At the Mt. Elgone CarePoint launch in rural Kenya, one of the CarePoint staff noticed an excited and emotional 11-year-old girl named Altipute, clutching the profile photo card of her chosen Friend.
Altipute shared, “Since I was born, I’ve never had a dad. He has made many very bad choices and he is not in my life. I don’t have a father-figure in my life that I trust. I chose this man right here,” pointing to the picture of her new Friend. “I chose him to be my HopeChest Friend because he is a man who I want to speak into my life, as a dad might. I’m so very happy because this is an answer to prayer. I have been asking God for a long time to have a father-figure I can look up to, someone that would pray for me, someone I can trust and who cares about me. God has answered my prayers today!”
Altipute’s story demonstrates the power of the Friendship Model, an innovative approach that we hope to lead in the ministry world, so more children can experience a voice and choice within child sponsorship.
