The first month of 2021 was a very full one for our Embrace Team! We welcomed the New Year with thankful hearts and excitement for all that God was already doing here in Nairobi. Thankfully, by God’s grace and a lot of prayer, we were able to complete our local Kenyan team and fill the last few positions needed by the end of last year, so the first week of January we had staff training. We love spending time with and ministering to the street children, but our missionary team members come from different countries, cultures, and languages then those of the children we serve. This creates a great necessity to have a team of Kenyans who also love the Lord and have a heart to serve, in order for our ministry to be most effective in the long run. For all of these reasons, and also considering that part of our Kenyan team is new to Embrace and how we work, we dedicated 6 full days of training to pour into them.

The first part of each day during training was spent in prayer, reading God’s Word together, and also having time for each person to be alone and reflect on their personal relationship with God. Scripture tells us to examine ourselves, and so we often remind one another that when someone is running on empty they have nothing to share or pour into others. After the morning devotion time, we had different daily teambuilding activities in order to establish healthy communication and problem solving skills within our team.

Throughout the week we also had several seminars focused on understanding the Gospel deeper and being able to share it effectively with others, as well as the importance of prayer in life and ministry. This was an important aspect of training because the very foundation of all that we do at Embrace, revolves around the street children being transformed by the redemptive work of Christ, and the freedom He alone can give from their destructive addictions and lives full of rebellion. Other seminars we had, focused on how to work with troubled children, understanding how Embrace works, and being prepared to answer the most difficult questions we can expect the children to ask. There was also a day dedicated to first aid and CPR training for all of our staff to be well prepared for any situation that may arise at the center.

As we wrapped up with training, God opened the doors to be able to open the center as we received our health inspection certificate, and received the final approvals from local authorities.

The big day we have all been waiting and praying for finally came on January 19! Embrace officially opened its doors to the first group of street children to come and be able to stay at the center. We celebrated the opening day with a ribbon cutting ceremony, confetti, speeches from local Pastors and government officials, and cake! Our team also showed a skit paralleling the lives of two street boys, both who came to Embrace. One of the boys gave into the temptation to run away, while the other one remained and allowed God to change the course of his whole life through Embrace. The ending left many of the boys with their jaws hanging, as the two old friends ran into each other many years later, one a doctor, the other crippled from a hard life and still begging for money on the streets.

After lunch, the guests left, and the second part of opening day was spent going over the center rules, schedule, playing capture the flag, and giving the boys a tour. When the 23 boys were invited to each pick their own bed in the dormitory, the staff were nearly knocked off of their feet in response, as the excited children stampeded for top bunks or their preferred bed. It was a sight to see! We then closed the day with a bonfire and prayer, where the boys shared what they were most thankful for, naming everything from having eaten 3 meals that day, to having a place where they felt loved. We praise God for such a smooth and blessed first day.

The weeks following opening day have not been easy, from boys throwing up due to drug/glue withdrawals since day one, to boys influencing each other to run back to the streets daily. Despite all the challenges, our team chooses to focus on the blessings and testimonies we are already witnessing. The news of Embrace’s opening is spreading on the streets. Also, the beginning of change is evident in some boys already as they become more obedient, and ask questions like, “how can I be saved” or “how can I overcome my addictions”. We are thankful to see them developing interest to know truth and how they can live a different life.