Whenever I have the privilege of returning to the community of Grippis Farm in Zambia I am always amazed at the changes that have and are occurring since I first visited in 2007. There is more energy, more activity, more commerce and more opportunity. I am also amazed at how relative these advances are. There are still 50 to 80 students crammed into a single classroom. There are still grief stricken parents who lose their children to disease and preventable accidents. There are still way too few opportunities to engage in meaningful employment. The list goes on. However, the hope is there, advances are being made and most importantly lives are being changed. The GHI sponsored youth group typifies this change. Over 70 young people meet weekly to encourage each other, to sing and dance, to study God’s word and to receive practical instruction in life skills. They learn about civic responsibility, the value of a good education, how to treat each other with respect and how to make good choices regarding their personal lives. They also engage in service projects to “give back” to their community and greater society. The back-story to all of this is that these 70 young people come from situations of extreme poverty and limited opportunity. Many are orphans and some did not begin formal schooling until into their teen years. Many were abused and all witnessed lifestyles of a parental generation characterized by drunkenness, immorality and deep despair. Most of these 70 are in high school thanks to scholarships from GHI supporters. They have dreams—big dreams-- and many of them will realize these dreams. They are the hope of Grippis Farm. They are the generation that can break out. As a holiday gift to you I share with you a video clip of these young people singing a worship song. I also thank those of you who are supporting one or more of these miracle youth. But I must quickly add that more than half of these students do not have regular support and are kept in school for the time being by one-time donations. We cannot count on these donations so ask you to allow GHI keep all of them in school and to keep their dreams alive. Do this by supporting one, two or even 10 of these young people. The cost is $30 per month. Thank you for changing lives this holiday season! Leland Brenneman GHI President
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 20:47:16 +0000
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