Spring 2016 - NL Newsletter
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Letter<br />
FROM DON<br />
Here is something that will surprise<br />
you: I recently announced to my Board<br />
of Directors my intent, as of the end of<br />
January 2017, to turn the leadership of<br />
Lutheran Indian Ministries over to God’s<br />
next person.<br />
Perhaps they expected as much. After<br />
all, I have been serving as the CEO of this<br />
ministry for a long time and people, of<br />
course, do retire.<br />
They were gracious enough to listen to my<br />
reasons for doing so and immediately did<br />
what Boards often do when faced with the<br />
impending departure of their leader: they<br />
attempted to convince me to stay on as long<br />
as I felt led to do so.<br />
Then, realizing my resolve to only continue<br />
on for one more year, they quickly appointed<br />
a succession committee, developed a<br />
short list of candidates and began the<br />
process of interviews leading to the<br />
selection of my replacement.<br />
I’m pleased to announce that they have<br />
selected Tim Young Eagle, our current<br />
Director of Development, to be the next<br />
CEO of Lutheran Indian Ministries. You<br />
can read more about him in the article<br />
later in this newsletter.<br />
And so what happens next for me? First, I<br />
am planning to do whatever I can to prepare<br />
for the ministry transition to go as smoothly<br />
as possible. I also plan to spend time with<br />
each of my staff. I have enjoyed watching<br />
them complete the education we afforded<br />
them and delighted to see God at work in<br />
their faith and in their witness. They made<br />
my leadership easy, and I grew to love them.<br />
Ok, saying goodbye to them will be difficult.<br />
But, I will of course keep in touch with<br />
them from wherever it is that God leads me<br />
following the end of my leadership of LIM.<br />
Which leads me to my next idea. While<br />
what I am doing looks like retirement, I am<br />
actually looking at the end of my leadership<br />
of LIM as an opportunity for God to use my<br />
acquired knowledge about ministry and<br />
mission for some other purpose which He<br />
has not yet shown me. I will be seeking His<br />
will in determining what that might mean.<br />
I will of course miss my connection with<br />
you, our donors. I have always told people<br />
that one of the greatest joys of this ministry<br />
is meeting people like you. You are special,<br />
and I want to thank you for your prayers,<br />
generosity, and encouragement.<br />
I look forward to these last months as<br />
leader of LIM. Thanks again for your help<br />
in making my time with the ministry so<br />
blessed by God.<br />
Very Cordially,<br />
Rev. Dr. Don Johnson<br />
“That Warrior fought and stood, so we could be here today.<br />
He took a chance on me [and all of us] and that laid the foundation<br />
for what we are doing at Lutheran Indian Ministries<br />
– we’ll take a chance on anyone. We love because<br />
we are loved by our Great Savior, Jesus Christ.”<br />
– Will Main<br />
2 / Lutheran Indian Ministries