Two Days Prior to Leaving

As I begin my packing to leave for India I am constantly reminded how great people are. Thank you to all of you who have donated books, candy, toiletries and many other items for me to take to the Sisters and the orphans in India. Reflecting and looking at the gifts as I am packing reminds me of what does it mean to be a volunteer. It means giving of you and doing something to better the experiences of another person’s life. Just because you are not getting on the airplane and traveling with us to India does not mean that you have not impacted or given of yourself to another person. I thank you all for your donations and prayers. See you as soon as I return.



Please take a moment and look at the directory of all of the orphanages. Home of Hope is part of this order. http://www.fmabangalore.com/directory.html

Sister Sophy's Visit to the United States

The Girls and Sister Char from Holy Names with Sister Sophy. Holy Names raised money for the orphanage. Sister Sophy came to say thank you.

The girls of Holy Names Academy are rising leaders of the Seattle area. Brooke Burns of Holy Names will be traveling with me to Kochi, India on Sunday, June 28th. We will be in Kochi for two weeks so standby for pictures, updates etc.

Stuart and I welcomed Sister Sophy to Seattle!

Sister saying thank you!

Sister Sophy and Auntie Sheily arrive North Carolina (a day late but made it)!


Sister Sophy - boarding the airplane in Kochi. Sister Sophy had never (until now) traveled out of India.

Laura's Wedding

On May 17th Laura one of the orphans was married. The groom's name is Cleetus. The sisters said it was a great day...I wish Laura and Cleetus the best in the future.

Sister Sophy Arrives in the US

Two Days ago Sister Sophy and Auntie Sheily arrived safe and sound from Kochi, India. Sister Sophy will be coming to Seattle on April 20th. Please join me and others in welcoming her to Seattle on April 21st at 7pm for dinner. Email me at christinehenderson3@gmail.com if you would like to attend and I will give you further details. We will be talking live to the girls at the Orphanage via Skype and webcams so come and meet some of the girls that I was with in India. You will love them just as I do!

The Home of Hope Superstars

The Final Night...

Tonight was my final night at the Home of Hope and the girls danced, sang, wrote cards and poems for me. I knew leaving would be hard but had no idea that is was going to be this hard. The girls have said and written things that I will never forget. I am going to miss them sooooooooooo very much. There will not be a day that goes by that I do not think about them. I wish that I could bring them home with me or that I was closer to them. I will return to them one day. I cannot put in writing or describe how I feel right now...being with them has changed my life!!!!! I will share some of their writing with all of you upon my return.

I will be at the orphanage on the 24th - all day celebration. The remainder of my time in India will be seeing the country and some decompression time. I leave Kochi on the 28th and will be back in the States on March 1st. I look forward to fresh air and STARBUCKS HERE I COME. Oh yes, a real shower (not using a bucket), a comfortable bed, my doggies and a fine glass of merlot (2 ok maybe 3 glasses) will be on the agenda as well.

Thank you to Jon, Mom and Dad, my sisters and all my great friends who have stayed in constant contact with me while being here - I could not have done this without you...that is for sure!

More Pictures

Follow this link for new pictures to view:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jonathanmbayles/HomeofHomeSix?feat=directlink

New Pictures to View

To view the most recent pictures taken over the last week follow this link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jonathanmbayles/HomeofHopeFour?feat=directlink

And More Pictures

Here are some more pictures - http://picasaweb.google.com/jonathanmbayles/homeofhopethree?feat=directlink

And Some More Pictures

Follow this link - http://picasaweb.google.com/jonathanmbayles/HomeofHopeTwo?feat=directlink

Pictures from the Home of Hope

Enjoy them - here is the link and more to come - we love the girls so much!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/jonathanmbayles/homeofhope?feat=directlink

Update on the Home of Hope

St James Cathedral has a great update on the Home of Hope. Read through all of it and at the very bottom are some very good pictures of the girls I am with!!!

Look at their smiles...

http://www.stjames-cathedral.org/Main.htm - click on link that says Update Home of Hope, India - January 14, 2009.

Auxilium Centre

Here is the sign on the outside of the walls of the school/orphanage. As you can see school is held here for 500+ students, community training such as tailoring, computer skills, physical education and also the Home of Hope is located here. The orphaned girls go to school here and live here as well. The building behind the sign is the "old" building in the far back is the "new" building. They girls and the Sisters have not been able to move into the new building yet as they are still going through inspections. I hope that I will be here when they move into their new building. It is very nice and thank you to all who donated to the new building.

Learning My Word Coach

Preethy and Susy learning "My Word Coach" via Nintendo DS Lite. They played for 3 hours. I enjoyed teaching, playing and coaching them. They are really smart and pick up on English spelling very quickly.

Very Big Public Event

This was a very big day for the girls at the orphanage. They boarded an air conditioned bus to perform at a public event. They looked super smart and sharp. I enjoyed helping them get ready for this very big event. Wathcing the bus leave the orphanage made me tear up as I was so proud of them. They worked so hard to perform and play their instruments for this event. It was hot but they were not complaining - they had the hugest smiles on their faces. If you were here you too would have been proud.

Children at Physical Education Class

Buidling Dedication - December 8, 2008

Written By Paul Wilkes:

BUILDING DEDICATED
December 8, 2008 was a day to remember. With the excellent Home of
Hope marching band, (uniforms and instruments a gift of Christ the King School in Pleasant Hill CA) providing pomp and music, the new building that we have been working toward was officially dedicated. With over two hundred people present, many speeches, and an excellent dinner for all the guests, it was a festive, happy day.

The ground floor of the building has two dormitories, one for the teen aged girls, the other for the younger girls. Our girls now have a comfortable bunk bed to sleep in (gone are the days of straw mats on a dirty concrete floor), and their own cubby for clothes and their few personal items. Also, there is a sick room, a shower area (they took cold water bucket baths)
with warm water, supplied by a donated, solar-powered system, and a bright, airy dining area.

On the second floor, there will be a language lab to teach them spoken English, and a computer lab. There are also two guest rooms, awaiting your visit. The third floor will have an assembly area, and a new media center, so we can provide them a first rate education. I wish you could have been there on the night of the dedication, with the building adorned with strings of lights, as the girls took off their shoes at the entryway and tiptoed into the dormitory to practice lying down in their new beds, below. Then they gathered under the buildings portico, bubbling on about their new home. It is a palace, exclaimed 17-year Bhavani, who has been at Home of Hope since she was very young.

Paul Raj, who lives in Kochi, oversaw the construction. Paul negotiated discounts on materials and did not take a fee for his year of work. He probably saved another 30% and built a building that is beautiful inside and out and will be well used for many years to come. Pauls foreman, Aji, supervised workers whose craftsmanship was remarkable. Everything in the building is made by hand, from window grates to the beautiful beds in the guest rooms and the intricately carved front doors.

Paul Wilkes - Executive Director - Home of Hope India
1413 Hawthorne Road - Wilmington NC 28403
paulwilkes@ec.rr.com
910-815-0695 (office) - 910-538-4544 (cell)
http://www.homeofhopeindia.org/