Jonathan and Andrea Dowell are missionaries with Agape Children’s Ministry. Agape works to rescue children off the streets of Kisumu, Kenya with the ultimate goal of reintegrating them back with their family. There are four primary components, called the four “Rs”, to Agape’s ministry: rescue, redeem, rehabilitate, and reintegrate. Throughout these processes, Agape staff and missionaries share the redeeming love of God with each child and help prepare the child mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to return home to their family. Jonathan and Andrea’s primary responsibilities at Agape include program development as well as discipleship and training of the more than 80 Kenya staff members.
Our goal is to remove children from the helplessness, hopelessness, and life-threatening dangers of being on the streets and, in a loving Christian environment, provide for their basic physical needs for safety, shelter, food, clothing, and medical care. The Outreach Team members are on the streets every day building relationships with the children on the streets. They hold daily devotional times in the park and listen to the stories of each child, identifying those who are ready to come to Agape and begin the process of preparing for reintegration back home. We also work closely with the local government-run juvenile facility and identify children who have completed the process there and are ready to come to Agape and participate in our rehabilitation programs.
Our goal is to share the life-changing message of the Gospel both with children at Agape and with those remaining in the streets. Biblical teachings are presented daily by our outreach team to children living on the streets and they are also woven throughout the children’s daily activities on campus, including morning and evening chapel, discipleship class, Reasons to Believe class where the Gospel message is clearly presented, Biblically-based counseling, and afternoon group devotion time. Helping to lead a child to Christ and then discipling them in their faith is the ultimate purpose of our ministry. Only as the Lord transforms children’s hearts is our ministry truly meaningful and effective.
Our goal is to help the children develop holistically and prepare them to be reintegrated at home where they can live a productive, contributive, Christ-centered life as they become an adult. Each child who comes on campus is assessed academically, psychologically, and spiritually to determine their specific needs. An individual rehabilitation plan is then created for each child listing the goals that should be met in each area before reintegration as well as the amount of time needed to accomplish these goals. The child participates in one-on-one counseling, remedial education, and spiritual discipleship based on their needs in order to meet the goals created for each of the three areas.
Our goal is to reunite children with their families and restore the community around the family. While the child is working on their own personal rehabilitation goals on campus, our social workers are visiting their home and family members in the field in order to identify the best home for placement and prepare the family members. When the child has met their rehabilitation goals and both the child and family are ready, the child is reintegrated back home. Our staff then continues visiting the child and family and empowers them through training, emotional counseling, and spiritual discipleship. These frequent home visits continue until the family and child are stabilized and the child reaches adult age.
We raise our own support through monthly or one-time donations from family and friends to cover all daily living expenses (groceries, health insurance, rent, utilities, etc.) Our monthly need is $3,000 per month, though we are not yet fully supported. God has faithfully provided for us through previous one-time donations that are currently bridging our gap in funding, but at this current rate our reserve will be depleted by the end of 2015. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us financially, either through a one-time or monthly donation? We truly appreciate your willingness to consider supporting us. We rest in the fact that God will continue to provide for our needs because He has called us to this work here in Kenya.
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Check out the following ways you can get involved in supporting Agape. The Winco Foods Portland Open, Portland Oregon's only PGA Tour event, is donating 100% of the ticket price to Agape . Sign up on Amazon Smile and .5% of your on-line purchases will be donated to Agape. Find out more ways you can support us by checking out the Agape Website.
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