One person....

I can never again say that I am only one person and therefore can not really make that much of a difference. Because now, I've seen the incredible difference one women, Rose, has made in the lives of hundreds of children.

Rose is, well, Rose if a lot of things actually. she bought a home in May of last year with her husband and never even lived in the house with just she and her husband because as soon as the house was built, 19 kids moved in too! All of them orphans, all of them previously abducted and none of them with any hope or future. Rose has counseled them, loved them, provided for them, and all out of her very own home. This home is referred to as "the safe house" for the Village of Hope. However, there are 450 other orphans who are living in scattered villages and have experienced similar atrocities and losses. These orphans used to live in refugee camps around Gulu, but the government is slowly burning all of the huts down in order to say "hey, the war is over, we don't need these anymore", but in reality, they were home to hundreds of orphans who really don't have a place back in their native villages. although they sleep at their respective villages at night, every day they travel back to the camps to gather together, and to sing and dance as a way of feeling a sense of belonging and also helping to forget what has happened to them for a time.
Rose visits one of the six camps EVERY evening and she knows all 450 children BY NAME. When asked how many of these kids stories she knows, she simply and quietly said "all of them". Yes, ALL of them she has personally counseled over the past 3-4 years. she continues to love them, encourage them, and empower them by reminding them of the importance of staying in school, getting an education, etc.
As we drove into one of the camps last night, you could see how much respect the kids had for her. they immediately layed down a tarp for all of them to sit on, set up chairs for us and Rose to sit on, and just listened to everything Rose had to tell them. It was an amazing site to see.

I am completely humbled by Rose. She is the picture of selfless love, giving of herself, her home, her everything for the sake of caring for these orphans.

I do believe I've met the modern day Mother Theresa.

I hope this brief description of her challenges you as it has me. Imagine if all of us reading this post loved like that....just imagine.