Our first glimpse of The Promised Land Children's Home! (video)

Those of you who follow our work know that we've been fundraising for The Promised Land Project since this January. You may have also heard the GREAT news that we announced on November 1st - a Children's Home has been purchased and is being prepared to take in kids! Well, last week we got our first glimpse of the new home, and as promised - we're sharing the video with all of you!

Promised Land Children's Home - Our First Glimpse from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

As I mentioned in the video, the home is still being remodeled, but the all the preparations should be done in just a few short weeks. I can't wait to see how beautiful it is once the cement wall around the outside is finished and painted, the wood inside is all re-stained and sealed, new tile is laid, and the furniture is moved in! I love all the light from the windows, and looking outside at the beautiful view of the coconut trees. It's so exciting to know that the next time we visit, there will be children living in this home!

            The house Mom & Dad, Rapee & Banya, CELEBRATE! They are so excited about their new Children's Home!

To see this dream come true for Rapee and Banya after 27 years is truly incredible. Being a part of starting this home has been so thrilling and humbling at the same time. There are no words to express our gratitude to everyone who donated to this project! Because of YOU, many children's lives will be saved and changed forever!

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Promised Land Project Update :: We bought a Children's Home!

We've been buzzing with excitement the past few weeks about everything that's been happening at The Sound of Hope. We recently posted an update about how your donations provided the medical care our girls in India needed, and then we shared about the new project we helped start in Swaziland. But we definitely saved the BEST update for last!

Today, we're thrilled to announce that a Children's Home has been purchased for The Promised Land Project!!!

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U2 + The US Campaign for Burma

On July 2nd, The Sound of Hope co-founders Rusty & Ericka Jackson, our Thailand partners, Ray & Candace Ward, two of our new board members, and several friends volunteered with the US Campaign for Burma at the U2 concert in Nashville, TN. We spent the day raising awareness for the human rights abuses happening in Burma, and urging people to take action on behalf of those suffering.

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Lucky #13

I am 16 years old. My village was attacked by the Burma army, and we all ran for our lives into the jungle. We heard that soon, the Burma army would come to capture the men and the young boys, and that we would be forced to fight as soldiers. The people in my village pooled together their resources so that we could escape. I came to the refugee camp with my older brother, my cousin, and two of my friends.

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Art Therapy in a Refugee Camp

We spent two days doing Art Therapy with the children at The Refuge - a Children's Home we support in a Refugee Camp in Thailand. These kids have come out of horrific situations in Burma - fleeing for their lives from the SDPC (Burmese military) and hiding in the jungle. They came to the refugee camp with hopes of a safe place to stay, and an opportunity to go to school. Many of them have family still inside Burma.

But for today, the kids were just kids.... drawing, painting, and being creative.

Art Therapy is a way for children who have been through traumatic experiences to process and express their emotions in a healthy, non-violent way. With brushes and colored pencils in hand, these kids painted pictures of their painful past, their present, and the future they dream of.

Art Therapy in A Refugee Camp from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

The video above only gives you a glimpse of some of their art and a few of their stories. CLICK HERE to see more of their artwork, the stories that go along with it, and the dreams they are dreaming for the future.