An Encouraging House of Hope Update

Samuel Aboga is one of our precious House of Hope children. Eleven years ago, Samuel was born in LRA captivity. World Vision cared for him at their rehabilitation center, and then almost four years ago they brought him to Favor of God’s House of Hope.

When he first came to the House of Hope, he was very sad and lonely since he had lost his father during the war and then his mother a year later. All of the children have regular home visits where they see any relatives they may have left. However, Samuel had no home or relative to be taken to which only added to his sadness.

But praise God! This last January we discovered an elderly distant relative, and Samuel thoroughly enjoyed his home visitation with her. That connection has given him an added feeling of belonging, and he has had much more hope and joy since then!

Typical Days for our Hope of Hope Children

Our House of Hope children, though busy in school during the week, are filled with activities and fun in the afternoons and weekends. They come home from school each day to help with some chores, play with their new puppy, or participate in an active game of soccer. Their evening devotion time with praise, prayer and the Word is a highlight of day. Once a month, they have a corporate all night prayer meeting in their home, which they requested when they realized that the adults get to do it.

On Saturday mornings several of the children receive the opportunity to speak on the radio on a kid’s talk show about pertinent issues relating to children. One Saturday a month the children visit the 10-acre farm to play, plant, feed the pigs, milk the cow, or harvest crops as they dream about the new home they will soon have on that very piece of land.

Another Saturday of each month the children are active in planning and participating in a community Children’s Club. This ministry is hosted by our own children and the House of Hope. They desire to pull together children’s workers from the surrounding churches to bless street and community children with games, sports, counseling, scripture memory, and teaching on Christian living.

We are still in need of some more sponsors for these children. If you would like to sponsor one of Favor of God’s children email sarab@favorofgod.org.

A Note from Carole: Our Children Reach Out

At our House of Hope Children’s Home, one of our goals is to raise the children in the ways of the Lord. Every evening they sing and dance together in worship. They pray fervently for each other, their communities, their country, and the world. Another way we seek to nurture them in the love of God is through community outreach. They treasure this time spent ministering in the marketplace and to neighbors.

Recently we learned of a desperate family situation. A mother in the community abandoned her four small children and left them with a crippled and disabled father who makes only a few shillings repairing shoes. Hope, the House of Hope director, went to see the situation and found these four little ones from three to eight years old in a filthy environment, hungry, and unkept. We prayed how we were to be involved.
God led us to a nanny who could come in and care for them, and we hired her services. She has already transformed the simple dwelling into a clean and humble home. The children now have food, the nanny will come daily for their care, and the father is encouraged.

We wish there was room in our home for all these little children, but the house is full! The village will be built this year as the first team arrives from Australia in September! But even though our rooms are full, there is still room in our hearts for all these precious little ones. As the Father has loved us, so we love them. The bread and fish are broken again, to be divided with yet a few more! Lord, keep it multiplying, for there are so many still hungry!

Please pray with these children for individuals and families in northern Uganda. We would love to hear your stories if you would like to leave a comment.

Thanks so much.

Primary School Teaches Seeds of Hope

"The Blind Will Walk"

Here are a couple fun moments from the House of Hope kids told by Jeremy and Cori, who are temporary house parents from the States.

“Our big project this week has been to help the kids get ready for school on Monday which means correcting their tests they took 3 weeks ago. Its pretty sad how much these kids don’t know… sometimes we’re not much help on the Ugandan Social Studies or agriculture, but never fear, Small Emmy seems to know everything and is very willing to help.

Today our friend bought the kids two goats and soda, and Brad and AnneLisa got a cake for a Back to School/May birthday’s party. As I type the kids are still running around like crazy people due to the fact it’s raining so they are all stuck in the house/porch. Probably for some of them their energy is due to Mt. Dew.

Last night they were so excited for the party they couldn’t go to sleep and this morning when I was waking them up my `good morning, Samuel’ was answered with `WE GET TO EAT GOAT TODAY!’ This is the boy I usually have to drag out of bed after unwrapping him from his sheet cocoon he makes every night. Surprisingly, this is the first goat we’ve eaten and it was actually really good. The goats made one last run for it this morning and the kids had to chase them down before Martin came over and taught the boys how to kill, skin and butcher the goat. Just like the chickens, all parts of the goat will be eaten – they are currently making Jerky out of some of it and some kind of soup with the ‘treasures.’

This morning during devotion the kids sang a song about the different miracles Jesus did. Due to the fact that the song is in English and was being led by a ten year old, they sang about Jesus making the blind to walk among his other miracles. This evening they sang they would eat goat for the Mighty God. I know God was enjoying those!

House of Hope Brochure

House of Hope is a long-term home for orphaned children (children who have lost both parents) was begun in the Mission House in March of 2006 with the admission of four sisters who were referred to FOGM by World Vision. Since that small beginning, HOH has grown to a capacity for 33 orphans and has moved to a large house and compound in the Senior Quarters district of Gulu. Through the mentoring of both women and men staff members and through spiritual nurturing and training, HOH is working to see children loved, healed and given a stable family environment in which to develop their identities as children of God and come into their destinies in Christ.

We believe that God will use these children as instruments of healing for our land as well as future leaders for this country. HOH is committed to being an agent of God’s provision for these children, in both the natural and the spiritual, so that they can become adults who are committed to the Kingdom of God.

Future vision includes:

1) the development of a desperately needed Christian preschool within the home, with plans to expand to upper grade levels, creating the first Christian school in the north

2) a 10-acre children’s village with small, family-style homes of 8-10 children with a widow as a house-mother; ten clusters of these homes would make up a village, providing 100 children a home, hope, and a future

3) ten such villages would provide 1,000 children a home, and would include schools, vocational and recreational areas, clinics, and chapels

To view or download a printable brochure with more information please click HERE. (it may take a couple minutes to download)