LCMS World Mission in Eurasia - Career Missionaries

(We continue to have short-term volunteers serving on a two-weeks to six-months basis, see Short-Term Volunteer Missionaries. Also refer to news updates and archived news on our Home Page to read about their work and see their photos).

The Czech Republic

The Blokers: Pastor Jim and Mabelle

Rev. Jim and Mabelle Bloker serve as LCMS missionaries in the Czech Republic and throughout Eurasia. They work with national church leaders to build up outreach efforts and seek to constantly reconnect the people of Eurasia with their Christian heritage. Jim and Mabelle prepared for their service by attending missionary orientation at Concordia University, St. Paul, in June 2008. They previously served as missionaries in Ghana, West Africa, and have served at congregations in North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.

Jim was born in Lenoir, N.C., and received his Master of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., after initially working in the banking industry. Mabelle was born in Farmville, Va., and went on to a business college to study accounting with automation. In their free time, Jim enjoys hiking and motorcycling, and Mabelle likes hiking and all kinds of needlework. The Blokers have two sons and four grandchildren. Their son, Ben, and his wife, Melody, live in Germany, and their son, Tim, lives in Lynchburg, Va.

The Blokers ask you to pray that the Lord would establish a clear path for reaching the people of Eurasia with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray that they would have a united partnership with the churches in Eastern Europe to this end. Pray also for safety and wisdom as they establish a “home base” for regional mission work in the Czech Republic. Finally, thank the Lord that the Blokers have answered His call to serve as missionaries! Prayer Card. For more news, read their Newsletters. (top)

The Smiths: Pastor Brent, Jennie, Zachary, Katelyn, and Sophia

Rev. Brent and Jennie Smith serve the Lord and the LCMS as missionaries residing in Frankfurt, Germany. Brent serves as the regional director for Eurasia, an area that includes Europe and the former Soviet Union. In this role, Brent provides leadership and support to the missionaries in the region, facilitates work and partnerships with national churches, and explores new possibilities for work among people who do not yet know the Lord Jesus.

Born in Imperial, Neb., Brent and his family are members of Zion Lutheran Church. A graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, he began service with LCMS World Mission as a field business manager in 1995. After two years of service, he entered Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo., and during the 1999-2000 school year, served his vicarage in Moscow, Russia. Brent then received his first call in 2001 to serve as evangelist missionary to Moscow. Brent is currently enrolled in a Doctor of Ministry program with a concentration in Missions and Evangelism at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill.

Jennie is a native of Broken Bow, Neb., and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in business administration. She previously worked in the field of human resources and for the United States Embassy in Moscow. She enjoys exercising, reading, and making scrapbooks. The Smiths have a son, Zachary, and two daughters, Katelyn and Sophia.

Please pray for the entire Eurasia mission team, that they would be blessed with excellent working relationships and a clear vision of God's work. Also ask God to help the Smith family adjust to living in Germany. Pray for their health and safety, especially as Brent's position requires extensive travel. They also ask, "Pray that the people will trust in Christ alone and, in turn, share Christ with others. Please ask also for God to continually fill us with the Holy Spirit's power, wisdom and gifts." Prayer Card. For more news, read their Newsletters. (top)

Robert and Laine Rosin serve the Lord and the LCMS in Eurasia, as Bob serves in a shared-time arrangement with Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. Besides teaching in the region, Bob is looking for opportunities for other LCMS educators to teach. He also works in developing relationships with Lutheran institutions and serving as a consultant for LCMS theological education programs in Eurasia.

Bob has served as a professor at Concordia Seminary since 1981. He graduated from Concordia Teachers College in River Forest, Ill., from Concordia Seminary, and has a doctorate in Renaissance/Reformation history from Stanford University. At Concordia Seminary, his primary focus has been on Reformation studies, but he has taught courses in both European and American intellectual history.

Bob and Laine come with a good deal of cross-cultural experience. Before joining the seminary faculty in St. Louis, they lived in Germany for three years, first at Tübingen University and then two years in Mainz, where Bob was a fellow at the Institute for European History. He has done long-term teaching stints in Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Brazil, Croatia, and Ethiopia.

Laine grew up in Monett, Mo., graduated from Saint Paul's College in Concordia, Mo., and from Concordia Teachers College, River Forest. She has a master's degree from Concordia Seminary in Systematic Theology. She has taught second grade in the St. Louis area and in Germany, and has been a copy editor at Concordia Publishing House for almost 17 years.

Bob and Laine ask you to pray that God would bless efforts to connect teaching opportunities with ready servants from LCMS schools, in that people and pastors in Eurasia might grow in His Word. Prayer Card. For more news, read their Newsletters. (top)

Rev. Mark and Rosalie (Rose) Krause serve the Lord in the Baltic region of Eurasia, where Mark is the area facilitator for LCMS World Mission work in the Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. He has been called to create mission awareness and support within American congregations of the work that is being accomplished in the Baltics and to provide counsel and encouragement to the Lutheran churches in the Baltics, especially in the areas of outreach, pastoral leadership training, church administration, and stewardship education. Rose offers important support to Mark and has been working to develop women's and family life ministry with the Sunday School commission, seminary wives, pastor's wives, and the women of the church.

Mark is a graduate of Mankato State University in Minnesota and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He previously served at LCMS parishes in Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa and has been involved in planting two new congregations. Rose attended high school in Tracy, Minn., and cosmetology school. She has served alongside Mark in the congregations he pastored in the areas of women’s ministry, administration, and hospitality, and has also worked in retail management. The Krauses both enjoy golfing and traveling. Previous to serving in the Baltics, Mark made two mission trips to Korea and both Mark and Rose went on a mission trip to Russia.

The Krauses attended LCMS World Mission orientation at Concordia Unversity, St. Paul prior to leaving for the Baltics and are studying the Latvian language as part of their crosscultural training. Please pray for Mark and Rose as they serve in the Baltic region. They ask, “'pray for the Lord to bless their sons, Matthew and Philip—Matthew will be attending Concordia Seminary in St. Louis with his new wife, Cortney, and Philip studies finance at the University of Northern Iowa.” Pray that the Krauses will be blessed with good health as they work with the leadership of the partner churches in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. Finally, pray that the Holy Spirit will give them wisdom and understanding as they seek to further develop the work of LCMS World Mission in this region. Prayer Card. For more news, read their Newsletters. (top)

Missionary Matthew Heise serves as a theological educator in Russia and teaches at the seminary of LCMS partner church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria. He also conducts theological seminars throughout Russia, identifying future students for the ministry. He has long had a fascination with the land of Russia, being the grandson of Russian-German immigrants. In previous LCMS mission service from 1994 to 1996, Matthew served as a volunteer missionary in Moscow where he taught English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes and was the ESL coordinator.

Born in Dearborn, Mich., he is a lifelong member of Guardian Lutheran Church in Dearborn. Matthew holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, a master’s degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., and a master’s degree in divinity from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. His hobbies include sports, traveling, and reading.

Please pray for safety for Matthew and all other missionaries and for “a boldness to witness to the hope that I have in Jesus Christ, with gentleness and respect,” (I Peter 3:15,16). Prayer Card. For more news, read his Newsletters. (top)

The Muhlys: Jon, Julie, David, and Nathaniel

Jon and Julie Muhly serve the Lord as LCMS missionaries in Russia. Having recently graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Jon was then called to serve as the Area Facilitator in Russia. In this capacity, he is working with LCMS' official partner church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia (ELCIR). His main responsibilities are to enhance its ability to reach out to non-believers, to support the church's efforts to mature as a church body, and to provide theological resources for the church. These efforts are achieved through training, teaching, and coordinating our work with the leaders of our partner church. Jon and Julie previously served as LCMS volunteer missionaries in Cieszyn, Poland, from 2000 to 2002.

Born in Lodi, Calif., Jon graduated with a bachelor's degree in theology from Concordia University, Portland, Ore., and completed a master of divinity from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. In his free time, Jon enjoys traveling and reading.

Julie (Goecker) was born in Seymour, Ind., and earned a bachelor's degree in education from Concordia University, River Forest, Ill. Julie enjoys painting in her free time.

Jon and Julie's oldest son, David, was born in 2005, with their second son, Nathaniel born in 2006. They consider both St. Peter Lutheran Church, Lodi, Calif., and Immanuel Lutheran Church, Seymour, Ind., their home congregations.

Please pray for the Muhlys in their language learning and cultural adaptation-that language and culture may not be hindrances in their ministry. Pray for wisdom and guidance for Jon as he works as the Area Facilitator. Pray for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia, that it would be bold and persistent in its witness to the Gospel. Pray also for the maturity of this young church, for its leaders, pastors, deacons, and deaconesses. Pray also for their sons, David and Nathaniel, that they would continue to grow healthy and strong. And finally, pray for the people of Russia who have yet to know Jesus, that God would soften their hearts and prepare them for the Gospel. Prayer Card. For more news, read their Newsletters. (top)

The Daniels: Pastor David and Slavka

Dr. David Daniel serves God at the Evangelical Theological Faculty of Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. As head of the department of church history and vice-dean for scholarship and international contacts, he develops instructional materials and helps prepare future workers for the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia and other countries of central and eastern Europe.

David was born in Bethlehem, Pa. and is a graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, Ill. He studied at the University in Vienna, Austria, prior to receiving his Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University, where he taught for nine years. He served as pastor or vacancy pastor in congregations in Penn., Mo., and Ill. From 1979 to 1988, he taught at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo. David has lived and worked in Bratislava since 1988. In 1997 he accepted a call from LCMS World Mission to serve full-time as a theological educator at the Theological Faculty in Bratislava.

David is married to Slavka, a native of Slovakia, who serves as the head of the department of religion and chaplain at the Evangelical Lyceum in Bratislava.

They ask you to pray that the Spirit would energize and strengthen teachers as they prepare students to serve church and society. Pray that believers will grow in faith and that the members and workers of the churches in central Europe may be effective witnesses to Christ so that those who are not Christians may be brought to faith. Prayer Card. (top)

The Fialas: David and Radka

David and Radka Fiala serve as volunteer missionaries in Slovakia, where they teach English as a Second Language and lead and mentor the youth in Bible studies and service projects. Prior to their service in Slovakia, David and Radka participated in two weeks of training in St. Paul, Minn., through LCMS World Mission.

Born in DuPage County, Ill., David received a bachelor of arts degree in theology from Concordia University, Seward, Neb. Prior to graduating, he served as a volunteer missionary in Slovakia for a year. In his free time, David enjoys listening to music and being outdoors.

Radka was born in Brezno, Slovakia. She also attended Concordia University, Seward, Neb., where she graduated with a bachelor of science degree in secondary education. Her hobbies include listening to music, reading, and spending time with friends. David and Radka consider Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Milford, Neb., their home congregation.

Please pray that God would bless David and Radka and the other members of their team and grant them perseverance as they serve. Pray that the God would bless the relationships that they develop and that the people in Slovakia would come to know their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And finally, David and Radka share, "We give thanks for all the people that God used to help us in our ministry and that encourage us day by day." Prayer Card. (top)