By BECKY ANDREWS
It started as a simple prayer after a life changing mission trip to Africa. And from that prayer in 2003 until now, Wilson County resident, Greg Holbrook, a husband, father and carpenter, has spearheaded the Miracle POWER movement. The goal of Miracle POWER is to offer assistance to the pastors, orphans and widows who happen to be among the poorest people in the villages of Kenya, Africa. Greg explained, “When I left that first mission trip, I felt a mixture of gratitude and guilt. Gratitude for the life my family has and guilt because while we live a life that’s for the most part void of any ‘real’ problems there are people across the globe going to bed hungry and living in poverty.”
An additional goal of Miracle POWER is to train, empower and provide the villagers with the resources necessary to earn a living for themselves and their families.
To better understand what Miracle POWER accomplishes, one should start with the origination of the name. The definition of a miracle is an unexpected event that surpasses all known human or natural powers. The definition of miracle can vary from person to person. One person’s idea of a miracle might be completely different from someone else.
If you have income, you do not need the miracle of employment. If you are not hungry, you do not need the miracle of food. If you are not homeless, you do not need the miracle of housing.
The average wage earned in Kenya is between $1 and $2 per day. A man works all week for $10 to feed his family as well as trying to pay for school fees, clothes for them and provide a shelter. Due to the lack of education and the absence of job skills, the poverty cycle passes from generation to generation. Miracle POWER seeks to break this cycle by providing job training and then assisting in setting up a business. The training includes help for men and women in the following venues: auto mechanics, carpentry, agriculture, bicycle repair, electrical, welding, sewing, basket weaving, barber, computer skills, etc. They will also assist them in business skills such as balancing books and understanding profit margins. Once their business is running, they will give Miracle POWER a percentage of their profits to help the next group begin training. They will also attend a daily Bible study. Miracle POWER can meet their physical needs as well as their spiritual needs at the same time. Greg travels to Kenya 2-3 times per year and is updated weekly from the pastors on the progression of the program.