m o u n t a i n
m i s s i o n
CHALLENGER The Newsletter of Mountain Mission School
FALL 2018
Joy Fire
The
of
Grundy, VA USA
Serving kids in need in the name of Christ since 1921. mmsKids.org
Joy Fire
The
of
In April, Parker Hall caught fire. But it didn’t destroy our joy. Here’s why. Early in 2018, I had a sense of foreboding that our campus was about to enter a season of trial. I shared this with staff, and together we embarked on a months-long journey of prayer and fasting for the ministry. Little did we know what was to come. Subsequent months brought sickness and disease, family tragedies, the loss of loved ones, psychological afflictions, fire, home displacement, and more. This year we’ve experienced real pain. Shed real tears. Faced real fears. But I’m happy to report that through it all—through even the thick smoke of Parker Hall— Mountain Mission remains a place of joy. How is that? And why? As to the how, it’s only through Jesus. He is our rock and our salvation, and because of this, we have the joy of the Holy Spirit supernaturally springing up from within. He gives us a perspective that sets our eyes high above the temporary troubles we face. As to the why, we’ve learned to trust in the wise counsel of Jesus’ half-brother, James:
stained damage The building su oke, and water. from flames, sm
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.“ James 1:2-5 (NIV)
We here at MMS know that trials aren’t an if, they’re a when. Trials will come. To act like we’re immune from them is to deny reality. That’s just not wise. Wisdom is persevering through the trials to the point that our faith becomes mature. Wisdom is realizing we can learn from the trials and grow stronger as Jesus guides us through them. Wisdom is asking God to give us the answers we don’t have. It is here where we see that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” (Romans 8:28) This year has been hard, but it’s also been a season of opportunity: opportunity to stop and consider our many trials, consider how God is working in them for our good, and consider these things pure joy.
dorm m became a The MMS gy ts en stud . for displaced
The article to follow is from Jess Hertzog. Jess serves as our director of education, and her husband Russ teaches and helps lead worship. They have lived in Parker Hall for quite some time. I asked if they could share a bit about “the joy of fire” as they’ve experienced it this year. But first I have a question… What About You? One of the joys in our season of trial has been to bask in the love of so many friends. We have received so much support in so many ways—prayers, donations, calls, visits, cards, letters, and more. Our deepest thanks go out to all of you. You are a huge part of our joy! But if no one is immune from trials, then what about you? What trials are you currently facing? May we return the favor and pray for you? We know from experience that there is power in the prayers of our MMS Kids! If someone needs a card from us, who? If a visit, where? We understand now more than ever that God’s grace is to be a river, not a reservoir. It is to refresh us, and then flow through us to others. So how can we be a blessing to you? At a minimum, we will lift you up in prayer at our Sunday night prayer meetings. But we can’t act if we don’t know, so… Email Me! Email me directly at chris@mmskids.org and we will get on it! We might not be able to do everything, but I promise you we’ll do our best. CHRISTOPHER SLONE MMS PRESIDENT
KEEP THE FIRE (OF JOY) BURNING! I would love to publish testimonies to the joy that Mountain Mission School has brought to others. How have you been blessed by MMS? When did MMS bring a smile to your face? Drop me a line or two about that, and I will publish as many notes as I can in a follow-up Christmas issue! Be sure to tell me your home church or however
else it is that you’re connected to the ministry here. Again, email me directly at chris@mmskids.org!
DOUBLE RES By Jessica Hertzog “Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you.” Zechariah 9:12, (NASB)
S
ince the fire in Parker Hall, this verse has become a bit of an anthem to me. On April 3, we had a teacher’s meeting after school like any other Tuesday, with dinner following at 6:00 pm. The evening was beautiful and Russ was on duty. He kept our two sons Lukas and Henry outside, while I was off to get some exercise on the bike trail. Nearing the end of my hike, I rounded the bend to hear a loud boom and see a huge flash of light at the back of Parker Hall.
Oh no. Something was wrong. I couldn’t get back to campus fast enough, but when I did all residential boys and staff and their families had already evacuated the building. No one had been hurt. The fire department had been called and would be arriving shortly. Reportedly, fire had ignited on the fourth floor and smoke was still pouring out. Later we found out that a tree had fallen on a power line, igniting a fire on the roof of Parker Hall. This fire spread to the wiring in the building, causing the worst of the damage on the fourth floor. The damage was done in just a few hours, until the fire was completely extinguished in the building and on the mountainside, but the rebuilding and renewal from the Lord has been ongoing since April 3—nearly six months later. Immediately the Lord showed that He works all things for good. That night,
all residential boys stayed the night at the local church camp, approximately 45 minutes away. Local friends and churches immediately provided for the boys bedding and necessities that could not yet be retrieved from the building. Russ went to the camp to be with our Parker 3 boys, something that would become quite routine for us; Lukas, Henry and I went to my in-laws’ home “for the night.” Over the next days, the phone lines at MMS would not stop ringing. Churches and individuals from all over wanted to know how they could help the 125 students and staff that were without homes. As plans were made to prepare for what we initially thought were to be the next few weeks, we realized we wanted all the children on campus. Our youngest two floors fit perfectly into our guest housing facilities. The Lord already had the right number of beds there for them. Our older boys were able to move into the upper gym of the school building where we made a bunkhouse of sorts out of the beds from Parker Hall that we were able to retrieve. Staff were to be located in different homes on campus and apartments off campus. For my family, the night stay with the in-laws turned into a longer-term solution. The Lord has provided, but at times I know I have struggled to see His hand, much like the Israelites. Why would the Lord uproot children who have already been uprooted from their own parents yet again to temporary housing?
STORATION Why would the Lord have our two pregnant women on campus bring their newborns “home” to temporary housing? Why would staff and their families undergo great stress and personal loss? One of the hardest struggles for us in this has been to see our seven-year-old have meltdown after meltdown because he just can’t process the transition. Why does he have to struggle like this? Part of the Lord’s answer to these questions and this struggle has been through Zechariah 9:12. I want to “return to the stronghold” (Parker Hall) but more than Parker Hall, I want to return to the Lord as he makes me a prisoner of hope.
As I type this, the date for us to move in as staff is just a week or so away. Honestly, I can’t even fathom that will be true. So much work has been done and has yet to be done! But here is the real hope I have in the midst of my “prison:” the Lord will restore DOUBLE to us.
In May we learned that Parker Hall would not just be restored, but that it would be completely renovated. A building that needed so much updating will finally have it done! The Lord Jesus Christ is restoring double. I’m seeing it physically happen in the building of Parker Hall. What I am most excited about though is the restoration and renovation that I know the Lord will bring double blessing to in the lives of our young men and to our staff and their families. His purposes in this are greater than renovating a building. He is renovating the lives of our young men. And our seven-year-old with his tantrums is part of that. My family is part of that. My hall is part of that. And you are part of that. Have hope, church and believers of Jesus, you
prisoners of hope. Those of you who have supported and lived through this fire with us, the Lord desires to restore double to you. Thank you for blessing us in partnership with our good, good Father. mmsKids.org
e s d i e l i l r o o t C S By Mihret Niguse
Here’s an excerpt from the valedictory address delivered by Valedictorian Mihret Niguse at our 2018 graduation in June.
E
ach of us has walked onto this campus with many different stories and situations. Each one of us is carrying the weight of a moment that has defined the people we are today. My challenge for each of us is to not get stuck on that moment forever but to move on. Time marches on and so should we. We have an obligation to our friends, family and ourselves to succeed. The students of Mountain Mission are different. We are resilient. We have this internal drive to better ourselves and to defy the norm. So, classmates, find what pushes you to better yourselves. Seek the people that see beyond your situation. Listen to those that see the potential that we often overlook in ourselves. Chase success, yes, but let’s not lose ourselves in the process. Mohammad Ali said, “True success is reaching our potential without compromising our values.” That is exactly what we have been taught at MMS. We are constantly told by Mr. Hertzog, Sr., and others to “Remember who you are!” As we
are reaching for success, let us not forget where we came from. At one point or another, many of us were angry that we came here, but the important thing is we are here. Our diverse backgrounds have converged on this beautiful campus.With all the changes happening in each of our lives, we can’t help but want to take a moment to treasure our time here. Our memories and impact we have made on this campus will be frozen in time. We no longer are living out our stories separately. Our stories have collided. Our stories will forever be intertwined. When you leave Mountain Mission your story will continue. Is it going to be a success story or a cautionary tale? Nido Qubein, President of High Point University, said, “ Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.”
The Class of 2018 Not surprisingly, Mihret Niguse earned a full academic scholarship to the University of Virginia. And that’s just part of the story of the class of 2018. Out of our 25 seniors, 24 went on to colleges such as University of Virginia, Quinnipiac University, Milligan College, Regent University, Penn State University, Baylor University, University of New Mexico, and more. The one who didn’t make plans for college? He still had a plan. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps!
A Legendary Blessing What results of this big fundraiser will do… and what they won’t do. (Hint: Your continuing support is as crucial as ever.)
W
hile MMS has a beautiful history of partnering with churches, individuals and businesses who faithfully sponsor our ministry, one big area of giving practically stopped in recent years: revenue from surrounding coal mines that are no longer in operation. In 2010, Jim McGlothlin, a longtime MMS board member who grew up here in Grundy, stepped in to help recoup this loss by organizing The Big 3 for Mountain Mission Kids golf tournament. With a lot of help, the effort raised $15 million for our endowment. This month, The American Legends for MMS Kids Tournament took place at The Olde Farm in Bristol, helping to raise another contribution to our endowment fund. An endowment fund is somewhat like a long-term savings account that pays out a small fraction toward operating costs
each year. If you look at our annual budget, about 1/6 of our income comes from this fund each year. The reality is, this fund needs to be a lot bigger. Graciously, Mr. McGlothlin and The Olde Farm stepped up to spearhead this event for MMS. We couldn’t be more excited, and are extremely grateful for the results of the tournament. But we also don’t want to imply that this one event solves all of our operating needs—it’s just one piece of the puzzle. Remember, MMS receives no federal or state funding whatsoever, so we remain 100% dependent upon donations from private partners who support MMS’s history, vision and mission. We desperately need friends like you to continue your giving in order to sustain this ministry. Thank you and God bless you for your ongoing commitment to rescuing kids, raising leaders and reaching nations!
Loving Life AT M M S
mmsKids.org
Fall 2018
mmsKids.org
1760 Edgewater Drive Grundy, VA 24614
DO YOU KNOW A CHILD WHO NEEDS OUR HELP? At Mountain Mission, we’re helping fight poverty in America in a very practical way: by coming to the aid of at-risk youth. If you know a family whose child is struggling, let’s talk.
We accept children in need all year long, offering home, church, and school to children in our care. Our assistance is not based on ability to pay.
Call (276) 935-2954 to discuss how we can help.