Grace So Amazing is our feature ministry this week - we're helping raise funds toward their new school during our 127 Campaign.
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| Kellie Hurt of Grace So Amazing Ministries |
I am so honored to have the opportunity to write this
blogpost to tell about what Visiting Orphans means to Grace So Amazing
ministries and the people we serve in rural Haiti. I only pray I can give adequate
words to the importance of their partnership and speak as the Lord leads.
Few places on earth compare to the quiet beauty of the
countryside near the Artibonnete River in the central plateau of Haiti. God’s
majesty and handy-work are certainly on display everywhere you look, and for
me, it is an ever-present reminder of His love and grace for all humanity. Even
more beautiful are His people there; mostly subsistence farmers and their
families, who despite great toil, work land that never seems to be sufficient
to meet basic needs. The meager production and minimal income earned from their
small farm plots can sometimes afford one of their many children to attend
school and put a meal on the table in sporadic intervals, but rarely ever can
it supply much more. It is here in the
heart of the community of Boyer that Grace So Amazing has put down roots. We
believe God has called us to walk hand in hand and be the living, breathing
hands and feet of Jesus Christ and help them to become an emergent generation
of hope. Our projects include a church, school, community outreach and
sustainability programs, a feeding program and a children’s home, which is
under construction.
To accomplish such things requires first the power and will
of God and second, servants who obediently answer God’s call to go out into the
world. This is the heartbeat of VO – to go.be.love. Over the last few years as I have gotten to
know the organization and its teams, I’ve seen how much time is put into
praying, planning and preparing for each trip. Teams arrive in Haiti as a
cohesive unit, led by the Spirit and willing to step into any circumstance the
Lord presents. VO teams consistently touch hundreds of lives with the love of
Jesus in our community through VBS type children’s ministry, adult discipleship
and women’s ministry. They worship and pray with the lame and blind; they bring
laughter and joy to so many who live in abject conditions. They share food and necessities
with vulnerable children, families and the elderly, and offer hope where often
little is to be found. Simply VO’s partnership
is vital in helping to bring spiritual, educational and physical transformation
to our precious community.On Monday, September 8th the doors opened wide on Grace Academy of Boyer – we had planned first for 70 students, but the numbers kept rising, and by the end of the first day we had 101 students with even a few more yet to come. As most schools in Haiti are private and cost to attend, many of these children have never had the opportunity to attend school. First grade alone includes an age range from 6-17. Our students are excited and enthusiastic to learn to write their name, read and develop new knowledge. Our belief is based on Proverbs 22:6 and Philippians 4:13 – that if we train children in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord and His Word, they will learn and come to know that in deed they can do all things through Christ who gives them strength. We feel so privileged and blessed that God is using GSA to help provide a Christ centered education and nutritional lunch for so many! Again, we are grateful for Visiting Orphans partnership because many of the students are sponsored by past team members.
The impact Visiting Orphans has had, and we pray continues
to have here in Haiti with GSA is deep and lasting – a force to overcome other
forces. We see the lives of the most desperate and fragile continue to be
effected with each new team and we are so grateful for every person that is
connected with Visiting Orphans. GSA is always praying for the VO staff and
teams - that God would continue to strengthen our ties, that together the
impact on the beautiful people of Haiti would be eternal.
"For the LORD your God will
bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete." - Deuteronomy 16:15(b)
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