Mountain Mission Challenger

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CHALLENGER The Quarterly Newsletter of Mountain Mission School WINTER/SPRING 2015

MMS Alumni Across the Generations

Annual Report MMS Homecoming News Grundy, VA USA

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

Different Stories, While Mountain Mission School has witnessed drastic changes in the world around us, we’ve remained committed to the unchanging vision championed by Sam Hurley almost 100 years ago: to provide a loving, Christian shelter for kids from desperate situations.

The stories of the three MMS alumni on this month’s cover provide a beautiful illustration of our ministry’s continuity.

Meet Jimmy Mountain Mission is the only home some children have ever known. That was true for Jimmy Hooker, who arrived at Mountain Mission when tragedy struck his family.

“I was brought to Mountain Mission after my mother died in 1942,” Jimmy recalls. “I was four years old. There were three of us: my two sisters were six and eight. My father couldn’t take care of all of us after we lost our mother, so I lived here all the time until I went into the Air Force. It’s been home…it’s still home. That’s why I always say I come from Mountain Mission School.”

Now retired, Jimmy looks back on his years at Mountain Mission and sees the enduring benefits it brought to his life.

“For me, Mountain Mission taught me how to work, how to make a living, how to be respectful…and they taught me about the Lord Jesus Christ. You couldn’t ask for anybody to teach you anything better than that—to love the Lord and be a part of His kingdom.

They gave me direction in life, and that’s what they’re doing for the kids here now.”

Meet Mulki Seventy years after Jimmy’s arrival, Mountain Mission still offers a home to children in tragic circumstances. Just a few months ago, little two-year-old Mulki came to our door in a situation not unlike Jimmy’s. Her mother had died during childbirth, and her father was having difficulty raising Mulki and her brother. The father, a refugee from Africa, had a job, but it was far from his home, and childcare was a constant struggle.

Without a family he could turn to for help—and after exhausting the assistance from local agencies—the father extended a heartfelt plea to Mountain Mission: “I am in a troubled situation. I request that Mountain Mission School see my situation, my problem, to understand and help me and the children. I want them to grow up at the school. I need emergency help.”

Mountain Mission was able to answer his cry, and today, Mulki and her brother have the safe, stable environment her father so desperately desired for his children.

Common Needs

Meet Daniel Sometimes Mountain Mission provides children from intact families opportunities that would otherwise be unattainable.

Daniel was from an impoverished family in Portugal that had little hope of offering their son an education or a future. For Daniel, a basketball camp proved to be the bridge between Portugal and Virginia.

“I went to an NBA camp, and I think I got the attention of the president and vice-president of the camp. They said Mountain Mission School in America would be the best school for me.”

Here at MMS, Daniel’s skills advanced so much that he is the first MMS student ever to sign a national letter of intent for a Division I school. He’ll be attending Valparaiso University in Indiana this fall on a basketball scholarship, and this summer will be returning to Portugal to compete on the national team in the Portuguese Basketball Federation.

“All the teachers help you. If you need something, they come to you individually and explain it to you.

I never had anything like that in Portugal.”

Mountain Mission has provided Daniel the educational opportunities that were beyond the reach of his family in Portugal, enabling him to discover his strengths in technical studies, and giving him new direction. “I want to play professional basketball, but if I don’t, I’d like to go into Mechanical Engineering.”

Asked what he has liked best about MMS, Daniel has a quick reply. “The studies, everything. All the teachers help you. If you need something, they come to you individually and explain it to you. I never had anything like that in Portugal.”

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A very special event is coming up this spring: MMS Homecoming 2015!

From April 23 through 26, there will be special events taking place on and around the MMS campus for alums of all ages.

You’ll have the opportunity to enjoy games & contests, (including challenges pitting alumni against current MMS students & faculty!), a carnival, drama and choir performances — plus a reception, banquet, and cookout!

It’s your chance to reconnect with old friends, and to meet others whose lives have been shaped by MMS. The celebration begins Thursday evening with a dinner and informal get-together for early arrivals, and closes with a time of praise and worship together on Sunday.

Join in our Homecoming Alumni Service Project

Please bring a new towel or washcloth (as many as you can!) to Homecoming, so that we can bless every child and adult at MMS with two or more sets!

Make plans now to attend MMS Homecoming 2015: go to www.mmsKids.org to register.

MMS Art MMS works to provide a truly first-class education for our children in a well-rounded curriculum that includes an emphasis on the arts. We’re proud to share just a few examples of some recent work by our talented students!

Mihret Niguse | Grade 7

Gelila Fekadu | Grade 7

Tamar Yonathan | Grade 1

Elaine and Garth John

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Garth and Elaine John

Faithfully Serving MMS in their Retirement Years The plans that most people make for their retirement years might include traveling, enjoying hobbies or spending more time with grandchildren. But as Garth and Elaine John approached retirement, they began to seek a ministry in which they could become actively involved. We are grateful that the Lord led them to Mountain Mission School. They had never visited MMS, but after learning of it through their church, they decided to make the seven-hour trip from their home in Greenfield, IN, to see if this was where God wanted them to serve. It was!

As Garth explains, “When we visited MMS over ten years ago, we fell in love with the children and staff. We wanted to help in some way and to know more about the mission. It didn’t take long to really appreciate what was happening for the children both educationally and—more importantly—their opportunity to know Jesus.” Ten years and eighty-eight trips later, they are still a valuable part of the ministry here!

They have used their talents, passions and resources over the years to contribute in many ways. Garth has repaired furniture, installed coat hooks and baseboards, and handled countless other projects and repairs. Elaine has used her sewing skills to hem and repair clothing for children, make curtains, and teach girls sewing. She has used her cooking talents to prepare breakfasts at Toddler Hall, bake her famous banana bread, and host faculty at her homemade suppers.

Garth and Elaine helped set up and organize a “birthday room” (a storage room for donated birthday gifts), contributed their time and money to make sure each child’s birthday is celebrated, and regularly help prepare gifts for Christmas mornings.

The Johns continue to bless us even when they are not on campus!

They have worked on projects at home in Indiana to bring on their next trip…opened their home to traveling staff and graduates…and introduced their neighbors to MMS. For more than a decade, Garth and Elaine have been servants, Christian role models, mentors, encouragers, contributors and friends to MMS. We believe God had a great retirement plan for them!

Strange Sightings at School!

Spirit Week 2015 at MMS brought out a campus full of clever costumes…reminding us all once again of our students’ boundless creativity. Perhaps most importantly, the day provided fun, lifelong memories for children whose lives have been marred by tragedy or neglect before their arrival at MMS.

A highlight of the week was an impressive tableau of human “trophies” in the gymnasium.

Needs

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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

With daily themes such as “Twin Day” and “Comic Con,” you never knew who — or what — you might bump into around the school!

• 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

From Captivity to Tranquility

Boko Haram victims experience the peace of MMS Last spring, members of the Muslim extremist group known as Boko Haram kidnapped nearly 300 girls from a Christian dormitory in the Nigerian village of Chibok. Several weeks later, about 60 were able to escape from their captors in the chaos of a firefight—and in September, friends of Mountain Mission guided a few of those girls here to safety.

Today, in the security of our secluded campus, these precious survivors have begun to heal, and to adjust to a new life in the wake of their unspeakable ordeal.

On the other side of the globe, the death toll from Boko Haram’s violence continues to climb beyond 10,000…but here at Mountain Mission, a handful of their intended victims can at last live without fear.

2014 Annual Report Figures Thanks to your generosity (and a strong commitment to good stewardship on the part of our staff and board), MMS was able to close another year debt-free.

However, we’re currently experiencing a serious decline in one of our major sources of funding: contributions from the coal industry. Coal mining has long been vital to the economy here in Southwestern Virginia, but due to pressures on the coal industry, we have lost nearly a million dollars in support from regional coal producers.

Please help us to recover from that loss, and enable us to keep increasing the quality of care we offer our students. With your assistance, we can continue to reach kids in desperate need.

The annual report figures below show what it actually takes to efficiently operate a home, church, and school for about 250 Pre-K to high school students—plus 50+ staff members to help day and night. We’ve accomplished it all through the support of donors like you, without accepting any government funding.

COST OF OPERATIONS

2014

2013

2012

(Total Expenditures)

Instructional

797,129

679,853

638,479

Institutional Support

961,842

948,700

1,013,196

Auxiliary Services

640,667

763,234

705,985

Academic Support

134,537

129,887

104,666

Student Services

192,611

192,815

131,510

Physical Plant

1,217,962

1,369,015

1,225,035

3,944,748 4,083,504 3,818,871

Because of you, MMS serves more than 1,000 meals every day

1760 Edgewater Drive Grundy, VA 24614

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Sam Hurley Society

A Legacy of Hope

As Mountain Mission School approaches its 100th Anniversary in 2021, we are ever mindful of our beloved founder, Sam Hurley – a self-made man who started Mountain Mission School with a simple vision of “reclaiming the child.” Generations later that vision continues.

By including Mountain Mission in your will, your legacy lives and makes it possible for more children to live a life filled with faith, hope and love.

Will you consider providing a Legacy of Hope by including Mountain Mission School in your will?

For more information about joining the Sam Hurley Society, please contact: Jayne Duehring, Director of Advancement 276-645-1457 • jduehring@mmskids.org

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