It's all about "Kids"

I think I could write a book about our own "Kids helping Kids".  What a breath of fresh air they are
and the ideas they come up with are incredible.  You will see in the pictures below of just two examples where kids took it upon themselves to raise money for our Home of Angels.  We are all so proud of them for their hard work and dedication to make this difference.  Any of you trying to start something in another part of the world, put a child into the equation and you will see amazing things happen.

This will be the last blog before we leave for Uganda.  It's exciting to think that next month we will be showing you the opening of our home and all the activities involved.  We promise to make you feel like you are right there with us when we do it.  The first 13 children will soon be uniting as a family, to love and care for each other and know they have a secure safe home.  Edwin has been working hard to make this happen and I can honestly say that I cannot wait to see the changes from when I was last there.  Pictures are not the same as walking into that compound...I already have goosebumps.

The 3rd phase will be starting soon with the final wall being built around the entire 2 acres of gardens and chickens.  We have received a donations from the Heronbrook Foundation to get a good portion of the wall up.  We also want to thank Thomas for offering to buy the chickens.  Once this is completed,  gardens planted and the chickens producing, we can bring in the next 45 children who are waiting to join their new family.  At this time, we will celebrate our official "Grand Opening".

Shantel, one of the employees at the Whatcom Save on Foods store took it upon herself to have a massive bottle drive to raise money for us.  She even contacted the Carrie Underwood concert and was able to secure their bottles which were truckloads.  Her kids, Brooklyn, Kayden and Tauni (above) worked for 10 hours sorting and bagging them all.  Inside we sold banana bread and Sarah with Mom (left) and Isabella (right) manning the booth. Thanks to their wonderful demeanour and interaction with the customers, we were able to sell all the loaves.  A big thanks to Save on Foods for allowing this event to happen.

Katelyn is turning 12 years old and wanted to do something to raise money for our Home of Angels too. She came up with the idea of baking not gingerbread, but took the name of our town Jinja and named them  JinjaBread.  You can go to JinjaBread.ca and see her website and if you would like to order, the form is there.  Katelyn is also giving up her birthday presents and is requesting donations instead.  She wanted to serve God in her very own way and I would say He is up there right now smiling down on her.  We are so proud of you Katelyn for taking on this huge task.  

The main house is finished.  Gardens are in and the grass is flourishing with the rains and the hot sun.

All 3 kitchens are completed with cabinets and countertops.

It is normal practice to have a sink in the sitting room or what we call living room.  

Sunflowers growing around the perimeter and I can see my 65th birthday present ahead...avocado tree

The second children's home will be finished at a later date.  We are now going to concentrate on the wall encircling the 2 acres of gardens first.  Once that is completed, the next project will be to plaster this house and get it ready for the 45 kids waiting to come and live with us.

This is our cookhouse.  We have hired a cook that has known the children for most of their lives and she really loves them all.  In order for the smoke not to linger inside, a special outlet has been built on the roof.  On the right is a room to store food and utensils. 

You can also see the amount of vents on the side to protect the cook from the smoke inside.

And finally, Richard is still hard at work making the paving stones.  He has made 22,000 by hand and has another 6,000 to finish.  This boy works so hard and doesn't stop.  Clothes might be ripped, wheelbarrow is broken but Richard just plugs along.  New outfit and gloves are on the way from Canada for this boy.


Thanks again to all of you who have contributed in some way.  We have a special girl named Rachel going to Heritage Wood Secondary school who is baking banana bread and selling it at the staff and student functions.  Cheers to the kids at Chilliwack High who sold bread at their fundraiser for us.
All the kids who have helped us over the past few years, we will never forget any of you.   From your prayers to your donations, Edwin and I are very grateful.  We still have a ways to go before we can accommodate all 57 children, but we know the blessings are pouring down on us from above and you are a part of those blessings.  CTV has also just finished a story on us which will be airing sometime this coming week.

If anyone does wish to send a donation, I have someone at my house who will be collecting all my mail.  Please still make it out to MMF as you will get a tax receipt, but address the envelope to:

Barb Giraud
#96-32691 Garibaldi Drive
Abbotsford, B.C.  V2T 5T7

Thanks again for following our story and supporting us to make this dream come true for these children.

Bless you all....