Let the Children Play

“Well, we left our hotel this morning. It was still dark outside, and we took a plane to this small town called Kitale. We are at a project called Embrace. Orphan's Promise has been involved here for a number of years, and there's a great work going on with street children. Some are sleeping in a bed for the very first time, but immediately upon arriving, the message of God's love is shared with them.” Terry

“When children arrive here, we embrace them. We love on them, protect them, and teach them about God. We also have guidance and counseling sessions where they have a chance to share their stories. “ Danson – Manager at Embrace

Over the years, 7,000 children have come through here, and over 1,000 of them have been rehabilitated, taken into families, and released into futures of their own.

“Last year was a hard year for my family. My husband passed away at the end of July, and there were many friends and donors to Orphan’s Promise who sent financial gifts. We said, "Let's do something that would honor and be a tribute to him." My husband was a big athlete, a lover of all sports. So, we began to pray, "God, if there's a place that needs a soccer field, show us where that might be." In my mind, I'm not going to lie, I was saying, "How do we find a place somewhere in the world that needs a soccer field?" Right here in Kitale, where Orphan’s Promise was already well involved in the work, one of the founding fathers of this work had a piece of property. He looked at it every day and just said, "God, in my heart, I would just love to have a really wonderful soccer field there." But, of course, there were no funds for it. “ Terry

“There was a desire in my heart, "God, it's my dream if you will have the field here." I just started praying I did not share with anyone. We were just dreaming about the soccer field.” Vitale – Director at Embrace

“Our Orphan’s Promise person who manages this part of Africa spoke to him, and he said, "This is an answer to prayer." It was also an answer to prayer for us because God is so faithful. He never gives us anything that He doesn't ask us to turn around and hand back to other people when it's a blessing. This is the best soccer field in all of Kenya, we're told. I'm so honored to be able to have my husband Andy’s name on it. One of the things we wrote on the plaque was, "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game," because we're teaching kids moral and character lessons here that matter in their hearts, which they didn't get because they didn't have a fair beginning.” - Terry

“I think how happy my husband would be that these boys will have men amongst them who know Jesus, who are going to be dads for them, who are going to be sitting on the sidelines in these bleachers, cheering them on, and just giving them a sense of their own value. You know, there's so much that you learn in sports that's valuable in life. Being part of a team and the value of practice, letting someone else win and being okay with that. You know, we all get to win, and we all get to lose at various times, but the attitude we do that with makes all the difference in the world. So, I knew we were coming here to do this, and I was very excited about it. But just a couple of days before we left, I was going over my schedule, and I looked at the dates. I had nothing to do with planning this, and I thought, "Oh my goodness, we're there on the 6th of June. It's my anniversary." Today would have been our 43rd wedding anniversary. So, I can't think of a better gift to give my husband than a soccer field in his name and in his honor, that's going to touch the lives of thousands and thousands of children..So, there you go, honey. Happy anniversary. And God, thank you. Just thank you. God is so good, isn't He? How He orchestrates things that we could never do ourselves. He's got a plan, He's got a purpose, and we get to be a part of it. How great is that?” Terry

“Right now, I believe we will be able to attract more kids from the street. This field will serve these people and also people from the community. They will be able to come and play on this field. We will build relationships with them, and we will share the Gospel with them. Thank you, Orphan's Promise, and everyone who supports this ministry. I am so happy and blessed that we can do this together with you.” - Vitale

I see lines of people coming here. This is just the very beginning. I'm so grateful to think that God has allowed Orphan's Promise to help grow it, to make it bigger, and to invite, to say, "Whosoever will may come."  - Terry

Group shout out:

Thank you, Orphan’s Promise!