“We’re going to Disney World!” These five words can, for a moment, completely change a child’s outlook on life. Ever notice that when you tell a kid that you’re going to Michigan’s Adventure, or even Cedar Point, they may get excited, but tell them you’re going to see the Big Mouse, and they go berserk! Why is this? Slick marketing? Easily recognizable characters and movies? Perhaps. But there is something else going on. It is Disney’s attention to detail. They are absolutely meticulous. From calling all of the employees “cast members,” to making sure the park is immaculate, everything is done to make the experience completely immersive and engrossing. In his book Inside the Magic Kingdom, Tom Connellan describes how the horse head fence posts on Main Street in Disney World are repainted every night to make sure they always look brand new.

Some months back, our Grand Haven Lakeshore Pregnancy Center was all out of size 4 diapers. We sometimes can borrow from other centers but it seems all the other area centers were also out of size 4 diapers.  This happened on the same day there was a budget/administrative meeting and we were instructed not to spend one cent as we were behind on budget (a first time that had happened). The center called the secretary at Lakeshore Lutheran Fellowship Church (LLFC) and explained our dilemma. She must have called or emailed congregation members because the next morning there was a bounty of diapers on our doorstep when it was time to open.  Now, there was a desperate couple who came back that day for some diapers whom the center had given a few size 5's to tide them over the day before. They were so glad we had some size 4 in now.  The center was able to tell the couple that those diapers were here only because there were people who donated them out of love for God and the desire to help in His name.  When asked why did the center call LLFC the response was . . .we had a deep sense they would hear God in our call for help and would respond, and they did!  God's love can be shared through diapers! So thank you LLFC members for blessing Lakeshore Pregnancy Center.

Also, The Lakeshore Pregnancy Center (LPC) holds a fund raising event called, “LifeWalk” every spring. This event is LPC’s major source of funding to pay rent and essentials.  Last year donations from LLFC to “LifeWalk” was approximately $320.

Sally is a (newly) singled mom with two teenage children.  She cleans homes for a living.  While she receives child support, her cleaning jobs have been reduced.  Her van broke down, causing her challenges to get to her cleaning jobs.  We worked with our local mechanic to get it fixed.  Love INC paid $675.00 to get her van in working order.  

Doris is 70 years old.  Lives by herself.  She lives in a trailer.  Recently she got involved with a situation that caused her to have to move her trailer to another park.  She saw that her neighbor, who is a single mom with a 2 year old, left her child alone to go visiting.  Doris tracked her down and explained she was concerned about the 2 year old.  This didn't set well with the mother and neighbors.  Doris felt that she needed to move.

She was able to pay for most of the cost but ran into some problems with her lot rent.  By the way, Doris collects social security and has two part time jobs (Census worker and care provider, each job about 10 hours a month).  Love INC paid $345.00 to her park for lot rent.  

Sherry and her son came to Love INC and were looking for some housing.  They were homeless and needed someplace to stay.  We were unable to react right away so we put them up at the Rodeway INN for two nights.  We paid the hotel $79.50 for the two nights.

Chris and her son were evicted from their trailer.  The sheriff came out and forced them to leave.  She owed the park over $2,000.00 in back rent, mortgage fees and legal fees.  She was able to raise some of it herself, some from The Salvation Army.  We were most concerned about her 6 year old son.  She is now collecting unemployment and will make it while that lasts.  She will need to find employment soon for this not to happen again. We need to raise $400.00 to complete the assistance.

Bob and Karen came in needing help with their house payment.  Both of them receive disability and they have two paper routes.  They also have a handicapped son who lives in a 'home'.  They both try really hard and don't have very many expenses.  They both attend budget counseling on a regular basis.  Love INC helped with $200.00. 

Beth is a single mom with three children.  She works full time and makes $8.50 an hour.  Sometimes she receives child support.  Her natural gas has been turned off since spring and she is getting worried about winter.  She has been heating her water over her electric stove.  The utility company needs $389.20 to re-connect her natural gas and bring her bill up to date.

Shelly came to us in tears.  She had her water shut off due to being behind in her payments.  She was able to raise enough to cover all the prior bills but found out that there was a $90.00 reconnection fee.  We called the township to try and get the fee waved, but no luck. 

Betty is a sweet elderly women.  She lives alone with her cat.  She is on a fixed income and her cat needed some shots which cost $60.00.  She explained to us that her cat is her only family.

I have been to Honduras through LLFC two times before this summer, and I had such an impact on my heart that it led me to go to Concordia University, St. Paul, to become a Director of Christian Outreach (I am currently designing my own major with Christian Outreach and Intercultural-Communication, but it's about the same concept).  So I was pretty plugged in with the missions of LLFC even though I was in MN.  I heard about Stacey going to the orphanage and quite a few people approached me during Thanksgiving break last year to prayerfully consider going down with her to help at the orphanage.  I almost didn't want to go.  I thought, been there-done that, for two years now.  Yet, God tugged on my heart and tore down my pride, and I can never thank Him ENOUGH for leading me to go! He blessed me in all I did down there, even though my Spanish was atrocious and I've never had teaching practice with kids.

I am a member and have been a youth group leader at Lakeshore Lutheran Church for the past four years.  Presently, I am attending Grand Valley State University to become a special education teacher. Two years ago, I went on a short term mission trip to Honduras with LLF. That firsthand experience broadened my world view and allowed me to see how fortunate we are as Americans.   Our mission group was welcomed into a Honduran community and allowed to help build latrines and aid their goal to attain fresh water.  Through that opportunity I gained a new scene of responsibility over the resources I have to share. The people of Honduras held a special place in my heart and I knew that if I could offer anything to them in the future, I would return.  Last November Stacey Wiles spoke at a church service about a trip she took to Honduras.  While there she discovered an orphanage that she devoted time to teaching English.  She also announced that she would be returning that summer.   After hearing her stories about the boys at the orphanage and one in particularly about a boy named Adolfo with special needs, I knew deep down in my heart that I should join her to teach English and Adolfo.   So, I signed on for the trip. 

I first traveled to Honduras in the summer of 2005, and like most great experiences in my life, it was unexpected.  My home church decided to adopt a small rural Honduran village by the name of Quiscamote.  At the time the trip was announced, I had neither the funds nor the desire to go on a trip to Honduras.  However, a month before the trip, a good friend of mine who had planned on going with her father became seriously ill and she was unable to travel and she asked if I wanted to go in her place.  A month later I arrived in Honduras.  As we drove through the decrepit vestiges of Honduras’s largest city, San Pedro Sula, to either side of the road, junkyards and rusty factories marked the countries industrial struggle.  In the distance, huge clouds of smoke billowed into the sky as sugar cane was harvested and loaded on rickety trucks. This industry was sharply juxtaposed by the green jungle and mountain peaks that lie ahead of us.

For many children in Honduras home is not a safe or stable environment. Parents are alcoholics and/or engaged with drugs. This creates many damaging psychological effects on children.  Children that are in those types of homes become abandoned, therefore, they find themselves living on the streets.  Being placed in public schools surrounds children within a negative environment. This encourages children to be involved in risky behavior such as stealing, drinking, doing drugs, and engaging in violence.  If children continue to be enrolled in these schools and form negative relationships they will grow up to be like their families and it will be a viscous cycle of broken homes.

My name is Louis.  Many Sundays ago, I was so inspired by the pictures and the talks about the kids at the orphanage in Honduras that I wanted to go around my neighborhood door-to-door and ask for change.  So my Mom and I made up a flyer in yellow writing that said, “Would you like to donate some money in my bucket so I could send it to kids at an orphanage in Honduras so they can go to school and live a happy life?”  I made a bucket with a slot in it and my Mom and I rode our bikes through our neighborhood door-to-door.  It was lots of FUN!!

By the time we were done, we counted all the money and I had collected $33.11 from my generous neighbors.  I then gave it to Ms. Simon to be given to the kids in Honduras.