Troester Home Assignment Report—2019

Deborah giving a sermon at Trinity Lutheran Church in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.

We have returned to Zambia from an enjoyable but exhausting two-month tour of the United States. We traveled over 6000 miles in the U.S. by car, train, and plane and were able to visit our friends, relatives, and supporters in Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. We sincerely regret that time did not allow us to visit our friends and supporting churches in Florida, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Puerto Rico.

During July and August, we had 17 separate engagements, including visiting 14 different congregations plus attending the ELCA-GM Summer Mission. The response to our presentations was positive and enthusiastic.

We want to thank all the people that helped us with our travels, by providing delicious homemade specialties, giving us a comfortable place to sleep, and patiently listening to our stories and presentations. We made many new friends and renewed many old acquaintances. We look forward to seeing you all again the next time we return to the States. Below is a detailed list of all our engagements. A copy of our PowerPoint presentation is available upon request.

Now we are back in Lusaka, Zambia and have returned to our work with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zambia. Sadly, while we were gone, our home was broken into. We lost a laptop, some cash, and a few other items. In addition, the low rainfall earlier this year led to a diminished corn crop here in Zambia. The price of cornmeal (a daily staple in Zambia and surrounding countries) has doubled. Because there is less water in the reservoirs, the production of hydroelectric power has decreased. The consequent load shedding by the power company means that we have no electricity for six or more hours a day. While we have a battery backup system for our refrigerator and computers, others are less fortunate.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Joe and Deborah Troester 

List of presentations during our 2019 Home Assignment.

·       June 19, Wednesday evening: We attended a potluck at Christ Community Church in Columbia, Illinois and gave our PowerPoint presentation about our work with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zambia.

·       June 22 and 23, Saturday evening and Sunday morning: Deborah preached at three services at St. John Lutheran Church in Bloomington, Illinois and we met with the mission committee.

·       June 25, Tuesday evening: We gave our presentation for the Presbyterian Men of the First Presbyterian Church in Carbondale, Illinois.

·       June 30, Sunday morning: Deborah preached at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Carbondale, Illinois. Afterward we attended a potluck and gave our presentation.

·       July 7, Sunday morning: Deborah preached at our home congregation, the First Presbyterian Church in Carbondale, Illinois.

·       July 14, Sunday morning: Deborah preached at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jonesboro, Illinois. Afterwards we attended a potluck and gave our presentation.

·       July 18, Thursday evening: We gave our presentation at Giant City State Park for the Supper Club of the First Presbyterian Church in Carbondale, Illinois.

·       July 22 to 26: We attended the ELCA-GM Summer Mission Conference at Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Campus in Woodstock, Illinois.

·       July 27 and 28, Saturday evening and Sunday morning: Deborah preached twice at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oak Harbor, Ohio. Afterwards, we attended a potluck brunch and gave our presentation.

·       July 31, Wednesday afternoon: We attended a meeting of the Upstate New York Synod Mission Committee in East Syracuse, New York. We discussed their companion synod relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Zambia. The mission committee was attended by Bishop John Stanley Macholz and Rev. Kevin Jacobson (ELCA Global Mission Manager for Relationships in East and Southern Africa), among others.

·       July 31, Wednesday evening: Deborah preached at the Luther Memorial Church in North Syracuse, New York. We also attended a potluck and gave our presentation.

·       August 1, Thursday evening: Deborah preached at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Fairport, New York. We also attended a potluck and gave our presentation.

·       August 3 and 4, Saturday evening and Sunday morning: Deborah preached five times at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Afterwards we attended a potluck and gave our presentation.

·       August 6, Tuesday evening: We attended a potluck at Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and gave our presentation.

·       August 7, Wednesday evening: Deborah preached at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New York, New York. Afterwards we attended a potluck and gave our presentation.

·       August 11, Sunday morning: Deborah preached three times at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in York, Pennsylvania and we gave our presentation.

·       August 11, Sunday evening: We attended a potluck and ice cream social at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Afterwards we give our presentation.

ELCA Global Mission Support and Contact Information

In all of this, we thank God for you—for your prayers and for your financial support. We couldn’t do it without you! If you wish to support us, you can give through your local congregation or through our ELCA Missionary Sponsorship Page. You can contact us at Joe.Troester@elca.org and Deborah.Troester@elca.org

Joe and Deborah are ELCA missionaries living in Lusaka, Zambia, where they are serving with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zambia (ELCZa). Their daughter, Christa, is a senior at the University of Southern California, where she is studying French and Film & Television Production.