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Meet Ching Mary, our first Angel of the Week for 2017!

Like so many children in India, she came from a life full of struggle and hardship.  When asked about her childhood before Angels' Place, she replies "It was terrible.  Life was hard".  She describes how, after her father's sudden death, her mother fell into extreme poverty and could no longer take care of her five children.   With no health care, Ching Mary was often sick.  Hunger was normal for her and education a lost dream.

The film "Lion", nominated for an Academy "Best Picture" Award this year, is a heartbreaking, yet eye-opening look into life on the streets for millions of "lost" children in India.  Children, like Ching Mary, who never found their way to a home like Angels' Place.  They are sleeping in bus stations and digging through trash for food.  Many are captured and forced into slavery or the sex-trade.  Thankfully, Ching Mary does not have to fear such a bleak future.

At Angels' Place, Ching Mary is thriving.  What she likes most about her life there is "the love and care of the staff".   She gets to go to school and study her favorite subject, Social Science.  In her free time, she is busy being a carefree teenager; singing and dancing with friends and watching movies.  The caregivers know her as a sweet and cheerful girl with a bright future ahead...a stark contrast to the millions who have not been so blessed.

There is hope for these lost children.  Hundreds are on the waiting list to get into Angels' Place alone.  We just need the room and funds to accommodate them.  Visit our Ways to Help page to find out what you can do to help a child desperately in need of a good, loving home.

To learn more about our Angel of the Week project and read more stories, click on "Angel of the Week" under Categories on right of this page.

Happy New Year from the James Connection!

Yes, we realize the year is not so "new" anymore, but we were busy in January with website maintenance and upgrades.  Finally, we are ready to get back to our Angel of the Week project!

We are starting off 2017 with a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to all of our 2016 Angels' of the Week.  Pictured are: (First Row, Left to Right) Manlamkim, Vungliansang, Niangnunhoih, Niangbiakhoih, Dimneihhoih, Kimnunmawi, Chinlunmawi, Niangneihmawi. (Second Row, L - R) Mangmuanlian, Hnunliansang, Manglalthuam, Suan Simeon, Nenggousiam, Muantanlian, Ginmuansang, Thangkhanmuan. (Third Row L - R) Chingmalsawm, Chinglianmawi, Lamneichong, Akip, Vunghoihkim, Suresh, Thangzareng, Siamson.

These kids are living proof how the work we do changes lives.  They all had tough stories, coming from unimaginable poverty before they came to Angels' Place.  They were cold at night, hungry all day and many had guardians who mistreated or neglected them.  Some had no families at all and were destined to live on the streets.  A good education was a luxury few could afford.  They came to the orphanage desperate and lonely, some barely surviving.  Their despair showed in their tired faces as each walked through the doors of Angels' Place for the first time.

Then everything changed...

The first day for a child at Angels' Place would be like walking into a dream.  For many, it was the first night they would ever sleep in a warm bed all their own.  Suddenly, they had a sponsor from across the world who paid for their care and loving responsible adults to look after them.  There were three nourishing meals a day (unthinkable for most) and doctors to help them regain health.  There were singing groups and sewing clubs to join and a computer lab to practice technology skills.  Then, they were off to school, and many discovered a love of learning for the first time.  Within just a few days of arriving, caregivers would notice more smiles and a brighter demeanor.  Within a few weeks, a young boy once sullen with despair rediscovers the joy and playful spirit of childhood.  After a few months, a young girl, pale and emaciated from malnourishment when she arrived, dances with her friends, her cheeks plump and rosy with the glow of good health.  Life for these children, once bleak and fearful, is now a happy adventure full of opportunity.

We will feature over 20 new Angels over the course of this coming year.  Please read and share their stories!  We need your help spreading the word about these amazing children and the hundreds still waiting for a home at Angels' Place.  To learn more about what you can do to help, visit our Ways to Help page.

Meet Nenggousiam, our last Angel of the Week for 2016!

We are honored to finish the year with his amazing story.  Like all the other Angels we have featured, he has survived a life of unimaginable hardship, and yet has triumphed with the help of The James Connection and Angels' Place.

At only 10 years of age, Nenggousiam came from a home so troubled he feared for his life.  "I came to Angels' Place for survival," says the young boy as he recalls the fear and insecurity of living with a violent, alcoholic father.   His mother was often ill and unable to protect him and his other siblings from the tirades.  To make matters worse, there was often no food, and they were hungry and cold most of the time.  "My life before Angels' Place was miserable," he recalls with sorrow.

Today, Nenggousiam is on a healthier and happier path thanks to The James Connection.  Though the caregivers at the orphanage realize it will take time to heal the pain of his early childhood, they are already seeing tremendous progress.  Despite his tough history, he is a cheerful boy full of hope.  He loves to read in the library and play sports with his friends, and also enjoys learning math in school.  He wants the world to know how thankful he is for the opportunities that The James Connection and his sponsors have provided.

When asked what he likes most about Angels' Place, Nenggoussiam replies "The food and friends to play with."  No longer starving for nourishment or healthy human connections, this young boy is on the path to being another James Connection success story!

There are hundreds of children just like Nenggousiam on the waiting list to get into Angels' Place.  You can help make room for them by visiting our Ways to Help page today.

Look for more Angels of the Week coming in 2017!  To learn more about the Angel of the Week project and read more stories about our amazing kids, just click on "Angels of the Week" under Categories to the right.

“I am lucky. I am in Angels’ Place.”

Niangnunhoih, our Angel of the Week, offers up these words as she considers the transformation of her life since she arrived in 2015. Niangnunhoih came to Angels’ Place from a family of seven children. When her father died, her mother could no longer support all of the children. “We were cold and hungry,” says Niangnunhoih as she remembers that period in her life.

Now 11, she is living a good life with food, education, and friends. While we may think of the basic needs of food and shelter provided by Angels’ Place, Niangnunhoih points us to something else tremendously important: a sense of community. Her life previously lacked friends and the simple joys of companionship. Now she delights in having other children with whom she can study and play. Angels’ Place is nourishing a complete life, and a life with a future.

In school, her favorite subject is Moral Science because “it teaches us to be good and kind.” These words of wisdom come from one who is deeply grateful for the life and possibility that Angels’ Place provides. Those words speak to all of us, reminding us that goodness and kindness are blessings that multiply in the world. Your generosity makes possible the nurturing that Niangnunhoih now enjoys, and she is making goodness a part of the new life that she is building for her future.

If you would like to transform a life and give a gift that cultivates such goodness and kindness, please consider a sponsorship for a child like Niangnunhoih. Angels’ Place not only saves the lives of children; it cultivates their goodness that they might go out into the world to and share their blessings in turn.

Visit our Ways to Help page to learn what you can do.