“Good night mummy. I have now reached home safely. Thank you for your care and being concerned, no one has ever been so I am really grateful.” This phone text spoke to my heart, as I felt I had given very little. Jonathon grew up in an orphanage and at age seventeen, he “aged out.”
“It was so hard when I had to leave the orphanage. I didn’t know where to go. I found a friend who had already moved out from the orphanage. He let me stay on his floor in his one room. It was bad. It was hard. I was hungry. I couldn’t find a job. I couldn’t afford more education or training.”
Today, Jonathon would say his church is his family. He has found a part time job, although it only pays $28 monthly. But in many ways Jonathon has already beaten the odds. For youth who “age out” of care, statistics predict a heart-breaking road ahead. Their likelihood of experiencing virtually any ill known to humanity is dramatically higher than for their peers who have families. This includes everything from homelessness, human trafficking, unemployment, prostitution, crime, incarceration, physical illness, etc.
We are so thankful for the opportunity to minister to young people like Jonathon all around the world. Join us in praying that Christ would encourage Jonathon, and meet his needs.
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