Upon arriving at the home, we were now surrounded by close to two dozen children. After learning why we were there, this little girl ran out and started telling all her neighbours that we were her muzungus (white people). It was quite the humbling experience to be greeted with the traditional Ugandan greeting, shaking our hands while they kneel in front of us.

They had so much joy and pride just from our visit. We were fortunate enough to be able to bless them with a small care package. But we received so much more from them, just getting to meet them and seeing how God is working in their lives and knowing we will always be this little girl’s mzungus.

Aside from general pictures of kids at Noah’s Ark, we had a few specific children we wanted captured as their stories really stood out to me. Annabel was one of those kids. So, like all the other children Justin had to track down and shoot, we asked an auntie which one was Annabel while playing in the yard. Once pointed out, Justin started following her as she played on the swings and in the grass.

There was just something about this sweet little child that grabbed at our hearts. For me, I think it was her initial story that got my attention. She was born in October, 2006. In July of 2008, she was found abandoned in a garbage container. This beautiful child had been thrown out with the trash. A woman found her and told police she would take care of the child. Just three months later, she too decided she didn’t want Annabel anymore and left her with the police.

It was hard to imagine this child would be abandoned by not one but two different families. Noah’s Ark staff knew it would take time for her to trust again given her obvious fear of abandonment.

From looking at Justin’s photos, it’s obvious she captured his heart as well. He took photo after photo of this sweet child, who see-sawed from smiles to serious. And when she was serious, Justin would call to her and take her hand and hold her to get her sweet smile to come back.

Saturday evening during Pita’s birthday party, Justin held onto Annabel almost the whole time. She would leap from his arms to the edge of the couch to ‘attack’ me then to quickly hide. Then when I held her in my arms, she would hide from Justin’s face by turning quickly away. It made our evening.

We knew we wouldn’t have much time with Annabel on Sunday. Before she headed to bed Saturday evening, we prayed for her. We prayed that she would grow up to be a strong Christian woman, grounded in her faith. We prayed that she would be protected from the evil one and trust her Heavenly Father, who never abandons His children.

It was a powerful moment for us, to realize we held a child in our arms that was left for dead in a garbage can and was now a growing, beautiful three-year old girl full of life and so much love.

I thought to myself as we walked back to our room that last night at Noah’s Ark that this little girl could grow up to be the change that Uganda needs. Maybe she will lead her people by a faithful example. Maybe she will become a doctor who will help mothers to not die during childbirth. Maybe she will simply grow up, and that alone will be an example to parents who want to abandon their kids. The point is, she has those options now thanks to our Heavenly Father who is using Noah’s Ark as a tool to save kids like Annabel.

We arrived in Uganda on Wednesday, Oct. 7. Our friend Kimi who lives in Jinja picked us up from the airport and drove us to Noah’s Ark Children’s Home in Mukono, just a couple hours from the airport. We got a chance to catch up with her as we watched the beautiful Ugandan landscape pass by. It looked just as Africa should look from all the images I’ve seen over the years. Mud huts, lush grasses, palm trees and lots of people walking, riding bikes, and piling into taxi vans.

We spent five days and four nights at Noah’s Ark. And while we didn’t have much luck interviewing the kids, we did get a good understanding of how the orphanage runs and how the children are raised within its walls. The kids play lots, eat well, go to school, get in trouble, get hugged and get dirty just like any other kids.

If you were to watch most of these children running and playing and laughing and crying, you might suspect they are just like any other kids. In some ways they are. But we got a chance to read through each of their profiles, each child’s story written up with pictures of the child over the years. The stories spoke of devastating pasts, including abandonment, loss of both parents, cruel treatment, physical and mental abuse and even rape.

To see children who have gone through such trauma and at a glance for them to seem just like any other child is a testament to the love given in Noah’s Ark. Their motto is ‘From Nobody to Somebody’ and fits well when you hear the stories.

A tiny baby girl was born in December, 2005 and was literally thrown away. She was found by small children who took her to the police station. Noah’s Ark took in this unwanted child, who was so cold when she was found the thermometer did not even register a temperature. But now, she is a bubbling three-year old child full of life and happiness. She has a name – Noelle – a personality, and is turning into quite the little lady. She is now somebody, thanks to Noah’s Ark. She is such a joyful child, they have added to her name. The girl who was thrown away is now known as Noelle Joy, and is thriving in this environment of care and compassion.

Each of the 110 stories has similar details to Noelle Joy’s: unwanted by someone, taken in and cared for by Noah’s Ark, and each one is turning into a healthy, active child who is loved deeply by Noah’s Ark founders Piet and Pita and all the caretakers there.

It was an experience I think neither one of us will ever forget, to see so many children who would probably be dead were it not for the dedication of one Dutch couple answering God’s call on their lives.