SMALL DECISIONS & BIG OUTCOMES

A DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT FROM OUR STAFF

 

Sometimes we make a small decision and later realize that God was orchestrating something far bigger for His glory. Do you hear the Spirit prompting you to take a step of faith today?

 

A small decision to take the time to talk to your neighbor could turn into a realization that they’re dealing with something significant and need extra help or a listening ear. Perhaps that small step could open up an opportunity to share your faith as you provide a helping hand.

 

A commitment to attend an event that seems out of your comfort zone could lead to God showing you an exciting new project that He wants you to get involved with that you never knew about.

A choice to take time out of your day to pray for someone may create a bond that is stronger than you could have imagined. It could open your eyes to issues and people who need resources and practical support that you were never aware of.

 

An act of love to mentor a troubled teen can end up stretching you further than you could have dreamed. But what if your compassionate choice led that young person to Christ? And what if that new believer went on to impact their family and community for future generations to come?

 

A life changing decision to become a foster parent might feel like a giant leap of faith into the scary unknown. The commitment to love with sacrifice opens your heart to pain and hurt. It also opens your heart for a vulnerable child that you would have totally missed out on!

 

 

This week, in staff devotions, we talked about fear. Fear can hold you back from the exact thing that God may be asking you to step into. Sometimes the next step is a small one, like taking a moment to stop in your driveway as the Spirit prompts you to talk to your neighbor. Other times, the next step feels like a giant leap of faith, like dedicating the rest of your life to a child who needs a home, security and love. Whatever that next move is, we hope this reminder encourages you today to listen to the Spirit and take your next leap of faith.

 


GET INVOLVED:

 

  1. Pray for Loving Shepherd Ministries and ask God if He might be asking you to take a step with us. You can learn about some opportunities here.
  2. Join us for the Tim Goeglein event on Orphan Sunday weekend this year and hear about God’s redemptive work both in one man’s testimony and in the lives of vulnerable children around the world.
  3. Consider giving a financial gift that connects you to a specific project you care about.

 

Johnny & Mekdes – A Staff Testimony

Johnny and Mekdes are part of our Ethiopian Team. They are passionate about empowering families through their ministry with LSM and with the valuable support of many volunteers from the local church. Together, we are empowering over 30 single mothers and their children in a local village with education, counseling, small business training and physical support. Johnny and Mekdes also have their own ministry- strengthening marriages and counseling families.

 

There’s a reason why this couple is so passionate about seeing families thrive.

 

 

Both Johnny and Mekdes grew up in an orphanage and didn’t receive the nurture and love they know is so vital for children to experience in a family. Johnny was five years old when he went to the orphanage. Mekdes was eight. After their fathers died, their mothers felt that they had no choice but to send them somewhere else with the hopes they could survive and maybe receive an education. The huge government orphanage they found themselves in was a necessary reality.

 

Growing up in an orphanage was better than many children received in the poverty – striken country, but it wasn’t perfect. This massive institution was home to 5,000 – 7,000 children at any given time. There was only one caregiver for every 50+ children. Not surprisingly, this led to many hardships for the children growing up without parental guidance or support.

 

They say, “Our passion for nurturing healthy families began with our own experience of growing up without ‘divine family love.’” 

 

Mekdes talking to women in our family today

 

Mekdes shares about their life there, “The government orphanage gave us a lifestyle that was so much better than the rest of society, but we didn’t know that the people around us were in deep poverty.”  Because of their opportunity to live in the orphanage, they received up to a high school education and were able to experience things that many in their home villages never could have.

 

 

However, after graduating high school, they had to leave the orphanage, totally unprepared. Except for brief summer trips to visit their mothers, both young adults had lived most of their lives within the walls of the orphanage and had little interaction with the outside world. They didn’t know what poverty and real-life experiences were like. It was a shocking reality when they walked out those doors. Around the same time, the ruling government that had been supportive of their orphanage was ousted. Now, they felt vulnerable without the powerful figure who they always thought would protect them and their country.  Johnny said, “We felt like we were unwanted, resource-wasting and no-good children of the former regime.”

 

Johnny working with vulnerable children today

 

But there was hope! After leaving the orphanage and finding work near their biological families, they discovered a faith in Jesus that changed everything! Although Johnny was abandoned by his family after becoming a Christian, he still says it was the best decision he ever made.

 

“The Holy Spirit touched my heart and brought joy to my soul like I had never experienced before… I raised my heart and hands to Him and He welcomed me with open arms. I felt a very warm love for the first time, and my eyes poured out tears of joy. I had experienced a long journey of orphan life at an orphanage and now I had a chance to say, “’My Father!’ It is still very sweet to my heart!”

 

Later, Johnny and Mekdes reconnected after all those years in the orphanage and got married. They were passionate about serving the Lord together, and felt a call to serve families first.

 

Mekdes recounts,Despite all the blessings we received in the orphanage, our souls missed the natural love of divine family love. Our caregivers are like “professional paid caregivers” but natural parents are like the “loving shepherd” who sacrifices their own life for their sheep. In light of this truth, the vision has grown in our hearts to keep and maintain natural and divine love. Today, we get to provide awareness, training, counseling and empowerment that can save marriages and families for generations to come.”

 

Johnny and Mekdes passing out Christmas supplies to vulnerable families in rural Ethiopia

 

We are so grateful for the passion and experiences that God allowed Johnny and Mekdes to live through that brought them where they are today. Like them, we can look at our life’s tragedies and let them define us for good or for ill. We are so grateful that this couple has chosen to rise above their past, and let it be their legacy for the Kingdom of God!

 


GET INVOLVED:

  1. Learn more about LSM’s vision and FAMILY MODEL that gives every child we serve the love and stability of a family.
  2. Learn more about our work to keep families together in Ethiopia.

 

SHARING THE GOSPEL IN HAITI

Our faith guides everything we do at LSM. It has fueled our hearts for the vulnerable and caused us to go deep with the children we serve to provide holistic healing and growth. We continue to provide new opportunities so each child can reach their full, God-given potential.

 

 

Last year, we introduced The Gospel Project to help teach our kids in Haiti more about sharing their faith and modeling the compassion of Jesus. Gospel kits are packaged in the States by volunteers and sent to Haiti where our families are able to reach out in their communities and share God’s love.

 

The love and support of many of you through LSM has allowed these children to find personal relationships with Jesus. Now, it’s something they are excited to share with others! The gospel kits allow them to build relationships and pray for their neighbors. As a result, individuals are learning about Jesus and giving their hearts to Him!

 

 

This month, as one family shared kits in their community, they were able to pray with a neighbor who accepted Christ!

 

 

What an extra blessing to see the ripple effects of our work with individual children! Imagine what God can do as this grows and 240 children who are passionate about Jesus are reaching out in their communities!

 


GET INVOLVED:

  1. Learn more about opportunities your group can bring to The Gospel Project.
  2. Schedule a tour of the Haiti Education Wing at the LSM Offices.
  3. Pray for those receiving Gospel kits and for our children as they grow in their faith and boldness with evangelism!

 

Polly

Sometimes there are stories that hit you square between the eyes. Polly’s* is one of them.

 

Only a few years ago, Polly stood here with her uncle who was caring for her in front of his hut. Falling apart, dirty, barely providing relief from the elements, the hut was no place to be raising an orphaned little girl. He knew it. And he wanted more for her. But on his own, there was no way he could do anything.

 

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“I know that my redeemer lives and that in the end He will stand on the earth.” Job 19:25

 

The Easter message is a powerful story that many of us have grown up with and has woven into the fabric of our lives. But for millions around the world, their introduction to this message comes in drastically different ways.

 

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Help Children in a Way you Never Dreamed Possible

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

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4 Special Ways to Say “I Love You” this Valentine’s Day

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.

 

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Gardens for Christmas

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.

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