As 2025 comes to a close for our mission trip season, we thank God as we approach our goal of 55 visits for our 55th anniversary. This year has been eventful—a time to celebrate and reflect on our storied past. We marked over 50 years of ministry and honored our founder, Rev. Les Stahkle, who passed away in March. We are grateful for his vision to share the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This year also allowed us to look ahead, applying lessons learned in the mission field.
I’d like to share a few of these lessons. First, during our trip to Haida Gwaii with a new team from Orange Lutheran High School, I was amazed at how quickly these students immersed themselves in ministry. After tragedy struck Old Massett, they began prayer walks through
neighborhoods to share God’s love. It was incredible to see how this team bonded and connected with youth who struggled to fit in, reminding me that we are created to belong to a community.
While visiting a Haida longhouse, we learned how the massive trees on the island were transformed into totems and canoes. At first glance, these trees appear strong and sturdy, with roots that run deep. Yet, it’s their intertwined nature—even in shallow ground—that allows them to thrive to such great heights. This served as a powerful reminder of how we are rooted together in Christ, meant to support and uplift one another.
Next, I learned an important lesson with my family while serving in Moose Lake, Manitoba. Upon our arrival, we were told that we might want to serve elsewhere because the church would be unavailable due to funerals related to recent tragedies that had shaken the community. I asked my family if we should pivot to serve somewhere else, and I was quickly met with the response, “No—these are our people.”
We decided to mourn with those who were mourning. However, community leaders encouraged us to bring some joy to the children. Though it wasn’t part of our original plan, we held a wonderful outdoor VBS on the bleachers of a soccer field, played games, and ended with ice cream. The lesson I learned was that our ministry was not just about what we thought the community needed, but about listening to the community to understand how best we could serve them.
My final lesson came while serving with a new mission team in partnership with MOST Ministries at a dormant site that we hadn’t visited in years. I never know what to expect when making first contact in a community. These situations can be nerve-racking; securing lodging, finding a place for VBS, and estimating how many children will attend. As if testing my faith, not everything went as smoothly as hoped. Yet the lesson was: “Oh, ye of little faith.” How many times have we faced challenges, and God provided all that was needed? A reminder that this is not my mission, but God’s, and it will unfold as He wills, bringing the children led by the Spirit to us.
This was most evident with our communities affected by displacement this summer due to wildfires. What a pure joy it was to see our volunteers quickly changing their plans to visit their VBS communities in exile. Imagine a child hundreds of miles from home, sleeping on a cot in a gymnasium, being greeted by familiar faces of LAMP volunteers in an unfamiliar city. These volunteers provided some normalcy, activities, and happiness to our friends in the North.
I hope these lessons encourage you, showing how mission work will always bear good fruit. God’s mission may take different twists and turns, but the Gospel will go forth. Even when flying blind, improvising on the go, and overcoming obstacles—like the missionaries who came before us—we will make that first contact and continue serving until we become part of the community. I invite your church to join us in this challenging mission so every child from every nation can share in our faith and hope in Jesus. Please pray for LAMP’s missionaries as they faithfully bring the Gospel to northern communities.
Photos courtesy of LAMP