Summer Highlights from Haiti

September 13, 2018
, , , , , , , , , Caring for Orphans, Haiti, LSM, News, Uncategorized

This summer was full of great activities for our Homes of Hope! Here are a few highlights:

Summer Internships

Six of our older Home of Hope kids had internships this summer! Five children spent the summer working at LSM’s Nouvelle Aube Grocery store, and one interned with our architect, Jose. We’re thankful for the amazing opportunities these young adults had!

 

Field Trips & Picnics

Our Haitian staff arranged a field trip for several Home of Hope children who excelled in school this year. They had a fun day at the beach, exploring a cave, and visiting a nearby village. There are many Bible contests and soccer tournaments that Home of Hope children participate in at VBS. The winners were treated to a picnic as a reward!

 

 

Parent Seminars

Jean Wesly, our new Trauma Healing Coordinator, held a parent seminar to continue teaching our parents about the effects of trauma in their children’s lives. There were helpful discussions and testimonies as parents shared what has worked well for them. These quarterly seminars are crucial for our Home of Hope parents in equipping them, and helping them feel supported in their parenting!

 

 

Leadership Camps

Seventeen older Home of Hope kids visited LSM Tech for our first annual Leadership Camp. They toured LSM’s Industrial Site, Block Plant and Ag Park. They heard motivational speakers and even worked on their own public speaking skills. We’re excited to see how events like this can aid and support these young adults as they reach adulthood!

 

This work is crucial to our mission: equipping children to reach their full, God-given potential. But we can’t do it without you. Here are three ways you can get involved:

  1. Join the prayer team.

  2. Become a Family sponsor.

  3. Give a one-time gift.

 

You can also keep up to speed on the big things happening at LSM through our Monthly Ministry Updates and Newsletters! If you’re not currently subscribed, do that here.

 

 

Ethiopia VBS 2018

August 28, 2018
, , , , , Combating Exploitation, Ethiopia, Family, LSM

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”  – 1 John 3:1

 

 

Inja* is seven years old, and just completed first grade. She was so excited for our second annual Vacation Bible School this month! Since she and her family joined our programs, Inja has been attending Sunday School and our after-school tutoring programs where she is hearing about Jesus! She has also been learning about responsibility and personal hygiene. When some of our staff and volunteers from the local church set up for camp, she watched intently from the door of the church.  They hung a large banner with these words printed in Oromiffa, (their local language): “Ani Ijoolle Waaqayyoo Dhaa!”  It means, “I’m a Child of God!”  This was the theme for VBS.

 

 

Inja made paper crowns and listened to lessons about God’s love for her each morning. In the afternoon, she had fun playing games with her friends. For five days, Inja heard a consistent message of Jesus’ love for her. We hope it’s a message she will tuck away in her heart.

 

 

Her mom was so thankful to see Inja’s happy smiles after returning home from VBS each day. The prayer of her mother’s heart is that, “God fills my children with wisdom and understanding in school and their faith. I pray that they will be listening, and ready for the doors God opens for them!” We pray that too… for Inja and dozens of other precious children who hear this Gospel message of hope taught in practical, loving ways.  Not just at VBS, but throughout the whole year!

 

 

Get Involved:

  1. VBS is just one thing that we provide for vulnerable families in Ethiopia. Learn more about our work with single moms and their children here.
  2. Become a family sponsor and help families like Inja’s reach their God-given potential.

 

 

*names changed for privacy

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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Heritage: A Family Building a Lasting Legacy

August 5, 2016
, , , , Uncategorized

The Heritage Home of Hope has a special name for a reason. Honor, pride, courage—these are three words the 12 girls in this home are embracing as they leave behind words that had previously identified them—orphan, slave, worthless. But you don’t live up to a word like Heritage overnight. 

 

Although we yearn for a rich heritage of faith that would continue to guide them as confident, mature adults who love Jesus, we know that this does not happen without intentional, step-by-step care as they grow. This is what happens in a Home of Hope.

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Preparing for Another Life-Changing Week of VBS

July 29, 2016
, , , , Uncategorized

We are less than two weeks away from the highlight of the summer for 223 kids in Haiti—VBS. This year, all 19 Home of Hope families will gather at the Cancer Redemption Project Campus (CRP) in Cavaillon, Haiti, from August 11-14, 2016, for several days of activities, bible lessons and relationship building!

 

If you’ve followed us throughout the week of Camp before, you’ll know that this time together is full of laughter, life-enriching lessons and lots of time for deep relationships to form. It’s our prayer that this year of VBS is all of that and so much more.

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On the Ground for a Higher Purpose

March 17, 2016
, , , , , , , , , , , Caring for Orphans, Haiti, LSM

Over the last few weeks, dedicated teams of men and women have been on the ground in Haiti, working at the Ag Park, putting roofs on homes in local communities and even hosting a small VBS for the community with some of our Homes of Hope families.

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Faces of Hope

September 3, 2015
, , , , , , , , , , , , Caring for Orphans, Family, Haiti, LSM, Uncategorized

As I’ve been sorting through pictures from VBS this year, I can’t help but smile as I see photo after photo of happy kids, basking in their carefree summer days and having so much fun together. I also can’t help but see great hope written on their faces – made all the more powerful when you know how much it has taken for this smile to grow.

 

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A Glimpse Into Their Futures

August 27, 2015
, , , , , , , , Caring for Orphans, Family, Haiti, LSM, Uncategorized

VBS created some wonderful memories for each of the Home of Hope kids last week! And while everyone is back home and getting back into a daily routine, the smiles remain.

 

There is no better time to look at the monumental changes in these children’s lives than at VBS. The 216 kids who were orphans, child slaves, extremely vulnerable and looking at the very worst the world had to offer are now able to run and play and learn together. This is incredibly powerful – not just because of the impact on these 18 families – but because it gives us a close-up look at tomorrow’s Haiti.

 

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