caution: God at work

So it all started last week during Riny and my usual skype chat.  She mentioned, in passing, having read an article in the newspaper about a family of 5 kids who had recently lost their mother and the father was looking for help.  The latter part of the article mentioned an orphanage in a nearby town that had jumped on board quickly to take the children and help this family.  These articles are a regular occurrence in the paper, and we were happy to see that there are people ready and willing to help.  We moved on from the topic and neither one of us thought about it again....until the phone call came.  I'm not exactly sure of the order of events that came next but I'll try to make it as clear as possible.

The phone call that came was from a Governmental Children's  Advocate a.k.a. Social Worker.  The Social Worker said that he was working alongside the family from the paper and was hoping to come and speak with us (Riny and Joseph) about the likelihood of Jubilee taking the kids.  Apparently the orphanage from the paper has no legal documentation and was pretty shady.  Riny called me a.s.a.p. for a conference call and we decided to take the kids.  (I mean really, who would turn them away!)  The situation has been a huge testament to us at Jubilee because the Social Worker searched all over our district and the surrounding areas and everyone from the Police Dept. to the City Mayor said that Jubilee is the best place!  They raved about how wonderful Riny and Joseph are with the children, and said that I wasn't just one of the foreigners who sends money but that I genuinely care about what's going on.  I mean crazy right!  We try and keep a low profile since we are not 100% government certified.  We have our paperwork complete and approved to run a "Charitable Trust" but to be registered as a "Charitable Orphanage" we need to own land, and as of now we rent.  The Social Worker told Riny and Joseph never to worry about our rented house because, "Mother Teresa started in a small, rented house, and you know where her society is now."  Words will not do justice to explain how we feel about the outpouring of love from everyone.

So now the kids!  The youngest baby girl was adopted soon after the article was published.  A loving couple who couldn't have children were excited to find her.  The remaining children are Subi, a 7 year old girl; Subin, a 6 year old boy; and Siji and Sini, 2 year old twin girls.  They have only been with us for a couple of days but seem to be adjusting very well.  Being so young, none of them really understand everything that's been going on but I am confident that Riny and Joseph will help them to understand and are already caring for them as their own children.

As not to bombard you with info, I will end this post here and tell you the story of the children tomorrow.  I will leave you with this, if you can, PLEASE PLEASE MAKE A DONATION!  We are not equipped to take care of 4 more children.  The kids came with the clothes on their backs and that's it.  They need clothing and shoes, and we need beds and linens desperately.  I am also trying to buy Riny a washing machine.  We do all the washing by hand, and believe me it's not easy!  With 12 kids, 3 of which are under the age of 3 (and no diapers in India), you can imagine what a wonderful gift a washing machine would be!  Check out the Paypal donation button on the sidebar or message me for questions.

Thanks so much!