Mountain Mission Challenger

m o u n t a i n

m i s s i o n

CHALLENGER The Quarterly Newsletter of Mountain Mission School

summer/Fall 2014

Deborah Peter

The Girl Behind the Headlines A Brighter Future

by Hanna Tarko

MMS Alumni Association News Grundy, VA USA

Serving kids in need in the name of Christ since 1921.

The Girl

Behind the Headlines Mountain Mission School is standing up to Nigeria’s Boko Haram. Here’s why.

O

n the night of December 22, 2011, 12-year-old Deborah Peter was at her home in Chibok, Nigeria, with her brother and father. The quiet house suddenly erupted in the chaos of an invasion by a band of Boko Haram terrorists.

The Muslim extremists demanded that her father, a Christian pastor, deny his faith. When he refused, they shot him three times in front of Deborah. The invaders then declared that they would ensure that Deborah’s big brother would never grow up to be a pastor like his father…and killed him, as well.

Before they departed, they dragged Deborah between the two corpses, and left her there in the dark.

The next morning Deborah was taken to a hospital, and a local pastor paid to get her transported out of the region. (He, too, was eventually killed by Boko Haram.)

In 2012, Deborah was finally able to reach the refuge of Mountain Mission School.

Here, she joined children from all across the globe—some of whom have also known the nightmare of Islamic violence—on a secluded campus encircled by the comforting barrier of the Appalachian Mountains.

The tragedy of Deborah’s story is softened only by the grace of God and the new life she has experienced at Mountain Mission School. To meet Deborah today is to be struck by her gentle disposition, her radiant smile, her remarkable serenity. She’s progressing in her second year of studies at Mountain Mission and dreams of someday entering the medical profession.

But this spring, she had to confront her past once more.

On the World Stage In April, Boko Haram struck Deborah’s village of Chibok again, burning down a school and kidnapping nearly 300 Christian girls from the dormitory. The incident captured the world’s attention.

Once the global community became aware of Boko Haram, Deborah resolved to step forward to tell her story.

“I wanted the world to know my story, and to know how terrible the Boko Haram is to my country.

They’re really horrible, and really dangerous.”

In May, she testified in Washington before a House panel committee along with witnesses from the Department of Defense and the State Department.

She relived the horrors of the past as she recounted her experience to major media outlets, telling CNN’s Kate Bolduan that she thinks about the murder of her family “almost every day.” And how does she cope? “I pray about it,” said Deborah softly.

“I want the world to understand what happened to me,” she told Time magazine. “I hope the kidnapped Chibok girls will take courage from my story, and know more of what God says, and know what it means to stand strong in the face of bad people.”

“I hope the kidnapped Chibok girls will take courage from my story, and know more of what God says, and know what it means to stand strong in the face of bad people.”

A Remnant of Hope Three weeks after the mass springtime kidnapping, about 60 of the Chibok girls managed to escape when their captors scrambled to engage approaching forces in a sudden firefight.

Those young women had endured an ordeal to which few Americans can truly relate—but which Deborah Peter understands fully. Now, Mountain Mission is providing some of these other victims of Boko Haram the same sanctuary that has sustained Deborah.

In September, several of the liberated Chibok girls arrived at Mountain Mission to experience the security and faith that has helped Deborah to begin healing. Deborah has been here to greet her old friends and help them transition into their own period of spiritual renewal.

It’s a moment, far from the media spotlight, that has been made possible through the support of friends just like you.

C O R N ER

mission school

ALUMNI

mountain HOMECOMING

Homecoming 2015 is just a few short months away, and we are busy making plans for a very special time for all. Plan to come April 23-26. Register and reserve your accommodations today!

TOWEL DRIVE

Our 6th Towel Drive is already underway! Please bring your donations of nice, new towels and wash cloths with you to Homecoming 2015 so that we may once again provide for the MMS kids and staff.

ALUMNI ONLINE

We are in the process of establishing a new “Alumni” page on the new mmskids.org website, which will allow us to provide more current and informative information. Look for all of this to go live in October.

TODDLER HALL PLAYGROUND

A previous project of the Alumni Association provided a wonderful and much used playground for the school age MMS kids. Our current project is to establish a similar play area for the children of Toddler Hall. Please support this project as you are able.

EXCITING CHANGES

Exciting changes are coming to the Alumni Association structure, which should make us a stronger, more viable part of the MMS support system. In the grand scheme of things, that is what we are all about: supporting MMS, the staff and the children!

Needs

List

In addition to your monetary gifts, we’re always in need of the following:

• First-aid supplies • Liquid soaps, shampoos and body washes • Lotions and hand creams • Toothpaste • Antiperspirant/ Deodorants • Bathrobes • Slippers

• Pillows • Towels and washcloths • Kitchen knives • Art supplies • Laundry baskets • Campbell soup labels • Box Tops for Education • Canned vegetables • Trash bags (55, 33 and 13 gallon sizes, plus tall kitchen bags) • Sanitary napkins • Pull-ups • Styrofoam plates/cups

• Plastic utensils • 2-Liter drinks • Birthday party supplies • Heavy-duty shower curtain liners • School supplies

Mike Ziegler and his wife, Amy.

Volunteer Spotlight

For the Beauty of the Earth What would MMS look like without Mike Ziegler?

Almost every visitor to our campus comments on the beauty of our grounds and flowerbeds.

Much of the credit for this work goes to one volunteer, a Christian gentleman by the name of Mike Ziegler, who for years has donated his time, money and talents to making our campus beautiful for our children, staff and 2,000 annual visitors.

Mike hails from Harrison, Ohio. He’s been volunteering on our campus for many years, making several trips to Grundy each year.

Our kids typically see Mike on his knees planting shrubbery, flowers and trees all around the campus. Stand in the middle of our campus and turn around in a complete circle and you’ll see at every turn the artistry of this outstanding man. He works long, hard hours when he’s here, and he asks for nothing in return.

He gives MMS a gift that keeps giving. No matter the season his work blesses many and honors our Lord. Mr. Ziegler: We salute you!

MMS Art MMS aspires to provide a truly world-class education for our children in a well-rounded curriculum that includes an emphasis on the arts.

Along the way, we’ve discovered that we have some amazingly talented young artists in our midst—and some of our international students even bring echoes of their home cultures into their work.

We’re proud to share just a few examples of their achievements for you to enjoy here.

Eskender Abebe, Grade 7

Juan Hernandez, Kindergarten

Mihret Niguse, Grade 7 Addy Carmack, Grade 5

Anna Mayer, Grade 1 Liya Bekele, Grade 7

A Brighter Future Hanna Tarko — Class of 2009

My dream was always to work at a patient-focused health facility, and I am currently working for Inova Hospital in Fairfax, Virginia. Thank you so much for your unceasing generosity towards my education. Thanks to MMS, I am working toward a brighter future.

Looking back at my years at Mountain Mission School, I cannot help but feel blessed and highly favored just to have gotten the chance to be a part of a school that is full of love, care, and continuous spiritual growth. MMS strengthened my character and shaped me into a Christian young lady with values and opinions aligned with the Word of God.

Hanna Tarko, Grade 8 Living in a dorm with forty other girls, I learned the meaning of love, sharing, acceptance and accountability. I was continually encouraged to come out of my comfort zone and develop physically, mentally and spiritually.

God uses Christians like you to demonstrate his grace to his undeserving children. You made all the difference in my life. I am now willing to give back and serve my community and can be counted on for any task needed.

Mountain Mission School gave me a solid foundation of truth and light by teaching me great Christian values that I will nurture for the rest of my life and use as a measure for my children’s upbringing.

I am forever indebted to your devotion.

Hanna Tarko graduated from James Madison University in 2013 with a degree in health services administration.

1760 Edgewater Drive Grundy, VA 24614

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Rescuing Kids. Raising Leaders. Reaching Nations.

• • • • •

Serving Christ by serving children in need since 1921.

Serving children of all ages, from more than 60 countries.

Serving as home, church and school to 250 children a year.

Relying on private donations from churches and individuals.

Receiving no state or federal financial aid.

Mountain Mission School functions as a full childcare facility (home, church and school) for children with legitimate needs regardless of the child’s race, age, color or creed. We operate as a nonprofit charitable organization, incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Donations are tax deductible.

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