Did you know that more than 80% of all Haitians who receive a professional education leave their country behind? We fight this trend by instilling our children with a sense of family belonging, Kingdom purpose, and national hope. Through LSM Gospel Kit distribution and church involvement, we teach our kids to help their neighbors starting at a young age. As they grow up, they’ll find even more opportunities to stay and help Haiti thrive!
LSM’s Impact Program in Haiti incentivizes our Home of Hope children to meet certain academic and behavioral benchmarks in order to earn special scholarships when they’re ready for college and technical school. And we’re already seeing great results! This past year, 32 out of 34 qualifying students successfully passed a critical, graduation-qualifying exam. Hope is a powerful motivator, as is accountability. Congratulations to LSM’s Haitian students!
One reason our sponsorship model is based on families, not individual kids, is that most child sponsor programs end after a certain age or grade level. We think in terms of family, which is a lifelong relationship. Rather than meet the basic needs of millions, we focus on the deep, whole person needs of the 252 kids we serve, believing this will have a farther-reaching impact. LSM sees our kids the way a parent sees a child – not as a name and age, but as a deeply known and loved family member. It’s difficult to succeed in Haiti whether you’re a child, or age 18 and up. As our children grow, LSM walks alongside them, helping as needed as they become servant leaders, disciple others, and reach their culture for Christ! Learn more at .
Haitian schools often rely on stock lectures and rote memorization. In contrast, LSM’s model emphasizes communication, collaboration, and problem solving. We believe kids will be best served in life by minds trained to work with others and find out-of-the-box solutions. That’s why half of our Homes of Hope receive supplemental educational training and the other half of our Homes attend schools operated by LSM. We’re trying to set an example of what education in Haiti can look like because we want to equip a new generation of innovators, problem solvers, job creators, entrepreneurs, engineers, and artists to build a prosperous future in Haiti!
LSM’s Gospel Kits, which all contain humanitarian supplies and evangelistic materials, are packed by volunteers here at our U.S. office. When the kits arrive in Haiti, they’re distributed to those in need โ not by adult staff, but by Home of Hope children โ some as young as four or five years old. The young people in white shirts below are now college students living at LSM Tech, but it is still crucial that we continue giving them opportunities to serve. Soon, they will earn degrees, and we want them to use the skills they’ve learned to build a brighter future for Haiti. At the heart of the LSM Gospel Project is the idea that when God blesses us, He asks us to bless others. Is God calling you to bless our Gospel Project? To schedule a tour and pack kits, email rick@loving-shepherd.org.
Three boys and two girls from our Welsh 1 and Welsh 2 Homes of Hope all recently made the decision to get baptized! Luke 5 tells us the angels rejoice over just one sinner who repents. Here we have not one, but five young souls overcoming traumatic baggage and claiming victory in Jesus. Perhaps news like this will cause an angelic celebration that lasts this entire week? We can all certainly celebrate their decision here on earth. As a Kingdom-centered ministry, this is the best kind of news we can ever receive. The most sustainable change of all is the eternal kind. Let’s pray for these new beginnings in the week ahead!
