Beyond all the fun we had with the teens at the recent OMS International Missions Conference, we were also given the privilege of addressing the entire conference audience on Friday evening in order to raise awareness of what we are doing in Haiti and our need for support in getting back to work there this fall.
The schedule was pretty tight, so we were asked to write out ahead of time what we planned to say. Below is the text of what Melissa and I shared that night.
"When Melissa was first introduced to OMS’s ministry in Haiti,
a stop at Cowman International School was just another item on the itinerary
for her short term mission team. She had no warning that the Lord would be
calling us to teach there: Melissa in kindergarten and first grade and I
in junior high. That was 2010. Cowman had 23 students.
"This year Melissa and I finished our first
year on staff at Cowman. The student
body has swelled to nearly 100, with more expected when school starts again in
September.
"It’s a rapidly growing ministry because there’s a rapidly
growing demand in Northern Haiti for what Cowman provides: a Christ-centered
education in the English language.
Cowman’s value to missionary families is obvious. It is a support to all other OMS ministries
around Cap Haitien in that it allows missionary parents to devote their time to
ministry with the confidence of knowing their children’s education is in good
hands.
"Most of our students, though, are not MKs (missionary kids). They are Haitians and Haitian-Americans whose
parents appreciate a Western approach to education – who want their kids to
know English – and who want them, especially, to know Jesus.
"Like one of Melissa's kindergartners, Abby, who came to her one day after the morning Bible lesson and said, "I don't know Jesus in my heart, but I want to!"
"We started at Cowman last year by special permission. Even though we were not 100% funded, the school needed us in place. The need at Cowman for this upcoming school year is even greater, but now the funding MUST be in place before we return.
"Cowman International School of Vaudreuil, Haiti, has been in
existence for fifty years and has never had the capacity to offer a high school
education. Until now. Internet curriculum and an expanded staff
make it a realistic possibility. God
willing, our son Caleb’s class (currently 8th graders) will have the
distinction of being the first to graduate from Cowman with a high school
diploma. That goal is within reach, but
it will be set back if Cowman loses two out of its seven core teachers this coming
school year due to lack of funding.
[We stuck to the script pretty closely, but this closing was adlibbed in the moment:]
"I realized something recently: a profound change has occurred in my approach to raising the funds necessary for us to return to Haiti. I don't know that it is evident to anyone else looking on, but I feel it deeply in my soul. [We stuck to the script pretty closely, but this closing was adlibbed in the moment:]
"Here's the change: Last year we were raising support to get us to Haiti. This summer we are raising support to get us Home."
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We are still in need of further support to get us to Haiti and to keep us there throughout the coming school year. If the Lord is nudging you towards being a part of this ministry, please consider joining our support team at http://www.onemissionsociety.org/give/theGrosses.
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