“There isn’t anything else like MTI, and that is one of the things that keeps me supporting the ministry.” Lorelee Benz ought to know. She is a former staff member and decades-long supporter.

Lorelee met Sharon Mumper in Austria in 1992, as Eastern Europe was experiencing groundbreaking shifts with the fall of communism. Sharon had been working with publishers in Eastern Europe for three years and Lorelee was excited to meet her when she moved into the office just down the hall. Little did she know that encounter would be the start of 35 years of friendship and partnership with Magazine Training International (MTI).

“I’ve always been a big reader; Christian magazines and books have had an immense influence in my life,” says Lorelee.  “So, the idea of being able to bring that sorely needed knowledge and resources to Eastern Europe was intriguing and exciting to me.”

Months later, when Sharon asked her to join the ministry, she was ready to agree. The mission agency with which she was working was moving to the United States, and Lorelee was happy to stay with MTI in Austria another two years. Today, she is back in the U.S. and for 30 years has been a faithful contributor.

“One of the reasons I am so committed to supporting MTI is because it flew under the radar,” says Lorelee. “However, the influence MTI has on publishers, not only in Eastern Europe, but in India, Africa, and South America is important to those regions. These publishers have their finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the church currently. MTI doesn’t just come in and tell them what to do. The first step is always to listen and that is what MTI does.”

Regarding MTI’s many valuable resources–eBooks, webinars, videos and conferences–Lorelee says, “E-books and online training are obviously important right now. But conferences are an opportunity to bring people together; to see what other people are working on and to help one another.”

Lorelee’s experience while working with MTI in Eastern Europe still impacts her life. Recalling a conference in Poland with tears in her eyes, Lorelee says, “Four people from Ukraine wanted to start a magazine for teachers. And although they could not get the time off work, they came anyway. They felt that the training they would get was worth the risk of their livelihood. Seeing that really made an impact on me.”

Lorelle says she enjoys getting letters each month from MTI. “They are always very interesting, very personal; and the quotes and stories from publishers who are impacted by the ministry make it clear just how the important the MTI ministry is.”

Lorelee and her husband Ryan reside in Fargo, SD, where she is a former lay pastor and currently admin project support manager at Bell Bank.

by Christine McKnight