Summer Holidays

As soon as the schools close, our protégée Miss Bommi is all set to come out to Guntur with her parents and spend a couple of weeks just relaxing, eating, sleeping, checking out the shops, the road side restaurants, tuck into icecreams and snacks and whatever goodies we can give her.  The photos show her with her parents, Venkatesan and Shoba.  Do say a wee prayer that she will turn out to be a Star as she grows older! Thank you.

"Forever Trust"

Whispering Hope had the pleasure of visiting 'Forever Trust", a youth ministry run by three young ladies - Nancy, Sanjana and Keziah - in Chennai.  Free tuition is given to the street children during the school days and come summer, its time for fun and games.  Yes, and a whole week of the fun and frolic.  I visited them on a day when all the kids had to bring in their own food and share it with the others.  I missed the lunch but couldn't help clicking a photo of the empty containers which spoke a million words. Love for Jesus, love for a fellow human being, love for the whole wide world takes on a new meaning when one visits this Centre and sees the kids and the ladies interact. Photos speak volumes here.

Thank you Ladies for the lovely time and the grand lunch which I enjoyed very much.  Thank you also to Divya Vigneswaran from Chennai for the 'super love' Tshirts that never cease to amaze one; thank you to Catherine Mendonsa from Sydney for the contribution of biscuits, chocolates and soft drinks which provided the much needed nourishment for these young ones that sunny afternoon.

May God bless the work of Forever Trust and the young ladies who hold the seams together. Praise the Lord.

Birthday fun times

Any day, any time, is good enough to celebrate a birthday.  Whispering Hope invited a few kids and young ladies and had a whale of a time recently.  All the girls had a little cake with a candle on it and sang the birthday song with much gusto. Our photos speak for themselves.

Time for my boys!

Spending time with my boys in Guntur is such a delightful past time.  At the outset, I would like to thank the Mother and Daughter Team from Chennai who made this possible - Shirley and Colliet Huffton. With their generous contributions, I was able to buy some stationery for the 45 boys at this Hostel and with the generous help from Manoj and Tripta Barai from Bangalore, gave them a hearty dinner with chicken.  The boys were thrilled to bits and needless to say, my cup of joy overflowed. May God bless these little youngsters as they head home for their holidays.

A Sister Act

It takes two sisters, Sangeeta Jain and Chandu Jain, to give and two sisters, Anita Mawdsley and me, Flora, to take! Yes, Sangeeta and Chandu sponsored the hot puffs and cake for the children - girls at Carmel Convent and boys at St. Mary's High School - in the West Godavari District.  Anita and I had the pleasure of visiting these children over the weekend and spent some valuable time with them, enjoying their antics. God bless these little ones as they prepare for their exams. May He continue to guide them.

33?!?!

Yes, 33 it is!  Jesus' age at the time of his death was 33! The number of girls at the Bishop Aelen's home in Egmore Chennai was 33!! It did seem appropriate to visit these girls and give them the Super Love Tshirts from Ms Divya Vigneswaran and the buns from Jude Jayasingh.  The girls were thrilled to bits and am sure put their new Tshirts on when they went for the church service on Good Friday.  SuperLove the Tshirts said and that's what Jesus has for us. Whispering Hope has been triply blessed since then.

A Birthday to remember

When a new birthday dawns, giving one a renewed hope and energy to shed all inhibitions and start afresh, I thought I could take this one step further and celebrate in style with my boys in Guntur.  45 boys brought up with so much love and dedication at the Infant Jesus Hostel.  Sharing my joy, was Guravaiah, Surekha and their two sons - Boogie & Booni. 

Each of us had a message for the three boys who were going to appear for their final exams; a lot of encouragement was given to them.  It was also a farewell of sorts for them as they leave the hostel and venture on in life.  We will miss them dearly.

I was so surprised when three little chaps stepped forward and presented me with a car, a ball and a little fairy - see the pics.  This was all that they had and because it was my birthday, they wanted to give me a gift.  That thought of giving me their most precious possessions had me in tears.  I couldn't refuse to take it and hurt their feelings.  Instead its now my treasure and in return I gave them a gift on my actual birthday.  See their little faces glowing with pride! God bless you guys!