Hope is Truly Alive at Hope Children's Home
Lori Salley
Jun 4, 2008

We have been busy preparing for the high school team that is arriving tonight our time (Tuesday morning in the USA).  Mike is on his way right now to pick all 25 people up as well as over 60 bags from the airport .  I stayed behind, so that I can write this update.

We went out to Hope Children's Home today.  It was a public holiday here today, so all the children were out of school.  When we pulled up to the home, the children were all doing chores.  Some children were pumping water from our well that was dug last June.  Some of the children were washing clothes and others were cleaning the floors in the house.

The children at Hope have the sweetest hearts ever.  I could just sit with them forever. They love to play with your hair (the hair on your head as well as the hair on your arms).  They love to inspect your hands and fingernails too.  Today some of the boys found an old sports page from a newspaper.  They were reading aloud to us about soccer.  Later, a boy named Hakim ran to get a notebook.  He is prepared for all the new visitors.  He has created pages of English words and translated them in the local language, Luganda.  He was giving me a lesson today!  My name here in Uganda sounds like Roli (instead of Lori).

I wanted to share one short story with you. Last September when I arrived to Hope Children's Home with my team, two little girls, ages 5 and 3 had been dropped off in front of the home.  Apparently, the father of these two girls, no longer wanted them.  Their names are Cynthia (goes by Maxie now) and Lynette.  They were so sad looking and very withdrawn.  Lynette would not even let me hold her.   The first day on this trip when we arrived to Hope, Lynette was one of the first to greet us!  She has the most beautiful smile and is so full of JOY!  It makes me alive inside when I think of her when she first arrived and now.  She is so happy!  I have attached a short video of Lynette and another little girl named Grace along with Papa Mike. (You may remember Grace's story from last June. (click here to view the post from September, 2003) Her mother put her and her sister Maria out on a busy street, hoping that they would be killed by the cars.  Remember, these little girls are also 5 and 3). If you cannot see this video embedded below, click here to be directed to the Youtube link.