More than a gift: how your good will can save lives

For our most vulnerable neighbors, life's challenges can seem determined to break them down. Climate change and conflict, displacement and hunger, disease and extreme poverty, every step becomes an uphill battle. Because of the enduring love and support of our compassionate donors, these families don't have to confront the difficulties alone. Their kindness ensures families have what they need to survive.

But breaking the cycle of poverty doesn't happen overnight, and we rely on sustained support through planned gifts to ensure families and communities don't simply survive their challenges, but also thrive, grow and blossom into the full potential that God has planned for every one of us. You can join us in continuing this mission of lifting our neighbors in need, surrounding them with love and hope for years to come.

Read on to learn how a gift in your will can make a life-changing difference. If you need more information, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. God bless you!

Castrovierreyna is a remote region of Peru located high in the Andes mountains. In 2011, it was a community facing multiple challenges — extreme weather, adverse conditions and rampant levels of poverty. The children were malnourished and a terrible drought had wiped out most of the farmlands.  In one town, only two families remained as everyone had migrated to cities, trying to make ends meet and find work.

But because of the love and kindness of people like you, the Castrovierreyna of a decade ago no longer exists. Farmlands are vibrant, bursting with grains, colorful vegetables and fruits, potatoes and herbs, often selling their surplus for extra income. Children are healthy and attending school and migration has come to a full stop as people find themselves thriving and supporting their families here at home.

Deysi, a young woman who has grown up in Castrovierreyna, shared how instead of fretting about her day-to-day survival, she is now planning her future.

"I'm going to continue studying for a nursing career," she said. "I’m proud of myself. I'm going to be able to support my home with my career. I'll have a good future. My partner and I have planned our future, having a house, living well, being happy forever."

This radical and sustainable type of change is only possible because of the estate gifts of compassionate donors. These gifts allow us to continue walking with neighbors in need for years, ensuring they have a sustainable path to well-being. That's why we rely on gifts in wills to keep this work going strong, year after year, decade after decade, so that we can continue to meet the needs of our neighbors around the world.

For more than 75 years, your love has reached neighbors like Deysi, bringing help and hope in the form of food, clean water, emergency assistance and more. And it is the sustaining support of caring friends like you that will continue this mission until your love reaches every neighbor.

Now is the perfect time to take the next step toward having a will that truly reflects your wishes and values. Here are three easy steps to get you started:

• If you don't have a will, make one. We've partnered with FreeWill to provide you a way to create an online legal will in as little as 20 minutes at no cost to you.

• If you've remembered neighbors in need in your will through a gift to Lutheran World Relief, let us know. Please contact Lee Grant, our Planned Giving Manager, at @email.

• And if you're still deciding, let us help. Request our free Guide to Leaving a Gift in Your Will to help you discern your wishes and begin the process of creating a future that truly reflects your values.