top of page

Caring

"Being able to support a child  who needs help is such an incredible thing. Just knowing that you are giving them the opportunity to get an education is an indiscribeable feeling. I love getting a note from my sponsor child and seeing how they are doing in school through their report cards."       

                                             -Beth Costello (Sponsor Parent)


Thankful

“A common trend of realization was how truly grateful our sponsor kids are, they could not express enough in words how much their sponsors mean to them. Many of them asking when they will be able to thank their "padrinos" in person. As a sponsor I  personally felt the effect of such an easy donation and how big of a difference it truly makes in their lives, making it all the more worth it."                

          -Emilee Ulku (past mission trip participant and sponsor)

 

Confident

" I feel so blessed to be able to give Marvin the opportunity to attend school. It warms my heart when he refers to me in his letters as his Madrina (godmother). I am confident that with aide from us and hard work and dedication from him, Marvin will be able to reach his dreams.

An education can be life changing and The Seeds of Hope program is the Salvadorans hope for a better tomorrow."

      - Karen Walker (past mission trip participant and sponsor)



Blessed

"The people of El Salvador have stolen my heart and I don’t think that I want it back."

     - Kira Augustine (past mission trip participant and sponsor)

 

 
Reflections from Seeds of Hope participants

 

Sharing

"I wouldn’t say it just impacts the kids down there; it impacts everyone involved: the students, their parents, the community they live in, the churches they attend, our churches, our mission trips, and the sponsors in the US. It is an incredible program with so many benefits. Mostly it’s all of us sharing our love and resources and them sharing their love and resources right back to us. Kids' lives are being changed there because they not only have a better chance at a good education but also because their community benefits from the cohesiveness that is created as these families all work together to support each other."                                                                     - Mark Laven (Coordinator- Seeds of Hope Program)

 

Seeds of Hope is a student sponsorship ministry of Family of Christ that directly benefits students in El Salvador.  Living in extreme poverty, many families cannot afford to buy shoes, books, supplies, uniforms, and transportation required for school.  Seeds of Hope enables students to attend school by providing for these needs.

100% of your tax-deductible donation is forwarded to our Lutheran church partners who administer the Seeds of Hope ministry in El Salvador.

 

To receive sponsorship, students must:

  • Attend school

  • Show satisfactory progress

  • Attend church regularly

  • Attend church youth events. 

 

Seeds of Hope also provides full-tuition scholarships for university, making higher education a reality for our students who are likely the first in their families to earn a university education. 

 

Seeds of Hope is a ministry built on a relationships between students and their sponsors. Sponsors receive letters and report cards from their students 2-3 times a year.  We invite sponsors to write to their students 3 times a year: Christmas, Easter, and in the summer. These notes of encouragement communicate to the students that sponsors care about them.

 

Integral to the success of the ministry is the annual Family of Christ summer mission trip to El Salvador, led by Pastor Kristie Hennig and Mark Laven. The trip provides us the opportunity to personally deliver sponsor letters, supplies, backpacks and warm greetings and hugs to the students we support. It serves to strengthen our ongoing relationship with both the students and the church leaders in El Salvador. This trip differentiates the Seeds of Hope ministry from other sponsorship programs by providing a personal relationship between the mission trip participants and the students we are supporting. This is a ministry that goes far beyond the financial support provided to students. Our support provides hope for our Christian brothers and sisters in El Salvador.

 

Seeds of Hope is a ministry of Family of Christ Lutheran Church in Chanhassen, Minnesota, with support from four other Minnesota churches: Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Christ the King Lutheran Church in Hutchinson, River of Hope Lutheran Church in Hutchinson, and Trinity Lutheran Church in Long Lake.  In addition, sponsors from across the United States contribute to this life-changing ministry.

Seeds of Hope - "Semilla de Esperanza"

bottom of page