The Grace House

Grace House Orphanage was formerly the Nyango Feeding Station.  It is in a very remote area, that is difficult to reach by road in the rainy season.  It is on the site of a church planted by Alfayo Bodi some years ago.  We began construction on the orphanage upgrade here several months ago.  The construction has been very slow because of the roads.  The last time I was here, they were almost finished with the dorms and working on the dining hall.  This time, they are almost through with construction.

 

The dorms are complete and the kids are in.  The dining hall and kitchen are done and the church is meeting there as well.  They have built a great clinic building that also includes a manager’s office and a visitor’s quarters.  Alfayo has laid the buildings out well, with neat paths between the buildings, well designed drainage paths and painted white stones to mark the walkways.  It is so beautiful!

 

But the best part of this place was the kids.  When we arrived it was mid morning and the place was empty except for the widows and guards, since the kids were all back in school.  Around lunch, they all returned home and gathered in the dining hall.  After they ate, they did a short singing service for us, which is something that usually happens.  They are great singers and it touched my heart extremely.  But what really stood out for me was the smiles!

 

As an orphanage ages, the kids get used to what God has done for them, and sometimes even a little eager for more blessings.  These kids still have a fresh recollection of how bad their lives were before they lived in the orphanage.  They were so grateful, eagerly shaking my hand and thanking me for visiting them.  I had almost thought that I had lost the capacity to be touched so deeply by a group of orphans, but these kids restored me.

 

Afterwards, as the kids were getting ready to go back to school, the beautiful buildings really began to shine.  The kids provided the soul of the place and it’s appearance was even more beautiful then.  There was a lesson here for me.  We are all made by God to be beautiful, since we are made in his image.  But when His spirit is living in us and we are willing to let it show, our beauty has more dimensions than we can even see.   It must be the way God sees us, thanks to the redeeming blood of Christ, pure and beautiful, full of life and spirit, just has He intended.  The picture of Grace House that I shall always remember is of the kids, using the buildings, giving their collective home a real soul.  Be blessed.