Harry Holt: The Heart of a Humble Servant

His wife said he never changed a diaper... Until he followed God's leading in Korea.

Harry worked on the land, moving earth, running a combine, growing wheat, raising cattle, milling flour, mining coal or cutting and milling timber. Though he attended school only through the third grade, he had a genius for building nearly anything he needed.

Following a heart attack at age 45, Harry dedicated his life to God.

"Many people say that they received the Lord Jesus and they do it with their head and their mouth," Harry said in a message he recorded for Martha Sue Surdam, a girl whose life he saved in Korea. "Many are willing to receive Him as their Savior, but many don't go all the way and receive Him as their Lord, and that's the most important thing."

Harry spent the final eight years of his life changing diapers, rocking babies and singing songs to them providing medical assistance, rescuing children from imminent death , and burying hundreds of babies that he wasn't able to rescue.

He continues to farm, fell trees and move earth, bringing equipment to Korea to build an entire village for the care of children with disabilities.

Some might say he not only moved earth, he moved heaven and earth. But this simple man-who once lived in a sod house in South Dakota-would most likely say it was heaven that moved him.


Halmoni: Beloved Grandma

She was simply "grandma" to thousands of children who were adopted through Holt International, to all of the adoptive families including birth children, and especially to thousands of children who waited and hoped to be adopted.

Bertha studied to be a nurse, but she put that aside to raise her six children and blaze a trail to Oregon, where she helped farm, raise cattle, and do the multitude of tasks required of a farmer's wife.

When Harry was struck down by a heart attack, Bertha joined him in praying for his recovery with a promise to serve God in whatever way He showed them. She and Harry were keepers of promises.

When the time came to mobilize efforts to adopt children on a large scale, she rose to the occasion, proving that beneath the simple farmer's wife appearance, she was every bit as capable and committed as her husband.

When Harry died in 1964, Bertha had the grace and courage to continue the work. Over the next 36 years Bertha's faith inspired the growth and development of Holt International. She never took a back seat. By the time she, too, passed away, Bertha had been named "Mother of the Year," logged more than a million flight miles traveling for Holt International and advocating for homeless and disabled children, and set a world record for her age group in the 400 meter run.

But the title she held dearest to her was Halmoni, grandmother in Korean. She should also be remembered as Bunica in Romania, Lola in the Philippines, Ba Ngoai in Vietnam, and Khun Yai in Thailand, and other designations of grandma.

Articles taken from Holt International Magazine 2006: Vol. 48 No. 2

Here is a link to learn more about the history of Holt International, and to learn more about the incredible faith and servant's heart of Harry and Bertha Holt.

http://www.holtintl.org/historical.shtml