Learn how recognizing milestones and benchmarks in the faith leads to healthy spiritual development for children and adults alike!

Bio:

Mark Cook is a graduate of Concordia Nebraska and is in his 15th year serving as DCE at Trinity Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN. He serves in the areas of family ministry, youth ministry, confirmation, and children’s ministry. He enjoys playing with his kids, music, camping, backpacking, and anything that involves being outdoors and going on adventures with his beautiful wife Libby and children, Micah (8), Karis (6), Ezra (3), Isaiah (20mo), and baby girl (coming soon!).

Resources:

• Email us at [email protected]
• LCMS Life Ministry: www.lcms.org/life
• LCMS Family Ministry: www.lcms.org/family

Not all the views expressed are necessarily those of the LCMS; please discuss any questions with your pastor.

Rev. Dan Galchutt talks about the privilege of parents to pass down the faith to their children, and how the setting of the home is a prime training ground for young believers.

Resources:

• Email us at [email protected]
• LCMS Life Ministry: www.lcms.org/life
• LCMS Family Ministry: www.lcms.org/family

Not all the views expressed are necessarily those of the LCMS; please discuss any questions with your pastor.

In this episode, Steph welcomes the newest co-host to Friends for Life – Rev. Andy Becker – as he shares his role with LCMS Family Ministry and introduces Season 9.

Resources:

• Email us at [email protected]
• LCMS Life Ministry: www.lcms.org/life
• LCMS Family Ministry: www.lcms.org/family

Not all the views expressed are necessarily those of the LCMS; please discuss any questions with your pastor.

Amanda and Pastor Krenz join Steph to talk about caring for mothers of children in foster care, and their goal to restore relationships between mothers and their children.

Resources:

• Email us at [email protected]
• LCMS Life, Health and Family Ministries: lcmslife.org
• For resources on the family: lcmslife.org/family
• An LCMS Guide to Supporting Foster Families: https://lcmslife.org/resource/lcms-guide-to-supporting-foster-families/

Not all the views expressed are necessarily those of the LCMS; please discuss any questions with your pastor.

Chalyce Deterding joins Steph to talk about the joys and challenges of being a foster parent, along with the unique role that she plays as a CASA.

Resources:

• Email us at [email protected]
• LCMS Life, Health and Family Ministries: lcmslife.org
• For resources on the family: lcmslife.org/family
• An LCMS Guide to Supporting Foster Families: https://lcmslife.org/resource/lcms-guide-to-supporting-foster-families/

Not all the views expressed are necessarily those of the LCMS; please discuss any questions with your pastor.

Dr. Thomas Engel joins Steph to talk about the concerns of children in child dependency and how Christians can make a big impact in caring for these children.

Bio: Dr. Engel has been a member of the LCMS at various churches since the age of 4. He is an Eagle Scout, an alumnus of the Virginia Military Institute, and a veteran of the U.S. Army. He has also worked professionally as an EMS paramedic and an industrial saturation diver. He has an MBA and is a Doctor of Human Services with a focus on the concerns of children in child dependency. He has served children as a Child Protective Investigator, Guardian ad Litem supervisor, case manager supervisor, member of Florida's Critical Incident Rapid Response Team, ICPC Deputy Administrator, ICAMA Deputy Administrator, foster parent, and adoptive parent.

Resources:

• Email us at [email protected]
• LCMS Life, Health and Family Ministries: lcmslife.org
• For resources on the family: lcmslife.org/family
• An LCMS Guide to Supporting Foster Families: https://lcmslife.org/resource/lcms-guide-to-supporting-foster-families/

Not all the views expressed are necessarily those of the LCMS; please discuss any questions with your pastor.

Join Steph and Deaconess Dr. Tiffany Manor as they introduce this season’s topic surrounding foster care and talk about why Christians have a special care for these children and families.

Resources:

• Email us at [email protected]
• LCMS Life, Health and Family Ministries: lcmslife.org
• For resources on the family: lcmslife.org/family
• To learn more about Recognized Service Organizations of the LCMS: lcms.org/rso
• An LCMS Guide to Supporting Foster Families: https://lcmslife.org/resource/lcms-guide-to-supporting-foster-families/

Not all the views expressed are necessarily those of the LCMS; please discuss any questions with your pastor.

Keeya Vawar shares her story of struggle and survival, as she herself was a victim of human trafficking.

Bio:

Keeya Vawar is an author, keynote speaker, and child safety advocate who empowers communities to recognize the patterns and strategies of traffickers, equipping them to build safer environments. As a wife, mother, and the Executive Director of Mosaic Mission Network (LCMS Texas District), Keeya serves as a powerful voice of hope in an increasingly despairing world. Her passion for advocating for women and children who have been exploited is deeply rooted in her own story of survival from human trafficking in the United States during the 1990s.

Keeya has an extraordinary ability to connect with audiences on a visceral level, helping them forge genuine emotional connections to complex and often hidden realities. She shared her story at the most recent National Youth Gathering during Deaconess Dr. Tiffany Manor’s session, where she inspired attendees with her resilience and advocacy work. Currently, her efforts focus on collaborating with NGOs that rescue women and children from human trafficking, both locally and internationally. Her book, One Thousand Elsewhere: A True Survivor Story, is available for purchase on Amazon.

Resources:

• For more information on human trafficking, visit https://polarisproject.org/ and https://www.lcms.org/social-issues/human-trafficking
• Email us at [email protected]
• LCMS Life, Health and Family Ministries: lcmslife.org
• For resources on the family: lcmslife.org/family

If you are in an emergency situation, please call 911. In a non-emergency situation, contact the 24-hour National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-373-7888 or visit:

humantraffickinghotline.org

Note: Your computer may be monitored while visiting lcms.org or any other website, and it is impossible to completely block tracking.

Not all the views expressed are necessarily those of the LCMS; please discuss any questions with your pastor.

Rev. Scott Heitshusen joins Steph to raise awareness of human trafficking and offer suggestions for how the Church can get involved in caring for victims.

Bio:

Rev. Scott Heitshusen was born in April of 1969 in Ponca City, OK. In seventh grade, he moved to Houston, TX. He’s been married to Jennifer Heitshusen (née Stein) of Houston since August of 1991. They have two sons: Daniel (b. March 1999) and Benjamin (b. February 2001). Ben has Trisomy 21 (the most common form of Down syndrome). Daniel is studying to be a pastor at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. Their wonderful daughter-in-law, Rachel, is also a student at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. She is a Deaconess. Daniel and Rachel are the parents of granddaughter, Hannah (b. August 2024).

Rev. Heitshusen graduated from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in 1996, and has served four congregations thus far. He’s been working in anti-trafficking efforts since 2013 and has been serving as the Texas District Life Coordinator in the area of trafficking since January 2020.

Resources:

• For more information on human trafficking, visit https://polarisproject.org/ and https://www.lcms.org/social-issues/human-trafficking
• Email us at [email protected]
• LCMS Life, Health and Family Ministries: lcmslife.org
• For resources on the family: lcmslife.org/family

If you are in an emergency situation, please call 911. In a non-emergency situation, contact the 24-hour National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-373-7888 or visit: humantraffickinghotline.org

Note: Your computer may be monitored while visiting lcms.org or any other website, and it is impossible to completely block tracking.

Not all the views expressed are necessarily those of the LCMS; please discuss any questions with your pastor.

Join hosts Tiffany and Steph as they introduce our topic for Season 7 and help clarify the definition of human trafficking.

Resources:

• For more information on human trafficking, visit https://polarisproject.org/ and https://www.lcms.org/social-issues/human-trafficking
• Email us at [email protected]
• LCMS Life, Health and Family Ministries: lcmslife.org
• For resources on the family: lcmslife.org/family
• 
  

If you are in an emergency situation, please call 911. In a non-emergency situation, contact the 24-hour National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-373-7888 or visit: humantraffickinghotline.org

Note: Your computer may be monitored while visiting lcms.org or any other website, and it is impossible to completely block tracking.

Not all the views expressed are necessarily those of the LCMS; please discuss any questions with your pastor.