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A while back I received a story from Romania. This month you are going to have the opportunity of reading that story but first a more
recent
story came to me and this will touch your hearts. As we approach the Christmas season, I truly hope that you too will feel compelled to
box up
socks for these little children.
| BOX OF SOX
by Sue Bates |
| Many orphanages in Romania and Moldova will not have heat this winter and little food. Dr. Teodora Avram at the Gradinari
orphanage (226
handicapped children) said their heating bill is $10,000 per month (they have several huge buildings). So, they will be without heat.
Their food
bill is $6000 per month, minimum. The French Embassy gave them $12,000, so they have enough food to last till the middle of
November.
Then the government promised they would start helping. She is worried, very worried that they won't start helping. Dr. Teodora
mentions that
there are orphanages in worse
condition than theirs.
| | Recently, the European Community gave 26 million and America gave 10-15 million to help Romania with this crisis. Corruption is
more
rampant than ever. Much of what actually makes it to the orphanages is stolen by the directors and staff. It is best, to buy the food and
give it
directly to the children (something like bananas, cheese or cookies). It takes more time, but we know for certain it gets to the children.
(writes
Sue Bates)
| | Ion Florian from Tirgoviste, who has been working with orphanages for 10 years, has a Bible class in his home on Saturday
afternoons. About
20 children from a nearby ghetto come. He said they are in worse condition than the orphans. They have no water, no heat, no
electricity, and
no gas in their apartment blocks. Their parents are unemployed and any money they get is spent on alcohol. These children have thin,
worn-out canvas shoes and no socks, so their feet are very cold. Ion said that If they could just have a
pair of socks, they would be more comfortable.
| | Can you imagine trying to sleep in these freezing apartments and orphanages with no socks on?
| | I felt that those of you who visit the Angels On Earth Web Site should hear of this need. I wanted to give us all the opportunity of being
Earth
Angels by sending socks to these needy children. If you would like to send a BOX OF SOX to help needy children like these
mentioned by
Ion or to help the children and in the orphanages, it would help them keep a little
warmer and the feeling you receive would be ten fold greater!
| | Sue Bates has been in touch and in her words, "In as much as you have given some sox to help warm the feet of these little ones, you
have
done it unto me."
| | Readers and prospective earth angels you can send socks through the Post Office to:
Ron Bates, C.P. 53-55, Bucharest 4, Romania.
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"We are never more like Jesus than when we are choked with compassion for others."
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I've recently met Jo through another friend. This month Jo's grandmother died and Jo writes about the night before her grandma died.
She says,
"The night before she died I felt a pressure along my back - I really think that Gram was "stopping by" to visit each of us before her
final
journey home to her loved ones."
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Jo is also a bereaved parent. She lost her youngest daughter, Krissy, at age 7 1/2 years due to an accident that occurred at BC
Children's
hospital when she
relapsed from leukemia in 1997. A chemo agent was administered to little Krissy, intrathecally instead of intraveneously. The family
not only
had to deal with the death of a beautiful little daughter but they also had to come to terms with the mistake that took her life and then
forgive
those who were responsible. Jo says, "Somehow, my faith in God was able to hold me together and I was able to forgive the Dr. but I
am now
doing the hard, hard work of letting the tears fall. I did not realize how long as a mother I would feel so emotionally vulnerable."
Krissy died
on June 3, 1997.
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Angel at the Bookstore
by Jo Walker
| | I was still recovering just 6 months past from the loss of my younger
daughter due to cancer. My oldest daughter had a school project on
"Scotland" and we were rapidly running out of resources to pin up on her
display board. Books were already taken out of the library and I could not
afford to buy her new ones. We were not on the Net at the time.
| | So with some faith tucked in my heart I said to Kari - let's go to that
used bookstore off of the main street in Sidney (B.C.) and see if they have
anything. We agreed there was nothing to lose.
| | We went in and quickly realized what an amazing little "tucked-away"
bookstore this was. There was much information on Scotland - I couldn't
believe it - and the heaviness in my heart began to lighten. What I didn't
expect, however, was "who" walked by next. | | My daughter was in the children's book section and had found a book that
was over 100 years old. I looked to my right of the bookshelf I was
standing in front of and this tall, sporty-looking man walked by with the
biggest smile on his face. The amazing thing was - I was smiling back -
totally, without abandon. It was almost like I expected him to come along
- but I didn't!! Now I never smile at strangers but I felt an instant
electric current run through me when I looked into this man's eyes. A
surge of positive energy ran through me and no matter how hard I tried, I
couldn't dispel the feeling. I felt a complete acceptance of who I was by
him.
| | I tried to concentrate on deciding which books I could buy for Kari when he
came up alongside me on the other side of the bookshelf and asked where the
owner was. This was a really funny question as the bookstore was called
the "Haunted" bookstore and the owner was not in the store. He was outside
- looking at some books that someone wanted to sell to him. I said, "He's
not in the store but looking at some books that may be brought in on
consignment," with a twinkle in my eye. He understood the humor in my
statement.
| | That was the last time I saw him - but the feeling of happiness and
well-being lasted for at least an hour beyond when I left the store. This
also reaffirmed for me that no matter how small a concern we have, our
loving father, God, is there every step of the way in our lives.
| | I believe that when I needed heavenly support for my daughter because my
energy was low - it came in the form of an angel who liked to read!
| | God bless - Jo Walker
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A Mother's Love
by Mary Ruth Paul | | My mom became ill on right after my 15th birthday in 1960. It was a very
hard time for all of us. Mom had turned over in her sleep and found a
strange lump in her right breast. She went to the doctor not too long
afterward as the lump was painful.
| | Now, back in 1960 they did not have the mammography abilities we have today. Instead, the doctors performed surgery on mom with
the
understanding that if the "lump" was malignant they would do a radical mastectomy. To our horror, it was malignant and the radical
was
performed.
| | My mom, Ruth Irene Miller Paul, was one of the most wonderful women who
walked this earth. I am not the only one to say this - the outpouring of
mourners at her funeral says more than I could ever say. Her's was the
largest funeral Richmond, Virginia had ever seen to that date. Even the
Governor wrote a letter to her and another to the family after her death.
| | Well, let's get back to her life, shall we. Mom was a very strong woman -
she was named well as she wore that strength that only Christian women can.
After her surgery she maintained her job (which she did not have to work),
maintained our home and took care of my brother, father and me. She was made of steel, and I loved her so.
| | I remember times we went to the mall when I was approximately 17 years old.
My friends snickered at me because I held my mom's hand while walked along looking in the windows. I was so proud of her -- she
was my
friend, my
mother and my mentor. She gave me life and strength -- she gave me meaning
and she gave me the knowledge of Christ. What more can a child ask. My
brother is a Baptist Minister in Memphis, TN. Can I say more?
| | I became foolish when I turned 17 as I met a boy in school. Oh he was just
so grand. Mom kept telling me to watch out, "the quiet ones are always
trouble". Did I listen? Of course not. By that time I was ready to start
my own life, right. You can take that to the bank...
| | In June of 1965, I ran away to North Carolina and married my grand husband.
We went back to my house and informed my parents. Mom cried and Dad
bellowed. You see the minister who performed our ceremony was named Rev. Daniel Boone. Now Dad was not too keen on this -- he
wanted
to know "where was his Davey Crocket during the marriage". You see in those days when you ran away to be married, the certificate
was not
mailed to you until a few days later.
| | Well, mom and dad finally accepted the story to be true. Mom had cooked a
huge dinner of roast beef and all the trimmings. She was determined we were
to have our first real married meal as a really good one. We ate and had a
wonderful time. Dad gave us $50 (lots of money in 1965) and told us to go
and have a little honeymoon.
| | Well, we then had to go to his parents and tell them. All was well there,
except they too had cooked a "roast beef dinner" and made us sit down and eat with them.
| | I know I am getting off track here, but you will see why shortly.
| | After our little 2 day honeymoon we settled into the little house we had
rented. I continued to go by to see mom and/or call her daily to make sure
she was okay.
| | In July mom called me and asked that I moved back home because she needed me so badly. I had a decision to make at that moment.
I went
to my husband and told him of the dilemma and informed him I had to go - would he go with me. He consented and we moved back to
my old
room at mom and dad's house.
| | Mom became paralyzed from her waist down and was put in a hospital bed at
home. She was determined she would not die in a hospital. I remember our
talks about when I was a child and what she expected of me as an adult. She
told me she was dying, which I did not want to hear -- but we all have to
listen. She was so frail.
| | To make a long story short, on Wednesday, August 24, 1966, I became ill and
was rushed to the hospital. It was at this time I found I was pregnant and
had lost the fetus. I was only 8 weeks pregnant. The doctor performed a DandC
and kept me in the hospital for a few days.
| | My dad called me at the hospital on Saturday, August 27, 1996, and informed
me they were bringing mom to the same hospital for "a checkup," that's all,
he said.
| | I received permission from my doctor to go downstairs by way of the elevator
to see mom. When I go there I was startled as I noticed her paralysis had
increased to her arms. She was unable to talk, but I knew instinctively
what she was saying. My doctor made me go back to my room.
| | My best friend and her mother came by the hospital to see me that evening.
We were having a very nice visit, but I was so hungry. I just could not wait
for the dinner tray to come. The tray did finally come, but when I opened
the lid a vapor passed by my face and I had a feeling within the pit of my
stomach that told me I had to get back downstairs. I excused myself from my
company and went to the elevator. I could not get it to open. I looked for
the nurse and could not find any. Finally, I took the stairs to the floor
below. I passed my family in the waiting room - but no one seemed to notice.
I passed my doctor (also my mother's doctor), he waved and I waved back.
I proceeded to mom's room -- no one was there - I went to her bed, she was
not breathing and she seemed to be very cool when I touched her. "Oh God" I
screamed and ordered my husband to get a nurse, anybody. A nurse
approximately 8 months pregnant came in and bodily removed me from the room. She sat me in a wheelchair and proceeded to
inform me my
mom had expired just 5 minutes before. That was the exact time I had opened my dinner and the vapor had passed by my face.
| | I was returned to my room and sedated. The funeral arrangements were
scheduled for the following Monday, August 29. I was released from the
hospital on the 28th.
| | There was no room at my house so we had to go to my husband's parent's home to spend the night. During the night I had a dream (or
so I
thought at the time). Mom was standing at the window and motioning for me to follow her. I rose from the bed (so my husband told
me) and
proceeded to go out of the window. Obviously he had no idea of what was going on with me, except he said it took all of his power and
might
to keep me from jumping from the
window. I know this to be true because I had bruises all over my arms and
shoulders the next morning. The despair I felt the next morning was so
devastating - this was the only person in the whole wide world I knew for
sure loved me for me that had just died.
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Days passed into weeks and weeks into months while my despair continued. The great marriage I had was changing before my eyes.
Within
six months my
father was planning to remarry. I was horrified. My whole world was turned
upside down. My brother was having his own demons to deal with at the time
too.
| | I remember one night in particular when my husband and I had a terrible
argument. I was sleeping alone, or shall I say crying alone, when I felt the
mattress sag. I looked up expecting to see my husband... instead there sat
my mom just as she always had when life seemed so tough. She touched my hand and told me she would always be with me to guide
me
through the bad times in life. I couldn't tell anyone - they already thought I had lost my mind for the window incident, so I kept it to
myself. It
was such a reassuring and
wonderful feeling to know she was with me, no matter what. God had let her
return to comfort me.
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This incident has happened on many different occasions when I really needed
guidance. Mom would appear and give me the needed advice which always had clarified the problem and/or cleared it completely.
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When my daughter almost died at the age of 7 months, my mom was with me. I knew she was there in the hospital with me. I
smelled
lemons, which was one of mom's favorite fragrances in cooking, and I felt the stroke of her hand
against mine. I knew my daughter would live.
| | And so my daughter continues to live even today 28 years later, even when the doctors said there was not a chance. She is my gift
from God
and my Mom.
| Thank you Mom. I love you so.
Mary Ruth Paul
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| Jack McKinnon says that he believes that angels show up in many different ways. "The important thing we can do to help their work
is to
believe and pay attention. Sharing experiences of angels is good. It shows people where angels have shown up in the past. It inspires
people to
be open to angels in the future. But most importantly isn't that the message came from an angel, it is what the message was. Because
the
message came from God, and God is who we should glorifying."
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A Phone Call With An Angel by Jack McKinnon
| | It was 2 am when my mom called. What she had to tell me was that my brother was in the intensive care unit and probably would not
make it
through the night. He had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage.
| | Michael and I had fished the Calaveras reservoir two summers before. Bass fishing was secondary I think. I had always tried to be as
low key
a big brother as possible "What do you know about women?" he would say. I liked the way he narrowed down the subject matter.
| | "There are only two things you need to know" I told him. After he stared at me in dire anticipation for all of 30 seconds, I said "but
nobody
knows what they are."
| | I lay back in bed trying to understand what had happened. He was only 25, a Senior at a local College and working his way through
with a job
at a bank. My mind was going round and round. I was in the first stages of shock. My wife suggested I call a hot line and talk to some
body.
Maybe they could help me sort things out, she had the number out and handed me the phone.
| | The hot line phone rang five times before a sleepy voice answered it and I blurted out "I think my brother is dying and I need to talk to
someone." She seemed to get very clear right away.
| | Where is your brother" she asked, I told her and then she asked
"and where are you?" After sharing that I was home and would be going to visit him shortly she gave me her name and asked mine.
Then she
did what I think was the best gesture of love anybody could ever have done
She said " tell me about your brother."
| | At that, I broke down and cried.
| | He was the youngest of seven. A somewhat frail baby, soon growing into a vibrant and very active boy. He grew up surrounded by
girls. All
three of my sisters were still living at home Crying, I confessed that I hadn¼t been a very good brother. She said "Jack, you are a
wonderful
brother. Anyone who would cry this much, is very caring and a great brother to have."
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Then I asked, "How could God do this to him? He had so much to live for?"
| | She said, "God didn¼t cause your brothers death, nature did. God made nature to be unpredictable and young people die sometimes." I
knew
she was right. God knew my loss and how badly I felt. And he was with me in those feelings.
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I think she was an angel. She certainly fit the descriptions I have seen. Angels are messengers, coming and going without a trace and
bringing
good news. She helped me through the hardest part of letting my brother go. And she listened to me.
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When I visited Michael for the last time, he was unconscious. There were tubes in his mouth and wires monitoring his vitals. I could
see that
he was gone. As he was being wheeled down the hall to the operating room, my sisters gathered arm in arm and sang "Happy trails to
you,
until we meet again."
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Michael¼s organs helped seven people to live on after he had passed.
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My phone angel will live on forever in my heart and prayers.
Jack McKinnon
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| Scientists have now proven that there is indeed power in prayer. Thousands of people knew this to be a fact long before it was proven, for many have witnessed the miraculous results of prayer. Our first stories demonstrate the power of prayer.
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| A Perfect Little Girl
by Charlotte |
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| | We adopted our granddaughter who was almost killed at 7-months old by her step-dad. When I saw her in the hospital that night five years ago she was black and blue from head to toe and was not expected to make it through the night. That is when I found out what the power of prayer can really do.
| | Madison was born on June 28th, 1995. She was our first grandchild.
I knew her stepfather, Jeremy, was abusing her. I had called the Department of Children and Family Services (D.C.F.S.) several times. They told me I was an over-concerned Grandmother.
| | On Valentines Day in 1996, my daughter called me at work and said "Mom I can't get Madison to wake up. And earlier she couldn't keep anything down."
| | I told her to get Madison to the hospital. My daughter said, "but they'll take her away from me."
| | I told her to get her there NOW! I knew from that conversation that my worse fear had come true. I called to have someone come take my place with my client. I was a Home Care Worker working with people with AIDS. I left there and went straight to the Hospital. When I got there, the Doctor told me they didn't expect Madison to make it through the night. When I saw Madison, I thought they were right.
| | She had a busted collarbone, brain hemorrhage, massive contusions behind the left eye, and she was black and blue from head to toe.
| | Jeremy kept trying to say she fell off the couch. I knew differently and so did the doctors. The Department of Children and Family Services (D.C.F.S.) was called and so were the Police. My first words to D.C.F.S. were "So I am an over concerned grandma huh?!"
| | I called my Pastor and told him what had happened. He called the prayer chain at our church and the prayers for Madison started, besides the ones that I was already saying. I stayed at the hospital with Madison the whole two weeks she was there, only leaving to go home and change clothes and to go to church.
| | The doctors were amazed at Madison's recovery. She was holding herself up and was eating all the time. When she went into the hospital she only weighed thirteen pounds at 7-months old.
| | While I was staying with her at the hospital, I found out Jeremy had thrown her in her crib so hard that he had busted a rail on the crib.
| | Madison is going to be five on June 28th this year. She is a miracle child. She has amazed all the doctors with her recovery. She has no permanent brain damage and no scars. She is a bright little girl. She was tested this week for school and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her at all. She is ready for Kindergarten. As far as they can tell Madison doesn't need any special education classes. She loves to play on the computer and even has to show Dad how to get on sometimes.
| | We adopted Madison, so we have been her Mom and Dad since she was eight months old.
| | Hopefully this story will show you that there is a power greater than we are and that the power of prayer really makes a difference in how situations can turn out. Madison has many guardian angels, Godmothers, and Godfathers. She is a very special little girl and I thank God every day for her recovery.
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| | Charlotte Rogers
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Don't Pull the Plug
by Deanna |
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| | My sister, Jeanette, was diagnosed with MS when she was in her twenties. Shortly thereafter she was hospitalized and the family was summoned to say their last good byes.
| | When I arrived I noticed Jeanette's husband and her two small sons holding hands and praying. At that time they were not Christians.
| | Jeanette's husband Cloyd was told to "pull the plug." Cloyd refused and kept on praying with his sons.
| | Jeanette's heart stopped beating three times and she had stopped breathing. Later she told us that she felt incredible peace and she didn't hurt any more so she let herself go and didn't remember anything else until she woke up. She was blind and paralyzed from the neck down.
| | Cloyd brought Jeanette home, to our parent's house to recover, since more people would be around and our mom was a Registered Nurse. At that time Jeanette weighed 67 pounds. It was Halloween.
| | Jeanette set herself a goal. At that time she was unable to walk, eat, write and more. Jeanette had decided she wanted to surprise the family for Christmas. Her goal? She wanted to be able to walk from her father's chair to the bedroom of her mom and dad. She would practice at night when everyone was asleep.
| | When Christmas arrived, Jeannette indeed achieved her goal. She was able to give her family the gift she had practiced for and dreamt of. She walked from the chair to the bedroom of her parents!
| | Jeanette had a long difficult recovery and today is doing exceptionally well.
She believes God wanted her to live so that her family would know how great God is. Needless to say, this is one family that truly saw the power of prayer!
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| | Deanna
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| | Jeannette is indeed one brave and courageous lady who was willing to work, to endure pain and to struggle against all odds to achieve what some thought was impossible. To many she would be called hero.
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| | We also publish stories about heroes, random acts of kindness and other stories of goodness at our other Web Site called For Goodness Sake. We'd love to have you drop in for a visit.
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A Touch of Humor |
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| | My father-in-law was a real character, always pulling pranks so it was not surprising that something a bit humorous might take place surrounding his funeral.
| | Dad died in April 1978. Finally, a year later a huge group of 20 or 30 people went to a mountain ski resort to sprinkle his ashes according to his wishes. Initially, we were all to meet on the hill but Mom wasn't up to skiing so we all went down to a beautiful treed area below the resort.
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Just as the ashes were about to be dispersed, someone noted that we were standing above a septic tank so we had to move again! This struck many of us as funny and it gave us a chance to reminisce with smiles over some of the favorite pranks that my father-in-law had pulled during his life. Seems like Dad was chuckling once again!
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