Although we\’ve been telling you what a difference one Scholarship can make in the life of a Student in Rural Appalachia, you need to hear it from an actual Scholar. We are so blessed to be able to serve this young woman and her husband! Please read and be blessed as well:

Dear Mission of Hope,

I want to start off by saying how grateful I am to have been chosen as a scholar 3 years ago. When I submitted the application and interviewed, I knew that there was no way I would receive this scholarship unless it was the Lord’s Will. When I found out I received it, I was ecstatic and just kept thanking the Lord. I did not know the plan the Lord had for me at this time, but He did. This was the first blessing I received.

During the award ceremony, they gave everyone a laptop and printer as a gift. This generous gift got me through school and was such a blessing, as I did not have a laptop for school yet. As an online student, this was a necessity to have. I can’t imagine how many others shared this need and were blessed that day, and still are each year. This is such a wonderful gift, and I was so thankful to have been a recipient of it. This was the second blessing.

When mentors were assigned, the original one did not work out, I never found out why, but I knew it was a part of God’s plan. I was then reassigned a mentor that has changed my life so much. Marti …… was assigned to be my mentor, and we had so much in common. When I first met her, I was one or two weeks away from getting married. I was expecting a talk where she would ask why rush or tell me that I was too young, because that is what I was getting from everyone. What I received was the complete opposite. I received her story about how she was also young and in college when she got married and offered nothing but support and prayers. This was the third blessing I received.

Upon getting married, my husband, Deric, had been pursuing a degree at Clear Creek Baptist Bible College. He had to drop out the month after we got married because we found out he would not get financial aid and we could not afford for him to finish. It was not long after that the wonderful mentor I had found out our need and was an advocate for us. Mission of Hope once again blessed our family by doing something that had never happened – gave a scholarship to a non-senior looking to get a degree. This was huge for us, and still is as he is still in college to get his degree. When we did not see a way, the Lord did and used your wonderful establishment as a vessel to provide. This was the fourth blessing.

Fast forward to January of 2019, we needed a vehicle. Deric’s truck kept messing up, and we had to find something more reliable so that he could attend in-person classes, get back and forth to work, and do the daily tasks he had to do. It was then when we were asked if we needed a vehicle. When I think about this I am just in awe. The Lord ONCE AGAIN used Mission of Hope to meet a big need we had. We never saw this one coming and it still amazes me. This was the fifth blessing.

The last thing I will discuss that helped us so much was when we took in our sweet baby cousin. His siblings were placed in foster care and they needed care for the newborn. We have never had a child, so we had nothing to care for this baby. Mission of Hope provided for us in that time for the baby, but even went farther than that and provided for his siblings as well. I am in complete awe of how they have helped my family so much and am completely overwhelmed by the love we have received from them. This was the sixth blessing.

Had it not been for the Mission of Hope, I would have never been able to attend Eastern Kentucky University and pursued the online degree I needed in order for me to work, get married, and do the Lord’s work he had for me. It is because of the work you all do for Christ that enabled me to achieve my dreams. I am so thankful for all you have done for us. Your work is never unnoticed and has changed so many lives. I just wanted you to know that the Lord truly used you to help shape our lives into what it is now. It may have started out with just a scholarship for school, but the many things that have come from it is just amazing and you can see the hand of God in every bit of it.

If you ever need anyone to give a testimony on the behalf of the Mission of Hope, Deric and I would do it anytime. You have done so much for us; we will do anything to help in any way you need. My thoughts and prayers will always be with the Mission of Hope, and I am thankful to everyone that works there that makes this outreach possible. You all are doing such a big work for the Lord, and it affects so many lives, and is still affecting ours. Thank you and God Bless each of you.

Much love and appreciation,
Deric & Miranda


If you believe in helping the students that we serve like we do, we\’d be humbly grateful to have your support. To learn how you can help, please call our office at (865) 584-7571, visit our website at missionofhope.org/donate or mail a donation to PO Box 51824, Knoxville, TN 37950.  

Thanks For All You Do To Help Extend True HOPE.

Sincerest Regards,
Emmette Thompson
Executive Director
Mission of Hope

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