About Us

Into Abba's Arms is a non-profit foundation established in May of 1999 after a calling from the Lord to help the homeless children of Kenya. We have established a U.S. board as well as a Kenyan board. We acquired our 501(c)3 in 1999 and our NGO (Non-Governmental Organization Status) in Kenya, in May 2000.

 

Our Mission Statement:
According to James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans . . ." Through Christ's provision, Into Abba's Arms will establish a haven of comfort, hope, and love for children in need. Our purpose is to help them develop their identities in Christ and to nurture their desire to be channels for sharing God's goodness and grace.

Our Statement of Faith:
Into Abba's Arms is a faith-based organization that acknowledges:

• The authority and inerrancy of Scripture
• The Trinity
• The full deity and humanity of Christ
• The spiritual brokenness of the human race
• The substitutionary atonement and bodily resurrection of Christ
• Salvation by faith alone in Christ alone
• Christ has sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all who profess faith in Him
• God hears and answers prayer, and
• The physical return of Christ

Testimony from Our Founder - Jane Gravis

In the summer of 1997, I woke in the middle of the night from having a dream about Africa. This was odd because I never had any interest in Africa or desire to go. The following Sunday I saw in the church bulletin that there was an interest meeting for those who wanted to go to Africa on a mission trip. I saw a friend the next day and explained about the dream and the subsequent announcement at church. She smiled and said, "Here's your first dollar... you are going to Africa."

While on this mission for God in Kenya, I met a man named Nicodemus. He asked me what I did back in America. I told him I was a dental hygienist, but also volunteered for an organization called CASA which represented children who were placed in the custody of the state due to abuse and neglect.

Later he came to me and spoke of the many children who were homeless, left on the streets with no place to go. He said that many would come to him begging for food and shelter.

He talked about the death of many parents due to AIDS, malaria, and tribal clashes, which left many children displaced. It had become a burden on his heart and the people of his church, but there just weren't enough funds or willing families to take them in. It was hard enough for them to take care of their own families. The average home already had 10 people.

As he described these children, I could feel my heart sinking, but what could I do. All I could say was "I'm sorry, and I will pray for these children."

For the rest of the trip, the faces of the children haunted me, and I couldn't stop thinking of the conversation with Nicodemus. I wondered how God must have felt about these children. I wondered what their lives were like on the streets. This continued to occupy my thoughts. After I returned home, I couldn't sleep peacefully. I kept telling God it was too BIG for me and I do not have experience. He kept telling me it was not too BIG for Him and that He would guide me.

I went back to Kenya the following year of 1998 and the Lord confirmed the vision as the doors began to open. By 1999, people were starting to show an interest and join in on the vision. There was great opposition along the way, but the Lord always confirmed His will by placing people in my path to encourage me and pray.

Jane Gravis

Our Work