostle Paul writes, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6,7). Gospel ministry often unfolds over time and through many different servants, but it always relies on the Lord to bring success. Illustrating that truth is the story of Hmong ministry and the faithful servants God has raised up through it—men whose work has carried the gospel from local congregations in the U.S. to mission fields around the world. The Lor family’s decades‑long involvement in WELS mission work shows how God uses faithful partnership to accomplish far more than we could have asked or imagined.
Years ago, four immigrant brothers, Dewid, Daniel, Bounkeo, and Ger Lor, were trained through Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary’s Pastoral Studies Institute. Through careful instruction grounded in Scripture, they were equipped to share the message of salvation by grace alone through faith in Christ. These men were supported as they stepped into ministry, walking alongside people with the gospel and serving where the Lord placed them.
God opened doors that reached far beyond what anyone could have planned. Today, WELS supports five Hmong congregations in the U.S., all led by Hmong American pastors. Those relationships have also opened doors for overseas mission work, with Hmong leaders working closely with the Asia-Oceania Team to support outreach in countries such as Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. In Vietnam alone, the Hmong Evangelical Lutheran Church that WELS is working with now includes more than 160,000 members, a powerful reminder of how God can grow gospel work that begins with faithful planting and patient watering.
Now God continues that work through a new generation. Samuel Lor, son of Bounkeo Lor, graduated from the seminary in 2022 and serves as pastor in Minneapolis, Minn. Daniel Lor’s son, Semson, just graduated from the Pastoral Studies Institute in May.
This is how gospel ministry so often unfolds. God prepares workers. He places them where they can serve. He opens doors that lead to new opportunities for sharing Christ. Ongoing mission support allows pastors and missionaries to remain focused on that work, responding as the Lord leads.
The WELS Missions Endowment Fund helps sustain the general work of Home and World Missions, with distributions providing stability and flexibility that allow mission work to continue today while preparing for where the Lord may lead tomorrow.
Your gift to the WELS Missions Endowment is a way to support gospel work that reaches across cultures and generations, trusting that the Lord will continue to bring growth through his Word, according to his will.
Thank you for your partnership in this gospel mission.
In Christ,
Rev. Mark Gabb
Home Missions administrator
Rev. Larry Schlomer
World Missions administrator
Prayer: Gracious Lord, we praise you for making your gospel grow through your servants’ faithful planting and watering. Thank you for raising up generations of pastors, missionaries, and congregations to share Christ across cultures and around the world. Continue to bless the work of Hmong believers in the U.S., Vietnam, and beyond. May your Holy Spirit strengthen all who serve in Christ’s name. Move your people to support these efforts with generous hearts, trusting that you will provide for your church and open new doors for the gospel. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
