Saturday, July 30, 2011

Getting ready for the "Red Carpet"

I will never stop smiling as I hear that word "red carpet".  When we started building our first home
I constantly heard this word and thought that maybe a carpet was being laid on the outside veranda floor.  I remember thinking to myself, would it be safe from the outside elements?  To my dismay the red carpet  represented the iron sheets for the roof.  Over 200 of them on the building the men are constructing at the moment.  We should be finished that process at the end of next week but in the meantime, we would like to show you our beautiful building as it stands today.




Looking down "Barb's Lane" you can see the children's home on your right facing the staff home on the left.  This gives you an idea to the size of the property the homes and latrines sit on.   The gardens for growing food will be on the far left in amongst the avocado and mango trees.




The children's latrines has been started with left over bricks from the first home.  We will be completing this building as soon as the staff home and doctor Isaac's clinic is finished.  Thank you Warren and Carolyn for donating the medicine to make this clinic a reality and providing comfort to the children struggling with the many illnesses in Uganda.




I must share this story with you as it touches my heart personally with my daughter and her family.  They made a decision to send a box of clothes DHL because as we know, it gets there safely by doing it this way.  We have a DHL office very close to our project, so off it went from Seattle Washington.  From USA to Uganda it took 3 days.  I must say at great cost but how can you put a value on this?    




Thank you Kim and Chris for caring for these little ones and for all the work you have done towards Jaaja Barb's Home of Angels.  Thank you also for sending money each month to little Nathan and his family as they suffer more and more each day.  You have put such a smile on their faces with food and water.




Smiles are worth a thousand words




As you all know,  I am planning to move to our new home for 5 months out of the year when it is completed.  Edwin and his brothers thought I should have a little of the western world with me so take a look at this special tree.





Meet my new dining room table and chairs.  Apparently we will also have another couple of sets made from the left over wood.  Anyone coming for a visit will enjoy their meals on these beautiful handmade works of art.  Thanks Edwin, Isaac and David for my gift of love.


We would also like to thank Jody Shaw and the students of Mission Secondary's Restorative Justice program for donating $500.00 to our Home of Angels.  We are very grateful to all of you for thinking of us and supporting such a worthwhile cause.




Claire Huang presenting Barb Giraud with a cheque


Celeste Matthews, Claire Huang, Amber Chong and Emiko Newman, all 11th grade students  from Heritage Woods Secondary School in Port Moody, decided they would also like to help our Home of Angels.  The girls decided to bake their own banana bread and sell it at the school's Dessert Jazz night, a music fundraiser.  The school's philanthropy group called "Kodiaks With a Purpose" donated money for the ingredients and the students started baking.  They recruited friends to help and used the school food room.  After baking 20 loaves, it was time to sell.  They raised $350.00 on the actual Jazz Evening and decided to continue with the project.  At the end of it all, they raised $777.90, all the time focusing on "Kids helping Kids".

We would also like to thank our wonderful friends who have stood by us this past year with prayer and funding.  Your generosity is so appreciated.  We really do call you all our "Angels" from North America.  

Thanks so much from Edwin, David, Isaac and I







Sunday, July 17, 2011

A cow named "Faithful" provides all the water for our Home of Angels

The most precious commodity in our world today is water. We cannot live without it.  When we started this project last year, our main concern was providing water for our Home of Angels.  Our wonderful friends Tom and Laury have come to the rescue and water has now become a reality.  They have offered to sell their prize cow "Faithful" in order to contribute to our dream.  The survey has been completed with water found on the property that will supply drinking and irrigation for our gardens.  We will keep you updated as the wells go in but in the meantime, how wonderful are these two people.  We love you Tom and Laury.......



Tom and Laury with "Faithful"


"Faithful"  is Laury's special cow. 
They sacrificed her for the love of kids without drinking water...Wow



For those of you who have been following the story of our little Nathan, I would like to share with you that he is not doing well.  Poverty being poverty and without proper sleeping conditions, my daughter Kim and her husband Chris took it upon themselves to provide a bed, mattress, blankets, pillows and a mosquito net.  Edwin and his brothers fit it into their tiny room so that they would have some comfort in this time of so much pain.  Proud to call you both family...a big thanks is given to you each day as Edwin visits them.  They are also very grateful for the eggs and special food you bought for them.


Nathan can't stop feeling his soft blanket....what a special treat this is


The roof is going up. In two weeks the iron sheets or "red carpet" as they call it, will be on.



This is "Barb's Lane".  Remember it was just a path?  Well now it is lined with palm trees and shubs
with many flowers starting to germinate.  All this is due to the hard work of an orphan named Brian who you see sitting on the road.  He comes every day to water and takes great pride in his work.  Brian is now hired to be our gardener.


The "Home of Angels"

 

We are blessed with people wanting to help us to help these kids.  One family already sent a letter of compassion to a little one and changed this child's life already.  She treasures this letter with the picture of a family who has given her hope.  I would bet she takes it to bed with her...Seen that happen many times.

Once again Edwin and I would like to thank all of you who support us, whether it be monetary, spiritual or just an encouraging note from time to time.  We have heard words in Jinja that this is going to be the most loving home around and Edwin says "In all of Africa".  I think he may be right.