Luthern Partners in Global Ministry

[pegkerr]

Today at church forum (the adult education hour) we had a presentation by Gordon and Betty Olson, who founded Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry.

I realized with a start as they started to tell their story that I knew who they were, because their story made a great impression when I first heard it over a decade ago. I read about it in my St. Olaf College alumni magazine in 1991. Betty and Gordon Olson's son, Tim Olson, a 1989 St. Olaf College graduate, was an aspiring architect. Right after his graduation, he went to Africa to the Central African Republic to supervise an effort to build a Lutheran church in C.A.R.'s capitol city Bangui. His girlfriend came to visit him there in 1991, and they took a short trip to visit a game preserve. On the way back, they were waylaid by bandits, who shot both Tim and his girlfriend. The girlfriend survived, but Tim died of blood loss about thirty minutes later. He was only twenty-five years old.

His family was devastated. The church was completed, and named in honor of their son, St. Timothy Lutheran Church. The family came over to be at the dedication, and what they saw in Africa moved them to start an organization which would further the work for which their son gave his life, connecting individuals and congregations to better people's lives. They build churches and schools, and sponsor very poor children to give them an education.

It was quite an experience, listening to these two thoughtful people, who had emerged from the crucible of such bitter grief with a burning sense of mission to make the world a better place. And they have done so.

Tell me about something good that you know of that has come from a tragedy.

Comments

[madlori.livejournal.com]

When I was in junior high, my friend Hans's mother and sister were in a car wreck, struck by a drunk driver. His sister, Vicki, was very popular up at the high school and only had her permit at the time of the accident. Vicki died, but Hans's mother lived.

Hans was never really the same, but he told me years later that the accident made him re-evaluated his priorities. He graduated salutatorian of our class and is now a professor of chemistry at Iowa State. he and his wife have three adopted kids.

In addition, his mom and dad established the Vicki Stauffer Scholarship, which was given to one student every year until 1991, the year Hans and I graduated, at which time Hans received the scholarship.

[annieways.livejournal.com]

Doug and I just returned from a mission trip to Argentina with Gordon and several other members from our church.

[choralgirl.livejournal.com]

Gordy was my very first choir director, when I was a wee one in Rockford, IL! I went to high school and played in orchestra with his kids; Tim was a year behind me, Karna three years. Great people!

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Oh! Gordon mentioned the trip to Argentina, and I saw your entries on coming back from Argentina, but I hadn't made the connection.

[(Anonymous)]

The summer before my freshman year of high school, a boy I knew was riding his bike with his friends and was hit by a car. The road they were riding on is extremely narrow, has blind turns and no shoulders or sidewalks. Because he was not wearing a helmet, he sustained massive head injuries and died later at the hospital.

About a year or so after his death, his friends started to push for sidewalks to be built along those roads that kids often ride their bikes or walk along and sure enough--construction started a few months later. There have been no such accidents since.

-Elizabeth

[dichroic.livejournal.com]

One classic case happened a few years ago - an American family was on vacation in Italy and their son got killed - by banditti, I think. They decided to donate his organs specifically to any Italians who needed them. Not only did it engender a lot of warm feeling in the country, but it sparked a new popularity for organ donation which had apparently been very rare over there previously.

[huladavid.livejournal.com]

Your mention of the adult education hour reminded me that Grace Trinity (where I've been going for about a month) was having a discussion group after the main service about gay stuff last Sunday.

And, of course, I was up in Fargo and missed it. (Wonder if I can schedule a meeting with the pastor & talk with him about it. I'm kinda, sorta thinking of joining.)