A huge thank you to those who were able to respond to our request for help for Hanin and her siblings. They were and are moved, and impacted by the help that we, through your kindness have been able to provide for this family of orphaned and abandoned children.
We have been able to establish a fund for them whereby we will administer $100 per month for the current year, plus the purchase of household items, gas stove, heater, blankets etc. Any additional gifts for them will go into this fund where we will hold until a specific need arises. Thank you for your hearts of compassion for them and for embracing them.
Let’s hear from the children, for it is their voice that is important.
“Life has changed for us in the space of one or two weeks. We had life alone in a tent as orphans. We have life with our new family who adopted us and built a house for us.
Whilst Springs of Hope was building our new home, we stayed in the tent of distant relatives. I heard my siblings talking about their dream of a real house coming true, saying that they were scared it was just a dream and that they would wake up to find the same tent.
When the house was ready and we walked towards it, their eyes lit up and they said "Oh wow!! This is our home. Oh look, it has a window. Oh and a door too. Can we sleep here at night or is it just for day use?” When they saw that I held the key, tears came to their eyes.
I was so worried about leaving my siblings in the tent while attending school as my mind was continually on the very real possibility of fire breaking out, of electrical faults, of so many disasters that happen inside the tents. I nearly left school out of worry. Since you ( SOHF ) built this house for us, I am not worried, I am in peace, there is no fear in my heart. I will be able to complete my education. I am hoping to enroll in computer studies at the Hope Centre, and to register my siblings in play therapy and art.
Thank you for providing us with new mattresses. The ones we were given were second hand and very old mattresses. The cold from the floor came through the mattresses. Two weeks ago we were cold and alone, now you have adopted us and we are warm.
We are so grateful, we are overwhelmed with your love and your care for details, like including us all in your horse program. The eyes of the horses spoke to me and told me that we are truly home and safe."
Hanin
“Seriously, I want to thank you for adopting us, for doing these great things for us. I am personally in your debt and will never forget your help and support. You have given to us with such graciousness that made us feel like royalty.
My siblings are so happy. Life has come into them. Into all of us. We spend our time arranging and rearranging our new home. Every day we move something around until we find the perfect arrangement. Our new home is much larger than the tent, and it is wonderful to have more space.
Once we are organised we will all come to The Hope Centre. We already go to the horses once a week, I immediately fell in love with Newroz whose eyes showed me that she understood me. We also go to Nurse Salah for medical check ups, we all have an appointment with him this week also. Everyone is so kind to us and treat us with respect and love.
We have been reborn. A new life has begun with you and thanks to you. We know that we are adopted now and you will be there for us. Thank you for our new life.
I read from Psalm 68: "God whose name is the Lord…is a father to the fatherless, a defender of the widows. He sets the lonely in families, he leads the prisoners out with singing."
Our desire and prayer is to see these broken orphans be confident in their new found family and be healed from this life status/ identity of “orphans” which I am sure is a strong part of their present mindset.
In November our Art Director, Salam, spoke about The Mantle of Hope. We feel that we have been given the opportunity and responsibility to extend this mantle, and the Mantle of Adoption over this family. We pray that they will learn to dwell under this mantle and find healing.
We pray that whilst sheltering under the covering of this mantle, they will get a glimpse of themselves as they were destined to be, that they will see themselves and their future through a new perspective, one that is rooted and grounded in acceptance and love. We pray that the current void caused by being parentless, by being rejected, abandoned, cast aside, will be filled and all breaches in their life will be healed.
We pray for ourselves as leaders of Our Tribe, that we will have the wisdom to gently guide them into a future which will be based upon clear vision and healthy decisions from a place of security rather than insecurity, acceptance instead of rejection, position instead of displacement and healing instead of brokenness.
We thank you for your support, we thank you for helping us to extend this Mantle of Adoption over these four children, we thank you for your prayers for us as we seek to become part of the divine exchange needed to see these lives healed, restored and as Psalm 68 says, to see these prisoners sing ( the song of adoption ).
