What can 250 kids in central CA do in 1 week?

Last week, Trinity Pres in Clovis, CA had their annual Vacation Bible School and decided to partner with Lifesong to raise money for the children in Ziway, Ethiopia.

Our friend Candice summarizes the week on her blog.

"Each day I would give the kids a scenario of what life is like in Ethiopia, show pictures on the screen and then introduce our prayer points for the day. They got cards to take home and show their parents and learned ways that they could be in prayer for the children in Ziway. Thursday night we showed the Ethiopia video and it touched many who were there. The kids really get into these mission projects and I am constantly amazed at how HUGE their hearts are for the orphans and less fortunate children. These young ones do SO much more in one week to serve the Lord than some adults do in a year!

They did everything from lemonade and kool-aid stands, to making bracelets, passing out baby bottles to fill up, painting rocks, baking cookies, and even selling frogs!"

"There were around 250 children last week bringing in their pennies, nickels and dimes to make a difference for the Kingdom of God- having complete faith that the Lord would provide the funds. And can you imagine being there on Friday morning- hearing all of their excited voices and seeing their little faces light up when they heard the total amount brought in... $4,700 for the children in Ethiopia!!!  This was enough to build an entire playground structure as well as an additional $1,200 for the children's school supplies such as desks, uniforms, books, etc. Our amazing God did that! These children truly have missionary hearts and I seriously cannot wait to see how the Lord will continue to use them throughout their young lives." 

Thank you Candice! Thank you Trinity Pres! We are amazed at how God moves hearts, including the hearts of these young children & pray that their hearts are captivated by His heart for the fatherless!

Equip Yourself to Take a Stand - Pt. 2

As a follow up to this post introducting Red Card Kids, we'll be highlighting the first 2 lessons in the Red Card workbook!

Lesson 1: God's Heart for Children

-If everyone embraced the idea that children are created in God's image, how would this change teh way children are treated?

-Memorize Mark 10:14b. Use your prayer card to review God's heart for children and pray for them.

Lesson 2: Poverty

-How would your daily routine change if you spent 4-5 hours fetching your family's water each day? Knowing that your nearest source of water is 4 miles away, what would you do to reduce your water usage?

How will YOU respond? CHECK BACK SOON... we'll be sharing about each lesson over the next few weeks!

I'm Just an Illinois Farm Boy

Gary and Peggy Ifft have been missionaries in Ethiopia for over 9 years and are currently serving in Ziway, Ethiopia at the Lifesong site. Gary recently completed his first book, titled I'm Just an Illinois Farm Boy.

Background

Gary Ifft, President and co-founder of Misgana Ministries has published his book “I’m Just an Illinois Farm Boy” documenting his “missionary journey.” Gary tells about his experiences from the first time he ever became aware of the concept of “missions” or “missionaries” up to the establishment of Misgana Ministries in Ethiopia. Misgana Ministries is a Christian integrated rural development project which is centered at the rural Ethiopian town of Ziway.

This book is full of intriguing stories recapping Gary’s and his wife, Peggy’s, journey from their childhoods up through a successful corporate career and on to Ethiopia. After working with Wycliffe Bible Translators and administering two hospitals, they are now developing infrastructure, constructing a school, operating feeding programs, helping Ethiopians begin small businesses, caring for orphans, and much more.

Click here to find out how to order a copy!

Bring healing to hurting hearts!

Introducing the Created To Connect: A Christian’s Guide to The Connected Child. 

This study guide, created by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Michael & Amy Monroe, is designed to help illuminate the biblical principles that serve as the foundation for the philosophy and interventions detailed in Dr. Purvis’ book, The Connected Child.  Together with the book, the study guide is a great tool to help adoptive and foster parents better understand how to build strong and lasting connections with their children, and is ideal for use in small groups as well as by individuals or couples.

Visit the Empowered To Connect website to download and print the entire (76 page) study guide, or view and print it chapter-by-chapter.  There is no charge for this or any of the Empowered To Connect resources, but be sure to let other adoptive and foster parents know about this new study guide.

Check out the video series here.

Don't miss our upcoming webinar!

 

How does an adoption fund fit with your church's mission/vision?

• Evangelize the lost – Adoption is evangelism at its core…Bringing the mission field home, where children are loved, cared for, and discipled to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

• Edify the saved – Adoption Fund challenges, encourages, and enables Believers to put their faith in action, by stepping out in faith to adopt (fulfilling God’s commands in scripture).

• Minister to those in need – There are millions of children waiting for forever families who would like to adopt them, but just can’t because of the financial barrier.

• Be a Conscience in the community –  As th e Church becomes obedient to God’s commands concerning the fatherless, the community will see Jesus Christ is alive and working in the lives of His people to care for those children who can’t care for themselves.

Read more. Reserve your spot now!