The Middle East refugee situation has become a global crisis, particularly in Europe. In response to this issue, Lutheran Academy Martin Slovakia (LAMS) decided to make a difference. Over the course of this school year, the students and teachers at LAMS initiated a service project to help refugees.
The kids raised money by selling food, Easter decorations, and participating in school-wide events. Some of the students even auctioned off their talents or participated in a fundraising skit. Families were then asked to donate clothes and other items to be used at refugee camps… which filled 80 boxes!
The teachers auctioned off their own talents and helped in coordinating the events. Two of our teachers, Eva Janatova and Ludka Sartorisova, gave up their Spring Break and Easter Break to serve at a refugee camp in Serbia. They were able to work with refugees on a personal level, teach English, and share the Gospel. They brought back their stories with them and encouraged our students to learn more about the crisis and pray for those whose lives are being destroyed by ISIS.
Lubos Frolo, a teacher at LAMS, was one of the main organizers of the social project. He explained, “I saw a few photos of executed people, including children from Iraq and Syria. Only a few, I could not look at any more of them and I still have those images on my mind. I knew in that part of the world there were lots of Christians living from apostolic times. They do not live there any more. There are millions of refugees suffering in the countries around Syria…. What we did at our school was our little contribution to help the people in need as much as we could.”
A unique aspect of this project is that it did not just benefit the refugees, but also is changing our own culture in Slovakia. Unfortunately, Communism created an apathetic attitude towards volunteering and donating, which still exists in Slovakia today. However, through our frequent social projects we are not only changing the lives of those we help, but the attitude of our community.
One local woman heard about our school project and commented, “I have lived in Slovakia for 40 years and I have never heard of anything like the service projects that happen at the Lutheran school… what a miracle!”
Our school aspires to be the light of Christ in our own community and to those around the world who need to experience God’s love and grace. We continue to pray for those impacted by the brutalities of ISIS, as we strive to instill hearts of Christian-service into our students.
To be a part of the difference our school is making, visit WAYS TO GIVE.
Blythe Barreto
CCE’s director of development
What LAMS is doing to show the community how Christ’s love changes lives is truly amazing and awesome. I continue to be humbled to be a part of the LAMS ministry. Keep on sharing Christ’s love in all that you do each and every day.
What a blessing when everyone gets together to serve those in needs. It doesn’t matter where they come from – we are all humans and that makes us family.
Blythe, what is CCE doing regarding charity work in and nearby Martin? There are no doubt Slovak families in need. CCE would receive good publicity, do a service to local Slovaks, promote CCE and its visibility and value to the Martin community.
Why aren’t we hearing more about those kind of activities?
Hello John, thank you for your question. Our school has quite the reputation for serving in our own community as well. In my own religion classes, the students must complete 10 hours of community service locally, something that is unheard of in Slovakia. As for organized activities, our students are actually helping at a local orphanage next week and we are also partners with a local woman’s shelter. I will try to post more blogs about our local community service, thank you for your suggestion!
What a heart-warming and inspiring project! What you are doing and helping your students to do is what being a Christian means – helping others in need, no matter who they are. Thank you for telling us about this.