Through every age, God “has always had a people” to be His hands to serve the world. They cover every ministry that serves others.
One of those ministries involves our education system. We have all heard of the accomplishments of Adventist education—the higher test scores, higher percentage of graduates going to college, higher retention in the church, a stronger culture of kindness and service.
What we don’t often hear about are the donors who recognize the financial investments of putting a child through Adventist education. They are the ones who may have long since finished putting their own children through our system yet continue to give because they value the benefits of Adventist education and want to continue to make a difference in the lives of others.
The Rocky Mountain Conference has been blessed with many individuals who recognize the importance of Adventist education and the financial requirements to keep students in school, especially through the COVID pandemic when many families have been financially hit hard. They may have to choose between an Adventist education and many other things, even food.
During this time, God “has a people” to be His hands to serve the world—people who pay it forward with no desire for acknowledgement.
Thanks to these donors, who give unselfishly, many students have been blessed by their financial support. There are families who were going to have to tell their children they would need to leave the school because there was no money to keep them there. And there were students who were able to graduate because someone paid the remaining balance of a school bill. There has been story after story of lives impacted by people who gave, not because they had to, or because they wanted recognition, but because they believe in our Adventist education system.
I was one of those students whose life benefited because someone had the commitment and passion to make sure Adventist education was available to all. Coming from a single parent home, I was the recipient of many scholarships and generosity of individuals from elementary school through academy and finally through Southwestern Adventist University.
God “has always had a people” to be His hands to the world. We are blessed to have so many of them right here in our territory.
Diane Harris is education superintendent for the Rocky Mountain Conference.
