GOD’S WORK IN 2019

What a year! We are so grateful for the amazing things God has allowed us to be a part of in 2019. Here are just a few of the highlights:

 

LSM TECH WILL WELCOME OUR FIRST STUDENTS IN EARLY 2020! It’s been quite the road getting to this point, but this incredible initiative will provide vocational training, work skills and biblical discipleship for our Home of Hope kids. What an incredible opportunity for these future students!

 

 

WE’RE EXPANDING IN ETHIOPIA! The Seeds of Hope Program in Addis Ababa just launched this Fall. Our programs in Ethiopia now serve one of the poorest slum areas in the capital. Today, 60 children and their single moms are being cared for. For the first time, they are being given the tools and discipleship they need to become a thriving, stable family.

 

 

BRICKHOUSE FAMILY MINISTRIES MERGED WITH LSM IN AUGUST and we’re so thankful for the open doors this provides to expand our local reach. We are re-imagining what this program can look like and have many conversations with those in foster care and the state. As those details get worked out, we are so happy to be able to offer FREE counseling for foster and adoptive families. What a blessing this has already been for dozens of children and their families.

 

 

THE GOSPEL PROJECT provides incredible opportunities for our Home of Hope families to share the Gospel with their neighbors in tangible ways. You can read how volunteers here in the States are serving and how it’s empowering our young people in Haiti at the same time.

 

 

READ THE FULL LIST FROM OUR YEAR END APPEAL HERE.

 

Beyond that, when we think about the last decade at LSM, it’s almost unbelievable to think about how much we’ve grown. Thanks to you – and the direction of the Holy Spirit – we’re serving hundreds more vulnerable children in a complete Continuum of Care from childhood through adulthood. It’s not a quick fix. It’s the stuff that brings generational change. You can read more about LSM’s journey since 2002 here.

 

Thank you for partnering with us in 2019 and for the 17 years of our ministry. We praise Him for the hundreds of lives touched through the Body of Christ working together here at LSM. We look forward with great anticipation to what He will continue to do in the coming years. May your 2020 be blessed with your daily bread and much more as you continue to serve in His Kingdom!

 


GET INVOLVED:

  1. View our highlights from 2019 and watch our year end video here. 
  2. Consider giving a special year end gift that will help us reach more vulnerable children in the year to come.

 

CELEBRATING FREEDOM

Happy 4th of July! This weekend, as you celebrate the values of freedom, we hope you’ll join us in the fight to bring those basics to vulnerable children. It takes our collective voices to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Our passion is to help those who have lost their natural advocates in life. You can provide the help that is desperately needed for children.

 

NEARLY 10 YEARS AGO, A LITTLE GIRL HAD LOST HOPE.  

 

 

She shifted a heavy load of water on her tiny, bony shoulders and took another weary step. Eight year old Velinda* had been carrying water for over a mile. She did this three times a day for the family she lived with. As a restavek (child slave), Velinda worked 12-14 hour days. She was skin and bones and bore the physical and emotional scars of a broken childhood. After her parents died, she had no idea how hard life was going to be without them.

 

On day, as Velinda was walking home from the river, she met someone very special who works for LSM. She heard about this man, and knew that if there was ever hope at freedom, this was her chance. She dropped her heavy bucket, and ran up to him.

 

“I’m tired of carrying water,” she breathlessly said. “Please, help me!”

 

TODAY, VELINDA KNOWS THE BEAUTY OF FREEDOM.

 

 

LSM was able to negotiate with the family that Velinda had been living with. She was rescued out of that horrible situation, and is now thriving in her Home of Hope family! She no longer carries water from the river, working 12-14 hour days. Instead, she is experiencing true freedom and love in a nurturing family. But most importantly, she knows about the true living water, found in Jesus Christ!

 

Because of the opportunities she has today, Velinda can go to college, get a good paying job and provide for her own family someday. These are dreams she never imagined as a child slave ten years ago.

 

 

ARE YOU WILLING TO LISTEN TO A DESPERATE CRY FOR HELP?

 

We long for all vulnerable children like Velinda to have the freedom to grow as a valued child of God. We want them to know their worth, find healing and love, and have the chance to reach their full, God-given potential.

 

Freedom is a gift. And it’s one we can give together.

 

 


GET INVOLVED:

  1. Help rescue children forced into child slavery in Haiti. Order your copy of Ed’s book “A Rose Among Thorns” to learn more about their plight and help rescue children like Velinda.
  2. Become a Prayer Partner and receive bi-monthly updates from LSM on specific ways to intercede.
  3. Spread the Gospel message of FREEDOM in Haiti through the Gospel Project.

 


*name changed for privacy

Radical Change for the Long-Haul

Four years ago, we shared a video about Hannah. No longer living in fear of voodoo, Hannah is thriving today. See where her journey has taken her!

Hannah is more than a label of orphan or child slave. Her story is one out of 240 children in Haiti who have been rescued, and are now receiving amazing opportunities.

Here’s just a few new projects started in 2018 that are empowering Hannah and other Home of Hope children. Through each effort, these children are equipped to reach their full, God-given potential and ultimately, transform their country for Christ!


TRAUMA HEALING PROGRAM

Jean Wesly and our amazing Child Development team have been hard at work with monthly seminars. The curriculum they are using has been adapted from David C. Cook. This program combines biblical principles, life skills and healing themes of hope to help our kids process their painful pasts.

The team has also developed quarterly seminars for our parents. Several topics have been utilized from “Trauma Competent Caregiving” (Back2Back Ministries), “Empowered to Connect” and other trauma healing programs. Our prayer is that these seminars will enable our parents to best serve their children. Parents are deeply encouraged by these resources and thankful for the intentional support from our staff.


GOSPEL PROJECT

Gospel and hygiene kits have been packed by volunteer groups in the U.S. are now being passed out in Haiti by our Home of Hope families! We are thrilled to see the Gospel shared with each of these kits given in Jesus’ name.


LEADERSHIP TRAINING

This summer marked the first Leadership Camp for our older Home of Hope children at LSM Tech. We are excited for growing opportunities that teach our children the value of hard work, leadership and education. As our kids begin to graduate and move to LSM Tech, we want to equip them with the educational, practical and spiritual tools they need to thrive on their own.

 


SUMMER INTERNSHIPS

Our Business Development efforts are up and running and providing internship opportunities for some of our older children. What a blessing to see how God is moving and developing these efforts that not only teach our kids, but also provide quality, sustainable jobs for hundreds of Haitians.


This Continuum of Care for every child we serve is equipping children with the tools they need to reach their full, God-given potential. We can’t wait to see where Hannah and many others go with this love and support.


Will you join us? We can’t do it without your help. Watch our  2018 year in review here and see how your gift of any amount can be MULTIPIED this Christmas season: https://loving-shepherd.org/2018review/