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!"

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

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.

Greetings from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
 
Today was a great day for those kids because I distributed school supplies to 70 kids. My friends, you can’t imagine how they are happy because they didn’t expect that. I gave them pencils, pens, notebooks, rulers, etc.
 
Thank you to LCC sponsors and our donors for continuing to support our poor kids. Tomorrow, everyone will be able to go to school because now they have school supplies.
 
May God bless you all and your families. Please continue to pray for my country, Haiti. We love you like you love us.
 
Blessings
Lophane

Lutheran Church Charities has supported the education of students from the tent city in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, since 2012.
 
Public and private education in Haiti costs money - there is NO free education. Our Lutheran schools also charge, but they are less expensive than the public schools. The cost of tuition is $65 per month.

Thanks to your generous donations, Lutheran Church Charities is able to continue its mission of providing aid to those in need. We are proud to work with our Mission Partners Mission:Haiti and Ministry in Mission to purchase and distribute vital supplies to the most vulnerable in Haiti.
 
Your contributions are making a real difference in the lives of those who need it most, and we thank you for your continued support.
 
We received the following update from Lophane Laurent after he distributed food to those in need:

Greetings from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
 
There is no word to describe how much we appreciate your donation to help my people receive a food package for a week with their families or friends. I asked the pastor for 60 families, and he invited 100. It was hard for me to see that many people and I had food only for 60 families. My heart was broken to see the 40 left with their empty bags.
 
I want to thank you for continuing to support my poor people with a food package for one week. May God bless our donors and sponsors and all of the members of LCC.
 
Please continue praying for us because things getting worse every day, but one thing I know is that our Lord is in control.
 
Blessings,
Lophane

The needs in Haiti are great and ongoing. Please prayerfully consider making a monetary donation to enable Lutheran Church Charities to continue to send funds to Haiti.