Dear Lakeview United Methodist Church,
I want to send you a special thank you for your gifts last year. In 2022 you raised $12, 010 for Heifer International! Your generosity is giving hope and opportunity to farmers around the world. Thank you for changing lives and helping families create happy healthy futures. Stay tuned for the next video for a special thank you from all of us at Heifer International!
With Gratitude,
Lindsay Duvall
Heifer Update for January 2023
It has been quite a long time since my last report and a lot has happened. First the “Bees ‘N’ Seeds” Program ended on December 31, 2022. And what a wonderful program it was. We (LUMC) donated 45 Gifts of Honeybees, 38 Gifts of Garden Seeds, 1 Joy to the World Gift, 1 Flock of Chicks and 1 Goat. Wow! That’s enough to put 94 poor, hungry, small farmer families on a path free from hunger and poverty while caring for “God’s” earth. But, there is more, many of our gifts were doubled and even tripled, over this past 4 months.
So, add, 57 Gifts of Honeybees, 43 Gifts of Garden Seeds, 1 Joy to the World Gift and 1 Flock of Chicks. That’s another 102 families that will benefit from our donations. But wait, Heifer International’s average of “Passing the Gift” is 9x. I am so proud to say that you have the potential of changing the lives of 1764 families here and around the world.
On January 1, 2023, a new program started, “WWW”, that translates to wool, wool, wool. Three wool producing animals that can also change lives are: #1—Sheep, #2—Alpaca, and #3—Goat (Angora). In the first two weeks we (LUMC) have donated one of each.
I want to thank all for the continued support of this great project.
Heifer Update January 2nd
Happy New Year! Remember the saying “In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb?” 2022 went in and out like a lion – together we donated $11,900 to Heifer International this past year.
That was enough to change the lives of 215 poor, hungry, small farmer families, and, after the “Passing the Gift” (9x) that’s a potential of lifting 1,935 of those families out of hunger and poverty while caring for God’s earth.
But there is more – Throughout the year, many of our gifts were doubled and tripled – so add 1,827 to our number of families. It appears like the lion was around all year.
Will 2023 be any different? I don’t think it will. Today we start our new 4-month program – “WWW”. It means, “Wool, Wool, Wool”. Featured are Sheep, Alpaca, and Goat (Angora preferred). All wool producing animals whose wool will make clothing, scarves, mittens, and more. Plus, the additions of milk and meat makes these animals ideal to transform lives.
Pick your favorite and donate today. There is a poor hungry family waiting. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support of the LUMM/Heifer Project.
Heifer Update January 9th
The first week of the “WWW” Program is in process. A Sheep and a Goat were donated. I have contacted the marketing department at Heifer International, requesting our goat donations be Angora Goats. Waiting for their response.
When we curl up in front of the fire in our wool blanket, who should we thank? First and always, God, then the sheep. The sheep provide that warm, soft wool to make that blanket. They also can provide a family the help they need to survive. Wool can be sold for income or made into clothes for even greater profits. Then, upon passing the gift (9x) family and friends can soon reap the harvest of wool, milk, and meat. Sheep can grow a flock quickly as they often birth twins and triplets. All of this will lead to a life free from hunger and poverty, while caring for God’s earth.
Join the Men’s Ministries and donate today. Thank you.
Heifer Update January 16th
Today we travel to Ecuador to see the progression of families with their beloved Alpacas. Prized for their warmest wool of all animals, the reciepients of Heifer Alpacas are finding a better life. Alpacas are well suited to the Andreas Mountains of Ecuador. They have padded feet that do not disturb the earth and they have a gentle way of nibbling the tops of grasses, rather than pulling them out by the roots.
The Alpaca are protected from the cold with their fluffy coats that provide the soft, warm wool for their owners. Wool that is spun by hand and sorted for color and courseness, then crocheting, knitting, and weaving the wool into blankets, scarves, clothing, and many other forms of handiwork – all of which is used or sold, in high-end markets.
Heifer International participates in all of the activities of Alpaca production. From the placement of Alpacas, the care of the animals, the shearing, the spinning, coloring, and grading of the yarn. They even teach knitting.
As José Pedro Pallo Cuzeo says, “I’m ending my life, but I will open doors for the young people to move forward.”
Let’s show our support by donating an Alpaca or two, or more.
Heifer Update January 23rd
“WWW” Wool, Wool, Wool! When this program was named, the Sheep and Alpaca were in the program for certain. The Goat had to be a special species, namely “angora”. A conversation with Heifer revealed that they could not guarantee the donation would be the gift, but they assured me they would do their best. On each donation of a Goat, I will include the request that it be of an Angora type. If they can’t honor our request, well, a Goat is still an animal with much to offer.
Here are two sad stories with happy “Heifer” results. Don’t you think our next Goat donation will turn sad into glad?
Jit can’t remember a time when her life wasn’t hard. She didn’t have the money to buy her children medicine when they were sick. Tragically, her infant son died because she couldn’t afford the medical care he needed. With no money, Jit couldn’t keep her family healthy and safe.
Jit hoped to provide her family with a future free from illness and hunger and thankfully she found Heifer and the support of people like you.
Heifer gave Jit the opportunity to turn her life around. She received two goats and learned how to care for them. The goats flourished, and Jit was able to sell one for much-needed money. Heifer formed a local cooperative of other goat farmers and she because its leader, negotiating better prices for their goats, and they all prospered. Jit and her family have a healthier, happier future thanks to her hard work – and the gift of goats from Heifer.
With no education and few skills, the only living Dhan and her husband could make was from farming a tiny plot of land in Nepal. They earned pennies a day and struggled to survive, often having to sell valuable livestock from their farm to cover their children’s school fees.
Then Dhan received the generous gift of five goats from Heifer, as well as seeds for food, vegetables, and fruit trees. Heifer taught her how to care for the goats, and how to keep them healthy.
Dhan was a quick learner and today, she and her husband have a thriving herd of goats. Their busy farm is now successful, and the goats are making more milk than ever before, so they have plenty of milk and cheese to eat. Dhan is happy with the steady income the goats provide, which gives her children the education she never had.
The LUMM Thank You for your wonderful support.
Heifer Update January 30th
For the month of January 2023 we will come full circle twice on the “WWW” Program. Yes, 2-Sheep, 2-Alpaca, and 2-Goats, plus the culmination of the 2022 year. We received matching funds for the following: 15 Gifts of Honeybees;15 Gifts of Garden Seeds and 1 Goat.
We started the “WWW” Program by donating a sheep on January 5, 2023. Let’s visit together about this great animal. The sheep has a lifespan of 5 – 10 years. That seems short but, oh what they can do in such a short time. First is the wool production, depending on many factors, the average wool production for one sheet is 2-30 pounds annually. Some of the factors are: Breed of Sheep, Care Received by the Sheep and Shearing Practices. They also produce milk and meat and many offspring. Twins are common and triplets are not uncommon.
Sheep have good memories. They remember at least 50 individual sheep and humans for years. They are extremely intelligent, capable of problem-solving. They have been known to self-medicate by eating certain plants that can cure them of their ills. Sheep do very well in putting small farmers on the path away from hunger and poverty. And, with Heifter International’s “Passing the Gift”, a Sheep will impact, on average, nine families – now that’s CHANGING LIVES.
