Impact Davis - - Lifesong Zambia

***Impact Zambia 100 Update: 18 Impacters! Will you join us?

"Hi. My name is Davis. I am 14 years old and I live with my mother. She sells charcoal to earn a living. I live there with 3 younger brothers and one sister. Two of my brothers also attend Lifesong School.  Also, my cousin Paul live with us. My father died in 2004. He was a kind man and I loved him very much. May God bless you. Thank you for sponsoring Lifesong Zambia."

Day 3 of Impact Zambia!

Email info@lifesongfororphans.org to join the impact going on in Zambia--building more classrooms for kids like Davis AND an exciting opportunity to have your gift MATCHED!

We're looking for 82 more people to commit to give $20/month for 1 year! Will you be part of the Impact?

To learn more about Impact Zambia 100, click here.

'If not for Lifesong...' -- Impact Zambia 100

**Impact Zambia update: 11 team members! 9 days to go! Join the Imapct!

Listen in as missionary Mitzi McBride shares her heart concering the kids and school at Lifesong Zambia,

We are just completing end of year break. It was one month. Some would think that with school being out, things would be easier here...a little slower. We've found this to be the opposite. I've found myself over the last month consistently concerned about our Lifesong children while on "holiday."

 

I have seen some in the streets, at the market...and they look different. They look tired, hungry, and more dirty than usual. 

 

Clement, a 14 year old with major hearing impairment, had malaria and was hospitalized over the break. (2nd to the left in the white t-shirt)

Richard, a young man who lives with his older sister (yet she's been gone for a month), has been able to work on the farm to help him buy food during this "holiday" break. 

During this break, one of our brightest students showed up at our home after being beaten by his step-father. He now lives on campus with our foster family and is learning what it is like to be in a good family.

If there were no Lifesong...

Many children wouldn't eat. Some children would die from malaria and other diseases because of no medical care. Children would remain in abusive and neglectful environments.

 

During this break, I was able to see what their life would be like if they were not given the opportunity to go to school. It means more than education...for some, it means life.

 

So grateful I get to be a part of making a difference...and for those of you partnering with us, you can rest assured you are joining us in making a difference too.

To join Mitzi & Impact Zambia 100 in making a difference in the lives of children in Zambia, email info@lifesongfororphans.org and commit to be one of the 100 people to give $20/month for 1 year.  

And guess what? Thanks to a generous donor, all gifts will be MATCHED dollar-for-dollar up to $225,000!

To learn more about Impact Zambia 100 click here.

Family Friday: Andrew & Jessica

Listen in as matching grant recipients Andrew & Jessica share their testimony of God's amazing provision as they adoption their little girl, Sophia Lynn, from China...

We had been to China several times on missions trips.  The most recent was before our adoption to a special needs orphanage where we agreed that God was leading us to pursue adoption through China’s special needs program. We knew that financially, we didn’t meet all their requirements. But we also knew if God led us to adopt, He would make a way.  

We were not intending to write support letters with our adoption. We had various fundraisers going and applied for several grants. Then we received the matching grant through Grace Church/Lifesong and we made a long list of friends and family who we could support letters to. We were overwhelmed and blessed at the response. We felt like we were able to keep people more ‘in the loop’ of our adoption journey through those letters and the follow up thank you’s.  We were also able to share what God was doing in our lives through our adoption process. 

We knew about our little girl from when we first applied to our agency, but were told she wouldn’t be getting her surgery or paperwork done in line with our process and it wouldn’t work to adopt her. We moved forward but kept coming back to her in our hearts. Six months into our process we were still feeling pulled towards this little girl so we asked about her again and our agency agreed to help us find a way to pursue her. They said it would be a miracle if it happened. After months of writing to her orphanage, praying, waiting, and more praying, we were a part of a miracle indeed! China not only said yes to us adopting but matched us with our little Sophia Lynn directly! We are still in awe of how it has all worked out. 

Grace Church/Lifesong, thank you for being the catalyst for us to bring more of our friends and family into the journey with us and let God be greatly glorified!  -Andrew, Jessica, & family

Summit VIII - Justice & Mercy Flow from the Gospel

The Christian Alliance for Orphans’ annual Summit has become the national hub for what Christianity Today recently called, “the burgeoning Christian orphan care movement.”

Summit VIII on May 3-4, 2012 at Saddleback Church in Southern California is expected to draw 1,800 to 2,000 pastors, grassroots advocates, organizational leaders and church ministry heads. Alongside more than eighty workshops, the unforgettable plenary sessions will include Francis Chan, Rick and Kay Warren, Crawford Lorritts, Dennis Rainey, Steven Curtis Chapman, and other global leaders.

Summit inspires, equips and connects for adoption, foster care and global orphan ministry.

Lifesong for Orphans will be there! Will you? ... Register today!

Visit their website to see schedules, speakers, workshops, and new special features!

Project Sunshine - The Forgotten Initiative

Just had to share with you these AMAZING before & after pictures from a recent Project Sunshine in Peoria, IL. A Project Sunshine is an outreach of The Forgotten Initiative (partnered with Lifesong for Orphans) who seeks to bring joy & purpse to the foster care community.

Project Sunshine gives an 'extreme make-over' to foster care agencies rooms that are used for foster care children to bring a smile not only to children, families, and foster parents, but to the caseworkers as well!

Take a look at some of these!

BEFORE...

AFTER...

(pictures by Kristi Zobrist)

Wow! We are impressed! To learn more about The Forgotten Initiative and how you can be involved visit their website here.