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/