Tag: Letters (Page 1 of 5)

Prayer Request for Starfish Kenya

July 14, 2021 / Scott Heitshusen

Dear Starfish Kenya Prayer Partners,

I just video-chatted with Moses and he asked for prayer for his team for the upcoming weekend and the for next week.

With the graduating seniors, it leaves space for adding 47 new children, plus Moses would like to add an additional 17 to bring the on-campus total to 350. (We support many, many more in college and technical training in addition to those onsite!)

There is a multitude of children from all over the Kenya—to the far reaches — hoping for a place at House of Hope School. House of Hope sent word out and held a Visitors’ Day and over 400 guardians/relatives who are in desperate need and who care for children in desperate need made their way to HOH for a chance at placement for their kids.

Starting Thursday the teachers and staff will travel to every part of Kenya, from the inner city slums to far-reaching areas of the country that are dangerous in terms of bandits. He said the teachers are so dedicated that they want to go for the sake of the children having a chance at life and a good education. (I can’t help but think that our decision to continue to support the teachers and staff during COVID added to this kind of dedication. They were so, so appreciative and grateful!) Moses asked for prayers of safety for all.

When they return, they will have the task of choosing which children will be selected to fill the spaces available. This is very difficult for all of them. Please be in prayer for the children and the staff.

Due to COVID their school breaks have been and will continue to be very short because the country is trying to make up for the school time lost due to COVID so the kids don’t lose a year of school. This is hard on all, as breaks are the time when directors and staff have a break to tend to their own extended and immediate families and prepare for the next semester and students get a break from the very rigorous school schedule.

Please pray for Moses and Angie. The burden they bear every day, with hardly a break, is great, plus they have 3 small kids of their own, and aging parent issues.

St. Anna’s is doing well! We are having regular international Zoom meetings with all the partners from the various countries who support St. Anna’s in some way. The Mahiaini’s very capable son, Wanyeki, who is a pastor, has really stepped into a position of leadership to move St. Anna’s into the future and taken the burden off his parents, who are in their 90s now. We would appreciate prayers for St. Anna’s as well, and also for the Starfish Kenya core team of Cindy, Eva, Mickie, Elsa and myself.

We are so thankful for all of you, our Prayer Partners, and we pray God’s great blessings on you all! Thanks for your support in every way! Thanks for your outstanding support for our SKC fundraiser!

Love and blessings,
Pam

‘THANK YOU’ from the Kenyan School of Hope

July 9, 2021 / Scott Heitshusen

LifeBridge recently sent a financial gift to the Kenyan School of Hope. We received the following back from them.

Thank You Note Received

July 6, 2021 / Scott Heitshusen

LifeBridge received this nice ‘thank you’ note from a recent graduate.

A “Thank You” from the Texas District

June 12, 2021 / Scott Heitshusen

Here’s a letter and update from the Texas District of the LCMS (of which LifeBridge is a part).

PDF version here.

“Thank You!” from Daniel & Rachel Heitshusen

May 16, 2021 / Scott Heitshusen

May 16, 2021

Dear LifeBridge Community Church,

Rachel and I have been continuously thankful to receive your financial and prayer support during our time in Seminary. Your help has not only been helpful but has also been so appreciated! Thank you so very much!

We would love to take a minute to update y’all on what is happening in our lives, as our first year of studies is about to end.

For me (Daniel), I am currently in three classes: Luther as Pastoral Theologian, Introduction to Historical Theology, and Pauline Epistles. I am also in formation lab, Greek lab, and Field Work. I think my favorite class right now is Luther as Pastoral Theologian, as it has proven to be practical and fascinating. I loved our unit on prayer. It focused on how God commands us to pray and promises to hear and answer our prayer as well as how we can approach God in boldness and confidence as our dear Father! We have also covered suffering, which is a hard topic, but an important one to deal with. Right now we’re dealing with the Christian life.

Rachel is also currently taking three classes in addition to attending Formation Lab and Greek Lab: Spiritual Care and the Word, Creeds and Confessions, and Pauline Epistles. She is particularly enjoying Spiritual Care and the Word where she gets to learn listening skills and the basics of how to provide spiritual counsel.

I have been loving being a Field Worker at Salem Lutheran Church in Black Jack, MO! I get to do children’s messages, help lead the service on some Sundays, and had the opportunity to lead Bible class once. The past two Sundays (and the 4th in May and 1st and 4th in June) I attended a different church, however, for a cross-cultural module I am required to take here at Seminary. It is a church called Chai V’ Shalom, which is a congregation that focuses on outreach to the Jewish population (as even the pastor converted from Judaism).

Rachel continues to help some with the Sunday School and special music at church while also attending a mid-week women’s Bible class that she enjoys. She also had a cross-cultural module helping with a sewing class for women at Christian Friends of New Americans. She had a great time learning about the women’s culture as well as how to navigate a language barrier.

Lastly, I am working at Chick-fil-A and Rachel continues to work at Christ Memorial Child Care Center.

Thank you again for your continued financial and prayer support! We are excited to hear about the building project for the pregnancy center and all that happens at LifeBridge! We hope and pray all is well with y’all.

In Christ,
Daniel and Rachel Heitshusen