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Category Archives: Angels of the Week

An American Angel

DSC_3149-2As Christmas approached last year, LeeAnne Lafferty of Gibsonia, PA (pictured left with her mother, Jenny) was thinking about the orphans of the world. She wanted to help but didn’t know how. Her first thought was that she could share her toys with them, and so she talked the idea over with her mother, Jenny. They prayed on how they could help, and after a week an idea came to them: Cookies for Kids. Their idea was to sell cookies to help children in need. So they bought their ingredients and started baking.

The Laffertys were soon baking cookies together and selling them by the dozen. Contributors knew that the goal was to support the orphans of the world, and so they responded with a generosity in the spirit of the Laffertys' inspired idea. People gave anywhere from $10 to $250 for a dozen cookies, and in the end the Laffertys raised $1,150 from their home congregation. In the words of Jenny, “We know God can give an increase when the giving is placed in His hands.” For their contributions raised, the Cookies for Kids has provided almost the equivalent of three sponsorships for the children at Angel’s Place, and we are so grateful for their generosity that helps to make a new life for the children of Angel’s Place.

If you feel inspired by LeeAnne's story and would like to learn more about what you can do to help the children of Angels' Place, visit our Ways to Help page.

Angel of the Week: Akip

Akip 2016Kip Kip Kom (known as Akip by her friends and caregivers) is another amazing Angel's Place success story.  Coming from a life of extreme poverty and no hope for a future outside it's grip, she is now on the road to a life full of possibilities.

Akip came to the orphanage when she was 8 years old from a remote village where there was not electricity, no hospital.  She remembers life being "very tough".  "Poverty was everywhere," she recalls.  "Many times we went hungry."  When her father passed away, her mother became desperate with fear that she could not take care of her four children so she brought Akip to Angels' Place in hopes of giving her a better life and future.

Today, at 19 years old Akip is thriving.  With years of regular nutritious meals, a warm bed to sleep in and the opportunity for an educations, she is realizing a dream her mother never thought possible for her.  She is in class 12 at Rayburn High School, an amazing achievement for someone who comes from such extreme poverty.  She loves school and her favorite subject is Psychology which she finds "fascinating". When asked what she loves most about living at Angel's Place, she replies..."The warmth and friendship, love, care and support I received."

Akip is known by her caregivers as a cheerful, kind and considerate young woman with a bright future ahead.  She has faith in God and dreams of finding a career where she can help others, like others have helped her.  This is the true gift of The James Connection...building a better world, one child at a time.

There are hundreds of children, just like Akip still waiting to get into Angel's Place.  You can help us make room for them by visiting our Ways to Help page today.

Angel of the Week: Niangneihmawi

Niangneihmawi 2016This adorable little girl came to Angel's Place in 2013 helpless and scared.

Niangneihmawi's mother died in 2009 leaving her alone with a father who had no job and was drunk most of the time.  She was only one year old.  Sadly, things got worse when her father gave her to an uncle who had many children.   He could barely care for his own and she still remembers how terrible her life was. "It was bad.  I had no mother.  I was lonely and fearful."

Fortunately, Niangneihmawi's uncle brought her to Angels' Place and things began to change for her.  With proper nourishment and care, soon, the happy and carefree little girl began to emerge.   No longer trapped in a lonely life with little hope for escape, she had found a new path, one where she could express her true cheerful self...thanks to Angels' Place and the James Connection.

Today, this "chirpy" little girl loves playing with her many friends at Angel's Place and learning new things in school.  She sings with the choir, loves to dance and dreams about being a nurse or teacher some day. She radiates joy on a daily basis and the caregivers at Angels' Place are amazed to see what a difference good care has made in her life.

"I am happy at Angels' Place!  I am thankful for my sponsors," she wants the world to know.

There are so many children just like Niangneihmawi on the waiting list to get into Angels' Place.  Children still trapped in lives full of loneliness and fear, hoping they might find a home there.  You can help us make room for them by visiting our Ways to Help page.

 

 

Angel of the Week: Mangmuanlian

Mangmuanlian 2016Meet Mangmuanlian, our newest Angel of the Week!

Manguanlian is 11 years old and just came to Angels' Place this past February from a very hard home life which he remembers as "difficult and painful."  His mother was alone, taking care of four boys since her husband died in 2013.  With no stable or predictable source of income, she struggled every day to provide for them and they often went hungry.  School was a luxury about which Mangmuanlian could only dream.

Today, Mangmuanlian wears his backpack with tremendous pride as he walks to school everyday with his fellow classmates.   He knows how blessed he is to have the opportunity for a good education and he is making the most of it.  Things we take for granted, like regular meals, a warm bed, an education...all are "luxuries" kids like Manguanlian are afforded at Angels' Place.  But the orphanage is more than just a place for kids to sleep and eat.  It is a home, where they feel like they belong to a family.  In Manguanlian's words, what he likes most about living at Angels' Place is "the friendship, love and care."

"I am thankful to my sponsors," responds Manguanlian when asked what he wants the world to know about him.   Life holds real hope and possibility for him today because of their generosity and support.

You can make a difference in the life of a child by becoming a sponsor today!  There are hundreds of children, just like Manguanlian, on our waiting list.   Visit our Ways to Help page to learn about what you can do.