Giving Tuesday
You will by my witnesses...to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8
For over 10 years, Crean Lutheran High School has been sending students and teachers to El Salvador to share the saving message of Jesus Christ with many people from all different walks of life. Each year, we have partnered with Sus Hijos, which has a mission to “provide love, hope, and a foundation in Christ to orphaned and abandoned children in El Salvador.”
By now, hundreds of Crean Lutheran students have had the opportunity to participate in this very mission through visits to orphanages, hosting quinceañera celebrations for orphaned and abandoned girls, and sharing Bible studies with young people transitioning out of the orphan and foster care system.
One of those students who both made a tremendous impact and was profoundly influenced by the El Salvador Mission Trip was Avarie Tierney, Class of 2023. Avarie participated in the 2022 and 2023 El Salvador Mission Trips and found herself right in the middle of all the ministry opportunities listed above, as well as many more. She took those memories, lessons, and experiences of God at work with her to college at Biola University.
Tragically, Avarie died this past April during her sophomore year of college while studying abroad in Italy. We are confident that Avarie is with the Lord, as her faith, love for Jesus, and love for others were quite clear during the short time she was with us. Avarie’s leadership, tender-heartedness, and passion for loving others on those mission trips to El Salvador exemplify this strong faith lived out for others.
On this Giving Tuesday, Crean Lutheran invites our entire Saints community to live out their faith for others in a similar way. We are honored to support a special project on the 2026 El Salvador Mission Trip called “Ave’s Place”, created in loving memory of Avarie Tierney.
“Ave’s Place” will become a life-changing resource center for developmentally disabled children and adults in San Salvador — a place of dignity, care, and Christ-centered love. This project reflects Avarie’s beautiful heart: joyfully sharing the Gospel and loving God’s people with compassion and grace.
And in an amazing act of generosity, Steve and Michelle Tierney, Avarie’s parents, are providing a dollar-for-dollar match — up to $10,000 — to support “Ave’s Place.” That means every gift you give will have double the impact and double the blessing for the community Avarie loved.
By giving to Crean Lutheran’s Giving Tuesday, you will help continue Avarie’s legacy of compassion, service, and faith — bringing hope, resources, and Christ’s love to some of the most vulnerable in San Salvador.
