Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

This blog is dedicated to the cross-cultural reflections of a group of ELCA seminarians from Wartburg, LSTC, and Trinity in Iceland during their January term.  I'm breaking in to our normal blogging activity to ask that those reading this blog hold in prayer all those affected by the earthquake in Haiti, including seminarians from Wartburg and Trinity.  Early word is that the group from Abiding Hope Lutheran Church in Colorado, including seminarians from Trinity and Wartburg intern Sarah Thomson, are safe.  We have yet to hear word from Wartburg senior seminarians Renee and Ben Splichal-Larson and Jon Larson, who have been working with Pastor Livenson, who studied at Wartburg Fall 2006, and the pastors of Eglise Lutherienne d'Haiti.

On behalf of our group in Iceland, I ask that those reading this pray...
...for Haiti, a country and people already devistated by poverty,
...for the Church in Haiti, including the pastors and people of Eglise Lutherienne d'Haiti,
...for the group from Abiding Hope, including Wartburg intern Sarah Thomson and seminarians from Trinity,
...for Renee and Ben Splichal-Larson and Jon Larson, senior seminarians from Wartburg,

that the strength and comfort of God's presence be felt,
that those involved in rescue efforts might be God's hands and feet,
that the injured might receive care and healing,
that those who grieve might be comforted,
that those who we love are safe,
for serenity and persistence in our prayers.

Lord, in your mercy,

Rev. Dr. Samuel Giere
Assistant Professor of Homiletics
Wartburg Theological Seminary