This month we are highlighting the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) grant of $100,000 for Lutheran Braille Workers, Laborers of Love.

Did you know there are approximately eleven million blind and visually impaired people in the United States? Or that of those eleven million, about 95% are unchurched? For 74 years Lutheran Braille Workers (LBW) has been using resources to engage blind and visually challenged people by giving both spiritual and physical encouragement. Since they combined in 2012, Lutheran Blind Mission Society and Lutheran Braille Workers (LBW) are helping the visually challenged to “see” Jesus with “eyes of faith” through the use of large print and braille Bibles.

Laborers of Love will use this grant of $100,000 to print 20,000 English Standard Version (ESV) Bibles at more than 100 LBW Work Centers in the United States. This is a complicated process of transcription, creating and embossing zinc plates and then printing a complete ESV Bible of 37 volumes in either large print or braille for a cost of $185. On the commercial market this same Bible would sell for $810, making the purchase of this Bible cost prohibitive for many blind and visually impaired persons. The Laborers of Love grant project will give these Bibles free of charge to recipients.

As a Recognized Service Organization (RSO), this ministry serves about 1,200 active participants in 60 Outreach Centers throughout 23 states. LBW seeks to reach out to people with visual limitations so they too have the saving news of Jesus.

Many blind or visually impaired persons have been mistakenly told that their blindness is punishment for sin, or if they have enough faith, they’ll be healed. Because of this misinformation, many of the visually challenged become discouraged or have rejected God. Being able to read a Bible and learn of the saving news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection will give them encouragement and hope.

Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) is the official women’s auxiliary of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Since 1942, the LWML has focused on affirming each woman’s relationship with Christ, encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and by supporting global missions. For more information on each month’s mission focus, visit LWML.org. Saint John’s Mission Guild (LWML) meets the first Tuesday of each month at 10:30 AM in Room 301. All ladies of the congregation are invited to attend.