Just before publishing this blog post we published one about our missionary giving so far this year, which has been solid. Page down to read that information in the next post on this page.
Is anything really worth attempting in life that isn't impossible in human terms, especially when you are talking about ministry and reaching lost people for Jesus? Shouldn't we undertake great endeavors for God's kingdom that will fail unless He works great miracles and displays his awesome power in the midst of our weaknesses? Don't you agree that we are called to live that way, shunning the trappings of fleshly comforts and false security and the avoidance of risk? We still believe Jesus is calling people today to step out of the boat and walk on water.
It is that approach to ministry and life, combined with the constant affirmations from Scripture, that continues to energize us for the Bible School project. I've never been one to be content living life as it has always been lived. This passionate drive to constantly innovate and try new approaches to ministry has reaped both positive and negative results in our life as a family, but it is a constant part of our story, and God has used this character trait to bring us to this exact moment in time. We feel Mission Haiti is on the brink of something truly remarkable. It is something new and exciting, and yet in many ways it is a return to the way things started, when Jesus first told his followers to “go.”
However, we cannot take any credit for reaching this critical point in the journey. We (the Grimms) are only standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before. My missions professor, Dr. Jay Moon, told us an unforgettable story in class one day. He talked about how his family went to rural Ghana for many years and saw a great deal of fruit from the work of the ministry. Churches were planted, wells were dug, and people were very open to the good news of Jesus. He was thankful to God for these blessings, but only later did he find out that they were the fourth or fifth missionary family to be sent to that area. The previous ones had labored long and hard without seeing much result, and Jay's family benefited from all of that sowing of seeds. Jesus said something similar to his disciples one day. He said, “I have sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” (John 4:38)
One of those who has gone before and paved the way for us was Kiki. That is why we are so pleased to announce that that Bible School will be named after him and his father, a former pastor of great influence. The full name of the school will be the ALEXIS Ministry Training Center. Here is a excerpt from the student recruitment brochure we are working on:
“ALEXIS”- The Ministry Training Center is named after two people:
Reverend Alexis- A Pastor in Haiti who labored in the fields to support his family, sacrificed so much for his churches, and raised up many young leaders.
Jean Kuisline Alexis- Rev. Alexis' son who served Mission Haiti from the beginning and passed away in the summer of 2011. Known to all as “Kiki”, he became a successful businessman, processing adoptions to USA, Canada, France, and Belgium. He engaged in ministry through his work but also regularly traveled to the remote villages and countryside of Haiti to powerfully share Christ with all people.
If you read the three part series, “Kiki Goes Home”, you will remember that Kiki once attempted something humanly impossible, and he was successful with God's help. He left rural Haiti as a young man and tried to “make it” in the big city of Port-au-Prince. God had a plan for him and directed his path in so many ways, opening doors and allowing him to positively impact so many lives. It is our hope that the ALEXIS Ministry Training Center will help many people follow a similar path and calling, attempting great things for God.
We have been very busy working out all of the details, with the help of Mike and Pam and the Mission Haiti board, of what the ALEXIS MTC program and campus will look like exactly. We are making great strides in that area lately, finishing the documents any institution for higher education needs to have available: brochures, application, student handbook, etc... We are also finishing the budget and putting together plans and strategies for fund raising and recruiting of students and professors.
A ballpark figure for the next 6-8 months will be something like $100,000 we will need to raise for this project. One significant cost will be scholarships for the students, especially those coming to the program from Haiti (see “10 Adventures in 10 Days: #2- Bible School” for our vision about having students come from around the world to join the Haitian students for study, ministry, and fellowship). Though we already have the land paid for, a house for the Resident Director finished, and the money in hand for the dormitory (if we stay under budget), we will continue to raise funds for several smaller building projects like a cooking and storage shed, shower/toilet building, classroom, meeting/eating building, and other items.
There is also another large building project in the planning stages. About half of the 100K we hope to raise will be budgeted for a new house containing the living space for the Ministry Director and his family (the Grimms), the ALEXIS office and library, and room for visiting professors and other guests to the school. We will attempt to make this home wheelchair accessible, which is something fairly unheard of in these parts. It will be exciting for our family to be able to be in the middle of all of the excitement of campus when this project is completed!
So I (Cory) have taken up grant writing as my new hobby. Time will tell whether or not this will bear fruit for the ministry. File that under “humanly impossible” and we'll see what God does! I will also make at least one recruiting/fund raising trip to the US in the coming months. Soon we will publish a detailed brochure explaining all the ways people can help make ALEXIS MTC great through financial partnerships. The whole project is slowly morphing from a dream and a vision into something we can see before our very eyes. The moment when those student show up next September on the freshly finished campus with all of their zeal and energy for the Lord will be almost too much to take. Only God can make this happen, and we believe with all of our hearts He will...for the glory of God, for the honor of Kiki and his dad, and for the thousands who will one day benefit from the ministries yet to be birthed by the future students of ALEXIS.
May God Ask You to Do Something Impossible Today!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers
No comments:
Post a Comment