A Holiday Message from Mountain Mission School
CHRISTMAS
2017
“When your house burns down on Christmas night, you learn real fast that Christmas means more than presents,” says 13-year-old Terri. “You learn any day could be your last, you learn to be thankful, and you learn to cherish every moment with your loved ones.” Terri was seven at the time the Grundy home she shared with her grandmother was destroyed. They lost everything but each other. While she and her grandmother remain very close, Terri’s currently living at Mountain Mission, where she’s receiving help to overcome the trauma in her life. Because life for Terri had never been easy. She never really knew her biological father, and mom could be violent at times. Her mom and step-dad divorced when Terri was about five. At that point, her grandmother adopted her, and cared for her until the fire claimed their home. Sadly, Terri’s mom is now incarcerated. But Terri enjoys both a home and a future here at Mountain Mission.
“Everybody’s family here.” “Everybody’s family here,” she says. “All the teachers really care and are always available. My roommates are like my sisters; I never feel alone. MMS has helped me with everything.” Terri hopes to become a pharmacist or a nurse one day, in order to give back to others the way so many have given to her. But no one, she says, has given her more than God. “I remember my first year here, Mrs. Peters gave me an Adventure Bible, which I still have. That’s when I first started reading to learn more about God.” So what does Christmas mean to Terri now? “Most of all, it’s about Christ. God didn’t just give someone, he gave His son, someone He loved. Look at Christmas God’s way: His present to you is Jesus and His forgiveness.” Thank you for giving Terri hope where there was no hope. With grateful hearts, Terri and the rest of our Mountain Mission family wish you a very Merry Christmas!
Whether you use this Easy Gift envelope, or the online donation feature on our website,
you’re just one step away from changing
A LIFE! For nearly a century, we’ve lifted children from hopeless situations and changed their lives.
Our secret is really no secret at all: we give them a secure place to live, plus the hope for a successful future through an excellent education—and most importantly, introduce them to the love of Christ. It’s an approach that has worked more than 20,000 times. You can help us care for the hundreds of children currently on campus through a child sponsorship gift, using our website or the envelope bound into this issue. We can set up convenient, regular donations through your credit or debit card—or you can even choose to underwrite a full year of expenses for one child with a gift of $15,000. And once you’ve experienced the deep satisfaction of helping MMS kids heal and thrive, you just might discover that the life you changed was your own.
Donate at mmsKIDS.org
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A Century of
s s e n l u Faithf Nearly 100 Christmas seasons have passed since Sam and Jane Hurley founded Mountain Mission School.
While our campus has changed a bit over time, our mission has not. We remain just as determined as the Hurleys to see that each child in our care receives a loving place to live, a thorough Christian education, and a chance for a brighter future. And thanks to faithful supporters like you, our children can also experience Christmas memories like these: “I will never forget my first Christmas here. It was amazing. I was spoiled with gifts from people I’ll probably never meet; I’ve never been shown that much love, ever. Just to know that there are people out there who really care…the message was clear. God is Love, and He does act through people. It was really a blessing.” — Ike (MMS graduate)
Sam and Jane Hurley
“Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.� Ps 119:90
Mountain Mission School admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin.
1760 Edgewater Drive Grundy, VA 24614
For many MMS alums,
Homecoming really means coming home. Because Mountain Mission was the only home some of our kids ever really knew. For others, it was an opportunity to develop friends as close as brothers and sisters.
April 19–22, 2018
This spring, there’s a chance to get together again. Save the date‌ and look forward to the memories.
For more info, visit mmsKIDS.org/Homecoming