LCC received a request from Pastor Michael Liese, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Brimfield, Illinois, for financial assistance for members of his congregation, Mark and Susan:

Mark is a former Lutheran School teacher and principal, and his wife, Susan, daughter of a Lutheran pastor, is a nurse. They have two children.
 
On Sunday, January 9, Susan suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and required emergency surgery. After surgery, Susan seemed to have lost her ability to speak and suffered a loss of movement in her right arm. Mark will be Susan’s full-time caregiver during her long road to recovery and will not be able to work until she is better.
 
They will need financial assistance to cover extensive medical bills and mortgage, utilities, and household expenses of approximately $3,500 a month.
 
Lord have Mercy!
 
Pastor Michael Liese
St. Paul Lutheran Church
Brimfield, Illinois

If you feel so moved, please prayerfully consider donating to help Mark provide for his family while he cares for his wife.

On Friday, January 7, missing 6-year-old Damari Perry of North Chicago was found dead in Gary, Indiana. Damari turned six on December 30, the day he died.
 
Rev. Jim Buckman, pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Lake Forest, Illinois, is supporting Damari’s Aunt, Delonya, with raising funds to care for his four siblings for her brother, the children’s father. She is a single mother and foster mother through Lutheran Social Services. Delonya has a powerful faith and compassion for children who need a loving, caring home.
 
If you feel so moved, please prayerfully consider donating to help Damari’s Aunt raise his four siblings.

LCC received the following requests from Pastor Hesham Shehab, Salam Christian Fellowship, Lombard, Illinois:

Dear Friends,
 
We need assistance with windshield repairs for a convert from Islam. It was the Grace of God that Paul did not lose control when a sharp flying object broke his windshield while going 65 on the highway.
 
Paul uses this car to help new immigrants and refugees drive. He has been a faithful servant of God who returns the favor that Salam offered him when he first arrived in the USA.
 
Please show the love of Christ by donating generously to this cause. The cost is $400.
 
In God's Peace,
 
Pastor Hesham Shehab
Salam Christian Fellowship
Lombard, Illinois

LCC received the following requests from Pastor Hesham Shehab, Salam Christian Fellowship, Lombard, Illinois:

Dear Friends,
 
A young Lebanese American woman was injured in a hit-and-run accident. She needs help with rent this month. She applied for SSI, but it requires six months for Social Security authorities to make a decision. She has no family in the U.S. but Salam Christian Fellowship. The amount needed is $600.
 
Please show the love of Christ to this disabled Christian woman by donating generously to keep a roof above her head in this cold winter.
 
In God's Peace,
 
Pastor Hesham Shehab,
Salam Christian Fellowship
Lombard, Illinois

Dear Friends,
 
We need financial help fixing a car for an Afghan refugee who arrived from Afghanistan three months ago. Abdul got his Driver's License on Saturday. He worked at the US consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, and speaks some English. He got a job in Chicago and needs that car to be reliable for his commute. He is hardworking and supports his family that stayed behind in Afghanistan. Please show the love of Christ to this Afghan family by donating generously towards the car repairs. The amount needed is $800.
 
In God's Peace,
 
Pastor Hesham Shehab,
Salam Christian Fellowship
Lombard, Illinois

On Sunday, November 14, the LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry attended a presentation by Lt. Fahim Masoud at Faith Lutheran Church in Lake Forest, Illinois. Lt. Masoud recounted his experiences as a translator for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, joining the U.S. Army and becoming a U.S. citizen. The LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry presented Lt. Masoud a U.S. Army-themed quilt for himself and a patriotic-themed quilt for his family, who recently came to the U.S. from Afghanistan.

Born during the Soviet-Afghan War, Fahim became an Afghan interpreter for the U.S. Army at the age of 17. Within a few years, he immigrated to the United States on a student visa and became a U.S. citizen. In 2018 Fahim joined the Illinois Army National Guard, where he currently serves as an Army Intelligence Officer. Earlier this year, he supervised the Guard’s mission at several suburban Chicago vaccination sites. It was at one of these vaccination sites where he connected with Pastor Jim. Fahim and his wife attended Easter worship at Faith Lutheran Church. His story received national media attention in August when Fahim worked tirelessly to evacuate his family from Afghanistan.

Last month, LCC sent your donations to Rev. Jim Buckman, Faith Lutheran Church in Lake Forest, Illinois, and Chaplain with the United States Air Force Illinois National Guard for Lt. Masoud. The need for this family is great and ongoing.
 
Please prayerfully consider supporting Lt. Masoud, who risked his life to serve our troops in Afghanistan, as he takes care of his family who made it safely to the United States. He is grateful for the support that he has received.

LCC received the following request from Senior Pastor Jerry Hays, St. Peter, Schaumburg, Illinois, to aid a family in need:

A family from Missouri is relocating to Illinois due to the medical needs of the father; after having been diagnosed with COVID-19, he received a lung transplant at Northwestern Hospital. As a requirement of the surgery, he must be within 50 miles of the hospital for one year. 
 
His wife and children will be making the move in December, depending on his progress and discharge from his current rehab center. This family is in need of a two-bedroom place to live while in Illinois ($1500 or less) and assistance with everyday living expenses.
 
Senior Pastor Jerry Hays
St. Peter, Schaumburg, Illinois
 
If you have or know of a place that falls within the family's needs, please email Nikki Deacon at ndeacon@LutheranChurchCharities.org, or if you would like to donate to this family, follow the link below.

LCC received an update from Pastor Dennis Bartels of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, North Miami, Florida.
 
Ketchnide St. Louis lost her battle with COVID-19 and is now home with the Lord. Her husband and children are in the process of making arrangements and accessing their ongoing needs.
 
Please join us in holding Ketchnid’s family in prayer as they work through this difficult time.
 
Pastor Bartles will continue to work with the family and give updates on their needs.
 
CLICK HERE to read the original appeal

Please prayerfully consider a generous donation to help this family in need continue to provide for their children.

LCC received the following request from Pastor Dennis Bartels of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, North Miami, Florida.

Ketchnide St. Louis is a lovely, Christian, hardworking mother of 3 who currently is hospitalized with Covid-19. She has been hospitalized now for several weeks and is unable to breathe on her own at this time. She also is a type 2 diabetic which is making her recovery from covid more difficult. She is an active member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in North Miami, Florida.

Ketchnide and her husband both emigrated from Haiti and are raising three beautiful children. Both she and her husband are very hard-working and work blue-collar jobs. They have committed their resources to ensure that their children had a better education and have kept them at the Christian School at Holy Cross through 8th grade and then Catholic School for high school. All of the children are excellent students and have been active in church activities and school activities while maintaining strong grades. The youngest and only boy has from a very young age shown great spiritual and emotional maturity, and no one will be surprised if he becomes a pastor.
 
In spite of their humble circumstances, Ketchnide is always extremely generous. Anytime the church or school has a fundraising drive for a charity such as mission Haiti or a local children's orphanage, she is one of the first to donate. When we have a food drive for our food pantry, she donates bags of food. She is a wonderful example of a Christian who lives her Christianity in her daily walk in life.
 
Due to the nature of her job, she has no paid sick time so every day that she misses work is unpaid. The family is a two-income family and without her income, their resources are extremely strained and there is not enough money for food, rent, utilities, and other bills. Even when she does recover, she will not be able to go back to work for many weeks.
 
This family has always given sacrificially of their meager means to help others and during their time of need, it is our hope that others will step up to help them in the same way.
 
Pastor Dennis Bartels
Holy Cross Lutheran Church
North Miami, Florida

Please prayerfully consider a generous donation to help this family in need continue to provide for their children.

LCC sent your donations to Rev. Jim Buckman, Faith Lutheran Church in Lake Forest, Illinois, and Chaplain with the United States Air Force Illinois National Guard for Lt. Masoud, an Illinois National Guardsman show family escaped from Afghanistan.
 
Thank you to all that have donated. The need for this family is great and ongoing. Please prayerfully consider supporting Lt. Masoud, who risked his life to serve our troops in Afghanistan, as he takes care of his family who made it safely to the United States.

His family is still being processed by the State Department at Quantico. It is a slow process, but Lt. Masoud was able to visit with them recently. He is so grateful for the support that he has received.