Blog

We just got news that all of the Class XI Angels' Place children enrolled at Rayburn College have passed their exams and Sawmi (pictured) is first in her class!  She has been awarded a six month tuition scholarship for her accomplishment.

Despite being behind when she came to Angels' Place 10 years ago, Sawmi has been a star student from the beginning.  Not only did she have to make up for years of lost schooling, but she had to overcome a very tough childhood, having lost both her parents in the same year when she was only three years old.  After her parents died, she bounced around from family member to family member for almost 6 years.

Sawmi remembers how sad she was during this time, never really having a place to call home.  The hardest part was watching other kids go to school when she could not.   A love for learning burned deep inside Sawmi, but she did not dare dream she could get the education she longed for.  Then in 2006, relatives brought her to Angels' Place.

Not only did Sawmi get the education she always wanted, but she now has hope for a successful future, a place to call "home" and the love and support of friends and "family" to help her reach her dreams.  Though she is not sure exactly what her career path will look like, she is certain she wants to help others who have not been as fortunate as she.  She knows how blessed she is and feels tremendously grateful to her sponsors and the James Connection.  In her own words:  "I have a big family at Angels' Place, sent from God."

CONGRATULATION Sawmi and Class of 2016!  We at The James Connection are so very proud of you.

There are hundreds of children on the waiting list longing for a place to call home.  You can help us make room for them at Angels' Place by visiting our Ways to Help page.

Meet Manlamkim, a beautiful talented 13 year old whose life has changed dramatically thanks to the James Connection.

Manlamkim's life went tragically downhill when she was only a toddler.  Her mother had died leaving her to live alone with an alcoholic father who gambled away most of the little money they had for food.  She remembers how violent he would be.  "I was fearful, lonely, cold and hungry."

Fortunately, Manlamkim was rescued from a very dangerous home life by her grandfather.  He wanted better for her but could not take care of a small child himself.  So, he brought her to Angels' Place in 2010 when she was just 7 years old.

Today, Manlamkim enjoys a life she never dreamed possible for herself.  She no longer lives under the shadow of fear and loneliness of her early childhood.   She no longer awakens in the middle of the night hungry and cold, wondering whether someone will be there to take care of her in the morning.  Like most children at the orphanage, you can find her playing and singing with her friends, a bright smile on her face that reflects the inner peace and security she now feels.  The memories of fear, loneliness, and hunger will always be scars she carries through life, but they are fading more and more each day as she continues to write a new story of her life...one full of hope, love and joy.

Manlamkin wants the world to know how grateful she is to her sponsors for giving her the opportunity to write this new story.

There are hundreds of children like Manlamkin, still living a life full of fear and loneliness.  You can help us make room for them at Angel's Place by visiting our Ways to Help page.

Meet Thangkhanmuan, one of the newest and youngest children at Angels' Place.

This sweet little boy lost both of his parents by the time he was 5 years old.  When his mother died last year, he remembers feeling completely helpless.  "I have no one to take care of me." was all he could think about. Even before losing his mother, he remembers a very hard life where he cried a lot.  "We were hungry most of the time.  We often fell sick."

Fortunately, for Thangkhanmuan, some relatives brought him to Angel's Place and things began to change, for the better.  Slowly, he is coming out of the despair that hung over him like a dark cloud.  Now, life brings him more things to smile about...friends to play with in a safe environment, a good school, a warm bed to sleep in, nourishing meals and people he can count on to make sure he thrives.  He will need a great deal of TLC over the next few years, but the staff at Angels' Place is confident he will make a successful happy life for himself now that he is getting the care he needs.   Thanks to his sponsors and the James Connection donors, they will have the resources necessary to continue to provide this care until he is able to make it on his own.

Thangkhanmuan no longer despairs over having no one to take care of him.  He does not worry about going hungry, or whether he will have a place to sleep at night or someone to hold his hand when he is afraid.

Today, he plays and studies and draws (one of his favorite past times) with a carefree smile, as all 6 year old children should.

There are hundreds of children like Thangkhanmuan who don't have the basic needs every child must have to thrive.  You can help make room for them at Angels' Place by visiting our Ways to Help page.