Into Abbas Arms Foundation

Into Abba's Arms was founded in May 1999 by Jane Gravis.  In the summer of 1997, Jane went to Kenya on a mission trip and met a man named Nicodemus.  He asked Jane about her life back in the United States and she told him about her career as a dental hygienist and her volunteer experience with CASA, an organization which represents children who are placed in the custody of the state due to abuse and neglect.  Nicodemus later came back to Jane and spoke about the many children in Kenya who were homeless and left on the streets with nothing.  He went on to discuss 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.  Jane quickly felt her heart sink as she heard about these children and continued to pray for them.  For the remainder of her trip, Jane could not stop thinking about the stories Nicodemus told her about the homeless children in Kenya.  After she returned home, she couldn't rest peacefully as her thoughts were focused on these precious children.  Jane kept telling God helping these children on her own was too big of a task for her and that she didn't have the experience necessary.  In return, God kept telling Jane it was not too big for Him and He would guide her. 

In 1998, Jane returned to Kenya 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 Jane's path to encourage her and pray.

In May 1999, Jane established Into Abba's Arms Foundation, an orphanage in Kinangop, Kenya.  The orphange has welcomed its arms to a total of 42 children.  Into Abba's Arms' mission statement is as follows: 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.

Into Abba's Arms works to change the lives of orphans in Africa by bringing them the love of Christ.

Our work focuses in these areas:

1. To provide a loving home environment for orphans who are left with no parents or families.
2. To reach out to our surrounding community in the name of Christ.
3. To take mission teams from the US to minister the our orphans, the surrounding community and other orphanages struggling to provide for their orphans.

We prefer to call the orphanage in Kinangop a home because it not only provides for the children's physical needs but also for their emotional and spiritual needs. This is achieved by creating a nurturing, home environment where there is one house mom for every ten children. It is our vision to someday provide a home for 75 children.

The vision for IAA also includes helping the community in three main ways. First, we provide the community with access to clean water. Second, we will open a clinic on the site which is available to everyone. Third, this facility will be a free training and spiritual center for the staff, personnel, and house parents of the locally operated orphanages in the country.