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Gloria Hope

January 27, 2014 by Joy the Baker 69 Comments

gloria hope

Last Friday I talked about SHOWING UP.  Showing up despite fear.  Showing up despite discomfort.  Showing up with open eyes and open hearts and reaching out to people in need.  The words are a big deal no matter how you’re deciding to show up this year.  Turning those words into action is an even bigger deal.

I’m in Uganda with Compassion International this week.  I’ve never been this far from home, and while I like to consider myself a person who travels a lot, there’s still a bit of anxiety shaking around in my belly.  I can feel the far away.

Halfway through our flight from Amsterdam to Uganda this past weekend, I realized I was going to have to set some things aside.  The scarf I’d been using as a security blanket for the past day and a half of travel would have to go in the warm Ugandan climate.  The neck pillow… outta here!  Did I really need that thing anyway?  Hand sanitizer… just enough already.

More real than the material comforts though, I realized way up in the air between continents, that I’d also need to set aside my comfort zone, my sense of normalcy, and my ridiculous weekday morning social media schedule because something much bigger is at work.

Can we talk about it?

over uganda

A dense crystal white fog hung over Entebbe this morning. Not the kind of fog that San Franciscans would name Karl, something more tropical, asking you to feel your skin.  We waited for the fog to disperse, revealing this lush green landscape as we flew the small plane to a town in Northern Uganda called Lira.

We flew to Lira to meet these beautiful children, part of  Compassion’s church center in Lira.

singing songs

We were greeted in Lira by these beautiful faces singing us a welcome song.  They’re the children of the All Saint Boroboro Child Development Center. As they sang I wondered if I had enough to offer them… if the nerves in my gut and the love in my heart would be enough.    Just to see these bright faces with a song on their lips trotting towards you is enough to send your heart soaring.  Their voices are all at once quiet and full.

By the end of their singing I, along with my security blanket and comfort zone, had also set aside my anxieties.  There’s just no room for those things where hope and love shine so bright.

Gloria Hope Compassion International

And then I met this little love, Gloria Hope.

I realized something big.  Like… brought tears to my eyes big.  All that stuff I set aside… the comforts of my big scarf, neck pillow, and regularly scheduled life and work… the comforts of who I am, and the love I have to share stays and thrives when the baggage is stripped away.  You don’t need a lot.  You don’t need anything, really.  You just need compassion.  Compassion enough to act.

Gloria Hope Compassion International

I’m Gloria’s sponsor through Compassion.  That means that every month, the money I donate goes directly  to her physical health, mental welfare, and spiritual growth.  She’s eight years old and she shines bright in the world. She wants to be a teacher, and I know one day she will be.  I can see it in her eyes.  To see Compassion’s work in Lira, to meet Gloria’s teachers, hear their songs, see not only their joy, but the good it brings their families… it’s incredible, connected, intentional, important work.

I made Gloria a little photo album of pictures from my life so she can understand me a bit better. I could tell she was perplexed by the number of cat photos in the book…  when you strip things away, you never do stop being weird. So there’s that.

1401UG-LiraDayOne 99

In other news, I’m trying to figure out how to translate “Hey girl, heeeyyyy’ into the local dialect.  So far, no luck.  I’ll keep trying… for all of us.


There are thousands of children just Gloria Hope all over the world that are waiting for sponsors through Compassion International.  You won’t need a security blanket or neck pillow to change the life of a child in need.  You just need to love that’s pumping through your veins exactly right now.  You also need to be compassionate enough to act, which you totally are.  This is real.  The change, the love, the success.  It really matters.  I’ve seen it.

Other perspectives from Uganda:

Grace. At Home on The Nesting Place

What Hope Looks Like on GoinsWriter

 Choosing the One You Least Expect on Chatting At The Sky

 

 

 

 

 

Compassion provided me a link to share with you.  I am in no way compensated for your sponsorship or donation.  I love you and I’m glad you’re here with me on this journey.  

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenn

    January 27, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    Wonderful! So happy you met your sweet girl! Praying you through this amazing week…

    Reply
  2. Abby @ The Frosted Vegan

    January 27, 2014 at 5:00 pm

    This is speaking to my heart dear Joy, I love love love your words. Hug sweet Gloria for all of us!

    Reply
  3. Amy Powell (@amyrenepowell)

    January 27, 2014 at 4:48 pm

    what a great experience! hope you have a great time for the rest of your stay.

    Reply
  4. emily freeman

    January 27, 2014 at 4:30 pm

    Hearing your voice as I read this is the best part – and that little Gloria Hope? What a light, that one. Loved having a front row seat for that today.

    Reply
  5. mallory

    January 27, 2014 at 4:29 pm

    Two years ago, I spent 3 months in Mali and traveled to several small villages where I befriended the girls that lived there. They were so touching, so strong and so beautiful. I am so happy that you have had the experience of meeting and being inspired by such people. It is TRULY a gift.

    Reply
  6. Anne's Kitchen

    January 27, 2014 at 4:26 pm

    Amazing Joy, such a great thing to do, and I love that you got to meet Gloria Hope in person. Joy and Hope, what an awesome team!

    Reply
  7. Mary @ flavorrd

    January 27, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    Incredible, so beautiful. It’s all about love!

    Reply
  8. tracy shutterbean

    January 27, 2014 at 4:01 pm

    What an AMAZING experience. I am so proud of you… as I type this with tears on my face. That picture of you about to hug Gloria Hope made me choke up. SO BEAUTIFUL. Love you/miss you!

    Reply
  9. carrie@bakeaholicmama

    January 27, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    I was teary reading this. What an amazing trip you are on. You inspired me to sponsor a child in Uganda as well. Thank you <3

    Reply
  10. Tsh Oxenreider

    January 27, 2014 at 3:57 pm

    Joy. Oh, Joy, Joy, Joy. I’m SO glad you’re there. Really, like so glad. Can’t wait to talk about it in person someday. It changes you. And I’m so glad you’re willing to use your online space like this for a few days.

    Love you, sister!

    Reply
  11. Simone Anne

    January 27, 2014 at 3:52 pm

    Oh my! So so loving these Uganda posts. I’m heading there in March & am defffff feeling the security blanket. So excited & so nervous at the same time. Cannot wait to read more! xx

    Reply
  12. Michelle ~ Blogging from the Boonies

    January 27, 2014 at 3:36 pm

    It does take a leap of faith to start sponsoring, but I assure you that it is all so worth it! I was initially concerned when we took on our first child in 2009. Almost instantly, I fell so in love and since then our Compassion family has grown and grown. Currently we have 18 Compassion children in our family, plus one who is no longer in the program. Our daughter in Uganda recently had a baby and named her child after me and my husband, which is a testimony to how incredible these relationships can truly be if you invest time for regular letters.

    Looking forward to reading more posts from this trip! I was so sad to have to decline the invitation to join the bloggers this time around!

    Reply
  13. Stoich91

    January 27, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    Tears. Crying. All over the place. The happiness you spread is unbelievable. Thanks for being a light and sharing their light, too!

    Reply
  14. Jen -BeautyandBedlam (@beautyandbedlam)

    January 27, 2014 at 3:33 pm

    I remember that moment when I met our sponsor child in Peru. Such an amazing realization to completely wrap our brain around the fact, that it is about so much more than just sending a few dollars every month, but that that money is literally changing their life, their family’s lives, their entire family tree.

    So thrilled that you are letting us catch a glimpse through your perspective. Thank you. Thank you! :)

    Reply
  15. lizytishknits

    January 27, 2014 at 3:27 pm

    Oh – tears! What a beautiful post about throwing away your comforts and securities, and embracing your experience by sharing your compassion. Thanks for writing about it..

    Reply
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