The situation in Haiti is critical, with millions of people starving and in desperate need of assistance. Thank you for joining LCC in supporting our mission to aid the vulnerable in Haiti during these challenging times. Your contribution, no matter how big or small, can make a difference and help alleviate the suffering of those affected. Together, we can make a meaningful impact and help save lives in Haiti. Because of your unwavering support, LCC has been able to make substantial donations for food and medicine to Mission Haiti and Habitat For Children Ministries. We received the following updates from Lophane Laurent, Mission Haiti and Meschac St Amour, President, Habitat For Children Ministries: It is a pleasure for me to write you this note on behalf of the people in Haiti to explain what this food package represents for us now. I want to thank God for his mercy and love, and I want to thank all of the members of LCC, especially the donors and sponsors who never stop supporting LCC with their prayers and money. You can imagine how hard it is right now to feed your family, where the food is very expensive and not easy to find because of gang violence. Before, when the inflation was 15%, I used to buy a bag of rice for about $15, and now, with the inflation of 60%, it costs $45 to $50, and you can’t find it everywhere. In our food package, we give rice, spaghetti, cream corn, sugar, and oil vegetables, and each family receives one and has food for about four or one week, depending on how many people there are in the family. Please continue praying for Haiti because almost 6 million people are starving or are homeless because they don’t have a job, and 80% of businesses are closed or destroyed by the gangs. Most of the owners left Haiti, so this is a part of the situation in Haiti now. But Mission Haiti never stopped its job in Haiti and kept going on all our projects even though it was difficult for us. My friends, now you can understand why I say this donation is more than a blessing for my people. Our airport is closed because of gang violence and all the shipping also, and we export almost 90% of the products we use in Haiti. In the name of the parents and the kids in our scholarship program, especially in my name, I say thanks so much, and May God bless your families and your ministries. Christ is Risen. He is Risen Indeed, Alleluia! Lophane Laurent Mission Haiti On Sunday, April 7, 2024, Habitat For Children Ministries organized a prayer day for Haiti. During that time of prayer, we prayed to God for the situation of violence to calm down and stop. The prayer was called "Habitat Unity Group Day of Prayer." We asked God to be merciful to the people of Haiti because they are hungry, and everything is getting so expensive. The people can't afford to buy food anymore. The trucks that carry merchandise to the countryside are forced to pay gang members at every stop. Many hospitals have started closing their doors, and patients are forced to return home because there is no medicine and gas for the hospitals to work as they should. We also offered up praises and thanks to all the people who help us and our organizations to continue with God's work while everything is going on in Port-au-Prince. Habitat For Children Ministries is still working diligently in the countryside to deliver food and take care of sick people. We praise God for that opportunity! Speaking with a friend from Port-au-Prince last week, he said to me humanitarian colleagues emphasized that these departments do not have sufficient infrastructure, and host communities do not have sufficient resources to cope with the large number of people fleeing Port-au-Prince. Also, speaking with a police friend over the weekend in Port-au-Prince, he said that of the 53,125 people who fled Port-au-Prince from March 8th-27th, nearly 80% already had been forced to abandon their homes and were living with relatives or in crowded and unsanitary makeshift shelters across the capital. The countryside is getting filled quickly, and now we are dealing with a lack of everything. More than 85% of Haitians leaving the capital have been crowding into buses, risking travel through gang-controlled territory where gang rapes have been reported arm gunmen have been known to open fire on public transport. The transitional council, which will be responsible for choosing a new Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, has yet to be formally established. "So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18) Meschac St Amour President Habitat For Children Ministries, Inc.
We received the following update from Meschac St Amour, President, Habitat For Children Ministries:
Please join us in our efforts to help save lives in Haiti. Together, we can make a difference and bring hope and material support to those in need. Thank you for your generosity and compassion.
Thank you for joining LCC in supporting our mission to aid the vulnerable in Haiti during these challenging times. Thanks to your unwavering support, LCC has been able to make substantial donations for food and medicine to Mission Haiti. LCC is also working for the first time with Habitat for Children Ministries in collaboration with Rev. Cris Escher of Grace Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Rev. Escher currently serves as the Vice President of Habitat for Children Ministries, and the congregation at Grace Lutheran strongly supports this ministry’s efforts in Haiti. Please join us in our efforts to help save lives in Haiti. The violence and unrest in Haiti have left many innocent people injured, homeless, and in dire need of medical care, food, and shelter. We are working closely with our partners to safely provide essential assistance, including meals and medical supplies, to families amidst the challenges of volatility and violence. Together, we can make a difference and bring hope and material support to those in need. Every dollar counts and can make a huge difference in the lives of those impacted by this crisis. Thank you for your generosity and compassion. Thanks to You, They Were Able to BE THERE
Anna Piro shared the team's sentiment, "We all worked well together, falling into the tasks at hand. As you can imagine, there has been much joy and laughter throughout our trip with each other and those we worked with. Belize was good to us, and we have loved the people we met at Camp Concordia and Good Shepherd." The Northern Illinois District and Lutheran Church Charities thanks each of these volunteers for their willing service in Belize. The Lutheran Mission Belize posted the following thanks on their Facebook page: "We are so grateful for the hard work of these Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) volunteers this past week! They took down damaged and diseased trees in several locations throughout Belize, including at Camp Concordia. They have been a blessing!" Please prayerfully consider donating to help with costs accrued on this LERT mission trip to Belize that served those in need.
Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) Serves In Belize To Help with Multiple Property Cleanup1/30/2024
Help them continue to BE THERE
The following Northern Illinois District, Lutheran Church Charities LERT team members spent the last week in Belize: Larry Zagorski, Max Metz - Lord of Life, Elburn Marty Johnson and Anna Piro - St. John, Wheaton Pete and Christel Springmire - Immanuel, DeKalb
All of the families served by the team expressed their deep appreciation that their properties are now safe for their children to play and that they would not have to worry about falling trees causing major damage in the next storm. The team feels blessed to be serving their brothers and sisters in Christ. Please continue to pray for the team, Pastor Herb and Markie Burch, Pastor Benjamin and Karina Flores, and GEO Missionaries Jordan & Justin Langston, and Gary & Sue Kessler, as they each serve the people of Belize in the Name of the Lord.
Lutheran Church Charities has been invited by Gary Kessler, Globally Engaged in Outreach (GEO) Missionary to Belize, and Rev. Dr. Allan Buss, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Northern Illinois District President, to remove multiple dead and storm-damaged trees from properties in Belize: Concordia Mission House grounds in Belmopan, a local partner church in Orange Walk and at the Belize Zoo in La Democracia. The storm occurred many months ago, but none of the organizations could afford to hire crews to do the cleanup. They are all very happy to finally have their properties made safe for visitors. The following Northern Illinois District Lutheran Church Charities Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) members volunteered for this mission trip to Belize and will be serving January 24 – 30: • Larry Zagorski, Max Metz - Lord of Life, LaFox • Marty Johnson and Anna Piro - St. John, Wheaton • Pete and Christel Springmire - Immanuel, DeKalb The teams will be taking their own chainsaws, ropes, rigging, and personal protection equipment. Once in Belize, they will also be renting a tractor with a grapple and lift to use for the week. The Northern Illinois District Missions and Lutheran Church Charities, through donations, have committed to fund this team’s trip expenses, which are estimated to be approximately $8,000. Gary Kessler and Rev. Dr. Allan Buss appreciate LCC’s disaster response team's commitment to serve in Belize and the opportunity to help support this endeavor. Please prayerfully consider donating to help fund LERT mission trip to Belize to serve those in need. Your generous donations were sent to Haiti to provide food for school children and their families in Haiti's tent city during Christmas break. LCC received the following update and picture from Lophane Laurent in Haiti Thank you for BEING THERE with LCC to provide the gift of food this Christmas for school children and their families in Haiti's tent city.
BE THERE with LCC to Provide the Gift of Food this Christmas for Children in Haiti's Tent City11/28/2023
Provide Basic Food Staples for Children in Haiti Through your generous donations, Lutheran Church Charities continues to provide scholarships for children in the tent city in Haiti. With the current political crisis raising the cost of food dramatically, Lutheran Church Charities is asking for your generous donations this Christmas to provide these children with basic food supplies. The holiday season is a time of joy and celebration for many, but for children in Haiti, it can be a time of hunger and uncertainty. With your help, we can make a difference by providing food for these children during the Christmas break. For just $65.00, you can provide a child and their family with a food package that will feed them during the Christmas break and prevent them from going hungry. Your donation will go directly towards purchasing nutritious meals and ensuring these children have the sustenance they need to thrive. Together, we can bring some much-needed comfort and hope to these vulnerable children. Your donation will show the love and compassion of Jesus to these children in need. Help make a difference this Christmas for the children in Haiti with Lutheran Church Charities. Pastors of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) continue weekly to provide humanitarian relief to various areas in Ukraine. Your ongoing donations make this ministry possible. Pastor Sergey Bevz of Dnipro reports: Thank you to everyone who continues to support us, even after a year and a half of war! God cares for people and does this often through other people. We continue to help the people in our locality. Photos: Lutheran Church "Living Water" Dnipro Metro Station
I want to express my deep gratitude for your continued support of Lutheran Church Charities and our mission to bring the mercy, compassion, presence, and proclamation of Jesus to those who are suffering and in need. Your generosity has brought meaningful impact to people throughout various regions around the world, including Haiti, Ukraine, Turkey-Syria, Ghana, Israel, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Myanmar, to name a few. I also want to thank you for joining me in prayers for peace in the Israel-Hamas war. This war has deep roots throughout history and therefore raises deeply complex and sensitive issues. The conflict has reverberations here in America and in other parts of the world, as seen in walk-outs, angry protests, and continued frustration expressed. Therefore, since the Israel-Hamas war is a highly intricate and multifaceted issue, and because any involvement requires a comprehensive understanding, significant resources, and a careful approach to avoid exacerbating tensions, we are choosing to remain steadfast and faithful in our prayers at this time. Prayers and the pursuit of peace continue to be of utmost importance as well as the most appropriate response. In 1 Timothy 2:12 we are encouraged to lift up “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” But especially, our prayers are being lifted to the Lord on behalf of every member of the body of Christ, regardless of their nationality or side in this conflict. Your continued support and partnership are invaluable to us, and it enables us to fulfill our existing commitments effectively. We remain dedicated to our mission and look forward to keeping you updated on our progress and achievements. We will continue to seek avenues for sending support to those hurting throughout the region, but we will refrain from doing so until we can be confident that your financial support will truly reach the people for whom they are intended. The support given to The Four Homes of Mercy in Bethany, Israel, previously gathered will be delivered at the next available opportunity. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Rev. Chris Singer
President & CEO Lutheran Church Charities |
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