On September 17, 2011, 200 plus individuals accepted their invitation from the South Dakota District LLL Board of Governors for a FREE dinner, as a THANK YOU for supporting LLL and Lutheran Hour Ministries over the past year.

Int'l LLL President Mick Onnen, Lutheran Hour Speaker Rev. Greg Seltz,
Regional Governer Bill Snow, SD LLL President Bob Portice

Following the dinner, attendees were brought up-to-date on LLL activities at the State, Regional and International levels by State President, Bob Portice; Regional Governor, Bill Snow; and International LLL President, Mick Onnen.

Highlight of the evening's activities was a presentation by Rev. Greg Seltz, new Speaker of the LLL flagship radio program, "The Lutheran Hour." Rev. Seltz was in the area for a Lutheran Hour Rally at Luverne, MN and had agreed to tape a sermon for the "Main Street Living" television program, as well as attend the appreciation dinner to honor and get acquainted with the LLL supporters. His sermon is tentatively scheduled to air on Reformation Sunday - watch for it!!

Our thanks go out to Rev. Scott Sailer and the members of Faith Lutheran Church, in Sioux Falls, for hosting this special event!

The SD District Board is thinking of making this appreciation dinner an annual event, so watch for your invitation, at about this same time, next year.

• Develop contact with children and various institutions, offering evangelistic programs with Christian values through different activities like puppets, games, movies, and presentations.
• Working with three Bible studies, in different neighborhoods, offering support, resources and materials.
• Including the choir, which they have already started, they want to add other creative group activities such as theatre and handicrafts.
• Open new study and Bible study groups for women and children in the office.
• Secure their own, larger office facilities, so that they would have adequate space to develop and carry on these activities.

While visiting with Mariana at the 2010 Int’l LLL Convention in Omaha, she indicated that they have a need for the following items, to assist in their immediate ministry programs: 1. Hand puppets, to continue using theatre to bring the message of Christ to the people, especially the children. 2. Backpacks and school supplies to hand out to children. (They can purchase the supplies, there in Uruguay, at a cost of about $15.00 American – thus saving the shipping costs of both backpacks and supplies to Uruguay)

Since LHM Uruguay is the prayer and support partner of the SD District LLL and to show Mariana and her staff that we appreciate their work and what they are doing to tell people about Jesus Christ, here is what we propose: 1. We, in the SD District LLL, have secured 123 backpacks (leftover from the Global Care Package program) that we can send to her. 2. We need Hand Puppets. If you have, or can assemble a puppet, that we can send to Uruguay for use in their ministry, send it/them to: Zion Lutheran Church, 1400 So. Duluth Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57105; Attn. Bob/Judy Portice. 3. If you wish to send a donation to Mariana, for her use in purchasing supplies for the backpacks, make your checks payable to the SD District LLL; earmark the donation for Uruguay, and send them to: Gene Stegeman, LLL Treas., 1334 Westminster Dr., Brookings, SD 57006.

Rest assured, there will be no administrative costs involved with this project. The SD District LLL will pay for getting the backpacks and puppets to Uruguay. Any donations that are made will be sent in total to Mariana for her use in purchasing the supplies to fill the backpacks. If you are unable to help with either Item #2 or #3 at this time, please keep this young woman and her staff in your prayers. They are working against great odds to proclaim CHRIST in an unbelieving environment.

May GOD richly bless each and every one of you, for whatever you choose to do, to assist in this endeavor.