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Weekend Word

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In honor of July coming to close, lets focus on freedom.

free·dom
noun: freedom
1. the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
“we do have some freedom of choice”
synonyms: right to, entitlement to

Freedom can take on many different meanings and is unique to each individual. Freedom should mean that children have the power to act and think as they choose, without hindrance or restraint. At our organization, we mainly see children who face multiple hindrances and deterrents on their path to freedom.

We need to insure children can grow up safe and supported with the freedom to be a child.

Without loving friends or family, access to education and the simple means to survive, their freedom is restricted. They are not given the opportunity to act, speak or think as they feel because they are too busy trying to survive and find the next place they will sleep or where they will find their next meal.

That’s where our help comes into play. We provide housing, education, training, counseling, food, faith and friendships.

Freedom to learn in Uganda is scarce – children do not have access to public or free education. Without an education, they are often unable to become independent adults and grow into healthy, happy and successful individuals.

Freedom rings when you sponsor a child. It’s a gift that creates a ripple of lifelong change. Children become free to spread their wings through knowledge. Families drastically changed with the power of an education.

Our children have unique needs. Thank you for supporting their freedom.

DONATE TODAY

With love,
Cristen Lyn

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Flourish is a very important word to our organization as it is at the core of our mission. What we hope to see on a daily basis is a child flourishing in all ways, and we encourage and guide this beautiful process.

flour·ish
/ˈfləriSH/
to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment

That’s what we want for YOU! Every day we see girls flourish in our program from the counseling, education and work training. Uganda has an orphan crisis with children living in severe poverty, lacking money to attend school and have no family. They have no support or examples of how to grow up and live an independent life. Without any tools and support, they often have no hope. We make strides every day to provide the resources and environment necessary for them to flourish in a life of their own.

We serve the most destitute children in our program who have a strong desire to educate themselves, so they can have a productive and self-reliant future. Children not participating in one of our vocational programs, attend Ugandan schools and all children receive food, shelter, counseling, spiritual development, social and life skills classes.

We’ve seen many children flourish and create a life for themselves that they never imagined was possible. For example, Annet Alumna lost her father at an early age and was raised in poverty in a slum called Ndeeba. Her family could not afford to pay for school and she was forced to abandon her education. Annet wanted to learn, and under the guidance of our caring staff, she received counseling and entered the catering vocation. Annet is flourishing in life.

As Spring begins to ramp up, take time to self-reflect and see if you are flourishing in the different avenues of life. If not, what can you do to change it? It’s time to put yourself first and make sure you are in a supporting and loving environment that allows you to grow and develop into the best version of yourself!

Peace + Prosperity
Cristen Lyn
Hope for Hearts Founder

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What brings peace into your life?

‘Peace on Earth’ is a saying you might hear often during the holiday season. This weekend’s word leading into the heart of Christmastime is peace – what does it mean to you?

peace
noun

  1. freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility
  2. freedom from or the cessation of war or violence

People often wish for peace in different aspects of their life. Peace with their family, peace at their job, peace for their city and even peace on earth. We all want peace.

Peace starts within you. Without your inner peace, outer peace is impossible.

When children first start with our program, they often do not understand peace. Their former environmental surroundings were not a peaceful place. Some were found begging on the streets, wondering where the next meal will come from, if at all. Some had to decide where they would sleep at night. Some were abused and prostituted. Many of their lives lack the safety, security, and stability that provide most people peace. Yet, you can see the happiness and hope in their eyes for a brighter future.

It brings my heart a world of peace and much joy to offer less fortunate children stability to allow them the opportunity to act like children and experience a ‘peace of mind.’ Spending time with my family and Hope for Hearts supporters brings me peace.

A large part of my life path has been growing a peaceful existence; one that allows me to make a difference in the world, paving a path to better the lives of children brings me the utmost amount of peace.

With all of the conflict in the world, we need to bring more peace into our lives, no matter how large or small. This holiday season I wish you and your loved ones’ endless peace and happiness.

Peace on earth,
Cristen Lyn

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Nurture Ugandan Teens Back to LIfe

The word this weekend is nurture. Everyone deserves to be nurtured.

nur·ture

verb
care for and encourage the growth or development of.

noun: nurture
the process of caring for and encouraging the growth or development of someone or something.
Imagine growing up without parents or family encouraging you and helping you learn. From birth, many people immediately start learning from their parents. They help push you and lead you to crawl for the first time, learn how to count to ten and even tie your shoes. Think about your upbringing and life so far? How different would it be without your parents or family support?

We help guide more than 450 children annually who live in conflicted areas to lift themselves up from poverty to prosperity through education. We fill in the role of parents, family and teachers and help nurture them to grow into the best version of themselves. Through the safety, security and stability that our schools offer, we bring a new vigor to the student’s lives so that they are free to dream, grow and continue in their personal resurrection until they are able to independently provide for themselves.

Dreams don't work unless you do.

Take a look at your own life – how often do you experience nurturing behavior? Has someone made a positive, encouraging post on your social media today? Has someone told you that they love you and they are proud of you? Imagine being twelve years old and never hearing someone tell you that they love you or providing any reassurance about the direction your life is heading. We help nurture these children to grow into independent, confident adults. Nothing is more rewarding than watching their transformation after a little love, nurturing and education.

I think as a woman it’s in our nature to nurture someone else. Sometimes at the expense of ourselves – Emilia Clark

Your friend,
Cristen

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With confidence, you can do anything

This week’s Weekend Word is extra special to me because the children are reminded every single day of their confidence and abilities to succeed.

con·fi·dence
a: a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstances had perfect confidence in her ability to succeed met the risk with brash confidence
b: faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way have confidence in a leader

Imagine being ten years old, unable to go to school, not knowing if you will have food to eat for dinner or where you are going to sleep at night. Living a life like that would make it hard to have any confidence or faith.

When the children start at our program, they often think that they can’t succeed at anything. We turn can’t into can. At our program, confidence is the key to success. We take vulnerable children many with very little confidence and self-esteem and teach them how to turn their lives around. We teach them about self-worth through therapy and classes. By making them feel like their life matters, they get a boost of confidence. The children express what they are interested in and we teach them the necessary skills, so they can gain experience and lead a fulfilling life.

Everyone deserves a chance at a happy life – and that’s what we strive to provide these innocent children. We meet these kids when they are scared, insecure and hopeless about the future. By helping them face their fears, they gain strength and confidence along the way. With a little bit of love and education, we build confidence and make it possible for these kids to do anything they put their mind to.

With love always,
Cristen