Pastor Don Love from Faith, Merrill & St. John Lutheran Church, Hamburg, Wisconsin, extends his gratitude for the financial assistance from LCC donors for the family in need request last November. With your generosity, they were able to pay off the outstanding loan on their car. They have been truly blessed by your love and support.

However, this family's financial need is immense, and donations are still needed for this young widow with two small children (ages 2 & 4). The widow suffers from a severe autoimmune disorder that currently prevents her from working due to her frail health. Since her husband's COVID-19-related death last November, they no longer are covered under his medical insurance. They are currently trying to get medical coverage for her and the two children, which is estimated to be approximately $25,000/year.
 
In addition, she has tremendous medical bills from her husband's hospitalization and her on-going medical care, as well as other financial burdens. This 33-year-old mother has moved back home with her parents, who help her care for her young children.
 
If you are so moved, please prayerfully consider supporting this family as they cope with the loss of their husband/father while trying to manage the many financial burdens they face. Their strong faith rests in the promises and hope of Jesus Christ.

In times like these, your donations continue Making A Difference with the Presence of our Lord to those in need with the hope and comfort of Jesus Christ. God continues to open doors for all of us to work in!
 
The weekend prior to Christmas, LCC gratefully received a donation of a Chevy Malibu from Gary and Nancy Moore to give to a family in need.

That same weekend, LCC President/CEO Tim Hetzner’s daughter received an invite to help a single mother in need through her sorority alumnae of the Chi Alpha Pi from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. One of the requests was for funds to help purchase a vehicle for this family. A connection was made between Lutheran Church Charities and the sorority to help this family with this urgent need.

A single mother of 4 children, ranging in ages from 2 to 12 years old, fled an abusive situation several months ago with no car, limited funds, and very little for her children. For this reason, the family’s identity and location will not be revealed. She had faith that God would help her through what she knew was going to be hard times. She settled in another state with no family or friends for support. She found an ill-repaired home to rent, although it did not have any furnishings. She quickly found a minimum wage job within walking distance from her home and with some government assistance has been making ends meet the best she could. A few weeks before Christmas, a faith-based organization gave her beds and other pieces of furniture.
 
Kate Hickey, a Chi Alpha Pi sorority alumna in Hawaii, saw a post on Tik Tok from this mother looking for a nearby store that may have dumped items in a trash bin to find Christmas gifts for her children. Kate reached out to her and told her she would purchase Christmas gifts for her children if she could pick them up from her local store. While speaking with her, this mother shared her story and needs of a car and other items.
 
After hearing her story, Lutheran Church Charities wanted to bless this mother with a recently donated car. Since we always work through our churches, Tim Hetzner contacted Pastor Bueltmann at Our Redeemer to ask if we could partner to show the love of Christ to her. LCC staff member Kathy O’Day then called the mother to tell her of Lutheran Church Charities intentions to assist her through the local church.

Lutheran Church Charities purchased a car seat for the 2 year old and a booster seat for the 5 year old, diapers and wipes. The LCC K-9 Ministry filled a gift box for each child with an LCC K-9 Ministry mini stuffed dog, activity books, reading books, and other items. Local Chi Alpha Pi sorority sisters also dropped off gifts to LCC to take to this mother for her family. These items filled the donated car and LCC’s pickup truck.

On Wednesday, December 23, Tim Hetzner sent LCC staff members, Tim Laabs and Jamie Miller, with prayers for safe travel and family blessings. Then they departed for Our Redeemer to deliver the car, gifts, and two envelopes with $500 cash in each to pay for transfer of title and plates, and the rest as they were moved by the Spirit of God!

Upon arrival, they met with Senior Pastor Dr. Wenig and Associate Pastor Bueltmann to present them with everything. Together, they all went to the mother’s home to present the car to her and unload all of the gifts for her family. Pastor Bueltmann then took the mother to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to transfer the title. The pastors and church intend to continue to reach out to this family to help meet their spiritual, emotional and physical needs.

The mother called LCC staff member Kathy O’Day on Christmas Eve to express her thanks to Lutheran Church Charities and our donors for everything given to her. She could not believe we would just give her this nice car and everything else. Her children were in shock to have a car to ride in and not have to walk in the cold everywhere. More importantly, having a car enables her to get a new job with higher pay that she can now get to easier.
 
Some of the funds given to her purchased food for a real Christmas dinner and other staples to stock her shelves. Prior to having a car, they could only buy what they could carry while walking a mile to the store. She was also able to get her electric bill current and still had some funds left towards rent. She also shared they were all looking forward to going to a worship service and seeing the pastors again.
 
The mother also shared, “Presents are under the tree and the kids are so excited. It definitely is a different Christmas than I ever thought it would be. I think God had a plan and did all of this. He took care of us.” She and the kids are happy and feel so blessed.
 
“I am optimistic that the assistance provided to this single mother is making a huge difference in putting her in a position to better care for her family,” shared Pastor Bueltmann. “I am hopeful that we can get her connected to the church, and ultimately to Christ.”
 
Kate Hickey shared, “Thank you, thank you, thank you – this never could have happened without the efforts of LCC staff.”
 
Lutheran Church Charities, Our Redeemer, Chi Alpha Pi alumnae, and our donors have made a difference by showing the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ to this single mother and her children. This has certainly been a Christmas gift where all were blessed to give and receive.

Dear Friends,
 
A Syrian immigrant volunteer, who used to cook for Salam meals for five years before the pandemic had herniated discs and was bedridden for a month and fell short on paying his mortgage. The amount needed is $1500. He has 4 kids under 18. Please show the love of Christ by donating generously to this family.
 
In God's Peace
 
Hesham Shehab
Pastor, Salam Christian Fellowship
Lombard, Illinois

LCC received the following request from Pastor Hesham Shehab, Salam Christian Fellowship, Lombard, Illinois.
 
Dear Friends,
 
An Egyptian Christian family sought refuge in Chicagoland after the grandmother died in a suicide bombing terrorist attack at the church in Cairo. The family of 4 fled with their two young daughters because radical Muslims are kidnapping Christian girls, raping them, and converting them to Islam by force.
 
The father started to have heart problems and has no health insurance. Blood work, EKG, and medication are needed and the immediate cost rose up to $1,500. Even though we found a Christian doctor who could help, we need to cover the previous cost of the emergency room and the medications that the father had to take.
 
Please show the love of God to our brothers and sisters who are persecuted for their faith in Christ by donating generously to this cause.
 
In Christ,
 
Pastor Hesham Shehab
Salam Christian Fellowship

LCC received the following request from Pastor Karim Yaghleji, Voice of Hope Mission, Lombard, Illinois.
 
Dear Ministry Partners,
 
While I was distributing frozen meals to people outside of our church building, a single mother came and got some food. After I talked to her, she told me that she is in need of a refrigerator. She can't afford to purchase even a used one.
 
We are hoping that there is a generous donor who might be willing to help this lady, especially that the holiday season is coming, and she is in dire need of a refrigerator to keep her food.
 
May God bless your ministry,
 
Pastor Karim Yaghleji
Voice of Hope Mission
 
If you have a refrigerator to donate please contact Dianna Bonfield at Dianna@LutheranChurchCharities.org or (224) 257-4371.

LCC received the following request from Pastor Kevin Kritzer, Bethany Lutheran Church, Long Beach, California.
 
Dear Lutheran Church Charities,
 
I received a request from Nader Hanna of Salam Ministries. Nader is in the process of his colloquy and serving as a vicar at Faith Lutheran Church in Huntington Beach, California. Salam Ministries is doing wonderful work at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Cypress, which our congregation is serving during a long term vacancy.

 
Vicar Nadar shared:
“A few months ago a common friend introduced us to a beautiful Muslim family of four – husband, wife, daughter and son – to became a part of our Salam (SoCal) Fellowship/Bible study. God blessed us with a young American woman who volunteered to babysit the children during our Thursday meetings and teach them about Jesus. The wife was pregnant with twin boys and arrangements were in place to baptize all four of them in October. However, she delivered them early; the twins were born alive, breathed for a few seconds, and then passed as they were too tiny to survive. It was very emotional for the entire family!
 
Sharing parts of 1 Corinthians 15 was a source of consolation for the family… apparently the son was paying close attention; he started comforting us the adults with the word of Jesus: “We didn’t lose them, they are with God, God is their Father, they can see Jesus.”

‘I didn’t lose my twins, they are in good hands with the One who loves them before I even knew them, and He loves me. Painful, but we have hope, we have future, we have a friend, we have a Father, we have Jesus,’ the wife said between her tears. This family came to faith in Christ only last year, however they have a very strong faith and a deep relationship with God.
 
This new faithful family needs $2,500 in financial assistance to help cover burial/funeral costs. Once a refugee and asylum seeker, they are now U.S. citizens.”
 
Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity, hallmark characteristics of our God. I hope you’ll be able to assist with this request.
 
Peace,
Kevin L. Kritzer
Senior Pastor
Bethany Lutheran Church
Long Beach, California

Please prayerfully consider making a donation to help this family in need.

Dear Friends,
 
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ!
 
I received an urgent request from Pastor Don Love for financial support of a young widow with two small children. Her husband died unexpectedly from a lung infection after being tested several times for Covid-19.
 
Pastor Love is a former pastor of Calvary Lutheran in Watseka, Illinois, where he spent a lot of time assisting LCC Disaster Response L.E.R.T. volunteers respond to historic flooding. He now lives in Northern Wisconsin to be closer to his family.
 
Please consider helping this servant of the Lord help this family!
 
Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus to those in need.
 
Tim Hetzner
President/CEO

Friends,
 
A 33-year-old husband and father of two little girls (ages 2 & 4) died unexpectedly as a result of lung infection. He passed away after days of heroic efforts by doctors at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin to save his life. The attending physician said that they had never seen such a severe case. The 33-year-old worked as a 911 dispatcher in Iroquois County, Illinois, and then as a dispatcher for Karl’s Transport in Wisconsin. He loved his work!
 
His wife suffers from a serious illness that puts her in very frail health. Medical bills, as well as car, other health bills, other insurances, and finances, are major concerns. The 33-year-old mother has moved back home with her parents along with the two small children.
 
Any immediate and/or long term support would be deeply appreciated.
 
God's Blessings,
Pastor Don Love
Faith, Merrill & St. John Lutheran Church, Hamburg, Wisconsin

LCC received a request from Pastor Jeffrey Howell from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Chicago, Illinois, to assist one of his congregation members who is having financial challenges.
 
Felisha is an active member of our church who is having financial challenges. She is in need of assistance with the front porch of her home. It is showing signs of serious deterioration and is becoming dangerous for her or anyone coming to her home.

Felisha has osteoarthritis which limits her physical ability as she walks with a cane. Because of her condition, it is difficult for her to work. She is on a fixed income as she receives Social Security, assistance from the state to pay her utilities and SNAP benefits. She is unable to afford to get this work completed.
 
I am reaching out to Lutheran Church Charities in hope they can provide Felisha some assistance to help her.
 
In His Name
Rev. Jeffrey Howell