"I am fearfully and wonderfully made." 

Psalm  139:14 NRSVue

On the evening of July 15, LPGM development director Bethany Krepela and I loaded our rental car with 1,000 lip balms, bookmarks, stickers, and stacks of printed materials and began the three-and-a-half-hour journey from Minneapolis to Des Moines, Iowa.

We were on our way to represent LPGM at the Women of the ELCA (WELCA) Triennial Gathering from July 16 to 18. LPGM was one of 50 exhibitors in the Exhibit Hall, and many of the event's 1,078 attendees visited our booth over the next three days. The Gathering's theme was "I am Worthy". 

Day One: Making New Friends and Reuniting with Old Friends

On the morning of July 16, we unloaded the car in very steamy weather and set up our booth in the Exhibit Hall. 

Throughout the day, women from around the world stopped by booth #437 to learn about LPGM, spin the prize wheel, share their stories, enter our drawing for a bag sewn by a girl at our partner Eripoto's Safe House in Tanzania (won by Marilyn G. of Solway, Minn.), grab packets for their congregations, and share laughs.

After exhibiting from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., we enjoyed a meal with Pastor Jane Anitha and Dora Hemalatha from the Arcot Lutheran Church (ALC) of India at a local Indian restaurant, Spice Rasta. LPGM has partnered with the ALC for the past 30 years — bringing education to Dalit children at the margins, especially girls.

We were also joined by Pastor Jane and Dora's U.S. hosts, Sandie Weckerly and Debra Quinn from the Northern Illinois Synod.

After finishing a satisfying meal, our Indian partners gifted us beautiful bags and garlands handmade at Saron Boarding Home. It's always a pleasure to join together with powerful women making a difference in the world.

Day Two: Connecting with the Rev. Martha Ambarangu

Day two started bright and early at 8:00 a.m., and a steady stream of women visited our booth until 5:00 p.m. While we connected with dozens of interesting women, one of the highlights was meeting the Rev. Martha Ambarangu. 

When Martha stopped by our booth, we quickly realized that many ties existed between us.

Martha, a Mwanamke/Womanist biblical critic, is currently completing the final year of her PhD program at Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. She is originally from Tanzania and is familiar with LPGM's partner, Mwangaza Education for Partnership. In fact, she was a beneficiary of Mwangaza's mother/daughter program, Binti/Mama. The program sought to strengthen teams of intergenerational women to be advocates for healthy lifestyles in school and community settings.

Martha knows Salome, one of Mwangaza's senior program coordinators, so we snapped a photo and sent it to Salome in Tanzania. Salome passed her warm greetings to Martha via WhatsApp. 

This sort of connection is only possible at gatherings such as this. 

Day Three: Listening to Powerful Women  

The third day of the Gathering was filled with more fellowship, inspiration, and connection. Yet again, we exhibited from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but we took a break from our booth to attend the morning plenary session, where Pastor Jane and Dora presented to all attendees. 

The session began with a congo line, in which women of all walks of life joined hands in dance. 

After a Bible study led by the Rev. Sara Olson Smith and an insightful Biblical analysis by Pastor Martha, Pastor Jane and Dora took the stage to share about the challenges facing Indian women and to affirm the worth and dignity of their fellow Indian women. They led the room in the chant, "We are worthy!" Click the videos above to watch two inspirational clips from their speech.

Naomi Mbise, another Tanzanian, was one of the other international plenary speakers. Currently a Master of Divinity student at Harvard University, Naomi's educational path hasn't been easy. She spoke about her mother's resolve to provide access to education for her four daughters, and she shared about meeting a woman named Ruth who helped sponsor her educational goals. 

While Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry wasn't involved in Naomi's journey, her story reminded us of so many impact stories from LPGM's long-term partners in India, Tanzania, Guatemala, and the Central African Republic — who are providing access to quality education for girls and young women like Naomi.

Listening to Naomi filled us with hope and reenergized us, and we can't wait to witness all that she continues to achieve in the future. She's a bright light in this world.

Final Thoughts

When we drove back to Minneapolis on Saturday night, our cups were overflowing with hope, inspiration, and connection.

Many women brought informational packets back to their churches, and we are excited to watch these new relationships blossom.

LPGM can't support this work without the partnership of passionate congregations and individuals. We look forward to many new - and refreshed - reciprocal relationships to spring up with this event. 

If you have any questions for us, or simply want to learn more, please reach out! 

Shannon Mahedy, Communications Manager, shannon@lutheranpartners.org / 612-491-5160

Bethany Krepela, Development Director, bethany@lutheranpartners.org / 612-806-0733

By Shannon Mahedy, LPGM Communications Manager since 2024 (pictured above, left). Shannon, a native of New Jersey, lives in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis with her spouse, Sean, who is a cheesemonger, and their two cats.