Happiness begins with a "Smile"

Giggles and laughter are the sounds you hear from early morning until bedtime.  Such a happy sound from children who had previously experienced sadness, struggles and loneliness.  Our first seven kids have made the adjustment, knowing we love them and will not abandon them.  There are rules and there is structure but if they truly want to be in this family, they will be with us until 18 years old.  We will give them the ability to go out into the world with a trade and survive.  We will give them love and a sense of belonging to build the self esteem that most of them lack.  It all starts with a hug and a smile.

Jowell and Dennis arrived on a motorcycle just before I left.  It was so nice to watch the other kids welcome them and their sister, Joanne who already lives with us, be able to bond with her brother and sister for the first time.  These two children have really suffered and it will take extra time to heal.  I have no doubt that our kids living there will bring them around, teach them to be clean and value
themselves, but most of all teach them about Jesus who will never abandon them.  It's impossible to put the word "Thanks" into words for those of you who sponsor these kids.

The school they have been enrolled in is tough.  There is no doubt they will learn here but in order to do that, we had to place all but two back one year.  When a child cannot speak any English and has a 86% on their report card, you know something is wrong.  We only want them to succeed and will do whatever it takes.  We have been blessed with a special person that has donated money only for education within our compound. Besides the classroom she furnished and all the educational material, we still have enough money left to hire a coach to help them.  Thanks so much Nina from all of us.

Arrival day for Jowell and Dennis......They came by motorcycle (boda) and were welcomed by everyone.

Can you imagine 20 of these smiles?....can't wait

Uniform day for the new ones and a special picture with the Headmaster.  Thanks to all of you who sponsored these kids and allowed them to get a good education.  It will mean their survival in the future.

Before I left, the kids created a special song for Jaaja Barb, Uncle Edwin and all of you that helped them to have this home.  They memorized the words in English and I filmed it the day before I left.  It was amazing and eventually it will be on YouTube for you to also see.  Thanks Northview for the

Kid's Ministry t-shirts....they were a special touch.

Jaaja Barb and Uncle Edwin

Each child has his/her own garden.  They have been taught to plant, transplant and take care of them.

When the wall for our two acres is completed beside us, James, Sula and the children will finish planting there and harvesting.  We will have enough food for us and also for selling within the community to help us buy the rice and beans.   

The grass is now all planted.  Below this area, along the wall, we are hoping for a playground that our wonderful friends in London England are raising money for.  They are raising it by having a bike race.

Thanks Mark and Rachel for your determination in providing a way for fun within the compound.

If anyone would like to see, please go to:  

playawayuk.wordpress.com

We were all working in the compound when our Contractor John asked Edwin and I if we had just one little blanket we could spare.  There was a woman directly behind us that had just had a baby and had absolutely nothing.  Her husband had worked 2 weeks for us and we had given him a t-shirt when we arrived.  The baby was wrapped in that with a dirty curtain wrapped around that.  Paper bags on the window, no mosquito nets, no furniture.....not even a pot or pan.  We went into action and brought everything we could spare to help them out, including a curtain, mosquito net and bed for Mama and baby.  Thanks to Thomas in Hong Kong, we gave them one of the solar lights he donated so they could see at night.  It was her first and she delivered him herself.  Goes to show that the birthing kits had brought from Canada will be worthwhile over here.  We believe in education for these people and we will be having classes as soon as I go back to teach the women how to make them.  

The elderly and poor.  Thanks again to Lottie and
Marlaina for helping these two families to have
food.  Grandpa is 91 years old with grandchildren
to feed.  He has a hernia and arthritis but too old
for surgery so this food is a real blessing.
Sula and his family struggle terribly as others do
there, but you also have given hope to this family.
Sula now works for us and is trying to raise his
pigs so that he can take over the role of supporter
in this family.  Both men thank you so much.

There was no water for 4 days in our community.  We opened the well last week at 10am and closed at 8pm.  Total visitors to arrive were 1,300 with an average of 3-4 20 litre jerry cans each.  Edwin was water cop and they all minded his every word as you can see in this picture.  There comes a desperation when there is a lack of water over there.  They cannot cook, wash or clean their bodies without it.  Normally, at a boar hole you must pay also....we charge nothing so they come for miles around.  The children helped Edwin to keep them in lineups and all in all, it was a very rewarding day.  God blessed us with this well.  All the water taken had no effect on the water level.  Thanks Laury and Tom for selling your precious "Faithful" to provide life to so many people.

I'm home now, baking banana bread again and doing speaking engagements in order to raise money.  We realized that it takes more than we thought to keep it operating so we are now trying to put a sustainability program together in order for Uganda to carry on in the future. We have decided on 500 chickens which will produce eggs daily and provide an income selling them within the community.  Also, we would like to build a bakery on site to provide bread for ourselves and the many people around us. We have been given a quote of $6,000 which covers even the clientele.

We value your opinion as many of you have added your ideas in the past.  If anyone would like to either help us sponsor a child or throw some ideas around, we would be very open to listening. This Home of Angels belongs to everyone who wants to help in some way.  We couldn't have done any of it without you and we want to continue showing you all the results of changing lives.  God is using you all.

Pouring Down Blessings

Edwin and I have always said, we could never have completed this massive project alone.  Because of the Grace of God and all the people He put in our path, we have created a warm loving home for kids.  Thanks to all of you who donated or sent messages of encouragement to help us grow.

When we listen to the kids prayers at night and watch them march off to church holding hands with each other, we know that our dream has come true.  These children have flourished in just a short time. It has been a month of learning and adjustments but as they grow, we know they will be moulded into good citizens of Uganda.

Our latest little one to arrive was Alan, age 2 1/2.  Alan was raised by his grandmother in a poor village north of us.  She has 8 other little grandchildren to look after so was very grateful to us for raising him.  We brought him home to find that he was very sick and undernourished.  He had bed bugs, lice, fungal disease, jiggers and Dr. Isaac had to deworm him.  The jiggers were the worst....a total of 24 of those nasty things in his fingers and toes. And then to top it off, a few days after arrival, he contracted malaria.  The life of a child in the African bush.

We are waiting for three more children to arrive from the north.  Once they are here, we will be enrolling all the children into Victoria Junior Academy, a 5 minute walk from us.  We have chosen this school because of it's strength in academics and class sizes.  A normal class here consists of 116 children.  Victoria Junior Academy averages 32 students and much more individual attention is given.

We would like to share the last month with you......

The grass hut where all meals are eaten and meetings held.

The kids playing in the yard.

The 8' wall has been built for the sustainability program but still must be plastered.  Once it is, we can start planting our vegetable gardens and raising the chickens.

Thank you Warren and Carolyn for setting up Dr. Isaac in his clinic.  The reception office is almost complete along with his cabinets for medicine.  We have had an ultra-sound machine donated from the USA which will be set up in a medical examination room.

Aunty Aidha and Aunty Aidha cooking food for the children

The children on their way to church.  Sam and Joseph are such boys....walking ahead

Barbara has now moved in with us and is teaching the kids how to make thank you cards for all the people who have helped us.  She has helped me so much with the techniques to teach English in the  Ugandan way.  We even have little Alan counting to 10 already.

Each child will start planting their own garden.  They are in the process of clearing the land.

Aunty Aidha is teaching the girls how to wash clothes properly.

Our English lessons on the back stairs

Edwin and Joseph

We opened the well to the community last week.  Hundreds of people came due to lack of rains.  We are blessed to have so much clean water to share with the poor and as long as we have it, we will continue to do this.

The Abbotsford Gleaners sent me off with 1,200 meals.  We took 100 of those meals to Alan's
village to feed them before we brought him home with us.  Everyone enjoyed it, as it had been prepared in the traditional Ugandan way.

Both Aunties prepared it a special way for Ugandan taste bud.

We will be judged by "I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was naked and you clothed me, I was homeless and you took me in.  "Hungry not only for bread, but hungry for love.....Mother Theresa

I will be departing for Vancouver on September 11th in order to raise money to put towards running our Home of Angels.  We have decided that in order to do a good job in raising these children, we will have to lower the count from 57 to 20 and put the money towards wages, food and finishing the sustainability program of gardens and chickens.  Once we can establish an income from the Ugandan side, we will be in a much better position.  In order to do this, we thought we could start a bakery in our community as there is none.  With our donated ultra-sound machine, Dr. Isaac is thinking he could charge the well-off people but will continue to help the poor at no cost.   With the wall going up, we would be able to raise money by growing maize, ground nuts and beans, all common staples in Uganda.  Then, with the chickens, we could sell the eggs at a profit and chickens for meat.  If we can build up a profit, we could then go to the deep villages for rice and beans to feed the children.

These are all things we would like to achieve but we know that in God's timing, they will happen.

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Becoming a Family

The day we've all  been dreaming about has finally arrived.  The workers finish their last minute preparations, the floors and beds are washed and off to the market we go for last minute items.    

Excitement is in the air as everyone participates in making our Home of Angels comfortable for our 10 very special little people.  It's just the start but until we can provide for the rest, find sponsors and complete the building, we will do this in God's timing.  He has taken us this far....He will not abandon us now.

This is Abby.  To give you an example of dedication and determination, he would walk 4 hours to our project every day.  At 5pm he would walk back home and again walk to fetch the water for his family.  He is the oldest and must provide.....but......because he never gave up, he now has a permanent job with us and can afford a ride back and forth each day.  He didn't give up and that is the example we want to teach these children moving in.

Sula and Derek cleaning the beds

Thank you Kerrie for working so hard to provide all the bedding.  We were also able to weld more beds for the children to follow and purchase mattresses, sheets and pillows for them also.

A hand painted and laminated name tag was made for each child by April.  Thank you for creating a big smile for each of these children.  That was really special for them.

A huge thanks to the Pin Cushion Collective women who worked tirelessly to make every child a special quilt for their bed.  We were able to bring many more this trip thanks to friends donating the costs of extra baggage.

Beds are made with a special chest at the foot of each bed to hold their valuables. This is a place for their personal things and I am noticing letters from sponsors being tucked away here for safekeeping.

I can't begin to imagine what it would be like to stand outside a gate with a single bag of  possessions knowing you are entering a place you will be able to call home.  A home where you don't need to be scared of the dangers in the night, a leaky roof where when raining, you are soaked sleeping.  You are entering a place that you are welcomed with love and with others you will now call your new family. A place where two wonderful women both named Sister Aida, will tuck you in at night and make sure you have food in your tummies before school.  But most importantly to know that our Father said    "No, I will not abandon you as orphans -- I will come to you." John 14:18 

Many people provide new outfits for these kids, but once given, it seems never to be seen again.  

I found out that they are only to be worn for church, funerals and very special occasions.  This was

a very special day as you can see by the beautiful dresses. 

Meet our Sam.  He was the only boy to arrive on this day due to complications with medicine to be provided for the other boys.  With Dr. Isaac's help, we will be bringing them in next week.  Everything is waiting for them.

This is Maryanne.  She is so happy to have her very own box for her personal things.  Her single bag of possessions are transferred into it and sponsor pictures and letters are put away safely.

The is Jowan with my daughter Kim.  Probably the first time I have seen her smile this big.  We are waiting for her brother and sister to come as soon as their school year finishes up north and they will live together for the first time.

This picture says it all

These men are the backbone of Jaaja Barb's Home of Angels.  Without you helping us and they working so hard, we could not have opened this soon.  Kim presented them all with a t-shirt and Edwin and I  had a thank you card with a token of our appreciation for all the hard work they have done to make it possible.

It's been 3 years and 2 months since we started this project.  We have come a long way in such a short time and we attribute it all to God.  He has miraculously placed each one of you in this journey with us, whether it's financial support, encouragement, or donating items for the home.  We need so many sponsors and thank you also for coming forward and offering.  That will always be an on-going necessity as the children come and Edwin and I are really grateful for your caring hearts.

I would also like to show you a campaign that "Cause Shirts Fundraising" is doing for us.  This will go thru August 11th, so if anyone would like to participate, that would be wonderful.  Be sure to watch us in the video.

http://www.causeshirts.org/

God bless you all

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....