Love lasts forever. Flowers and candy, though touching gestures, do not. This year, consider giving a gift that will provide a vulnerable child with what Valentine’s Day is really all about: the assurance that they are loved.
Within each child lies a set of unique talents and passions that God longs to use. But millions of these children never have the chance to reach their full potential because of their circumstances. When you live in desperate poverty, big dreams must give way to day-to-day survival. That’s not the way it has to be.
So what does it mean to empower a child?
The answer might surprise you.
It can’t be taught. It can’t be learned. It must be given.
The fruit of empowered giving is ripening right now for 216 children in Haiti.
Three-year-old Annie* barely escaped the building that crumbled around her during the catastrophic January 12, 2010, Haiti earthquake. Her mother was not so lucky. She did not survive. Tremors continued for days. Buildings continued to fall and the death toll continued to rise. But even after the shaking stopped, Annie’s life remained on unstable ground. In a country in ruins, she was alone.
There were so many little girls like Annie who lost their parents in the enormous earthquake that she was simply herded with countless other children into the slums. She was given food when she begged hard enough. But she mostly went unnoticed.
Have you ever read O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi? The young starring couple, Mr. and Mrs. James Dillingham Young (or Jim and Della) want to give each other a special gift for Christmas, but they can’t afford anything worthy of the other. They sell their most prized possessions to buy their spouse something that will go perfect with… the others’ most prized possession. In the end, the narrator relates it back to the precious gifts of the wise men found in the Gospels.
Timmy* is five years old and started kindergarten this year. The first day, he was so excited. He got his little uniform on, lovingly took his new notebook and pencils out of his backpack, just to gaze at them for a moment before tucking them securely back inside and hoisting the bag onto his back. He fairly jumped out of his skin he was so excited that morning!
All day, he and his new friends in class would learn and listen and soak in the lessons. And every day after school, his mom was there to pick him up and listen to the new fidel (Ethiopian Amharic script) he had learned. Timmy sometimes wondered why his mom almost seemed to be crying behind those big smiles of hers… why would she be sad that he was learning so many wonderful new things!
As Home of Hope kids are growing up, the LSM staff in Haiti is working to provide opportunities for the kids to learn new skills along the way. One of their newest projects at the homes is gardening.
Families are given a start-up set which includes gardening tools, supplies and seeds to help the family construct a raised block bed for a variety of vegetables and plants.
This week, Stephanie Fast shared her amazing story at Grace Church in Mahomet, IL. As an adult adoptee, global orphan advocate and inspiring storyteller, Stephanie speaks on behalf of millions of children who are still abandoned and vulnerable today. (Read more about her journey here.)
November is National Adoption Month. Through the next few weeks we will be sharing resources, stories and insights from our adoption team and other partner organizations. As we talk about the different facets of adoption, please join us in prayer for families who are considering adoption. Through well-researched information and the support of the local church, we pray that many more vulnerable children will be brought into a loving family through adoption!
The LSM Auction is this Friday in Washington, IL! Items have been flooding in, and we are excited for this great night together. Will you join us Friday to help change the lives of vulnerable children?
This event is impacting the ongoing change in the lives of boys like Gary*. He lost his parents in the 2010 earthquake and was sent far away from everything familiar to live with a distant relative. When he arrived, his aunt promptly put him to work carrying water for hours on end, barely receiving enough food and never going to school. Gary never dreamed of life changing. He never believed anything could be different.
We have two Homes of Hope in Haiti nestled in a small, very poor community called Welsh. The needs across the country are great, but God has been opening doors for LSM to do more in this particular community. One of the projects has included the construction of a new school for our Home of Hope children. This new, bigger building will also provide the chance for kids from the community to attend school (many for the first time)!