Every "lost sheep" is important to Him,
and therfore to all of us
By Dr. Kurt Senske, President and CEO

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the 99 on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the 99 that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

- Matthew 18:12-14

Every day, LSS serves thousands of people who are “lost sheep,” much like those referred to in the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Matthew 18. In this story, Christ notes that if a shepherd has 100 sheep and one wanders away, that the good shepherd goes looking for the one that strayed and is happiest with thatone.

We believe we are charged in our ministries to find those “lost sheep,” to put them on our shoulders and bring them back to where they are cared for and safe. We are humbled by the opportunity to provide help, healing and hope for those who are lost physically, emotionally and spiritually.

For LSS, these “lost sheep” include children who are abused, neglected and troubled. These are children who have never known that God loves each and every one of them. Some, because of problems in their lives, have gone astray and stumbled into bad places. Often they do not know that they are looking for someone to lead them back to where they need to be.

One example is Mistyn, a former resident of New Life Children’s Center, our all-girls facility at Canyon Lake, Texas. New Life serves girls who have severe emotional and behavioral problems.

In her early teens Mistyn was deeply troubled; she abused drugs and alcohol and refused to go to school. Her mother was desperate to find help for her daughter and was referred to New Life. When she learned that New Life was run by a Christian agency, she decided that was the place for Mistyn.

At first Mistyn was angry at her mother and rebuffed offers by the New Life staff to help. Thanks to the patience of her therapist, though, those barriers were broken down and Mistyn began to thrive. She even became a mentor to new girls admitted to New Life and caught up on her school work.

Since being discharged from New Life, Mistyn is doing well. She graduated from high school on time, got her driver’s license and has worked in the same job for almost a year. She acknowledges that she still has a ways to go, but she credits New Life with giving her confidence in herself, the tools to make good choices and for transforming her life.

Others who we care for include people in crisis, those who have lost jobs, or suffered an unexpected financial setback, or who have had a home destroyed during a disaster. They often feel as though the flock has left them. LSS, walking in the shepherd’s shoes, lifts them up and carries them to a place where their needs are met and hope is restored.

James and Mary are a couple helped by LSS Disaster Response after their home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. This loving married couple is in their 60s and both are deaf and communicate by sign language and by writing notes. Because of health problems, Mary has increasing mobility problems.
They received a small insurance settlement and FEMA funds, which they used to purchase a gutted home that was salvageable. They have been living in a FEMA trailer and making repairs as they could. After more than a year, they also received a Road Home grant, but it was still not enough to finish repairs and purchase furnishings. Their inability to communicate made them easy targets for contractor fraud.

Working with a Catholic Charities case manager, they have been able to get project management and contract and volunteer labor through LSS Disaster Response to complete the repairs. Soon they will move into their home which has been constructed so Mary can get around easily.

Sometimes those “lost sheep” are family members of aging, ailing loved ones who are no longer able to live on their own. Spouses, sons and daughters are anxious about making sure their elderly loved ones are well cared for and able to live as independently as possible. Through our services to seniors, we provide adult day care, independent and assisted living, memory support services and skilled nursing that give peace of mind to family members.

We deeply appreciate your prayers and support as we seek to minister to the flock. We ask that you continue to pray for the thousands we serve every year and that you prayerfully consider volunteering for one of our ministries or making a financial gift.

May God continue to bless our shared ministry!

Email: Dr. Kurt Senske

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