I am one of the oldest here at the orphanage. I come from a nearby Muslim village. My mother died of a hemorrhage when she gave birth to her 13th child. All hopes were gone when my Ina (mother) died. I thought there was no more reason to live. My father was a fisherman but it was my mother who sold the fish and bought food for our family. She used to sell fish in towns and in public markets. I was in kindergarten when she passed away. I missed going with her to sell fish on the weekends.
I missed my Ina very much but I was determined to go to school. I tried to sell fish, seaweeds and cellophane in the market so that I could buy the school supplies I needed. It wasn't easy for me but I pushed myself to do it because it was the only means to support my studies.
Then came a time when my father could not afford to feed us anymore due to the lack of income from fishing. My younger siblings and I were sent to live with our oldest sister in another city. She was married and had children of her own. Life was not easy, but we survived.
Finally, in my determination to not just survive but have a real life, I and my oldest sister wrote to the manager of HOH, asking them to take us in to the orphanage. To our delight, my two younger siblings and I were accepted at HOH. We have been here ever since. I am now in college, and my sisters have also been able to continue with their education, one in high school and the other in elementary school. I hope one day to be a teacher but to use that skill as a missionary among my own people. The three of us at HOH are now Christians and have been baptized.
Please pray that I will be able to achieve the purpose that God has for me, through His help and the ministry of HOH.
Hopeful in the Lord
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