Serving 
Our Savior

Children's
Missions Program

by Steve and Melissa Brooks

The Serving Our Savior (S.O.S.) Children’s Missions program has truly been blessed by the outpouring of support and prayer shown by the members of the Occoquan Bible Church during the Gifts of Grace Christmas Program. OBC members provided 98 gift boxes that will be added to 180 other gifts and shipped to Haiti on December 1. These boxes will be distributed to the children that attend Grace Christian School in Lagosette, Haiti. Melissa and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your loving support and to tell you more about the program. We would also like to thank the teens for taking time out of their Sunday evening devotion to make an additional 80 boxes.

S.O.S. started because Melissa was made aware of a need in the country of Haiti. During the Summer of 2000, she was on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic (DR) working with a missionary named Brian Wallace. Brian runs eight orphanages in the DR and runs a summer intern program for Manna International. Melissa felt called by God to get involved in the mission work Brian was doing so she asked Brian what she could do to help. He told her that he had adequate support for the orphanages in the DR but that he could use help in Haiti. Brian explained that he had lived in Haiti for six years before Manna pulled him over to the DR. He was moved due to the civil unrest in Haiti during the early 90s. Brian told Melissa that he still worked in the small village of Lagosette by traveling there about once a month to check on the children. Melissa and I decided to provide support for a school in Lagosette, Haiti by sending funds to Brian, which he would use to start the school. The money sent was used to pay the salaries of teachers that would come from Cap Haitian to teach the kids of the village.

In the Summer of 2001, Melissa went on another mission trip to the DR. While taking food to Haitian immigrants that were living in a public dump in the DR, Melissa asked Brian why they would live there in those horrid conditions. Brian told her that living in a dump in the Dominican Republic was a better life than living in Haiti. Once again God moved on Melissa’s heart and upon returning to the United States, she decided that more had to be done for the children in Haiti. She decided to start a non-profit organization that would connect Haitian children with American sponsors. S.O.S. Children’s Missions was born.

S.O.S. Children’s Missions has grown from supporting 18 children in 2001 to supporting 160 in the fall of 2003. There are currently 268 children that attend the school in Lagosette. All the children that attend the school are provided a Christian education and one meal a day through S.O.S. The 160 kids that have sponsors also receive two uniforms, one pair of shoes, school supplies and basic medical care.

S.O.S. has been blessed by having a full-time missionary (Brad Gautney and his family) move to Lagosette, Haiti during the summer of 2003. Brad, a registered nurse, oversees the daily operations of Grace Christian School and provides medical care for the children. Brad is using his medical skills to earn the trust of the villagers which opens the door for him to spread the Gospel. Brad and his family will be distributing the Gifts of Grace Christmas boxes that we are sending to the children.

This is just a brief view of the S.O.S. Children’s Missions program. Anyone that would like to sponsor a child can find details on OBC's outreach table or can visit our website. Along with your financial support, we need your prayers that God will grant us wisdom as we make decisions that shape the future of the program. Once again, thank you for your support of the Gifts of Grace Christmas project. We hope to have photographs and video of the children receiving their gifts in the near future.

In His Service,
Steve Brooks