Sangaalo Sponsorships

Well, after a week at Sangaalo, we have now officially rolled out sponsorships for these precious children!  Below are the babies who still need someone to SPEAK UP for them:



Andrew

Bobby

Faith

Grace

James

Jennifer



Julie

Noah

Sam

Samalie



Sara

I truly cannot even put into words what I think about this place.  If you wonder whether or not doing something like this makes a difference, I can tell you that it ABSOLUTELY does here.  I wish every one of you could meet Damalie and hear her story and spend just one day with them all.  She inspires me and I feel so blessed to be able to know her and watch her live out the Gospel.  So will you partner with her as she cares for the least of these?  Email shelley@hopegraftedin.org to start calling one of these adorable babies a member of your family. 

Kampala

I have finished spending a week here in Kampala, Uganda.  Looking back on it seems that it kind of filled the role of a recharge week.  I have had some good food, a chance to see a little of the city, and made some great new friends!  I didn't realize I needed such a time, but He knew and I am very grateful for it.  I now feel very ready to head out to Jinja to get back to 'work'.  Sangaalo is there waiting on us and I wait in excited anticipation of all He is going to do through them. 

Not a whole lot has happened here worth any value to anyone except me, but I'll try and recount anyways.  I have spoken to one of the adoption orphanages and I did not get as favorable of a response as I had hoped for.  But if there is one thing I have learned He is faithful and I trust Him.  I have also been volunteering at the orphanage, doing things like hanging out laundry, washing dishes, sorting clothes, holding newborns, playing with toddlers, changing babies, feeding kiddos, and putting them all to bed.  It has been fun and stressful and exhausting and awesome!  I have been able to go to church for the first time in 2 months to a place that felt like home plus encounter a bit of OK.  I spent an indescribable evening with ex-street boys.  I had lunch with a teammate from my first trip to Uganda.  And to top it off I have spent time with some incredible people from all over the world: England, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Austria, and New Zealand! 

It has been a very good time and I look forward to coming back here in a couple weeks to visit.

I so love how He loves me.

Uganda Bound

Well, it is official, I am heading to Uganda! 

The LORD has opened several doors and changed around what I originally thought the plan was.  With the closed door on adoption in Kenya, I began looking into the country that really stole my heart in the first place, Uganda.  There is a children's home there that does international adoptions.  I have arranged a meeting with them to begin discussing whether or not I can use them.  I'm totally taking this move on faith as I have no idea whether or not the answer will be yes.  I am just trusting that it is, and if it is not that this will lead me to the next place.  One part of me is very excited, anxiously awaiting all that He has for me there. And then the other part of me is nervous and hesitant all over again as I make yet another leap of faith not knowing where I will land.

In addition to this piece, it is now time for us at HGI to begin our work with another orphanage.  I will be going there to assist them in getting their children ready for sponsorships and see what else we can do to enable them to operate more fully. 

Kenya has been amazing and I am so humbled that I was given the privilege to be a part of what He is doing in this place.  I am very excited to see the future implications of the work we have started and watch from afar now as Haven begins to stand a little more on their own.  I will miss this place, but there is no doubt that it has become a part of me and I will never truly leave it behind. 

LORD God pave this road before me; make the rough places smooth and the crooked places straight.  May it all be for your glory. 

Two More

Today is one of those days where all you want to do is break down and cry, but you know that if you started there would be no stopping. The kind of crying from your gut where you can’t breathe. Today two more orphans have names, faces, and stories. 

Kelvin about 5 or 6 and Lucy about 3 or 4, brother and sister.

I watched as Nellie and the staff agonized over a call this afternoon from the District Officer. A court case just happened today and 4 children need a home. They have called all the other homes in the area and nobody can take them. Here the children are already 3 to a bed and struggling to have enough food to eat and yet Nellie can’t bring herself to say no. The alternative is worse as the children would have to stay in a jail cell where they get beat up and sodomized. She has seen it herself. So with pain, HOH takes in two more. The children are brought in dirty, with tear stained cheeks, looking frightened as can be. With a 3 minute exchange they are dropped off and ushered into the home. Haven’s kids are wonderful as a couple volunteer to bathe them, others go and get some of their clean clothes, and then even others agree to share their bed. This is a great place for these kids to be. They will be loved, they will be fed and clean, they will have a chance for a life altering relationship with a sponsor from the states; but regardless of that it leaves me sick in the pit of my stomach. This situation should NEVER happen. Intellectually I know it does, and I know that this is a good alternative, but to watch it transpire is almost more than I can take. This is not how it was designed to be. No child should ever have to experience this, to be this scared and alone, to be hungry and dirty and mistreated. And the realization that we are not Home yet hits harder than ever before. Finding comfort that there is One who is Father to the fatherless and praying He holds them in His arms tonight.

 

HOH goes to Fiwagoh

I had the greatest privilege today!  I was able to arrange for all of Haven's children and staff to go to Fiwagoh for a day of playing and lunch. 

What a rare chance this is for all of the HOH family to get out and have a little fun.  There were shrieks and waving every time one matatu would pass another one.  Chatter and more shrieks when they spotted Lake Elementaita.  Then we arrived and they couldn't believe it. 

We immediately went to the field and they played for hours.

And the adults were no different, acting like kids themselves!

We then washed up and had a wonderful lunch prepared by the Fiwagoh family.

I think that I smiled non-stop today, rejoicing in His delight of us.  That He would give us this sweet blessing all because He loves to lavish His love on His children.  These are the moments that make it ALL worth it. 

And I think the silence on the ride home was a sure sign of success...as most fell asleep :)

N.A.C.H.I.

Haven of Hope is part of an incredible community organization here.  It is called Nakuru Children's Home Initiative (NACHI).  It gathers together all of the hundreds of children's homes in Nakuru county.  They meet once a month and discuss how they can help each other.  If they are having trouble with a particular child they counsel each other on how to address them.  They befriend one another with prayer and support.  This is the first organization of its kind in all of Kenya.  They decided to have an event in order to showcase themselves to the community, to gain awareness and support.  All the homes were invited to bring their children along for the festivities.  We took the older ones with us.

waiting in line for balloon hats

After some of the homes marched into the park, they had lots of entertainment for the children.  Different homes would do a skit, dance, song, etc.

these guys were incredible!!

Uncle Joseph even did the DJ work

Afterward they provided lunch and cake for the kids

It was a very fun day!

New School Shoes

We launched a project last week asking people to donate towards new school shoes for the HOH kids, as theirs were in very bad shape.  In just one week people stepped up and provided every dollar (or schilling!) to make this possible.  The kids and the staff were over the moon!  We split them into two groups in order to make going to town slightly easier.  Yesterday we took the 13 younger ones. 

13 littles and 2 adults in this 1 tuk tuk!

I think the workers had as much fun as we did!

my guy Mirex wearing his first pair of school shoes

ready for school!

Today we took the other 12 kids to get their shoes. They were just as excited!

Beatrice loving her shoes



Shaquil admiring his shoes



 

To all of you who gave THANK YOU so much!  You made these kids' day.