Category Archives: Angels of the Week

Sawmi is one of our greatest success stories! Read her personal testimony below of how her life has been transformed by the work we do at Angels' Place.

Hello Everyone!

As the day for my college graduation is getting closer, I would like to thank everyone of you who has been with me through this journey. Without the help of each of you, I would not be where I am today. I would like to tell you all how grateful I am for everything you have done. Also, I would like to tell you a bit about my time here at Ohio Valley University as well my plans for the future.

I will graduate from OVU on the 8th of May, 2021 with a BA in Business. I am fortunate to have the love and support of my sponsors the Minsker Family, who will be by my side to witness the fruit of their investment in me over the past few years. They have been there for every important moment of my college life. This achievement is not just my achievement alone. I share my success with every person who supports the work of James Connection.

After graduation I plan to pursue my MBA at Oklahoma Christian University with a focus on either Human Resource Management or Health Care Administration. I will be working hard to prepare myself for future job placement. My long-term goal is to start an organization to help my community in India and Angels’ Place where I was raised. However, right after college, I will be looking for a job more in line with my degree so I can gain practical experience first.

I’ve had my share of challenges over the past four years. Everything was new for me. New friends, new food, new language, and different studies. I had to switch my major several times to find the right fit for my interests and passions and finally decided on Business. With time, I’ve made good friends and learned to adapt to all the new things. Through the process, I learned a lot about life and people and I’ve grown into a more mature and understanding person.

I love being involved in campus life. During my time at OVU, I was part of the Student Government Association, Steppingstone Student Chapter, Alpha Chi, the Social Club, and with my best friend’s encouragement, a club called Kappa. Being part of these groups, I have learned a lot about friendship and college life. I’ve grown to appreciate how much the university helps us, as students, grow spiritually. I also became aware that many international students did not get involved in social activities on campus. They didn’t have a place where they could build friendships on a deeper level, learn about each other’s cultures, and support each other while being far away from family and loved ones. So, during my Junior year, with the help of our International Director, Sally Massy (who was like a mother to every international student), I started a new club for International students within the larger Social Club. Being able to do that for all my international friends is one of my proudest achievements and brought me great happiness.

I know deep down in my heart, no matter what I do with my life, God had a purpose for me by bringing me to the United States and OVU. I want to continue to use my voice to make the world a better place. Above everything, I am excited and looking forward to how God will shape me and use me for his purpose in the months and years to come.

Love,
Sawmi

Seven-year-old Siam has quickly become the “darling of the home” according to the staff of Angels’ Place. She is a delightful and cheerful little girl who made her way to the orphanage last February. Her mother had died in 2015, and her father was too poor to raise her, her sister, and her two brothers. Since coming to Angels’ Place, she has settled in nicely. She attends school, where her favorite class is math, and she loves to dance.

Like so many of our children, Siam’s favorite thing about her new home is the presence of friends. She remembers her old life as being lonely, and she had no one to play with. Now she has come to a place where she has community and a sense of belonging.

Like so many of our children, dreams of the future are limited, and their focus is only on getting to their next meal. Our “darling” Siam now has started thinking about what comes next, and though still young, she has set herself the goal of becoming a teacher.

Because of the generous support of all of the sponsors and donors of the James Connection, Siam has hope and possibility in her future instead of poverty and isolation. Please, help us spread the word so we can make room for the hundreds just like her still on our waiting list.  Visit our Ways to Help page to learn how you can help us reach more potential sponsors and donors.

To read more stories about the children of Angels' Place, just click on "Angel of the Week" under Categories to the right.

Meet Lunkim (known as Kim by her friends and family), one of the youngest Angels living in our orphanage.  She is a sweet little girl from the small remote village of Kangkap.  You would never know behind her smiling eyes and cheerful personality there hides a story of sadness and hardship many of us could never imagine.  She is one of the lucky few who got into Angels' Place.  There are hundreds just like her still waiting with no family to take care of them.  Waiting for a sponsor or donor to help us make room for them.

Kim came to Angels' Place this past February after her father died from cancer.  Her mother, like so many young widows in India, was left destitute and could not care for her children.  Kim remembers how difficult her life was and how she was so often sick.  With with no access to quality medical care in these small villages, children like Kim often suffer needlessly.  The very sick often don't make it.

Today, thanks to her sponsors, Kim is a healthy, vibrant and happy little girl who loves to play with her new friends and sing and dance with the performance group.  She is getting the medical care she needs, healthy nourishing meals and a warm bed to sleep in.   Most importantly, she is surrounded by a loving community of adults who want her to thrive.

Thank you to our sponsors and donors who make it possible for children like Kim to escape the ruthless grips of poverty.  Please, help us spread the word so we can make room for the hundreds just like her still on our waiting list.  Visit our Ways to Help page to learn how you can help us reach more potential sponsors and donors.

To read more Angel of the Week stories, click on Angel of the Week under "Categories" to the right of this page.