NEWSLETTER
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On September 30, we held our first annual Thanksgiving Dinner: Colors of Grace. It was an amazing night of friendship, food and performance. We are so appreciative to all who attended and shared in this event. Special thanks go to our visitors who travelled from America, Australia, Canada and Singapore.
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We are delighted to share with you an invitation to our 1st annual Thanks Giving Dinner: Colors of Grace and would be thrilled for you and your family and friends to join us. Gentle Hands would like to use this opportunity, to thank you for your generous support of our ministry.
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I remember stepping off a plane at nineteen years old as a young, probably naive college student, who just wanted
to serve Jesus and love babies for a summer…
Little did I know that three years later, I would step off a plane again, this time making Gentle Hands and the Philippines my home.
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These beautiful children are waiting for the love and security that only a family can provide. As supporters and followers of Gentle Hands, you play a vital role in advocating for our children. Help us to find a forever family for these precious children.
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This was our first adoption and we didn’t know what to expect. Little did we know what an impact Gentle Hands would have on our lives.
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I remember the chocolate bunny from my grandmother that was childhood Easter.
And the turkey dinner with family that had come from afar.
And the Easter Sunday morning joyous celebrations of Jesus is Risen!
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“I am thankful to do this work and to have the chance to lead these little ones to the feet of Jesus where they feel His love and care for them. It is so amazing to see them heal and grow, trusting in a Father God who loves them and has a great plan for their life.”
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Our journey with the Philippines began with a short-term mission trip in 2012. God used this trip to change our lives forever.
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Christmas morning was extra special this year thanks to many generous people around the world who donated so that each child
was able to receive a blanket, pair of shoes, pyjamas and a toy.
Our children felt so loved and we pray that the givers will be blessed as much as our children.
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They are beautiful. Truly beautiful.
As I watch them in their angel like costumes
Glide across the stage, with giggles, and smiles
I hold my breath.
From ashes to beauty.
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She is pale and thin. Too thin. Much too thin. And weak. She is very weak.
She is hunched over like an old lady. Her back curved and aching.
For months she has been in the care of another facility. They didn’t have the resources or even knowledge to know what to do
and in desperation they tried to find a facility that would take her.
Few could… less would.
“Speak up for those who cannot speak.
More than ever, these words in Proverbs have spurred me
on this past year of 2016.”
-Charity Graff
Executive Director
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The smell is so familiar. The sweat and stench of un-bathed human bodies.
Part of me was at home. Another part of me wanting to run.
There is hardly room to walk in the corridors. Stacks of files. Chairs. Desks. And Guards.
All jails here are overflowing. This one obviously no different.
The walls were painted pink but so filthy that they seemed grey. And it was so hot.
The inmates all dressed in yellow were bored, talking too loudly, banging what they had to bang, Rattling the gates to their cells.
Unusual treatment to be ushered to the warden’s office.
Chit chat about the weather, waiting. Waiting for the mother I needed to interview.
And she came in. Angry and hard. As expected.
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As I watch him walk a few steps ahead of me, I have to choke back my unexpected tears.
He has been in my care everyday for four years and today was his first day of school. What a journey it has been and to be at this point,
where he can function in a real school, a real classroom, with new faces, in a new place, is incredible. Over the past four years,
we have walked through many dark places that have even caused my heart to feel faint. Some days he held my hand but most days I held his. Somehow, I knew that walking through those valleys, we would find the sun. Healing. Health. Restoration. Transformation.
I prayed that he, in his brokenness, would somehow find the courage to trust me and follow me through the shadows.
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She is just little, her tiny little face is astonishing really. Her narrow brown eyes search my face, skeptical. And for just a moment, her eyes hold mine. I dare not blink, for fear of losing this moment. Carefully, gently, I touch her hand. I can protect you, I whisper. I can love you. And the silence deafens us both. Her fingers gingerly curl around mine.