28 Jan Children of Hope Mission Trips
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:7-8
Children of Hope (COH) bring together a global community of individuals who want to make a difference and see the need in providing education, proper nutrition and healthcare to kids in Kenya. Based in Colorado, the COH network expands across 5 churches and 290 generous donors. Since we opened the doors to our first home in 2010, we have had the opportunity to have several mission trips and volunteers visit our grounds in Kenya.
What is a mission trip?
The COH mission trips provide international volunteers with the opportunity to spread the love that God has given them with others. With approximately 10 days in Kenya, volunteers are able to connect with our kids, share common values and continue spreading the word of God.
In order to respect our kids’ space and home, we only offer two annual trips to Kenya. One is open to anyone from our community interested in attending while the other trip is reserved for the Valor students who provide a bible school for the local Kitale community. While the Valor trip happens when it works best for their students, our community mission trip typically takes place in the months of April, August of November which are the months kids are out of school in Kenya.
“This mission trip offers the opportunity to serve the children and staff of the homes, and to learn about their life, joys and struggles, and their daily routines. The greatest joy, however, comes from building a relationship with the children and with the staff. These happy and soulful people will steal your heart!”
Kellie N., 2019 mission trip attendee
Our homes love visitors
In our homes, we have a culture of greeting and welcoming our guests with open arms, songs, dances, gifts and prayer. Our kids appreciate having guests as they enjoy hearing new stories, learning new games and making new friends. Having visitors from the U.S. also gives our young ones an opportunity to practice their English and learn new words through games and activities. Having people visit twice a year makes our kids from both homes feel incredibly special considering most volunteers chose to fly all the way from another continent to see them and spend time with them. Each year, the kids look forward to meeting their new friends and it’s endearing to see them start counting down the days when we let them know who will be joining us in a month or two.
With 50 kids out of school during the school break in each of the homes, the Aunts, Uncles and staff appreciate having visitors during those busy months as it allows them a bit of time to step back and take a bit of time to enjoy. When it comes to the games, arts and crafts sessions and performances, the Aunties, Uncles and staff will also be included and have as much fun as the kids.
What do volunteers do during the mission trip?
Compared to other traditional mission trips where volunteers are part of a project and get to “build” something for a community, the Children of Hope mission trips are a bit different. Each of our mission trips is unique because our volunteers make up the experience. The one thing we ask for those attending is to come as they are and be ready to share the gifts and talents they were blessed with. In the past, we’ve had a massage therapist who blessed our staff in November with full-body massages, an artist who did an arts and crafts session with the kids, and even an occupational therapist who did some work with our special needs kids.
For those who think they don’t have a talent to give, your energy and light is more than enough. We always get together as a team to brainstorm and come up with ideas or themes for everyone to get involved. One year, we did a carnival where different volunteers helped set up the different games for the kids to win prizes throughout the evening.
What is the day to day like?
Once confirmed, attendees will receive an “Important Travel Tips” document containing additional information for how to prepare for the trip as well as their tentative itinerary and schedule for the duration of the trip. We emphasize the fact that it is a tentative itinerary because things might shuffle while we are in Kenya. In 2019, the mission attendees got to attend the wedding ceremony and reception of two of our staff, multiple arts and crafts sessions, shopping in a local market and a trip to the game park.
“I had the great privilege of joining a team last November to visit the Children of Hope Kikuyu and Kitalalie homes. I visited twice before (quite a while ago) and on this trip was even more impressed with the warmth and joy that permeates each home. As a team, we went to share our particular skills and expertise but it really is a two-way street. The Kenyan staff and children all offered us their gifts of community, love, song and so much more! It is apparent when walking through each home that every person plays their part to make Children of Hope a loving, caring home for the children. It really is a partnership that connects people across the world working toward a common goal of providing for the children.”
Deanne S., 2019 mission trip attendee
Throughout the trip, food and transportation are provided to ensure an authentic yet comfortable experience for all volunteers. While in Kitalale, our volunteers will always stay in a hotel because there isn’t room for guests while at Kikuyu, it depends on the size of the group and might combine a few nights in a hotel and a few nights in the home.
How much does it cost to go on a mission trip?
Approximately, the cost of the mission trip ranges between $3,000 – $3500 USD. The price varies on the time of the year because of airfare, the length of the trip and the activities planned. Attendees also have the choice of booking their own airfare to use points and lower the cost to approximately $1,500-$2,000.
Join our next mission trip
“This truly was an amazing experience. Getting to see the children and all that goes into taking care of them was very special. Kenya is also a beautiful place to visit. I am so glad I made the decision to go, and I honestly cannot wait to go back!”
Kevin H., 2019 mission trip attendee
Visiting Kenya, sharing your gifts and getting to know our kids is an incredible blessing. If you are interested in joining our next adventure or have additional questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to Emily Huber, our Director of Donor Relations by clicking the button below.
Contact Emily Huber