Life is wonderful. These kids know it, they really do.

Jill was with us in March of 2012 when we first stepped onto the land in Kitale that would become Hope Children’s Home.  Jill met the children when they were still living in Nairobi and suffering from the hardships of life there.  She is now nearing the end of her month long mission in Kenya.  She shares with us her reflections on the life the children are living now that they are all settled in Kitale. I have no idea where to start when reflecting back on this week. What I can say is that when God moves, he amazes. Especially if you are looking and watching and waiting for an answer to prayer. I cannot count how many prayers have been answered since the beginning of this trip. God hears. God listens. God answers. Kitale began with Kiswahili lessons. Dannie and I were riding with Fred and Alice when we began the list of words and phrases in Swahili that would grow extensively over the next week. Learning even just pieces and parts of their language has been and experience in itself. We quickly learned not to trust Alice as she was giving us incorrect translations as a joke. […]

How do you define an orphan?

What do you think of when you hear the word “orphan”?  Do you picture a grown man or woman?  More likely you picture a skinny little girl with torn clothes, shoeless, a tear streaked face and left to fend for herself.  Or maybe a severely malnourished little boy peaking out from behind the bars of a crib – blank stare on his face. or·phan [awr-fuhn] noun
 a child who has lost both parents through death, or, less commonly, one parent. a person or thing that is without protective affiliation, sponsorship not authorized, supported, or funded; not part of a system; isolated; abandoned (adjective) The first dictionary definition of orphan is a child who has lost both parents through death.   But did you know that many orphans who are being cared for here in the US and across the globe have living relatives?  Among the children who we advocate for in Kenya more than half have living relatives, many even have a living mother or father.  But simply being alive does not automatically mean a mother or father is able to lovingly care for a child.  Illness, drug use, alcoholism, poverty, mental illness, neglect, abuse, age, lack of resources or […]

It is amazing what can be done when people come together

It is amazing what can be accomplished when people come together with open hearts for children in need.  At the beginning of December we had hopes and prayers to be able to provide for the needs of the children at their new home in Kitale.  By January 1, 2013 we had collected an additional $27,000 in donations for the care of the children.  With the help of generous spirits we have provided new beds, sheets, blankets, school uniforms, school fees, water filters and a new home for the children we sponsor.  We have also been able to send a grant to finalize the purchase of the land and to begin construction of two additional buildings: a girls dormitory and a building that will provide housing for additional caretakers, a study/dinning room and a new kitchen. They say a picture tells a thousand words, so check out this 4 minute video that shows the excitement our friends in Kenya are feeling over their new home and enjoy the photo gallery below with pictures from our most recent visit in December 2012. [wpvideo tY8he7aF]