Sponsorship Stories

CHILDREN FROM ONE CHURCH MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF 11 CHILDREN IN INDIA

This video was created by Kris Tostengard-Michel, Director of Children’s Ministry, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She traveled to India with LPGM in January 2009 and video-taped much of the trip to share with the children at Bethlehem upon her return. In this video she talks about meeting the boys and girls in India that the children of Bethlehem sponsor. Any sponsor would enjoy watching it though because it shows the children in India, scenes from the boarding homes and describes what a difference the sponsorship program is making in the children’s lives. Thank you to Kris for doing this and sharing!

AN LPGM SPONSOR COMES TO AID OF LITTLE BOY IN NEED OF HEART SURGERY

A man who has sponsored up to 55 children through LPGM read in a letter he received from one of his sponsored girls that her little brother had a life threatening heart condition that severely limited his activity.

The sponsor brought this to LPGM’s attention and we were able to visit the boy in January of 2006 and contact doctors in Bangalore through Children’s HeartLink of Minnesota. This 7 year old boy was brought to Bangalore in late February 2006 where he underwent open heart surgery under some of the best doctors in India. The sponsor agreed to pay all expenses for little Viknash Babu who comes from a family of common laborers often earning only $1.00 a day. “Little Babu” as we call him now has scars but made a complete recovery from his surgery.

Imagine the gratitude of this boy and his family who have been given the gift of a new life by someone they don’t even know on the other side of the world! What an incredible story. The words of Jesus echo in our ears after hearing of such compassion and generosity, “As you have done it to the least of my children, you have done it to me.” The boy’s family has expressed their gratitude to the sponsor whose gift made such a huge difference in their lives.

KALPANA’S  MIRACLE STORY

While reaching over a stone wall to pick some berries, Jim and Doris Jorgenson’s sponsored child, whom they decided to help through nursing school, fell 40 feet into a snake-infested dry well. After seeking help, her mother watched as a man was lowered into the well to tie a rope around her limp body and pull her out. Unconscious for several days, Kalpana lay in a hospital with almost no hope of survival. After three days of prayer and fasting by her mother and as a woman friend of the family came to pray over her bed, Kalpana uttered her first words, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!” This sign of hope gave doctors the incentive to perform surgeries, first on crushed vertebrae in her lower spine, then the repair of hip fractures, surgeries to repair internal organs and her injured larynx. With many weeks of convalescence ahead, doctors were doubtful whether she would walk again or even be able to talk. But God worked a miracle in Kalpana’s body. She is not only walking and talking five months after the accident, but she will restart her nursing program in February. Kalpana, in an interview with her and her parents said, “God has helped me come back to life. Thank you to my sponsors for their prayers and their help with my education and thank you to my father and mother who showed such love and care for me. I want to show my gratitude by helping others for the rest of my life.” A story of God’s grace.

A STORY OF HOPE

Subulakshmi graduated from Siloam School for Girls in Tirukoilur in March of 2005. First in her class, she scored very high on the state examination required for graduation. Subulakshmi is an orphan, having lost both her mother and father several years ago due to illness. The boarding home and school has been her home – her family. She wants to be a teacher, but because of lack of money and low social status, she has not been able to gain admission in a teacher college. Boarding home manager, Kanimozhi says of Subulakshmi, “We have allowed her to stay on at the boarding home after graduation and have given her jobs to do on campus. But I am determined to see that this deserving girl gets a chance to make something of herself.” This young lady was admitted to a very good teacher training institution for 2006-07 and we rejoiced with her.

Subulakshmi is sponsored by Vacation Bible School children of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minneapolis. They continued to support her at the regular annual amount of $240 per year. But with her college, her education would now cost about $1,800 USD per year. The boarding home community raised about $450 per year and a former missionary pledged another $450 per year for her education, but that left $900 per year to be raised. LPGM was determined to make sure Subulakshmi got the opportunity she deserved so we wrote an article in one of our newsletters and the donations poured in to make up the difference. She is now on the road to becoming a teacher and through her teaching she will give back to her society some of which she has received. This is a story of hope!