A shock of bright yellow hair stood up
on this body-less dolly head gripped by the tiny one. My first international
mission trip led me to, among other places, a small village in the hills behind
Mityana, Uganda called Kyamagamule (cha-mah-gah-moo-lee). When I saw this
dolly, my heart sank (read the original blog
post). Dollies were an important part of my
childhood—from fancy Madam Alexander to cuddly stuffed teddy bears. These
friends were a shared interest between me and my mother, and so my playtime
never lacked for mates.
Not surprisingly, my mother stood in
the gap for this little girl and sent a huggable store-bought dolly (see the blog
post) before it occurred to her that she
might rather hand make a few dollies for the girls here (see the blog
post). Her creativity and attention to
detail knew no bounds. Her first effort resulted in an adorable, uniquely
designed dolly girl that accompanied me with the store bought beauty back to
this place in the hills. That next batch of dollies were wearing dresses made
from my late husband’s dress shirts (see the blog
post), which touched my heart deeply. I may have initially needed these dollies, and all the hugs that resulted, more than these girls did.
The dollies just kept coming; some even
spent time in the Post Office prison (see the blog
post). The stories and photos touched many
hearts and you all began sponsoring dollies for me to give on your behalf.
Eventually the requests were more than I could handle on an individual basis
and in 2012 Surprised by Hope created the 100 Christmas Dolly program (see the How
it Works page). That program
not only provides a simple gift for children on Christmas, but the funds raised
are invested in the church. Read more about how it all works on the Dolly
home page.
The dolly that started the whole thing.
The making of the dollies.
The first ever dollies arrive.
Post Office Prisoners
The first ever dollies given.
The first boy dolly.
The dolly story from the eyes of their maker.
More dolly posts exist than what I can even list, but rest
assured they are all adorable. Join together in something big and something
special. Sponsor a Christmas Dolly or two today.