GLORY HALLELUIA! HOUSE OF HOPE IS OPEN!

On Saturday we had a meeting with the parents of the children (three boys) we were taking into our orphanage. They signed the agreement with an X. They couldn't even hold a pen. That's the kind of impoverished life these boys were living. One boy has a mom and a dad. She's crazy and he's an alcoholic peasant who does some farming. The two other boys have mothers who keep having babies and no way to support them. As we told you earlier, Bev Carpenter has been working with the three boys since September, but today, they got to move into their new home.Talk about excitement!

Ti Res showed me his bed and new clothes through excited giggles. He was beside himself. He used to sleep on the ground with no covers now he had a real bed! Ti Res is the boy who laid his head on me when he was so sad and needy. It was that action that brought forth prayer as to what can we do to help the perishing. And today, it's a beginning. I'm so excited I feel like I had a new lease on life. Perhaps it's seeing these boys get a chance at life. I don't know, I just know this is a God thing and with the Carpenters doing the work of it, these boys will have the best of discipline and training.

The house looks wonderful, newly painted white walls, and a brand new built picnic table. Plus the beds wow! It's been worth the wait to see it actually happen. We've rented this house for four years (as the owner kept needing money to complete it). Here's a funny story. The bathroom was a step down from the rest of the floors. Gary thought we should tile the floor to make it smooth and easier to keep clean. Our employee, Joe is a mason so we asked him to do it. He had the tile but then he reported having to buy seven bags of cement. We couldn't figure out why he needed so much until we looked at his tile job. He filled the floor in so that it was level with the rest of the house! You talk about fancy! These boys have a fancy bathroom with an American toilet but now, because of all the cement, the toilet is truly low to the ground. It definitely is a child's toilet!

We'll post some pictures later (I keep saying that) so you can see it as it is today. What a glorious day! Keep the Carpenters in prayer as they venture into this "new thing" and keep the boys in prayer that they will serve the Lord Jesus Christ all their days.

If you read this and want to give to the orphanage, simply make a note when you send the money in. We don't have a budget yet. We had to hire three employees, two to take turns spending the night and doing weekend duty and one to do laundry. The boys get three meals a day and will have the best of care.

I'll keep you posted on how it's going............God Bless you all, Carolyn