LAMb Team Spread Around the World

When I think of the exciting things ahead for the LAMb team, it is awesome to see how God has lead us in ministry and work opportunities around the world.  In this coming year, our team members will be in Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, possibly Africa and South America.  As the evening closes this night, the Wrights are preparing to leave Kyrygzstan after a whirlwind 8 days of ministering to orphans and widows.  To catch their excitement, visit their blog at http://www.actofkindness.blogspot.com/

Ruby and Lynn Johnston, our team founders will be making many trips to Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan this spring and also putting together a mission's team for April.  Check out their blog at http://www.lambinternational.blogspot.com/

This evening, David and I are preparing to leave for a new opportunity - adoption and trauma training in Belarus.  We leave Saturday morning and will spend next week with adoption workers in Minsk.  We covet your prayers. This isn't a trip with ministry focus, but a work/training trip.  However, we strongly desire God's presence to be felt though us and touch lives in ways maybe they don't expect and we can't imagine.

AHEAD IN THE NEW YEAR
While David and I will be home a tad more in 2012, we will still be very busy in ministry.  David officially joined the staff of The Shelter Community Church as Pastoral Care Minister.   He spends many, many hours a week in counseling and being connected to The Shelter this way is a real blessing. 

In January, we are beginning a brand new project - a pilot research study project with Butler County Children Services and social work students at Wheelock College (on the east coast)  We are excited about the potential and will share more of that later.

In March, we have the opportunity to share in a DVD training video project with CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network.)  Becoming Family: Hope and Healing for the Adoptive and Foster Care Family, is a project dedicated to serving and supporting families caring for children with a history of trauma.  This is an outgrowth of our newest book, Wounded Children, Healing Homes.  The series will also highlight the work of Dr. Karyn Purvis,(The Connected Child) Michael and Amy Monroe, and Dr. Wendy Flowers.  More about that later, as well. 

Also, in late March, we return to Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan for several weeks of ministry.

David and I know that the opportunities we have are gifts from God and we are so deeply thankful and simply desire for Him to place us where He wants to use us.  We also want to thank you for your continued support and encouragement. It is always fun to run into our friends while out and about...May your new year be one of incredible growth in the Lord and exciting adventures.

LAMb Planning Spring Missions Trip

It is official. LAMb is planning their spring missions trip to Kyrgyzstan.  It is from April 28 until May 11, 2012. If you might be interested in joining the LAMb Team, visit the LAMb blog for information on this life changing event!!!!

                                               http://www.lambinternational.blogspot.com/

                                       Some of the faces of those waiting to meet you this spring.

  

                                           Also, feel free to contact us with your interest as well.
                                                                   jayeschool@aol.com

WATCH DAILY

We are excited for the LAMb team now on the ground in Kyrgyzstan.....please visit the Wright's blog daily for the next eight days...it will warm you heart and blow your socks off!!!

                                                             http://www.actofkindness.blogspot.com/ 

Candles Give Hope to Orphaned Children - Thank you, Jen

Very quietly and humbly, Jen Hauk spent many, many hours over the busy holidays creating candles for one single purpose - to raise resources for our family resource center, Dayspring, in Kyrgyzstan.  We are excited to announce that through her efforts (and I am sure the help of her family), she raised at just about $1,200.  These resources will be used to provide loving care to the children God sends to us.

THANK YOU, JEN

Make your own thank you

I don't think I will ever forget the words of Mother Theresa - paraphrased - " It is not the great big things always that make an impact for God , but it is the little things that God multiplies and uses."  It is one candle made that makes a difference for one child at a time!

The True Gifts of Christmas

With Christmas just a few short days away, we have been concentrating on the true gifts of Christmas - love, joy,and the peace that comes from knowing Christ and His purposes for our lives.

There is never a day that goes by that we don't think about our precious friends - especially the children - in Kyrgyzstan.  Although for this short season we are working here as God leads, we look forward to returning there in the spring.

As I was thinking about why we go, it truly has to do with those gifts of Christmas - we hope to share love, joy, and the peace of Christ as we speak into the lives of those God brings before us.

This little presentation is In honor of our precious, precious friends, who we miss greatly. May each one of them experience Christ's love in a new way this season.

Special note: John, Julie, Emma and Bekah Wright will be spending Christmas there.  Watch for regular updates on their incredible Christmas experiences.

Make your own free digital greeting

Trauma Informed Workshop Series Begins in Ukraine

Last week, Lynn and Ruby, joined their team on the ground in Ukraine to launch a brand new training series - How Trauma Impacts Children.  The opening session featured our newest book, Wounded Children, Healing Homes, just recently translated into Russian. We are so excited to see the work expanded like this. 

Here are some pictures from the training last week:

Ruby Johnston and Oleg, the executive director of ILDC, introduce the workshop series.

From the LAMb blog:

WE ARE SO EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THE NEW TRAUMA SERIES HAS STARTED IN UKRAINE. We just completed Step 1 of the series and had 32 participants - ending the day with extremely eager participants to enroll in Step 2.

Step 1 - Over view of Trauma - Wounded Children Healing Homes
Step 2 - Trauma Toolkit
Step 3 - Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma
Step 4 - Advanced Trauma Modules

We are so grateful to our partner and team member Jayne Schooler and to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network for their contributions to this series. Step 1 - we present the book - Wounded Children Healing Homes by Jayne Schooler and Betsy Smalley and do a foundation training to Child Traumatic Stress In Step 2 and 3 we have been granted permission from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network to translate and train their standardized comprehensive materials for those in the Russian speaking countries.Step 4 will be materials offered by experts in the area of Trauma - advance and ending our series for certification of participants of the entire Trauma Series. Next event will be Step 1(2nd time) in January with training for 12 participants at an NGO requesting this training for their team. We are training trainers in this event and will soon have a compliment of national trainers - delivering this across Ukraine.

What a beginning. ILDC (LAMb co-founded and registered this organization in Ukraine) is on the move. 

WE ARE SO THANKFUL TO OUR SPONSOR - WHO STARTED THIS - WHO GAVE US THE FUNDS TO TRANSLATE AND PUBLISH THE BOOK - WOUNDED CHILDREN HEALING HOMES

Today Made A Difference

Coming from many, many places...some driving over four hours, the first faith-based adoption conference held in the Miami Valley was a tremendous success. Hearing numerous thank-yous and comments, we want to thank Phillip and Heather Bench,the Salem Church of God for organizing and financially supporting this event and the workshop speakers who gave of their time and energy. Over  200+ foster and adoptive parents walked through the doors early this morning.

This was a great start to, what we hope will be an on-going event.  A year ago August, Heather and I sat at the Panera Bread by the Dayton Mall and started dreaming about what could be.  We thank God for His direction and for what happened today.

Here are the conference highlights in pictures:

Heather Forbes, author of Beyond Consequences,
Logic and Control was the keynote.

It was so exciting to see the gymnasium fill up!

Pastor Ken and Jackie Day and the praise band from
Dayspring Ministries provided the music.

David and Phillip Bench conducted a workshop just for dads.
We heard so many good things about it! 

Pastors and laymen gather to talk about orphan care ministry.

Heather speaks to the moms.

Dr. Wendy Flowers discusses a child's developmental issues.

Ruby Johnston, from LAMb, talks about parental expectations.

Betsy Smalley shares on parental self-care.

Our creative trio from the Shelter Community Church
 manned the support group table and helped wherever they could.

Randy and Kim Gebele, representing LAMb International
had many opportunities to share about the ministry.

After the conference, many came up to us saying "today made a difference in my life."   One mom told me that  in one workshop, she had more insight into her son's issues than years of therapy.

What now?  We will step into the next planning stage for the development of faith-based adoption support groups in this area and hope to support churches in this area who want to start adoption or foster care ministries.

Watch for news on the date for 2012!