Every week, between 400 and 600 children learn something new through the Nazareth Haus programs. Recently, the younger children made rulers; for many of them, it is often only here that they get to hold a pair of scissors or use glue. On this day, after engaging in gross motor skill activities on the playground, they were also able to practice their fine motor skills through coloring and crafts. They then tried their hand at measuring and immediately got a taste of math and numbers. Spiritually, the focus was on God’s immeasurable love— “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:18). .

Even during free play, the goal is to convey acceptance, love, and joy to the children. During these times, certain children repeatedly stand out as needing more support or protection: for example, the boy with wounds on his ears inflicted by his grandfather as punishment, or the little girl whose grandmother waits for her at the gate and has an injured hand—a wound inflicted by her son, the girl’s father, while drunk. We inquire, we pray, we conduct home visits, go to different government agencies if necessary, and ultimately entrust these situations to God when no further options remain on our part. We have now been able to enroll the two children from these examples in our sponsorship program, which allows us to offer them greater stability, future prospects, family counseling, and much more.