“Tembeeeeeeeee!”
I looked up from my laptop. I had finally found a few minutes to sneak away from the kids and work. The orphanage buzzed with activity from morning until night, with 49 active children of all ages.
“Come, come, come!”
Brent* motioned his hands with an urgent smile. I closed my laptop. The work could wait. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me outside. Brent is 9 years old. He and his two siblings have been at King’s Garden Children’s home for several years. His mother had mental challenges. When I asked what happened to his mom, he just shook his head. “She is dead.” When I asked what happened to his dad, he got a mischievous grin on his face, “Eaten by a shark!” I’m still not sure what happened to his dad. Brent has severe ADHD and is probably borderline autistic. He also has a heart of gold and is always looking for was to help.
“Over here!” We rounded the corner to the play area and I could see all the children were out under the covered courtyard, playing basketball, volleyball, and other made-up games.
“Sit, you sit here.” Brent found a plastic chair and brought it over to me.
“Ok, bye-bye!” He scurried back inside. I smiled, and felt a pang in my heart. Brent just wanted to make sure I wasn’t alone. He brought me to where I was surrounded by people. I wasn’t alone. And within seconds, I was mobbed by laughing, loving kids, ready to play.
The Philippines has 1.9 million orphans. King’s Garden Children’s Home cares for children who have been abandoned, neglected, abused, or whose parents simply can’t care for them due to poverty, illness, or prison. Legally, there is a foster care system that was legislated in 2012, but it isn’t part of the culture yet. Most children are placed in institutions until their parents can care for them again, or they can be adopted, or they age out of the system.
I grew up hearing about King’s Garden. My great-Aunt, Lois Prater, started the home in 1994 at the age of 78. A man desperate to provide for his 6 children, offered to sell Lois his baby for the 
equivalent of $40. It broke her heart. She returned to the U.S., sold her home and all her possessions, and came back to the Philippines with $20,000 to buy property and build a children’s home. It wasn’t enough, but as more people heard her story, they generously contributed their time, money, and connections help the home get started. Today, King’s Garden has 35 bedrooms, a commercial kitchen, dining and gathering areas, play rooms, and a few offices. Outside, hundreds of coconut, banana, and mango trees fill out the 12-acre property, along with some dogs, goats, cows, and a few snakes!
When I arrived 10 days ago, there were 49 children. Since then, two have been reunited with their families. Twenty-five staff members care for the children and run the administration side. They all have a love for the children here and embrace their work as a ministry. Aunt Lois left when she was nearly 90 (!) – although she still traveled back a few times before her death in 2013 at the age of 100. Since then, there have been three directors of King’s Garden. Pastors Jonathan and Vanessa Capone, from Lake Stevens, WA, were asked to lead the home this summer, and have an incredible love and passion for these kids. Jonathan is gifted in business, and Vanessa taught special education. They moved to the Philippines with their four children and immediately put their skills to work, loving kids, organizing finances, and sharing the story of precious children who need families.
The Philippines doesn’t have a strong history of domestic adoption. Our social worker here says she’s never processed one. Most adoptions come from the U.S. or Europe. The process is long. Finding paperwork, proving births, establishing surrender or abandonment, medical checks, visas, and lots and lots of stamps on every page. The goal is that children won’t be in the home for more than two years, but some live here their whole childhood. The government oversight agency is understaffed and under resourced, so it can take years to push through approvals. The children just wait.
The orphanage is supported almost entirely by private donations. The Filipino government has no funding or grants available for institutions that care for needy children. There are a few large donors, but the majority of support for King’s Garden comes from small donations, amounts that you know were given sacrificially. The needs are huge, especially once you consider the options that open up with funding. Brent, my 9-year-old friend, can’t read. The schools here aren’t equipped to educate special needs children. He needs a tutor and some therapy. Many of these children have come from horrific backgrounds. They need more attention, more counseling, more resources.
The goal of King’s Garden is to see their children thrive physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Hearing the stories of some of these children makes me wonder how they can possibly overcome what they’ve been through. Alice* came to King’s Garden several years ago, covered in scars and deformities. Her mother had been murdered, and she was sent to live with relatives who brutally abused her. Her life is still in danger. When she arrived, she was quiet and withdrawn, and particularly wary of men. She was embarrassed by her disfigurements, trying to cover them as much as she could.
Alice led the morning Bible study last week. She smiled as she spoke from her carefully prepared, handwritten notes. She is in her early teens, but radiated confidence as she shared her teaching with a room full of nearly 50 children and about 15 adults. She spoke of a loving God who is a father to the orphaned. She spoke of the hope she has because of her faith. She spoke directly to the younger children, “Don’t cry. You are loved.” She started crying herself when she said this. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
Alice will have more challenges to overcome, but she is not a victim. The care and love she experienced here has allowed her to become a young woman full of grace and beauty. She is why this home exists.
Every life here is a story. The children, the staff, the neighborhood, the community. I’ve been here 10 days and am just in love with everyone I’ve met. There’s been laughter, tears, great food, good friendships, and one giant python. I feel so blessed, and I’m just getting started. More to come!
*Children’s names and some details have been changed to protect their identity.
Learn more about King’s Garden Children’s Home here.
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation, you can do so here.