thepromise Orphan’s Promise newsletter | August 2018
giving hope. promising love.
Orphan’s Promise newsletter | August 2018
training centers flourish in Armenia by Karen Springs Regional Manager Orphan’s Promise
thepromise
Fifty children dressed in coordinating red attire stood before me, brown eyes beaming, as they sang in beautiful unison, “God will make a way, where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for me.” The words, sung as a declaration, reminded me of how— over the last nine years—we have witnessed firsthand as God made a way for hundreds of vulnerable children in Armenia. He made it possible for them to receive an education, build relationships with caring Christian adults, and experience the transforming love of Jesus. The performance I was watching marked a special day at our center in the village of Mrgashat. It was their endof-year graduation, and I was afforded the honor of handing out the diplomas that commemorated completion of our year-long program. Orphan’s Promise provides after-school lessons in English, Life Skills, and Computer skills, as well as some fun electives for children who
might otherwise fall through the cracks. Smiles flashed across faces as individual names were called for each child to come forward, and I could hear hints of laughter as I stumbled through the Armenian pronunciation of their names. Suren, Tatev, Armine, Julietta, Ruzana— each name represented a beautiful child, each with their own stories of hardship and hope. While on this trip to Armenia, I was able to visit the four training centers that Orphan’s Promise supports. With their nation’s weak economy and a high cost of living, 32% of Armenian families live below the poverty line and parents struggle to provide for their children. Due to high unemployment rates and low wages, many fathers end up leaving to find work in neighboring Russia. Sadly, many of these fathers abandon their families altogether, starting another life and leaving their wives and children in Armenia. I heard this story all too frequently among the kids in our centers.
32% of Armenian families are living below the poverty line
thepromise
WHERE WE COME IN Thanks to a partnership with local churches and Armenian believers, we are bringing hope into these impoverished communities by reaching out to nearly 400 vulnerable and at-risk children each month—providing a safe and welcoming place for them to learn and to build relationships. On one of my first trips to Armenia in 2013, I met three young girls who were attending our center in the village of Mrgashat. I remember vividly the day when Arpine, Milena and Lena came to greet me and share their gratitude about getting to attend our center. The girls told me of their desire to become interpreters and how, thanks to studying English at our center, they were being given the help they needed to have competitive English skills. Since these girls came from poor families in the village, the opportunity to get additional help with their English would have remained only a dream had it not been for the OP center. Now, five years later, I had the opportunity to sit down with the same girls and some of their friends to see how they were doing. I learned that all three girls are attending university and are on their way to gaining the degrees they need to become interpreters! As I listened to them share their accomplishments and their gratitude for our center I felt like a proud mama, so thankful that our local team has been able to walk alongside them through their formative years and provide them with the education they needed to pursue their dreams. Grateful for the teachers who invested in them, Arpine, Milena and Lena are now volunteering their time at the OP center and impacting the lives of other kids who have stories with which they can relate. “I have been so encouraged by the teachers here and how they are doing things for God’s glory,” Arpine shared. “I also want to serve the children in my community as I don’t want a child not to receive a good education for lack of money.”
Regional Manager Karen Springs (middle-left) with Arpine, Milena and Lena
thank you for investing in the future of our children
give us a call: 1-800-818-4016 orphanspromise.org Orphan’s Promise, a children’s ministry of The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., serves orphans and other vulnerable children around the world, taking them from at-risk to thriving through the transforming power of God’s love. CBN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization and your contributions to our ministry are tax-deductible.