Telephone:
412-721-4070 PO Box 751
Pittsburgh, PA 15146

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Help is Needed

The children of Angels' Place are safe from the violence that has gripped the state of Manipur this month. Others have suffered much. Over 200 churches have been burned. People have died. Homes have been burned. The situation remains tense.
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Our partners there (principally three families and several students), led by R. Sanga, suffered the loss of their homes, church, school of preaching and their cars. They fled with just what they could quickly assemble which was not much. They have lost all furniture, clothes, books, records, electronic equipment and all the things they have collected over many years. They need our help to begin to rebuild their lives.
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If you wish to donate to help our partners in India please send checks payable to Holiday Park Church of Christ - MANIPUR FUND to the Holiday Park Church of Christ, P.O. Box 14, Monroeville, PA 15146. The money collected will be sent to India by way of the Manassas Church of Christ in Manassas, VA . That church has been supporting the Imphal School of Preaching for many, many years and they are best positioned to distribute funds by their missionaries in India according to the needs of Sanga and his team.
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The mission of the James Connection is to care for the children at Angels' Place and we cannot divert any funds given for the children to a different charitable cause no matter how grave or worthy the need.  Therefore, this request is separate and apart from support we will always seek for the children of Angels' Place.
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If you have questions, please send them to me. The situation in northeast India is complicated and confusing. I will try to explain it further as needed.
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Jan Swensen
Executive Director of the James Connection

Update on Angels’ Place during the Manipur Crisis

Image courtesy of The New India Express

The rioting in Manipur has subsided, and while the situation remains a concern, the children at Angels’ Place are safe. The rioting has affected both Imphal and Churachandpur, where Angels’ Place is located. In Churachandpur, the rioting stayed in the business district of the city and did not reach the residential area around Angels’ Place. The campus of Angels’ Place remains secure and undisturbed by the rioting. All children have remained on the campus throughout the recent events, and on-site staff care for their needs. Food delivery has been a concern, and delivery from Imphal has not been possible. Staff have had to make arrangements for food deliveries from the more distant city of Aizawl, Mizoram, and recent delivery of rice, potatoes, and dal has reached Angels’ Place. The schools have been closed throughout the time of political unrest. Internet communication remains restricted, but we are maintaining phone contact with our partners in India.
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The rioting has displaced a number of our friends in India, those who provide for the children and manage Angels’ Place. Sanga, the Director of Angels' Place and our primary contact in India, was in Imphal where much of the rioting occurred. He and his family have relocated to the city of Aizawl, Mizoram. Others in his Imphal School of Preaching, like many in the area, have left to stay with relatives in nearby villages. Many of our friends have suffered substantial loss, including the destruction and looting of homes. The violence has resulted in numerous deaths and injuries, and tens of thousands have been displaced. While our friends and colleagues are among the displaced, we are grateful that all have relocated safely. Yet their losses have been great, and many of their homes, cars, and items of personal property have been looted and destroyed. We ask for your continuing prayers for the safety of the children, the staff, and all of our friends who make possible the work of Angels’ Place.
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We are working with the Church of Christ in Holiday Park PA and Manassas, VA to set up a fund to help Sanga and his people. Raising funds for their losses is a separate mission from the James Connection but we will keep you posted on how to help if you feel called to do so. More information to follow.

Crisis in Manipur

Many of you in our community are aware of the crisis happening in the state of Manipur, where Angels' Place is located. The orphanage is currently protected by guards and the children are safe but the violence in the district of greater Chruachandpur continues to escalate. Here is a brief summary of what we know…
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Spring 2023 Update: News from Angels’ Place

Computer rendering of new health care facility

As you may know, Jim Ice and I were finally able to visit Angels’ Place after the pandemic restrictions ended. We each wrote lengthy reports of our visit which are posted on this web site. (click here to access the article with reports.) Please give them a read. They are lengthy but comprehensive descriptions of the wonderful work our great staff is doing there.

We also listed what we must accomplish to continue to advance our mission to help the needy orphans of India. That list is long and expensive to accomplish, so, we have begun to raise the funds to make Angels’ Place even more wonderful.

Our first project is to fund a new water purification system to supply potable water in our faucets and fountains for all our kids. We are optimistic that we can secure the needed funds in the near future with a grant from a corporate partner. We have made this project a high priority because water borne diseases are an ever-present danger to our children and the bottled water we have relied on is increasingly expensive.

Location of new health care facility

At the same time, we have begun work on building a health care facility where our pediatrician and nurses can work. We will equip the facility with all the necessary devices and space to treat all first aid needs plus sufficient space for isolation of children needing long term care. The hospital in Churachandpur is simply not adequate for the needs of our children. We must provide this building for all future health care eventualities. Our experience with the pandemic proved this need for us. We were blessed to survive the pandemic with only one child showing symptoms, but we had to isolate 16 girls and one boy who tested positive but were asymptomatic. We must be prepared for such problems that may arise again. Included with this report is a photo (above right) of the vacant area in the corner formed by Lydia’s House and the vocational education building plus the computer rendering (top of page) of the new health care building prepared by Siam, our resident supervisor.

We are also working to fix our roads, our basketball court, our soccer field and our playground equipment. We have 170 kids to nurture, feed, educate and entertain with sports and play and all the things healthy kids need to grow.

We also have been blessed with wonderful, generous patrons and we trust that blessings will continue to come so we can fund this work. If you would like to make a contribution please do so securely on this website or by mailing a check payable to James Connection to PO Box 751, Monroeville, PA 15146.

I treasure the privilege of doing this work and I hope you do too. Surely, God has shown us what can be accomplished if we keep praying and moving forward.

In Him,

Jan Swensen
Executive Director