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An Orphan Discovers the Love of God

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22-year-old, Josephat, regularly visits the children at Our Home Child Care Center, a ministry supported by Orphan’s Promise. This is a safe harbor for orphans and vulnerable children to grow up in and thrive. Before Josephat graduated, this was his home too.

Josephat said, “Our Home has been my family. Myself and the children are like brothers and sisters, because we know each other's stories. They know me more than any other person knows me. I love them so much.” 

Before he called this home, Josephat’s life was filled with instability.

Josephat explained, “So, my grandfather had eleven children. I was the first grandson. After I was born, I think my mom just left. I don't know what happened. So, my grandfather took me as his son. You get to that point where you become lonely and hopeless, because I don’t have any memories of my biological father. So, I'm the one who used to take care of the cows and the goats. So, during the day, you have to be in the fields all day. So, there's no time for coming back to take lunch or maybe to get some water. You have to go to the forest, and there are all types of trees and thorns and bushes. It was very tough. I really wouldn't want anyone to go through such a life.”

Education was never a priority. “I didn't go to school every day,” said Josephat. “Most of the time, I'm taking care of my grandfather's cattle. I loved school. So, whenever I wouldn't go to school, I was like, ‘I wish I was in school with my friends.’”

When Josephat was nine, post-election violence broke out where he lived. Surrounded by violence and destruction, it was no longer safe for him to stay with his grandfather. He went to live in Nairobi with his aunt, but she eventually left him at an orphanage. 

Josephat explained, “What my aunt told me is, ‘I'm taking you to boarding school,’ only to realize later it was actually a children's home. This is not a school. She lied to me. Adjusting then was very hard, because I've never been called an orphan.”

The orphanage was run by a corrupt group of people who pocketed donated money instead of providing for the children, so he still didn’t go to school regularly. This went on for years. Then, one day, God intervened, allowing Our Home to step in and take over. For the first time, Josephat was able to go to school consistently and have a safe, loving home where he could thrive.

“My life changed now completely. You have provided for my education, for my food, for everything that I needed when I needed it,” said Josephat as he walked around the orphanage. “This used to be my bed, this is where I used to sleep. And my very first impression when I came to this house, I had never lived in such a house, such a beautiful room, never seen a duvet before then. This was my dream bed, my dream room as a child.”

During this time, Josephat learned about God. Josephat said, “My turning point in life came when I gave my life to Jesus. That's when I experienced the love of God for the first time, like the true love of God, and a lot of joy. The main attribute I will give to God is He's my real father. He's always been there for me.”

With the help of Orphan’s Promise, Josephat recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. Now he’s working at a startup as a project manager.  

“Orphan’s Promise gave me the opportunity to dream big. I'm so grateful to God,” said Josephat. “Since I moved out, I actually make sure that I see the children every week. I share a lot of my experiences with them. So, they have that confidence that they can come to me, and I do my best to encourage them. And I believe God is the one who has given me that capacity to be a safe harbor for someone. I really treasure them so much. To every Orphan’s Promise donor, ‘I'm so thankful, because you've given me a family. You’ve also given me a home for so many years. May God really, really bless you and increase you. And the love that you’ve been sending, I’m so thankful for that.’”

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Melissa
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