Hello everyone!
Below you will find our newsletter from January to March. Here are a few things that happened since the beginning of the year.
Happy New Year!!
We are already well past the new year, but as Embrace, we would still like to celebrate it with you. As the year began, we were in full swing with our reunion camp, and since it has finished, we have remained busy with rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration. We are grateful to begin this new year with our goal unchanged: to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ in every area of the ministry—from the gate watchman to management. We desire that all our decisions and motivations would flow from a sincere pursuit of pleasing Christ. We are thankful to start this year with your continued support through your prayers. As you read our newsletters, it is our hope that they will encourage you to look to Christ and seek Him more in your own life. Thank you for being a part of our team through prayer and in any other way that you may be supporting us.
Reunion Camp
We praise the Lord for another successful Reunion camp! We also thank Him for bringing a large number of volunteers from Canada and the United States to make this camp possible. This year’s camp was focussed on following Jesus. Each day, both the guardians and the boys were pointed back to the gospel and the importance of understanding their sin and their need for a Saviour. We had the opportunity to step into the new year together.
Over the course of the three-day camp, boys and adults participated in Bible lessons and discussions, as well as a variety of activities and sports. Adults had the unique opportunity to take part in workshops such as electrician work, hair plaiting, cooking classes, and more skills that are both useful and transferable. Boys participated in a variety of play- and skill-based activities that encouraged teamwork, cooperation, and meaningful time with friends they had made at Embrace but had not seen for a while.
Team-building games for both boys and adults were a highlight, as we witnessed parents and children laughing and playing together. Each day ended with a message and a time of worship. On the final evening, amidst farewell speeches and expressions of gratitude, both adults and boys were invited to embrace one another and pray over each other. It is always so special to spend these days together. We pray that the Lord uses this camp to bring salvation to both the guardians and the boys, and to guide them to lead their families in a biblical way.
Embrace Camp
This year the Canada/USA team split into two groups and held a camp for the boys still at the centre undergoing rehabilitation. This was helpful because most staff are usually away serving at Reconnect Camp, leaving these boys with volunteers while maintaining their normal schedule. Fortunately, the team hosted a fun VBS camp for the boys, following a similar theme to Reconnect Camp.
Reintegration
We started the year in full swing, motivated to reunite boys with their families, and the Lord has enabled us. We were able to send 11 boys home in the last three months. We began the year with some boys already staying with their families on short home visits; once the families and social workers saw that the placement was successful and a good fit, we made them permanent.
We also managed to place Hassan in a boarding school after three years at Embrace, during which we could not find a family placement due to repeated rejections. While boarding school is not our preferred option, we praise the Lord that he can continue his education while we continue to seek a potential foster family.
We continue to follow up with all our boys, especially those recently sent home. Having a remote social worker in western Kenya has been very helpful, allowing more frequent in-person follow-up for boys placed far from Embrace.
Challenges
We have faced significant challenges with boys we send home because many families cannot — and in some cases are unwilling to — pay their school fees. This places pressure on the social workers who receive repeated calls from schools about the family’s lack of response. Embrace does not sponsor boys; our goal is for the family to assume full responsibility from the outset or take over after a transitional period. However, we frequently encounter families who rely entirely on Embrace and make no effort to contribute financially, knowing we are able to help. Even when we step back, the family still does not pay, which prevents the boy from attending school and increases the risk he will return to the streets. Kenyans are very communal and often solve problems together, but when an organisation steps in, people sometimes shift responsibility entirely to that organisation instead of trying to resolve the issue themselves. We want to help in ways that respect and support community processes rather than replace them, and we are still learning how best to do that. We continue to pray for guidance and wisdom from the Lord; please join us in prayer for these matters.
Visitors and Volunteers
We have such joyful times when people visit us, especially the boys. New faces bring them great excitement. In March, we enjoyed a wonderful visit from teachers Yana and Paula from Canada. They brought many fun activities for the boys, led Bible lessons, and taught educational sessions. One activity had the boys respond to handwritten letters from their students in Canada, which helped the boys feel they had friends abroad. The teachers collected the boys’ replies and planned to return them to the students.
We welcome visitors, whether local or from abroad. Feel free to reach out to come for a visit! We’ve also had two volunteers join our team for several months, and a woman completing her attachment training; they have been a great help to our staff.
Other Ways to Support Embrace
We have a great need for more missionaries! One of the missionaries currently serving at Embrace will be moving on to a different ministry opportunity, which will create a significant gap in the ministry. If you are interested, please fill out the form by clicking THIS LINK to come and serve—whether short-term or long-term. May the Lord guide you in making this decision.
Prayers
Please join us in prayer for:
- All boys currently at Embrace
- Boys at home as they face challenges and for their families (food shortages and lack of school fees)
- For the Lord to continue to open doors for boys to go home and to school
- Our staff and missionaries—grace, strength, and wisdom
- Additional long-term missionaries to join the team
- Financial support
We are deeply grateful to God for each one of you who prays, gives, visits, and cares. Your generosity is transforming lives—off the streets, into families, and toward Christ.