BEHIND THE PICTURE

March 20, 2019
, , , , , , Caring for Orphans, Family, Haiti

With a curious smirk, sporting a vest and tie, you smile and think, “What a cute little boy!”  What isn’t captured is how powerful this moment really is. You see, Obie* had just joined his new Home of Hope family on the very day this photo was taken.

 

 

It was his first day in a new home. His first time ever eating three full meals. His first night sleeping in his very own bed.  It was the first of many new things that he never had before. Pictures can speak a thousand words, but sometimes they miss the powerful significance behind the moment.

 

In one single day, Obie found a family to love him.  He entered a life surrounded by a loving family and a community of people who will champion him and make sure he has every opportunity to become all that God has for him.

 

 

The first picture was taken in 2012 when Obie was seven years old. Over the next seven years, Obie excelled in school, learned about leadership and how to help others. Most importantly, he’s experienced the love and safety of his Heavenly Father through his parents and LSM staff. Obie has big dreams. He wants to be a doctor and help the hurting in his country. We think that’s a noble goal – and wherever this life takes him, we hope that passion for serving others continues to be a driving force in his life.

 

GET INVOLVED:

  1. Become a family sponsor and give this kind of hope to children like Obie.
  2. Learn more about LSM Tech and the future opportunities for Obie.

*name changed for privacy

Fruit from the Shadows

October 25, 2018
, , , , , Caring for Orphans, Family, Haiti, Uncategorized

A poor, rural farming family had sunk deep into despair. The ground was tough and hard to plough. After hours of backbreaking work, there was little to show for it. Desperation had left them with nothing. Food was scarce. There was never enough to go around. A skinny, quiet little girl went unnoticed in the shadows.

 

Until one day, God led someone to the shadows… and they saw her.

 

 

This malnourished little girl who couldn’t even look you in the eye was brought into a loving Home of Hope family. Her name is Martine*. Her new parents gently showed her love and gave her the opportunity to flourish. A community of teachers, mentors and pastoral staff circled around her, and taught her what she could be.

 

In the last ten years, Martine’s story has taken her far beyond the shadows.

She’s a bubbly teenager who loves spending time with her sisters. She has dreams of building infrastructure and hospitals to help her community. Martine is learning about what it means to be a godly leader, and she’s intrigued. She knows the feeling of hopelessness and she knows what true hope is!

Martine and her sisters recently sang in front of church, “I Want to Bear Fruit.”  It is a song that reflects on John 15. We think it’s a pretty good representation of how she is living today.

 

Jesus said he is the true vine, Christians are the branches.

It cuts off branches that are not fruitful

God help me progress, so I do not throw myself away

I want to grow fruit

Many Christians refuse to bear fruit


God patiently let me grow…. Let me say you never gave up, Oh God!


Let me participate

 

 

 

Someone looked in the shadows and saw Martine’s worth. The little girl who once went unnoticed in the dark is now living in the light of Jesus! This is just one story. Right now, there is another little girl who is fading into hopelessness. Her worth is so much more. Together, we can give her a voice. A future. A life lived on purpose for Christ. Will you join us in bringing this kind of hope to more vulnerable children?

 


Get Involved:

  1. Join our prayer list
  2. Become a family sponsor
  3. Make a one-time gift to support our vision

 

*name changed for privacy

FROM ORPHAN TO INSPIRING PREACHER – LSM’S 15 YEAR LEGACY

July 27, 2017
, , , , , Uncategorized

The last 15 years of ministry has been an incredible ride! God has done abundantly more than we could have ever asked or imagined. A small, local beginning helping families through the adoption process has blossomed into a continuum of care that empowers vulnerable children to reach their God-given potential in three countries!

 

Together we are changing lives, whole communities and even entire generations—one child at a time.

 

In 2006, LSM opened the first Home of Hope in a rural mountain village in Kpoux, Haiti. We had no idea what God would do over the next decade of ministry. We just knew there were some desperate children who needed a roof over their heads and a mom and dad who could show them the love of Jesus.

 

 

Jesse* was four or five years old (he doesn’t know his original birthday) when he became a part of the first Home of Hope family. And for the first time in his life, Jesse had a safe, stable place to call home. He barely knew his biological father, who had several “families” in different villages. Now, he was now surrounded by the love of a married, committed, Christian mom and dad.

 

 

Jesse says the day he came to LSM’s Home of Hope was “more than super perfect.” In that moment, he became a part of a family with 11 other boys who are now his closest friends and brothers. He went to school consistently for the first time. He had three meals a day and received the nutrition and medical care he desperately needed. He was mentored by successful Haitians who helped open his eyes to a world of endless opportunities that were once unimaginable. And more than anything, he found the role models in his parents that would ultimately help lead him to a personal relationship with Jesus.

 

 

A decade later, Jesse is leading worship and preaching at VBS 2017. We received this picture on the anniversary of LSM’s opening—a reminder that God’s plans are often far bigger than our own. Jesse is a part of that plan! And it was because of the willingness of people just like you coming alongside LSM that his story is possible!

 

From a place of utter brokenness, God raised a leader who cares deeply for vulnerable children. Jesse is working towards his dream of becoming a nurse so he can help stop meaningless death and save lives just like his was rescued.

 

Alongside the local church and community, we seek to empower vulnerable children to reach their full, God-given potential. We praise God for 15 years of ministry, for your generous support and, most of all, for the hundreds of children just like Jesse who make LSM what it is.

 

GET INVOLVED:

  • GIVE to the life-changing ministry.
  • LEARN MORE about the new building we’re moving to and the doors this is opening up for more volunteering and partnership opportunities.
  • JOIN OUR PRAYER TEAM.  

*name changed for privacy

You May Never Know the Impact You’ve Had

May 26, 2017
, , , , , , , , , , , Combating Exploitation, Ethiopia, Family, LSM, Uncategorized

Your life in the U.S. can have a powerful impact on another person’s life halfway around the world. Sound impossible? Here’s just one of the countless examples how this can happen every day.

 

Ammet is a single mother in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She grew up in hopeless poverty with no food to eat, no school to attend and no peace in her life. Her father was an abusive alcoholic. She was just 12 years old when she ran away and stayed with her uncle, hoping to finally be able to go to school and have a chance at a better life.

 

Quickly, though, Ammet found herself the forced personal servant to her aunt, who severely abused her. Finally, she escaped, and married a young man, grasping once again at hope for a better life. But things rapidly spiraled further downhill. Ammet suffered more abuse, this time even inflicted upon her child, Aben. To save herself and her son, Ammet fled to the city, forced to forge a way for both of them. Which often meant simply surviving from one day to the next.

 

 

It wasn’t until LSM found Ammet and started working with LSM that a flame of hope was struck in an otherwise dark life of desperate survival.

 

Ammet received small business training so that she could provide for Aben. But the support from LSM was more than the chance at earning a dignified, living wage. More even than having people surrounding her who proved to her that she was worth it. Is this:

 

“Because of LSM, I am now receiving Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. It’s the biggest blessing in my life. One I can pass down to my son.”

 

 

We are here today, helping her child, Aben, now 10 years old, from continuing that cycle of poverty and abuse into the next generation. We are helping to provide stability for their family by connecting them to an active church community, ongoing support and education for Aben. We, arm-in-arm with our donors, are the hands and feet of Jesus in their lives.

 

Here are three things you can do right now to help Ammet and Aben succeed as an independent family filled with dignity and hope:

 

  1. Pray.

Pray for success in Ammet’s small business and confidence in her heart as she leads her family with dignity and hope. Pray for Aben and the life-changing opportunity he has to attend school. Most importantly, pray for his salvation and that his mother would continue to grow in her faith.

 

 

 

 

2. Join us at Seeds of Hope.

Join us on July 8 to hear more about Ammet and other vulnerable families at our SEEDS OF HOPE event. Learn more here.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Become an Ethiopia Family Sponsor.

Become an ongoing Ethiopian Sponsor and change the futures of many families like Ammet and Aben with us! You’ll receive powerful updates like this on a regular basis and see the transformation coming to a new generation in Ethiopia.

 

 

*names changed for privacy

Celebrating 15 Years – With Families. For Christ.

February 23, 2017
, , , Adoption, Caring for Orphans, Combating Exploitation, LSM

15 Year Logo
“Fifteen years ago, we had a vision of how LSM might contribute to God’s Kingdom work around the world. Never did we imagine the big picture God had in mind. I can’t say it any better than what the Bible says in Ephesians 3:20—God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” – Ed Schwartz, Founder & President, LSM

 

 

It started in the United States with a desire to help connect adoptive parents with vulnerable children to create permanent families. Quickly, it began to grow. First to Haiti, where we began to provide permanent families for exploited and orphaned children. Then into Ethiopia, where we began our work to keep single mothers and their children together and thriving.

 

15 years of LSM

Get a glimpse of the incredible journey over the last 15 years.

Our lifelong commitment to vulnerable children who were once without hope has nurtured today’s hope-filled adults who are deeply impacting other at-risk children and even entire communities.

 

 

Transforming Generations Graphic - 2

And the most powerful thing is that the work being done today will have a tangible impact on generations to come – all in the name of Jesus Christ!

 

This work is built on the strength and experience of 15 years of ministry and on-the-ground, in-home and one-on-one support of the families we serve. As the Spirit leads, the lives of once impoverished, desperate children are being redeemed to live a radically different story.

 

We celebrate 15 years of ministry this year. We invite you to rejoice with us in the powerful work that we as the Body of Christ are doing together, one child at a time.

Isaiah 43’s Message in Action at VBS 2016

August 18, 2016
, , , , , , , Uncategorized

“Behold I am doing a new thing: now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” —Isaiah 43:19

 

During VBS 2016 this past week, this vision was abundant. You might not recognize its power right off the bat. Looking around VBS at Cavaillon, Haiti, at the Cancer Redemption Campus (CRP), you would probably say to yourself, “These look like healthy, smart children who are growing up with loving parents.” And they are.

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Your Gift is DOUBLED!

August 2, 2016
, , , , , , Uncategorized

We need your help! For a limited time, your gift to help transform Haiti for Christ is DOUBLED!

 

In the summer newsletter, we introduced a tremendous opportunity to make a real difference for vulnerable children in Haiti by giving a financial gift to our Child Development program. In a culture where only 61% of the population is literate, the intentional education and support that serves vulnerable children from childhood through young adulthood is rare. Our effort to give each child a well-rounded, excellent education alongside personal and professional development opportunities requires that we invest deeply in these areas. This is all done with a vision that these successful, godly adults will integrate into their communities and transform their fellow men and women with the powerful love of Christ!

You can read powerful stories and learn about the matching grant here.

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Polly

April 22, 2016
, , , , , , , , , Caring for Orphans, Family, Haiti

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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Changing a Child’s World – One Mother at a Time

March 10, 2016
, , , , , , , , , , , , , Caring for Orphans, Combating Exploitation, Ethiopia, Family, LSM, Uncategorized

SehnsuchtFive years ago, Yetti was not a woman you would hold up as a model for other women, especially other mothers, to emulate.

 

She was living on the streets, selling herself for food. Abandoned as a child herself, she had been living this life since she was twelve years old. At seventeen—still nearly a kid herself—she became pregnant. More desperate than ever, wondering how in the world she would care for her tiny baby, she nearly gave up hope.

 

Until … she cried out to God for help.

 

 

Through God’s dramatic intervention, Yetti met LSM staff who knew she was worth more, deserved more, and was made for more. Through their support, she was able to leave the streets behind and receive the counseling and healing she needed to change her life.

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Lives Are Changing

March 2, 2016
, , , , , , , , Caring for Orphans, Ethiopia, Haiti, LSM, News, Uncategorized

LSM’s Annual Benefit Auction in Bluffton, IN

This Saturday – March 5! 

 

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.

 

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