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!
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.
by Jen Schwartz, Adoption Resource & Child Development Program Coordinator
We see brief snapshots into an orphan’s life. Images of starving children, those who are too young defending themselves in the streets around the world float across our screens. We see hands that reach out to steal food in hopes of surviving another day and children whose pain is so strong because they are hopeless against hands that abuse. We see hearts that do not know laughter, safety or God’s love.
Helping the orphans of the world certainly requires much faith, patience, and stamina. It starts with only one. And for your impact in the life of that one child, it can be a beautiful, redemptive journey!
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!
November 8 is Orphan Sunday. Are you ready?
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.