IT IS TIME TO SHOW OUTRAGE!

STUCK 

IS COMING TO DAYTON 

More than a movie, it’s a movement.           

                  WHEN: May 12 – 7:00 pm

                  WHERE: Epiphany Lutheran Church, 6430 Far Hills Ave Dayton, OH

HOW MUCH: Admission to the screening is free, but donations will be accepted for two worthy               adoption causes: Adoption fees for the Collins family of Lebanon, Ohio working to adopt Maggie             from Guatemala for five years and Lamb International’s project to provide extensive training to                   orphan caregivers from the Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

SPONSORED BY LAMb International – a worldwide mission serving children and families and        local adoption advocates

WHAT IS STUCK?

The award-winning documentary film, STUCK, is the story of the struggles and rewards of international adoption. It is travelling to 60 cities over 3 months, beginning March 1. A special screening, hosted by local adoption advocates and LAMb International, will be in Dayton on Sunday, May 12 at 7 pm at the Epiphany Lutheran Church, 6430 Far Hills Ave Dayton, OH 45459.

STUCK follows the stories of four orphans from Haiti, Vietnam and Ethiopia and their heartbreaking struggles to come home to their families. The STUCK film is designed to raise awareness – and outrage – over the deplorable system of international adoption. Bureaucracy, inefficiencies and politics keep children incarcerated in orphanages around the world when loving families are willing and eager to adopt them.

For more information, call Angela Manuszak, STUCK Dayton city host at 937-433-1669, Jayne Schooler, 937 689-0985 or the Both Ends Burning office at 877-908-5161 or visit the STUCK Web site at www.stuckdocumentary.com. 

To view the trailer or download the film for personal viewing, please visit www.stuckdocumentary.com.

WHAT IS NEXT? SUMMIT, TRAUMA TRAINING IN UKRAINE WITH ADOPTIVE PARENTS

Heading now to Summit 2013.  Christian Alliance for Orphans is saying the summit is SOLD OUT.  We are just so excited to know that thousands of persons who are passionate about doing something about the global orphan crisis are heading to Nashville to join together to plan and strategize on what is next.

After the recent gathering in November with Transform World in Indonesia, we are believing in a major breakout of people activated and aggressive in  making a difference.  Something is happening folks!  Something big and we need you to get on board - join the movement.  There is so much you can do!

1.  Speak up for the orphan!
2.  Defend the orphan!
3.  Pray!
4.  Adopt!
5.  Support others working in the movement!
6.  Head out to a short term mission team to bring joy into the life of an orphan!
7.  Become a foster parent!
8.  Develop a fund raising plan to support families who want to adopt!
9.  Purchase an airline ticket for a family adopting internationally.
10.  Purchase books for adoptive parents and send them these little gifts of parenting helps.
11.  Sponsor a child through a mission group.

Want more ideas?  Contact us we have others.  In the meantime:

STOP - for the one in front of you.
LOOK - through the eyes of God.
LISTEN - to what the Holy Spirit would have you do!

AND THEN AFTER NASHVILLE?  We are off to Ukraine for some major training.  Lynn and I will be training Christian adoptive parents in three different cities....helping families understand the Impact of Trauma on the Lives of Children coming from crisis families.  Giving families skills that will help healing and moving forward in their family lives.  We are honored to be working with My Home in Ukraine once again.  More on this later.

KEEP BELIEVING - A WORLD WITHOUT ORPHANS

NEW IMAGE FOR EXPLOITED WOMEN

The Commercial Sex Industry in Nicaragua

LAMb Team in Action

FREEDOM FROM EXPLOITATION

BRINGS HOPE TO WOMEN

Jenna's Project

The foundation to LAMb is to activate and equip others for the purpose of ministry.  One such very important "activation" is happening due to the opening of the heart of one of our recent visitors to the projects in Nicaragua.  Jenna went to Nicaragua on a short term mission trip and found that God called her to help in a very special way.  She became involved with a group of women who are helping victims of sexual exploitation....New Image.

New Image creates a safe environment for women to come and share their experiences and feelings. There is no judgment and the women find they can relate to one another. One member described the fellowship she found in New Image as being like her “family” and she felt she was treated as though they had known her all her life. New Image communicates to these women that there is hope for a different life and that they have purpose and significance.

Jenna shared the following:

Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Education is not valued in their culture and many women find themselves poor and desolate with a family to provide for. Without education many of these women feel they have no other options then to sell their bodies to survive. As Nicaragua becomes a popular vacation destination, due to affordable prices and an attractive landscape, more tourist are entering the country. The fear is that sex tourism will become a norm for the country, attracting many sexual predators, which Nicaragua will not be prepared to monitor properly. One local business owner expressed her fear of Nicaragua becoming the next Thailand. With the threat of increasing sexual predators New Image is needed more than ever. 

Prostitution is often a family trade. Women are either forced by their family or their mothers were also prostitutes. New Image is working to break this cycle and to spare the next generation of this lifestyle. With the increase of sex tourism, Nicaragua is seeing younger and younger girls working on the streets and even being sold by their own families for sex. By introducing the value of education to these women, they are breaking the cycle by revealing alternative ways to make an income. In turn, the women in the program are valuing education and their own self worth, while instilling these values into their children. New Image does not only transform the lives of the women in their program but also the many families connected to these women by breaking the cycle of abuse and giving hope for the future.

Jenna lives in Barrie and is working diligently to help this organization.  If you want to be part of this little branch of the work of LAMb..please let us know.  Their needs are great:

• Beds and bedding
• refrigerator
• tv and dvd player
• tables for sewing and crafts
• cookware to teach women how to cook
• food
• comfortable furniture for their study times
• compter and printer
• fans to cool the hot rooms
• storage containers
• general tools for home maintenance 

Jenna goes on to say:  

New Image is a small organization with a lot of potential. We, Canadians, have a unique opportunity to become involved in the development of such a valuable and necessary program in Nicaragua. There are many opportunities for New Image to reach their community, with the proper support and funding. As this program grows and develops it has the potential to be repeated all around the world, breaking cycles of oppression and offering hope for the future. 

JUST A REMINDER
WHEN WOMEN ARE HONORED AND RESPECTED
WE 
SEE CHILDREN BETTER CARED FOR 
AND 
WE SEE 
FEWER 
ORPHANS

JOIN US FOR A WORLD WITHOUT ORPHANS

OH WHEN THE SON SHINES....

REALLY ENJOYING THE MOMENTS WE ARE GIVEN...

Participant sharing a learning moment.

When the heart breaks, there is the hope for the dawn, the sun does rise again and one can see the glory of morning, the freshness of a new day.

Being a missionary and a humanitarian worker is like that.

Your heart is torn all the time, you dream and cry, you cry at stops along the way.  You ask yourself why, how, when.  Yet, at any given stop along the way someone has just the word that reminds you of the why, how and when.

One such stop along the way has been the words of different persons in training.  Yesterday a participant (a national) said to me, "I can, I really can."  I know that does not seem like much to many, however to hear those words meant a lot to me.  You see she works on a crisis line and wants to help others learn how to do this.  When she is on the crisis line, she influences many, but she said, "If I train others, I can influence so many more."

We call that SUSTAINABILITY

Yes, we are to show up!

STOP - for the one in front of us.

LOOK - through they eyes of God.

LISTEN - to how the Holy Spirit would lead.

ONE MORE STEP FORWARD FOR THE ORPHANS OF KYRGYZSTAN

There is always relief when you finally reach an agreement. Today, Lynn and the mayor signed the agreement for Jeremiah House and Dayspring – a new five-year agreement.  DONE.  All little words worked out.  We are hearing from the mayor how he wants to be involved with the project – they want to be more than just signatures on a paper.  This is exciting news. 

In addition, our local authorities are ready to move forward and work on creating a resource/foster care program - pilot project.  We are so happy to be in partnership together to do this.  STAY TUNED.

Partnership clearly has more benefits than being an adversary.  So – agreement and new partnership is expected.  

It was just unfortunate Lynn had to turn down the invitation from the mayor to accompany the mayor to a hockey game tonight!  Next time mayor!

DONE!

AND THIS IS THE CELEBRATION AND BENEFICIARY

THE WALL CONTINUES TO BE BUILT - AND UPDATE ON WHAT WE ARE DOING NEXT

CONTRUCTION CONTINUES..

As you can see here the old wall is behind the new wall.  Since the neighbor on the other side of the wall owns part of the wall, we had to build in front instead of tearing down and starting over.  The new wall will also fortify his wall, they say.  The new wall is being built out of red blocks and already the girls are talking about the fun they will have with chalk art!  Can't wait to see the results.

TODAY IN KYRGYZSTAN

1. Lynn will go to the mayor's office with Costa to sign the new agreement for Dayspring and Jeremiah House.
2. Meeting with new missionaries from the USA  - giving them a place to shower and then off to visit Mercy Foundation.  Lynn wants them to see all the possibilities in the area before they make their final decision on where and how they will serve.
3. Picking up t-shirts and bags from the t-shirt factory with new LAMb logo.
4. Saying good bye to the youth.

AND....Olga has a plan for a new way to reach the graduating orphans in our town in case they do not of our resource for them - here is her email today:

..."talked to the social worker in Chuy orphanage, this is acctually what we talking before about. What if begin meetings with those 4 kids that graduate from Chui orphanage? We know Vika and Slavik, there is also Lilia and another boy (forgot his name), but we could start meetings once a week in (Jeremiah Projec'ts Drop in Center) DIC together with Shailo and Andrey and one of us, we could just spend time, talk, watch a movie. I just want them to know us and the contacts, and know about DIC as a resourse. I know Lilia is planning to stay in Tokmok, if it won't work for her to come to JH, and she will live in the dorm, at least she will have our contacts and know that she will be able to use DIC in case she will need to take a bath or have something to eat. We can involve some of those kids who attended a meeting at the ..(local gathering), what do you think of the idea? There are only 4 kids that graduate, and it would be good for them to know us better, and for us to be able to keep track of them."

HEY FOLKS - we have the opportunity to purchase the studio apartment next to the drop in center.  Likely around 5-7,000 USD.  If we can purchase that, we can use it as an apartment for youth who are graduated and living interdependently - our Jeremiah Steps project.  Great thing is that support would be right next door.  Our plan will be to punch a door between the Drop in Center and the apartment.  Just need the funds.

FINALLY - Ruby completes here training with those persons working the Help Line here in Moscow. It is a crisis line for youth.  Great time working with these women!  Lynn and Ruby will meet in the Moscow airport tomorrow to fly home together....well, fly to our Canadian place where we change suitcases.  Out immediately to Nashville, Tennessee for the Summit 2013 sponsored by Christian Alliance for Orphans.