Partner Spotlight: Laura and Randy Gravitt
“We may not see the full harvest in our lifetime, but we know it’s coming. And to have been a small part of that is one of the greatest joys of our lives.” - Randy Gravitt
The Gravitts pictured on a home visit during their first Impact Trip in 2007. Their oldest daughter Hannah (far left), Laura Gravitt (second from left), and Randy (far right).
In the 17 years since the founding of Untold (formerly Care for AIDS), we’ve been lucky enough to walk alongside a select few families throughout many seasons of their lives and our Untold story. Among those are Randy and Laura Gravitt— an exemplary picture of long obedience in the same direction. Since the beginning of this ministry, the Gravitts have been loyal partners of the work. What began with a spark from their oldest daughter, Hannah’s, involvement in a fundraising initiative for Untold ignited a legacy they never expected to create.
“The Lord had given us resources,” Laura says. “But as Scripture reminds us, it all comes from His hand anyway. We only give what He has already given us. I think of it like a parent giving their child five dollars to buy Mom a gift—the money came from the parent, the ride came from the parent, and yet the child still gets to say, ‘Look what I gave you.’ That’s us with God.”
While Hannah’s excitement was what piqued their interest, transparency was what sealed the deal. “We knew Justin,” she continues. “We knew his heart and that he was a man of integrity. You want to be a good steward of what God puts in your hands, and we wanted to invest in a ministry where we knew the resources would be used well.”
Laura Gravitt (right) pictured with an Untold graduate.
Their involvement deepened after their first impact trip to East Africa. “That trip changed us,” Laura recalls. “I remember a woman at a graduation ceremony receiving her certificate. She sat down, holding it gently, stroking the paper with tears in her eyes. For her, that certificate meant everything—it might have been the first recognition she’d ever received in her life. I thought about how often we take such things for granted, and I was deeply humbled.”
Randy agrees. “When you meet the people whose lives have been transformed, it changes how you see generosity. You realize God doesn’t need us to help—but we need to help. It makes us more like who He created us to be.”
As they became more involved, their family and the Untold family intertwined. Most of their children were able to experience our work in person on Impact Trips. “As a parent, you want your kids to know their Creator and understand that the world is so much bigger than they are,” she says. “When you’re on the ground in Kenya, and your child is making chapati in an alleyway with another family or playing with kids from a completely different background, you see it click. They begin to understand that God’s love truly has no borders.”
After years of being a champion of the Untold story, Randy was given the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors, both as a member and for a term as the Chairman of the Board. “Being under the hood, so to speak, showed me the integrity and faithfulness of the people involved,” he says. “But I always felt like we were the ones being changed more than the people we were helping. This ministry reminds me to live with open hands—to use my voice for those who don’t have one.”
Randy leading leadership training for a group of Untold staff and partners.
Laura agrees. “We’re not the ones on the ground counseling, teaching, or feeding people—that’s the incredible African and U.S. staff. We’re just a small part of it. But it’s been beautiful to see how God multiplies even that small part.”
In this newest season of their lives as grandparents, when the Gravitts heard about the Beyond Measure campaign, they felt an immediate pull on their hearts towards our goal of enhancing group therapy. With the help of a partnering organization, we hope to develop a customized parenting curriculum that embraces and equips parents living with HIV.
“As a mom, that part spoke straight to my heart,” Laura shares. “I’ve mentored moms for thirteen years, and I’ve seen how many feel lonely, ashamed, or inadequate. That’s in America—where we have access to every book, every podcast, every resource. Imagine how much harder it is for mothers who have none of that. This curriculum gives them hope, tools, and community. It’s exactly what they need.”
Randy echoes her conviction. “These mothers are raising the next generation of Africa. If they can ground their children in God’s truth, there’s hope for entire communities. The truth really does set us free. When I heard about it, I told her, ‘We’re doing that.’ We might not be leading the small groups or teaching, but we can help make it possible.”