Another Prayer Request...

I am late in posting this from Rev. Fred Reinhardt (son of David Reinhardt):

Hello everyone, 

I just wanted to let you know that I was mugged last night, Dec. 27th, at 8:30 p.m. while walking home from downtown with a backpack and a bag of groceries!  As you know, it is the week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day, and all the university students who are normally also walking around my area at that time are not here!  So, it was too calm - and dangerous - as I learned the hard way, for me to have been walking home, even at that normally very safe hour! 

Four men walked up behind me, surprising me.  Two or three of them held me, one tried to get my wallet out of my back pocket, another holding a "coupe-coupe" (machete) hit me on the left side of the head.  The cut actually turned out not to be too deep, but it was bleeding as if it were!  (head wound - go figure!) 

I was saved by an approaching man who had just gotten off work from a nearby hotel or "club" (?), next to the St. Paul Catholic University Chapel (I didn't even know that such a club was THERE!).  He immediately saw what was going on, and said something to them which scared them away.  God was with me in the person of this "Good Samaritan!"

My Good Samaritan took me to the hotel to await a taxi and to get paper towel compresses for my wound, and some "first aid" - some alcohol on cotton to clean the wound.  I was taken to the 24-hr Nairobi Outpatient Center right downtown, and they gave me good care, cleaning and dressing the wound and suturing it up (after having to shave the area!).  They prescribed and sold to me some antibiotics and something for pain relief, when the local anesthetic would wear off. 

I got a good night's sleep last night, so am out and about with my "funny white hat" today! 

Your prayers for continued safety and security, and for quick healing are much appreciated!  Thanks. 

Rev. Fred REINHARDT

Area Facilitator for French-speaking Central and East Africa

Nairobi, Kenya

A Note from David Reinhardt about his son, Fred

I'd like to share this information that I received from David Reinhardt about his son, Fred.  He has quite a life in Africa doing the Lord's work.

Fred will be coming home from Africa in October for his two month sabbatical and will be preaching and visiting churches that support him during this time.  He wrote the following brief bio for one of the churches he will be visiting so they can put some info about him in their newsletter.

HISTORY OF MISSIONARY FRED REINHARDT'S TIME IN AFRICA

Rev. Frederick Reinhardt, a 2002 graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, has been a missionary in French-speaking Africa for just over eleven years now.  He first arrived in Togo, West Africa, to live and work on Sept. 1, 2000.  He completed his 2-year vicarage there.  He lived in Togo for a total of seven-and-a-half years, as a normal "career missionary," living and working in one place at a time - though he did move around northern Togo several times!  In late 2007, since he was doing "Area Facilitator" duties more and more in replacement of a former LCMS missionary, he was offered the position of "Area Facilitator for French-speaking Africa," which he accepted.  In order to successfully perform his new duties, it was necessary to move to a capital city - and Fred chose Dakar, the capital of Senegal.  He lived there for three years.  The duties of facilitating mission with partner Church Bodies in French-speaking West Africa was turned over to another LCMS missionary, and Fred was asked to move to East Africa, to the capital of Kenya - Nairobi.  From that large and cosmopolitan city, where LCMS World Mission already had offices and several missionaries living, Fred would be able to facilitate mission and foster the relationships - many of them brand new - with our French-speaking Lutheran partner Church Bodies in Central and East Africa.  The countries he now covers include:  Burundi, Rwanda, Madagascar, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and there are currently some ongoing projects of the LCMS in the Portuguese-speaking countries of Angola and Mozambique, for which he is responsible.  Other countries where a relationship could one day develop include Gabon, Tchad, the Central African Republic, and the Comoros Islands.  As you can see, Fred has his work cut out for him!  And he does the vast majority of it in French!

I "stalked" Fred on Facebook and he has lots of great pictures
of his work in Africa (Frederick M. Reinhardt). This photo is
from the Lutheran Church of St. Augustine in
Brassaville, Congo

Family Picture Friday: David Reinhardt and Sons

Karl, David & Fred Reinhardt

David sent me this picture some time ago and I realized that I hadn't posted it.  Karl was born 1959 and passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 2, 2007.  Fred is the older brother, born in 1957. David's children carried on the family tradition of German names:  Karl Leonhardt and Frederick Martin.  Karl worked in the Air Conditioning field.  Fred worked in Federal Civil Service for over 20 years before entering Seminary.  David spent his career in Accounting before his retirement.

Sunday Special: Fred Reinhardt in Africa, A LCMS Missionary

David Reinhardt's son, Fred is a LCMS Missionary in Africa.  I will post his newsletters here to share the current generation of Lutheran Pastors.

This newsletter is from November 2010 and from one of his supporting congregations.