Jesus promised that "where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them" (Matthew 18:20). Yet many Christians today—including Lutherans—are worshiping where two or three thousand are gathered. Read more on The Lutheran website…

When Lutherans hear the term "mission church," we often think of a lone pastor knocking on door after door in a neighborhood that appears ready for mission development. These days, there's a new, team-oriented approach to planting churches taking root in the Nebraska Synod and throughout the ELCA. Read more on pages 2-3 of the PDF version…

Nebraska's Lutheran pastors and ministry leaders work faithfully to care for the spiritual lives of people in their congregations. But have you ever wondered where they go when they need someone to talk to about their own faith journey? Read more on page 7 of the PDF version…

Nearly one in five Americans has some form of disability, and many ELCA congregations are wondering how best to minster to people with special needs in their midst. Rejoice! Lutheran Church in Omaha faced this very question eight years ago when a family with a special-needs son joined the church. Read more on page 14 of the PDF version…

As with the other ports-of-call, the vacationers aboard the ship were looking forward to sunning themselves on the powdery white sand, snorkeling, and shopping for local handicrafts. Among the travelers on the cruise that day were Jim and Virginia Snavley of LaPorte, Indiana. Eager to enjoy this slice of Caribbean bliss, the Snavleys had no idea that this stop would change the course of their lives forever. Read more (in a PDF file)…

On a hot day in 1998, a 12-year-old boy stumbled through the gate of Grace Children's Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exhausted and emaciated, with the reddish-orange hair color that is a hallmark of acute malnutrition, Gregory Adrien could go no further. A nurse carried him up to the inpatient ward and laid him on a bed to be examined. In spite of Gregory's suffering, he smiled when his body touched the soft mattress. Read more on the New World Outlook website…

People with disabilities face challenges no matter where they live, but it is especially difficult to live with a disability in developing countries like the Dominican Republic. Public access to rehabilitative services is often limited by geographic and economic barriers, and social stigma toward the disabled means it is even less likely that those in need will receive adequate care. Read more on the ICC website…

Six-year-old Erica grins, cups her hand around her mouth and whispers into her cousin's ear. Giggling, her cousin Julissa leaned over to whisper back. To the untrained eye, these two have one major difference: Erica's spina bifida confines her to a wheelchair, while Julissa appears healthy and strong. But to each other, they see only a best friend and someone to share their secrets with. Read more on the ICC website…

The Portage Guide to Early Education, originally developed for use in rural areas of the USA, is the base method for ICC's Community Based Rehabilitation home visiting program. This method allows Community Rehabilitation Workers to collaborate with families to design a developmental program appropriate to each individual child. Read more on the ICC website…

International Child Care Haiti hosted a series of events November 27 through December 1 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ICC and Grace Children’s Hospital. Participants gathered from ICC’s four member countries— Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Canada, and the United States— for a Medical Congress, cocktail reception, and the inaugural meeting of the International Child Care board of directors, an international coordinating body made up of three representatives from each of the four member countries. Read more on the ICC website…

From an outsider's perspective, it seems like Celia Salas' life revolves around garbage. Her home is built from scraps of wood and tin, most of her possessions are recycled from others' castoffs, and her husband spends each day sifting through the Santiago city dump for food and items to sell to support his family. Read more (in a PDF file)…

It's been 10 years since little Nancy Solomon died, but there is at least one person who still vividly remembers her bright smile and generous spirit: Nancy Osgood, an American missionary who shared both a name and special bond with this Grace Children’s Hospital patient. "I never knew that my name was going to attach me to a person," Osgood said, but in 1995, that’s exactly what happened. Read more (in a PDF file)…

About this time last December, I stood scratching my head and staring at the jumble of suitcases, gift boxes, duffel bags, and grocery sacks piled in the driveway behind our old Pontiac. Judging from the amount of luggage, you would think that a crew of 10 was going to explore uncharted lands, but no--it was just my husband and me, going three states over to visit our parents for a week at Christmas. Read more on the ICC website…

This release announced the hiring of a new CEO for the U.S. branch of International Child Care. Read the release (in a PDF file)…

This letter showcases the positive impact International Child Care’s programs have had on infant mortality in Haiti. It received a 4% response rate and brought in nearly 5% of the organization’s annual budget.Read the letter (in a PDF file)…

When two-year-old Derlin Jandel’s mother Miledi heads for her son with a Presidente beer bottle in her hand, it brings a smile to the face of his rehabilitation worker, Debelba. "Don't worry," she tells her surprised supervisor, "there’s no alcohol—it’s just honey!" Miledi dabs the honey on the lips of Derlin, who has cerebral palsy and is learning how to strengthen his mouth and tongue muscles by licking the honey from his lips. Read more (opens as a PDF file)…

Five-year-old Maria Cristina Almonte Sosa has one skill that few other children her age possess: she can change the channel on the TV with her toes! Unfortunately, Maria Cristina cannot do many of the other things her friends can do, like sit up on her own or feed herself. That’s because she has cerebral palsy, a medical condition that makes it difficult for her to control her muscles Read more (opens as a PDF file)…

This successful proposal landed International Child Care a spot in the 2008-2009 Alternative Gifts International Catalog, which will bring in anywhere from $15,000 to $50,000 for their Community Based Rehabilitation program in the Dominican Republic (the final grant amount is based on how many donors select the project as an "alternative gift"). For a program with a total budget under $200,000, this grant will have a huge impact on their ability to serve children and families in 2009-2010. Read the winning proposal (in a PDF file)…