A statement from Rev. Dr. Steven Schave, the Executive Director of LAMP, at the death of our founder:

The entire LAMP family is mourning the loss of our founder, Rev. Les Stahlke, but we grieve with hope in Christ our Savior. I first met Pastor Stahlke when I was a child growing up in Toledo, Ohio. He came to speak to the children of our church, and like most of the kids, I was captivated by his stories about bush pilots, Arctic conditions, and indigenous reserves in the Great White North. Our imaginations were filled with images of planes, bears, moccasins, and fur parkas. So, when LAMP reached out to me about their executive director position years later, these fond memories immediately came rushing back to my mind.

After hearing Les speak about his missionary work in my childhood, I eventually became a missionary in my own right, years later. Although Les spoke to hundreds of kids, he could never have known the impact it might have on my life and the lives of many others decades later. And that is how it should be. As the missionary St. Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” Little did Les know that he was planting seeds for future missionaries, just as he sowed the seeds of the Gospel that would blossom across Northern Canada.

In his final interview with LAMP, Les reflects on how his vision for engaging volunteers to serve the children of the North has come to fruition through our 55x55 Initiative, which includes 55 visits in celebration of our 55th anniversary. He marvels at how God has worked through hundreds of volunteers to reach thousands of children over the years. Now, across multiple generations, the children he first served have become the parents and grandparents of the children LAMP teaches the Bible to today. Many of the leaders in northern communities are former LAMP VBS students. Les planted the seeds, others watered them, but God provided the growth.

While it is wonderful that Les could see his hopes realized through the ministry he began, it is even more remarkable that he now experiences the biblical vision of heaven that we all hope for. As St. John writes, “I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands”. This beatific vision is now a full reality for Les in heaven.

Les emphasized the importance of building relationships–whether with our friends in the North, our volunteers, or our financial supporters. Through God’s plan of salvation, Les is now among the multitude of languages and tribes to whom He ministered. And these relationships have culminated in the full communion of the heavenly feast. However, this is only a foretaste, because in the twinkling of an eye, the trumpets will sound at Christ’s return. Jesus will make alive and gather all believers from North, South, East, and West. Until that day, we will continue in God’s mission to reach and rescue the least and the lost.

We give thanks for Rev. Stahkle, who embodied the words of Jesus: “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me." And we echo the words of Christ: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” To the world, Les may have appeared to be a man who was dying of cancer, but with the eyes of faith, we see that he was a pastor-pilot coming in for a safe landing. Together, we await the Last Day when we will witness clear blue skies, green pastures, and waters so still that they look like glass. Until that day comes, we will continue the work Les started, striving to reach the ends of the earth with the Gospel, to all tribes, languages, and peoples. We are grateful for these 55 years of mission and look forward to many more generations to come.