17 Apr Faith and Spirituality in Our Homes
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
John 13:34
Whether you are in North America or Kenya, faith and spirituality bring the world and our Children of Hope family together. We are connected through Jesus’ love and sacrifice for us and we instill these values in our kids, so that they can continue spreading love and joy. As Easter approaches, we’d like to share with you how our homes celebrate our Lord’s sacrifice. We want to dedicate this blog post to our Lord as a way to commemorate his love and cherish Him during this Easter time.
Faith and Spirituality in our homes
Many of our kids, including baby Elaine, join our Children of Hope family as newborns and learn of our Lord’s values of love, care, and spirituality from infancy. For other kids who join us a bit later in life like Alex, Christianity is introduced through Bible stories, skit performances and Sunday school. In this way, we are able to build a strong foundation and understanding of what faith in God is and how this relationship serves them in life. Regardless of their background or story, our kids participate in the sacraments available in their local church to pledge their love to the Lord.
In Kikuyu, our kids attend a Presbyterian church which allows them to go through the three sacraments of initiation and get baptized, take their first communion and get confirmed. In
Daily Worships
We aspire to create a practice of worship, gratitude and appreciation in our homes. In order to do so, we teach a daily practice to our kids and staff throughout the day. Regularly, everyone in our homes takes time for devotions in the morning before school/work and in the evening before bed. This time is precious as it allows our kids and staff to set an intention, speak to God or listen to him through the Holy Bible.
Our kids have the opportunity to participate during services and read from the Holy Bible. This Angelina reading the words of God.
At every meal, our kids have been taught to say the following grace “Thank you Lord for the Gift of Food Bless it and Bless the Hands that Prepared it and also provide for those in need, in Jesus Name, Amen!!”. Having this moment creates the space to also give thanks for the provisions and pray for those in need. There are times where we recite Bible verses and this is where Elijah and Charles (Kikuyu) or James, Faith Grace and Esther (Kitalale) immediately jump in and take the initiative to lead the table through prayer.
Sunday mornings are full of excitement in our homes. Mercy’s and Mary’s angelic voices can be heard across the Kikuyu home while Grace’s is heard in the Kitalale home as the rest of the kids dress up in their best clothes for the Lord. The kids enjoy going to church particularly because they get the chance to mingle with friends from the community, learn stories from the Bible taught by their church teachers and discuss other challenges they may be facing as a group. The kids also get the chance to participate in other fun activities like skits, music and dance which are meant to represent the word of God. After service, the younger kids head to Sunday school where they learn Bible stories and the older ones participate in youth services which allows them to interact and share their feelings, fears, strengths and challenges as they take root in their identity in Christ.
Faith and Spirituality in Kenya
Our kids and staff enjoy studying the word of God and history of Christianity through singing praises, skits and bible school. Thanks to Kenya’s widespread devotion to Christianity, our kids get to learn in school that Catholicism was introduced to Kenya in the 15th century by the Portuguese. In the 20th century, missionaries helped extend this belief and its different denominations to the people of Kenya. Today, approximately 84.8% of the total population in Kenya practices Christianity and attend one of the 4,000 registered churches in the country. The influence of religion in Kenya has played a big role and facilitated its integration into the education system which our kids get to be a part of.
James (Kitalale Home) giving the daily devotion.
Over 90% of Kenyan schools teach Christian values as part of their curriculum, which helps instill values and good morals in the kids from a young age. Our kids also benefit from attending bible camps, which are popular in Kenya, during school breaks. These camps focus on developing faith, spirituality and shaping character. Many professionals from around the area also serve as mentors in the bible camps, encouraging our kids. Due to the incredible networking and spiritual benefits these camps instill in our kids, we have partnered with the African Inland Church in Nairobi which holds one of the best teen camps every year!
Just like anywhere in the world where Christianity is practiced, Easter is a special time for us in Kenya. In each of our homes, we come together as a family to celebrate and worship our Savior with songs and skits about His life, death and resurrection. Our kids enjoy being part of the celebrations and embrace the opportunity to learn more about our faith. Festivities tend to vary from one church to another during Easter but in
In our homes, faith and spirituality give us a common language. It gives us the vocabulary and tools to practice the love and care that we all deserve to have. By instilling love to one another, we can create a unified society and break down any barrier. The force created by unconditional love cannot be destroyed, which is one of the reasons why we always remember those that are no longer with us.
In October of last year, we lost auntie Mary Nyambura, the longest serving staff in our Kikuyu home. She was a passionate advocate of the Lord who spread nothing but unconditional love to our kids. Her warm heart is honored and remembered in our prayers. Two days after her passing, we were blessed with one new baby which was named after auntie Nyambura as a way to remind us of her legacy. Just like her namesake, baby Natasha Nyambura continues to spread love in our family with her cuddles and rosy cheeks.
Faith and spirituality allow us to believe, fill us with love and give us strength. We invite you to take auntie Nyambura’s message to reflect and thank those who have made you feel seen and loved. With that said, we invite you to learn more about one of our beacons of hope and latest additions to our homes, baby Natasha Nyambura.
Meet Natasha Nyambura