๐ง๐ฟ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ: ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐จ๐ฝ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ’๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ถ
In his first letter to Thessalonica, Paul reminds the church to “encourage each other and build each other up.” The person on LSM’s team who knows the most about physical building is Troy Leyse, our Construction Manager. Troy is the primary staff person responsible for managing construction of our new Homes of Hope and businesses in Haiti, as well as installation of other key features such as wells, security walls, bridges, and solar panel arrays. But as Troy would be the first to tell you, his biggest responsibility is overseeing the building up of people, not structures. In everything LSM does, our goal is to equip local workers and to empower local leaders who God is raising up to help usher in a new dawn for Haiti!
๐ช๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐น: ๐ข๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐น ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
Meet two of our recent hires in Haiti: Wesly, a psychologist, and Enel, a social worker. Both help implement our Trauma Recovery program for the kids LSM serves, as well as support overall mental health and well-being for our staff and families. In his letter to the Romans, Paul describes one key aspect of faith-based trauma recovery and healing: “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future…nor anything else in all creation, can separate us from the love of God.” We want those in our care to know that God loves them and that He’s given them incredible potential โ even if they’ve seen tragedy or abuse. Did you know that Jesus Christ is also the victor in your own life?
๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐น: ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฆ๐
Five years ago, Rachel Gerber began managing our IN auctions. Since then, we’ve scaled up our auctions in Indiana and Illinois and launched a new one in Ohio. We also strive to communicate well with our faithful donors, both locally and across the country, with a particular emphasis on hosting small group events in key locations. Two years ago, we brought Rachel on to help support these important initiatives. “I love working with LSM because of the example it sets for my kids,” Rachel says. “They’re learning that the world is full of needs and that they can make an impact!”
๐๐ฏ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ: ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐๐น๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป
If you enjoy the stories from Haiti that we share, meet the person behind the camera: Abdias Victor is the son of a minister. He has a big heart for justice and protecting the vulnerable, which is why he had planned to go into law enforcement. But that changed when our Director of Business, Michael Brown, introduced him to photography and helped him discover his love for helping children. “Working with kids is part of me. I love going to the office each day because I see first-hand the difference that we are making. These vulnerable children are like brothers and sisters to me. So making them laugh and seeing joy on their faces after what they’ve been through is a great miracle, and I’m just honored to play my part!”
๐๐ฟ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ฉ๐ผ๐น๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ: ๐๐ป ๐ข๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐น๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐ฝ, ๐จ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ข๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
Ernso Voltaire first started working for LSM more than ten years ago as a security guard at LSM Tech. Even when he started out, Ernso stood out for his sharp mind, attention to detail, and ability to fix things โ as well as his great communication and leadership skills. There’s nothing that we love more than promoting potential wherever we find it. Ernso now manages LSM’s block plant โ our largest and most successful business in Haiti โ the profits of which are being used to help Haiti’s vulnerable children. Ernso’s favorite scripture is found in Psalm 23: “You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows.” When God hands us an overflowing cup, it means we have an opportunity to bless others. Thanks Ernso!
๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ป๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Drew, LSM’s Mobilization Coordinator, manages our social media and website, including the stories you read here on Facebook. In his five years on our staff, we’ve seen a massive growth in our online audience โ thanks to the faithful engagement of our readers and supporters. Collaborating with our marketing team members in Haiti, Ethiopia, and the U.S., LSM’s digital marketing uses photography, video, text, and design to shine a light on those in need, as well as LSM’s Kingdom-minded efforts to bring restoration into those situations. Thanks to you, our advocates, not only for sharing these stories concerning desperate needs at home and abroad โ but for playing an active part in the resolution!
๐๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ: ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐
Several years ago, Kethia, our Administrative Assistant in Haiti, needed a job. God answered her prayers in a big way by creating an opening for her at LSM. “This is so much more than a job,” she says. “LSM has helped connect me with my friends, church, and community. My responsibilities are often small, but because we know God works through LSM, even small tasks feel rewarding.” Kethia says her favorite Scripture is Psalm 4, which reads in part: “The Lord sets apart the godly for himself. He answers when we call to him. Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the Lord. He’s given us greater joy than those with abundant harvests.”
๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ: ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ
Mark Ahrens, LSM’s Director of Finance, joined our team several years ago with more than three decades of corporate accounting and finance experience under his belt. And thankfully, he came in ready to hit the ground running! Our various ministry and business finances are managed by team members spanning three different countries and currencies. Keeping everyone on track is a massive feat, even for someone with Mark’s expertise. “Our responsibility to be excellent stewards, to build something good that lasts and makes an eternal impact comes directly from God, I believe,” Mark says. “Working with our Haitian and Ethiopian staff every day has opened my heart far more globally, and I’ll always be grateful for the sense of international family and belonging that I feel here!”
๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป
Those who know Riderson will tell you that one of his best qualities is his willingness to serve. It’s a great mark of leadership, especially in a culture where leaders can often be domineering. “I’m always happy to do any kind of work for LSM,” Riderson says, “whether it’s making coffee or mopping the floor.” Riderson has such a heart to serve others that one of his biggest adjustments to leadership was learning to delegate office tasks in order to better serve our staff as a manager. In the last several years, Riderson and his wife Prestina have embarked on a new journey of servanthood as parents. “Through discipleship, LSM is creating a better future for kids in Haiti,” Riderson says. “Now that I have my own children, I’m more invested in that future than ever before!”
