The following article appeared in the April 2005 edition of Village Magazine

Used with permission of English Communications Inc. Leesburg Florida:

By James Combs

FOR DUAIN AND DONNA VIEROW OF THE VILLAGES, NOTHING COULD BE MORE GRATIFYING IN LIFE THAN ENLIGHTENING OTHERS T0 GOD'S GRACE AND LOVE. LAST FALL, THIS CHRISTIAN COUPLE WHO ATTEND HOPE LUTHERAN SPENT EIGHT WEEKS DOING MISSIONWORK OVERSEAS IN COUNTRIES SUCH AS INDIA, MALAYSIA, VIETNAM AND SINGAPORE.

Smiles form on their faces, their eyes glow with pride and tears flow down their cheeks as they talk about this life-changing experience. They realize that God called upon them to touch people's lives and hearts in His name.

"It was one of the best experiences of my life;' Donna said. "No matter what country we were in, everyone was extremely grateful that we were there. But this trip wasn't about us; it was about God."

Visiting India

The Vierows were represented by five churches-Hope Lutheran in the Villages and St John Lutheran in Summerfield as well as three Lutheran churches in Minnesota. These ELCA congregations joined forces in an effort to assist the Northwest Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church (NWGELC) in India in developing a training center for outreach in that part of India.

The NWGELC, which is headquartered in Ranchi and features 700 congregations and l00,000 members, has been oppressed for years stemming from political disagreements with India's larger Lutheran organization, the Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church. One of their primary goals was to strengthen the relationship between the two church bodies.

'We had cordial and serious discussions with leaders from both church bodies;' Duain said. 'We met with the Bishop of the Gossner Church, who told us that two days earlier they’re allowing those from the NWGELC to attend their seminary. They had obviously heard of our plans and were reacting to them. I hope it's the beginning of reconciliation, and I sensed that when we were there the door was beginning to open. It was very exciting to us to see how all the young people wanted the two bodies to get together on equal terms."

Duain and Donna also talked with NWGELC leaders about the possibility of forming a partnership with the World Mission Prayer League, which is headquartered in Minneapolis. Such a partnership, they said, would provide the church with much ­needed connections to the global community, assist in the channeling of funds from U.S. donors and prepare it to reach thousands with the Gospel of Christ.

"We just received word that the World Mission Prayer League has now decided to endorse this relationship with the NWGELC Duain said. 'The relationship with this organization will be very beneficial."

The Vierows are also excited that Neeraj and Nijhar Ekka are returning to their native India to serve as missionaries. The Ekkas received their theological training in the United States and were ordained in India. They are citizens of India who come to the United States for further training. They are members of the NWGELC and will teach at a new multi-purpose training center being constructed in Ranchi. "Duain and I have had the pleasure of meeting the Ekkas, and they are a fine, outstanding family and will be a blessing to their people” Donna said. 'They are committed to reaching people in India, although there are churches in America who would love to have them. Both are on their way to earning a Ph.D. That's unprecedented for tribal people from India:'

The Vierows look forward to continuing a relationship with members of the NWGELC. "We feel we accomplished everything we could, and God had a hand in the entire process;” Duain said. "It was a marvelous experience."

Malaysia

A 1960 graduate of Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary in 1960, Duain served as a missionary in Malaysia from 1960 to 1975. So when he returned to the country last fall, it was a reunion of sorts, and he realized that how much his missionary work nearly 30 years earlier had impacted the lives of Malaysia residents.

Many of those whom he baptized and ministered have remained close to God, and some are even pastors. When word got out that Duain was returning to the country, some drove as far as three hours away to thank him for his service and commitment. One pastor said, "Duain gave the best years of his life to missionary service in Malaysia. I remember playing basketball with him and his evangelism trainings. He was very good at both."

Another pastor commented, "He baptized me and changed my life. I love everything about my life now--my home, my family, my church and faith." A retired police officer told Duain that "the world is coming to know Jesus because you planted the seed in our family. God is good and He is good to me."

'There has been an amazing transformation in Malaysia over the past 30 years in terms of technology and lifestyle, but there is still a big need for spirituality;”  Duain said. "When we visited homes there was always a lengthy prayer before departing, and praying ended up with tears and crying. It's always been my experience that you receive so much more than you give.”

_Duain AND Donna BOTH FEEL THAT GOD WILL CALL THEM FOR FUTURE MISSION TRIPS. "IT'S PART OF OUR LIVES” DUAIN SAID. "I ENJOY DIFFERENT CULTURES AND LANGUAGES AND INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE. AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE I HAVE A PASSION FOR THE MISSION OF CHRIST.”

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