(Photo courtesy of Orphan Outreach
India (MNN) — Often times, people hear horror stories of orphanage conditions and the great need of the children, but this isn’t the case for the House of Grace orphanage in Manali, India.
The House of Grace (in partnership with Orphan Outreach) surprisingly is an orphanage children run to, not from. The director of the orphanage, Joy, knows well why. She was one of the first to reside there.
In 1982 Auntie (Mawitei) opened House of Grace. Joy’s father, a Buddhist, placed Joy and her brother and her sister in the home after the passing of their mother. He truly believed they would be well taken care of there. And he was right.
Then, in 1988, village leaders became angry about the Christian teachings in House of Grace and forced the removal of its children. Joy and some others were placed in a Buddhist school and hostel. Fortunately, the love shown to the children from Auntie stuck. It was genuine, and it was real. They craved to return.
Returning was to be a long and brutal road, though. A rumor soon spread of Joy’s aunt, who would come visit her and her siblings at school, having plans to take the children back to House of Grace.
She was beaten bloody in response.
Yet, this didn’t hinder Joy’s desire to return to House of Grace; instead, it enflamed it. “We had to do our morning prayers, so we would bow down before Buddha and pray to Jesus. Those prayers gave us bravery, and we decided to plan our escape.”
Joy and a friend eventually broke free and returned to House of Grace, but they were placed in hiding after local officials wanted to force them back to the school. For protection, Auntie hid the children in a neighboring village. Fortunately, the Indian government had just declared the home to be properly caring for the children, making it safe to return again.
As Joy moved through high school and college, she realized something was missing
( Photo from Orphan Outreach
from her faith. It was then on a trip to House of Grace when Joy learned about salvation in Christ, and she soon placed her faith in Him. Soon after, she felt her call to return and work at House of Grace.
Once a resident of House of Grace, Joy is now its director, with Auntie as her guide and mentor. “My hope is that every child will live with Jesus, spread His love, and contribute to the Kingdom.“
To learn more about House of Grace, click here.
Orphan Outreach is partnering with House of Grace to help manage, fund, and provide resources for the Rainbow School to serve children at the orphanage and impoverished children in the community. Orphan Outreach provides sponsorships of the children (at the orphanage and those from the community at Rainbow School), and short-term mission teams provide humanitarian aid and Bible programs for the children.
