The following is cross-posted from Living Lutheran. You can find the original post here.

I’m a Lutheran: Glory Godwin Lekashu

By John Potter|December 20, 2024

Medical laboratory technician, Essentia Health
Trinity Lutheran Church, Moorhead, Minn.

Growing up, I was highly involved with the youth ministry of my home church, Kimandolu Lutheran Church in Arusha, Tanzania, and was on the church praise and worship team. I started going to Trinity Lutheran Church in 2019 as a college freshman at Concordia College [in Moorhead, Minn.]. Currently, I serve on the hospitality team for Trinity. I usher and read Scripture.

This involvement is very important to me because there is nothing else that gives me more purpose than serving the Lord and being a servant to my local congregation. This also gives me peace and joy. Every second I spend in church makes me so happy that I could never trade these moments with anything else in the world.

I graduated from Concordia this year with a major in biology—premed—minoring in religion and environmental and sustainability studies.

I was always fascinated with science and wanted to know more about human bodies and how to heal and restore them using different biological procedures and scientific findings. This passion drew me close to biology. But as I was learning this, I realized the importance of faith when it comes to healing and restoring, so my minor in religion was a complement to biology and an approach to healing the whole body, not just the physical [aspect]. And who said religion and science don’t go together?

In the same spirit of healing and restoring comes the environmental issue. As we all know, our environment is changing, our climate is changing—and these changes are not necessarily the best changes. Knowing and acknowledging this drove me into environmental and sustainability studies.

All these areas of study, to me, were just one big picture addressing one thing, which is healing—healing the body, the soul and our world. I love how these different areas of studies have shaped me and made me more informed.

The International Women Leaders [IWL] program was the best thing that has ever happened to me. IWL allowed me to experience education from a whole different angle. It gave me choices and opportunities that I wouldn’t have had if I was not in the program. I have had the greatest experience in the program; I got introduced to opportunities and connections that I cherish dearly. IWL helped me to understand my leadership roles and envision what I can do as a leader in my community and the world at large. It opened doors and placed me in spaces I would have never dreamt of. Every time I introduce myself as an IWL scholar, things just sparkle, and I am forever grateful for this program.

All my areas of study were just one big picture addressing one thing, which is healing—healing the body, the soul and our world.

Serving on the logistics team for the 2024 Youth Gathering was eye-opening. I learned a lot about myself as a leader regarding areas that I need some improvement in and areas that I’m really good at. In general, serving the Youth Gathering was a blessing. To witness over 16,000 Lutheran youth come together to praise, worship, learn, serve and be who they were created to be was just phenomenal.

My role as a medical laboratory technician entails multitasking, ensuring patients’ safety, properly explaining details of procedures to patients in a clear way of understanding, performing intravenous blood draws, efficiently handling patient specimens in a proper manner to ensure non-contamination for transportation and running different tests in proper equipment. All this is in order to make a healthy difference in people’s lives.

I’m enrolled at North Dakota State University in a Master of Public Health program. My desire for health care justice is what drew me close to public health. It is my hope to see communities being able to access the best medical care they need and being well-informed about their health, regardless of where they are or who they are.

I plan to use my master’s degree to influence the health care system and work to create policies that will give health care access to marginalized communities. [I also want to] come up with projects that will inform communities about determinants of health.

I hope to live my faith through my vocation by serving with love, justice, grace and honesty to all. I hope to be a helping hand and a voice to those around me and to shine the light of Christ to the lives of people I get to interact with.

In my free time, I practice Aikido, which is a Japanese martial art, play drums and do puzzles.

I’ve witnessed God’s presence in my life through my journey to the U.S., the doors that God opened when I thought they were closed, and the opportunities that God gave me.

I pray, especially in this season, that the light of Christ will shine on every land and that the peace of the Lord will prevail on earth.

Grace is an undeserving favor from God, not because of what I did or what I did not [do] but just pure favor.

I’m a Lutheran because I continue to believe that I am saved by grace alone, through faith in Jesus and nothing else.

In honor of International Day for People of African Descent, which is observed internationally on August 31 each year, ELCA Racial Justice Ministries invited ELCA Director for Innovation and Ideas to share some thoughts about being a person of African descent. For more information on International Day for People of African Descent, visit International Day for People of African Descent – EN | United Nations.

Names carry immense significance. They are a marker of identity, heritage and personal history. Because I am of African descent, my name is a reflection of and connection to my ancestral roots and cultural identity. However, in a world shaped by patriarchy and systemic biases, the journey of owning and explaining one’s name can be a challenging experience. One wants to maintain one’s culture and hold it dear to one’s heart, but this can be difficult because not everything about one’s culture is worth maintaining and, like many other things, culture evolves over time.

In many African cultures names are not merely labels but encapsulate stories, values and histories. A name might signify a particular event, convey hopes for the future or reflect familial lineage. For example, my name is Rahel Mwitula Williams; however, I was born Rahel Norbert Mwitula. Yes, my father’s first name is my middle name because, in our culture, this is a way to trace one’s lineage. So I am Rahel, daughter of Norbert, of the Mwitula clan. I can trace my lineage back through many generations: Rahel Norbert Yoram Mtemibala Mwitula. Here is the breakdown:

• Rahel, daughter of Norbert.
• Granddaughter of Yoram.
• Great-granddaughter Mtemibala.
• of the Mwitula clan.

When I got married, maintaining my African heritage was important to me, so I made my clan name my middle name, which is not traditional in our culture. In theory I was supposed to be Rahel Jason Williams (yes, you read that right), taking my husband’s full name as per patriarchal custom. However, I went against these cultural norms and decided to go with Rahel Mwitula Williams. Hence, I personally want people to respect and acknowledge my full name as I choose to identify.

Unfortunately I constantly must fight people and institutions to ensure that they say and acknowledge my full, complete name as I identify myself. (And don’t get me started on the difference between Rachel and Rahel.) For example, I found out that I have two email addresses at work, Rahel.Williams@elca.org and Rahel.Mwitula-Williams@elca.org, because it was considered a “good idea” to give people options. However, there is no option with my name. It is what it is — Rahel Mwitula Williams. I decide what I want to identify as, just like any other group fighting for their identity.

Choosing to own and proudly use one’s given name in such an environment is a powerful act of resistance. It is a declaration of my self-worth and an affirmation of my cultural identity. At the same time, society is more patient with those from the global north than with those from the global south. People from the global south are repeatedly asked to come up with a global-north name or nickname but not the other way around.

• My name is an affirmation of my identity, connecting me to my heritage and personal history. It is a daily reminder of where I come from and the stories of my ancestors.
• My name gives me the opportunity to educate others about my culture, promote diversity and foster greater understanding and respect.
• My name breaks stereotypes and challenges the notion that non-Western names are inferior or inconvenient. It confronts the biases ingrained in patriarchal and colonial mindsets.
• My name empowers me to refuse to conform when I am pressured to change and fit in. It is a statement that I value my identity and heritage, regardless of societal expectations.

I am Rahel Mwitula Williams.

Rahel Mwitula Williams is director for innovation and ideas with the ELCA, having previously served as director of Global Mission funding. Born and raised in Tanzania, East Africa, she migrated to the United States with her family at age 12. Rahel is a member of Shekinah Chapel, a Lutheran church in Riverdale, Ill., where her husband, the Rev. Jason Williams, serves as pastor.

She holds a B.S. in psychology from Loyola University, a Master of Science degree in international public service from DePaul University and an executive scholar certificate in nonprofit management from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

She is a founder and the creative director of ILAVA, a social enterprise that uses fashion to inspire and implement change around the world

In addition to her roles at the ELCA and ILAVA, Rahel is a nonprofit development executive who specializes in working with major donors, both in the United States and internationally. Rahel achieved a significant personal milestone in 2023 by climbing to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, one of her proudest moments.

For more from Rahel Mwitula Williams: 

• www.myilava.com
• Blog | RMW Corporation (rahelmwitulawilliams.com)
• Chasing Uhuru Peak: Mt Kilimanjaro Experience by Rahel Mwitula Williams (youtube.com)
• Redefining Philanthropy: Faces of Change Makers | Rahel Mwitula Williams | TEDxNorthwesternU (youtube.com)

The following message is shared on behalf of Vance Blackfox (Cherokee), Interim Senior Director, Ministries of Diverse Cultures and Communities.

During September, we remember the survivors and descendants of U.S. Indian Boarding Schools. On Saturday, Sept. 30, we observe the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools. You can participate by wearing an orange shirt and posting a photo of yourself or members of your congregation or community on social media. Use the hashtags #ELCA #TruthAndHealing and #DayOfRememberance. If you would like to support the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS), you can purchase an orange shirt with their logo. However, any orange shirt will work.

Throughout September the ELCA’s Truth and Healing Movement has provided opportunities to learn about Indian boarding schools, including conversations with boarding school survivors and descendants of survivors, advocacy opportunities and more. 

The ELCA is committed to understanding our role in the tragic and sinful history of Indian boarding schools so that we can begin to heal together. Further, our learning and advocacy related to Indian boarding schools will not end September 30. Our journey toward healing will continue through the Truth and Healing Movement and beyond. To learn more and get involved, visit www.elca.org/IndianBoardingSchools.

Next week there are two free online classes: “Introduction to the Truth and Healing Movement” on Tuesday, September 26, and “Indian 101” on Thursday, September 28. This will be your last chance to attend these classes during the Truth and Healing Movement. For more information and to join the classes, visit www.ELCA.org/TruthAndHealing.

For more information on the ELCA’s Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations, visit: Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (elca.org)