Meet Gloria

Gloria is one of the most stunning examples I've seen of the way God is using the House of Hope to make a difference. She was uncared for and unwanted by her relatives. When my friend went to pick her up at her house he said she was sitting in a corner wearing a plastic bag. She didn't even cry when he took her.

When I first met Gloria a year ago she'd been at the orphanage 3 months. She was sullen and didn't interact with me or play with the other children. Though she was probably near 2 years old, she still crawled and didn't speak. A few months later I noticed she was making progress because she would cry when I left or when she didn't get the toy she wanted.

Today Gloria is truly glorious to behold. She smiles and plays all the time. She's even talking now. I don't know how the few workers at the orphanage do it because you'd think an abused child like that would need a ton of individual attention to make such a recovery. But just as there's always somehow something to eat, the love and attention too is enough to go around. And God is the big factor that makes up for everything they lack.