A million details. A thousand thanks. Hundreds of kids helped. One unforgettable evening.
These numbers serve as a powerful reminder that when we pull together, big things happen. But none bigger than the impact on the hundreds children who will be reached as a result of LSM’s Annual Benefit Auction.
A reporter once told Mother Teresa that he couldn’t do what she did if he was paid a million dollars. She answered, “Yes, for a million dollars, I wouldn’t do it either.”
There is a pearl—a prize—in your life worth risking everything for. Bur it’s not something you can earn, because it’s something you’ve already been given.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” —Matthew 25:40
A work team from Trinity Church in Central Illinois spent this week in Haiti—seven days of faith and fellowship they will not soon forget. Michael Kaeb, one of the trip participants, shared these amazing pictures of their time together!
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.
This week, a small work team is spending time in Welsh, Haiti. They are putting the finishing touches on a new school for two of our Homes of Hope in the area as well as the surrounding community. They are working hard to wire the campus for solar power and are making great progress! Not only that, but the team’s expertise as electricians is being passed on to our Haitian staff and several of our Home of Hope boys in the process!
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.
Don’t you love sitting around the living room with your family at Christmas? There’s something perfectly cozy in the midst of the packages and twinkle lights as you pause to read the Christmas Story together. We love this image of the family sharing the ultimate message of hope together. We are so grateful that hundreds of children in Haiti and Ethiopia will share their own versions of this picturesque moment together as they celebrate Jesus’ birth.
This year, we hope you can make this family moment especially meaningful with the chance to give special Gifts of Hope! Whether you’re gathered around the table talking about the new bikes you’re providing for the children in Haiti or the school supplies you’re providing for a child in Ethiopia, we hope these gift opportunities help you share the ultimate message of hope with your own family.
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.