Hand in Hand Global Mission Support Blog Digest

This "blog digest" is brought to you by the ELCA Global Mission Support team. Here you will find posts and re-posts by ELCA missionaries, ELCA Global Mission churchwide staff, and other friends.

Welcome!

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Hand In Hand

The Konkol family

Kristen and I are overjoyed to announce the birth of our son, Khaya Tews Konkol, at Parklands Hospital in Westville (Durban), South Africa, on Wednesday evening of October 13, 2010. He weighs 3.38 kg (7.5 pounds) and is 53 ct (21 inches) tall.

“Khaya” is a an isiZulu word translated into English as “home”. Among other things, we believed choosing this name would not only honor the place of his birth and wonderful people who have accompanied us here in South Africa, but also serve as a daily reminder of the connections and “home” he also shares with our family and friends in North America. “Tews” is Kristen’s maiden name, as we wished to honor her incredibly loving and supportive family legacy, in addition to carrying forward the “Konkol” family surname which we also deeply cherish.

All together, “Khaya Tews Konkol” is a reminder of the gift of life and the “home” we find each day through our identity as recipients of God’s incredible love. And so, I thank God for the safe delivery, the excellent medical care, the wonderful compassion of friends and family, and perhaps most of all, for Kristen. My admiration and love for Kristen continues to grow, as her courage and faith put forward during the delivery was nothing short of remarkable. I could not be more proud of my partner, best friend, and love of my life. Khaya is incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful mother.

As you can imagine, there is much more I could say! At this point I will simply close with: Thank God, thank you, and please continue to remember us in your thoughts and prayers.

With peace and love, Brian Konkol

The Rev. Brian and Kristen Konkol are ELCA missionaries serving in South Africa.  Congratulations!

A good story is like sunshine

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Hand In Hand

A friend shared this true story with the Rev. Heidi Torgerson, associate director for Global Service.  Heidi shared it with me and secured permission for me to share it on the “Hand in Hand” blog digest. 
Enjoy! —Sue

After Bible study one morning, a member of the congregation I serve stopped by the office.  She told me that she has an annual tradition:  as a birthday gift to herself she writes a check for the number of years she’s been on this earth and gives it to a charity she’s not supported before.  

 She said she had been struggling to figure out where the money should go until hearing the sermon my co-pastor preached.  In his sermon, the pastor mentioned the new missionaries we’re supporting as a congregation, Brian and Kristen Konkol, who serve in South Africa.

 ”That’s when I knew where my gift should go,” she said.  “I grew up in South Africa.”

 When I handed her the Hand in Hand newsletter with Brian and Kristen’s picture and a bit of their story; she nearly danced in my office. The place they are living is the same place she went to school and lived for a while. She truly felt that God was calling her to help support them.

Her joy spilled over like sunshine in my office.  As I told her how to direct her gift for the Konkol’s missionary sponsorship, I felt like dancing, too.

Daily bread questions and challenges (John 6:1-21)

Posted on June 16, 2009 by Brian Konkol

This devotion by the Rev. Brian Konkol appears in the Summer 2009 issue of the Hand in Hand Global Mission Support newsletter (www.elca.org/handinhand). Pastor Konkol’s devotion and the Rev. Christa von Zychlin’s feature article from the issue are available in reproducible formats for bulletins and newsletters; John 6:1-21 is the Gospel text for July 26, 2009. Contact Global Mission Support to request distribution copies of the Summer 2009 Hand in Hand newsletter.–Sue

Daily bread questions and challenges
based on John 6:1–21

When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” (John 6:5).

Monday is “trash day” in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, the day residents place their garbage bags near the streets to be collected by municipality workers. As a result, it is also the day men, women, and children come out in massive numbers to search through the multitudes of containers before the trucks arrive.

They are looking for “daily bread.”

“How could someone do this? How would someone handle the filth and stench?” I initially wondered. However, those first questions were soon replaced with better ones: “Why are people placed in such unjust situations? Why do billions of people struggle with extreme poverty in a world filled with abundant resources?”

Perhaps the feeding of the 5,000 account in John 6 is more about Jesus empowering the disciples to consider the material poverty of those around them, and the spiritual poverty within themselves, than it is about Jesus amazingly producing “miracle bread” out of thin air. Perhaps Jesus knew that the amount of bread was not the challenge, but rather, it is the fair distribution that needed to be confronted and transformed.

Gracious God, Help us to see the spiritual and material poverty within us and throughout the world. Open our hearts and minds to receive the gifts of others, and teach us to put our faith into action by seeking justice and care for neighbors in need. Amen

– The Rev. Brian Konkol

ELCA missionaries the Rev. Brian and Kristen Konkol serve in South Africa as Young Adult Program Coordinators.