Home of Hope

One of the most wonderful places on earth

2012-01-20T11:33:00.000-08:00

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/U-S--Family-Visits-Our-Orphanage-in-India.html?soid=1103031757918&aid=GzX0k3i34gQ

2011-01-30T17:17:00.001-08:00

The Future Women of India: Leveling the Playing Field

Any talent...

2011-01-25T11:21:00.000-08:00

Anyone can help no matter what your talent is: visit http://www.homeofhopeindia.org/ to see how you can help.

A potter from Willimington and her husband are in India right now building stones that will lead to the new school in Secunderabad or 100 steps to home.

"A Fistful of Rice"

2011-01-17T12:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Readers,

Do you like to read? Do you have a passion to end poverty? As many of you know I am a volunteer for the Homes of Hope located in the southern province of India. I read, I share, I volunteer, I facilitate conversation and much more to do my share in ending poverty and more specifically work for the orphaned girls in India.

My most recent read on ending poverty is "A Fistful of Rice - My Unexpected Quest to End Poverty Through Profitability" written by Vikram Akula. This book is a great read for those of you who have always wondered, worked and discussed the ending of poverty through empowerment of those you serve.

Books on Main in Cottage Grove, Oregon has agreed to donate $3.00 to the Homes of Hope in India for the purchase of "A Fistful of Rice" through Books on Main. All you have to do is telephone Books on Main at 541-942-7423, order the book, read it, discern and follow your passion through empowering the poor of the world - "everybody wins" - once you have read the book you will know what that means! My favorite quote in the book is - "You cannot help the poor...India was rife with well-intended but badly conceived projects that misguided elites had inflicted on the poor." You must, must read this book!

Dr. Vikram Akula's website is: http://www.sksindia.com. The Homes for Hope website is: http://www.homeofhopeindia.org and Books on Main can be reached at 541-942-7423.

Sister Rita and Samantha - Home of Hope, Cochin, India - June 17, 2010

2010-12-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

Sister Rita entered my mind as I was writing today. Sister Rita is full of love and joy. She always welcomes all of us to the Home of Hope with open arms and with as much love that she can give us. She became a favorite of Samantha's right away because of her welcoming nature. Samantha wrote that Sister Rita held her arm, walking her around the courtyard just talking about anything that came into Sister Rita's mind, which mainly consisted of mango trees and the orphan girls. Samantha says thinking of her makes her heart smile. I concur with Samantha. Here is a beautiful picture of the moment that Sister Rita and Samantha enjoyed together.

Love for all - from India

2010-12-15T10:04:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the warm holiday wishes from India

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/-Tis-the-Season---from-Homes-of-Hope-India.html?soid=1103031757918&aid=Zh4X1o4Wh-w

Navajeevna Bangalore

2010-11-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

Stuart is currently in Bangalore at the very first orphanage that I went to. I loved being there. My goodness it has been almost three years ago. Oh what a place this is and so incredibly fulfilling. I remember being in such culture shock - these girls at the orphanage afforded me a new perspective on life. Once I had time to reflect I no longer found myself in culture shock. I had so much fun there and do miss it. If you find yourself in Bangalore you should visit this orphanage - you will have the time of your life.

Top 12 Needs for 2010

2010-10-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

Just as many of you have supported the Homes for Hope over the past several years with your very generous gifts of time, talent and treasure we are now looking forward to your renewed support for 2010 and 2011.

Help us respond to provide the humanitarian, nutritional and medical assistance, playground equipment and water purifiers for our Homes for Hope. Your donation of $500 will provide a much needed water purifier in Bangalore. Every dollar makes a difference to the girls health and well being. Your gift will be received with gratitude whatever its size.

Please visit www.homeofhopeindia.org/needs.html.

Thank you!

Homes of Hope and the Tale of Three Outstanding Girls

2010-10-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

To all my friends and supporters of the Homes of Hope - two girls featured in this article are two of the girls that I have worked with extensively over the past three years. Raji and I have spent several hours honing her English skills. Bhavani remains as on the highlights for me in my life. She and I have our own personal story. I spent every afternoon with Bhavani for about three months doing girls stuff, Bhavani showing me the way to do things Indian style, studying and simply being together! I am proud of all these girls!!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/The-Tale-of-Three-Orphan-Girls.html?soid=1103031757918&aid=gVKQGVtdNl8

Waves Hope - Home of Hope India

2010-07-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone checkout the new video from India. How cool is this!!! Waves of Hope vimeo.com.

Home of Hope in association with Ocean Cure present Waves of Hope.

What is your dream? Live it!!

visit: homeofhopeindia.org

New Website For The Homes of Hope

2010-07-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

Check out the new website: http://www.homeofhopeindia.org/. If you would like to help us clink on the link for list of needs or see how you can volunteer. Volunteering with one of the Homes of Hope will change your life.

Pay it forward for a nun who has changed your life

2010-04-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

If you can help out with our work in India. See the link above from the National Catholic Reporter.

URGENT NEED FOR HOMES OF HOPE INDIA

2010-04-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

The Sisters in India have reached a critical point as we work toward building a new orphanage in Secunderabad. The deadline for the final payment for the new orphanage is April 24, 2010. They are $60,000.00 short. Please help if you can. Visit www.100stepstohome.com or email Paul Wilkes at paulwilkes@ec.rr.com.

Home of Hope: What Fun That Was...

2010-01-04T13:51:00.000-08:00

Home of Hope: What Fun That Was...

What Fun That Was...

2010-01-04T13:37:00.000-08:00

And, so I returned to see the girls at the Home of Hope. Cannot begin to explain the feelings. The night was full of hugs! I waited in Kochi for three days to see the girls. They were studying for their yearly exams and I was unable to see them right away. I posted a few pictures that I believe describes the mood of the night. I also posted more pictures on my facebook.

Oh my goodness WHAT FUN!

India December 2009

2010-01-04T13:32:00.001-08:00

Two Days Prior to Leaving

2009-06-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-22T17:42:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-19T10:09:00.000-08:00

The Final Night...

2009-02-19T09:19:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-16T00:14:00.000-08:00

Follow this link for new pictures to view:

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

New Pictures to View

2009-02-06T02:07:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

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

And Some More Pictures

2009-01-27T09:12:00.001-08:00

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

Pictures from the Home of Hope

2009-01-27T01:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-25T07:27:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-24T01:27:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-22T01:50:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-22T01:32:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-22T01:18:00.000-08:00

Buidling Dedication - December 8, 2008

2009-01-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

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/

Stuart Padley's Visit to the Home of Hope

2008-12-29T13:51:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken over the last two months at the Home of Hope. Enjoy them...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=74282&l=02d58&id=516291807

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=72519&l=24d1d&id=516291807

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=72894&l=c2135&id=516291807

I cannot wait to meet the girls!

Link to the Home of Hope Website

2008-12-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

Take a look at the pictures of the girls and watch the video. And, standby for future pictures, updates and posts from the girls. As soon as I get to the Home of Hope I will update this blog. But for now, there are many ways you can be a part of our/my work with these wonderful girls at Prathyasha Bhavan - visit the website and click on the "how to help" link.

http://www.homeofhopeindia.org/

Travel Itinerary to the Home of Hope

2008-12-28T11:30:00.000-08:00

Because many of you have been asking - below is my travel itinerary. I will stay in Bangalore for a much needed rest for four days before going to Kochi. There is an overnight train from Bangalore to Kochi that I will be taking on January 14th.

The Tricolour
15/1 Tank Bund Road, Sangam
Majestic – Ganhinagar
Bangalore, IN
Phone: (91-80) 4127 9090
I check in on January 11th and check out on January 14th.

To Kochi:

American Airlines Flight Number 268
Leave - SEATTLE TACOMA FRI 09 JAN 7:50 AM
Arrive - NEW YORK JFK 3:50 PM

American Airlines Flight Number 104
Leave - NEW YORK JFK FRI 09JAN6:50 PM
Arrive - LONDON HEATHROW 10JAN6:55 AM

Jet Airways Flight Number 119
Leave - LONDON HEATHROW SAT 10JAN10:05 AM
Arrive - MUMBAI SUN 11JAN12:30 AM

Jet Airways Flight Number 2411
Leave - MUMBAI SUN 11JAN3:15 AM
Arrive - BANGALORE 5:30 AM

Return to Trip to Seattle:

Jet Airways Flight Number 412
Leave - BANGALORE MON 09MAR8:55 AM
Arrive - MUMBAI 10:35 AM

Jet Airways Flight Number 118
Leave - MUMBAI MON 09MAR1:30 PM
Arrive - LONDON HEATHROW 5:40 PM

American Airlines Flight Number 115
Leave - LONDON HEATHROW TUE 10MAR8:30 AM
Arrive - NEW YORK JFK 12:20 PM

American Airlines Flight Number 269
Leave - NEW YORK JFK TUE 10MAR4:20 PM
Arrive - SEATTLE TACOMA 7:35 PM