Global Hope – Our Story
Our story: The ministry of Global Hope began in Romania in 1996 when Randy Jessen, a Methodist pastor, and his wife, Sue, led a group of volunteers to Romania to hold orphaned babies. They had heard about the conditions of the communist-era orphanages, and the need for people to simply lovingly hold the babies living in the orphanages. When they arrived, it was worse than they imagined; they were confronted with malnourished, under-stimulated infants who had learned not to cry even when they were hungry.
Randy and Sue were deeply touched by these babies and felt called to take action. These babies needed a real home… a real family. Thus, as a result of this heartbreaking, and certainly life changing experience, Randy and Sue created Global Hope.
Global Hope built its first children’s home in Arad, Romania in 1999. Several other homes were added to care for children, but over the years Global Hope transitioned many of the children to foster families. Today one children’s home, Ana’s House, remains. Ana’s House provides a family like environment for seven children.
Over the years, 24 children, have grown, thrived and blossomed in Ana’s House. Twenty-Four individuals who began life as orphaned or abandoned children are now living full lives, attending college, working, building homes, raising families and living faith filled and Christ guided lives.
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Over the years, the Lord has opened different doors for Global Hope to expand. In 2008, Global Hope stepped into Kenya when introduced to a Kenyan woman who was passionate about rescuing orphan children, particularly those with HIV/AIDS. She began Hope for Orphans Rescue Center (HOREC) in 2005 and was providing care to 20 children. However, providing the necessary health care and medicine for these children was very costly and HOREC was unable to fill the need. Consequently, they reached out for help and Global Hope answered that call. Today, over 40 boys and girls, either infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, have been rescued and are growing up under the love of Christian caregivers.
In 2012, Global Hope expanded again in Kenya by partnering with Spring Valley Children’s Center, located in the center of a slum called Spring Valley. The Center began in 1999 by a pastor and his wife when they became aware of the extreme hardship in this community. The poverty in the area was so high that a hundred children were dying annually of starvation, water borne diseases and HIV complications. The Center began as a place where children could come to get free food. It grew to a Center that now offers food, education, spiritual development and dormitories for children at high risk for such things as abuse, prostitution and trafficking, and recruitment to gangs or terrorist groups. Today, over 375 children are getting their physical needs met while also receiving an excellent education.
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In 2012, Global Hope was called by the Lord to serve in India. Global Hope began partnering with a pastor in southeast Andhra Pradesh running the Kathryn E. Larsen Children’s Home (KEL). Most of the children who live at KEL are poverty orphans, meaning they have been abandoned because their families could not take care of them. KEL also ministers to the poor children in the community by providing a safe place, food and spiritual care. Global Hope helps KEL provide for both the physical and educational needs of 26 children.
After working in India for a year, Global Hope was introduced to the John Foundation in the city of Hyderabad. This ministry started in 2007 by Saji John and his wife, Cynthia, with a passion to care for hurting and broken people, including abandoned children. Today, the John Foundation has helped rescue over 200 children by partnering with different organizations to build children’s homes. Global Hope has established five homes through the John Foundation: Hope Girls’, Hope Boys’, Prema Girls’, Daniel Boys’ Home and Joshua’s Boys’ Home. Each home has ten children who have been rescued from desperate situations. The children are cared for by Christian house moms who ensure these homes are safe, healthy places to live, learn and grow.
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