As both a writer and a reader, I love a story that has a happy ending. And real life happy endings are even better! It’s my privilege and pleasure to share one with you today.
Two years ago, two young women left the safety and comfort of the US to perform mission work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Yep, the country that’s been embroiled in violent civil war for some time now. One of the young women was Christina, the daughter of my BFF and writing buddy Angela Cavener. The other was her good friend, Brittany.
In the DRC, these two young women women faced immense challenges ranging from malaria, to an ebola scare, to prejudice against whites, who have historically exploited the DRC’s resources and people and are viewed with distrust. Despite the constant challenges, the two made incredible strides and vastly improved the lives of the boys at the orphanage where they performed their mission work. Not only were they a source of spiritual comfort with their bright smiles and beautiful singing voices, but they were also able to obtain mosquito nets and soccer uniforms for the boys on top of performing their daily duties.
One of the boys at the orphanage had severely deformed legs and was unable to function properly. Getting Emmanuel a pair of prosthetic legs became Christina and Brittany’s goal, no easy feat in a country where many people live in abject poverty, lacking basic necessities. It took a year to get the funding and obtain the prosthetics, but they did it! This summer they were able to return to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and see Emmanuel fitted with his legs and start to learn to walk.
No doubt getting this young boy his legs has earned these two earth angels their wings!
Emmanuel is just one of many children who could benefit from some help. To learn more about Christina and Brittany’s mission work, visit their website at www.projectemmanuel.org. Donations to their work can be made by mailing a check contribution made out to Greenland Hills United Methodist Church with “PROJECT EMMANUEL” in the memo line to:
P.O. Box. 110495
Carrollton, Texas 75011
Hooray for happy endings! Let’s hope there are many more to come for these kids!
Post a comment today and you could win an ARC of my debut novel Death, Taxes, and a French Manicure! The winner's name will be posted at 9:00 PM Central time. Thanks for stopping by!
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7 comments:
Hearing stories like this make me think things aren't quite as bad as the news media would like us to believe. A friend who lives in the Pacific Northwest told me about this story:
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/08/12/
2140094/donations-in-honor-of-
dead-girls.html
It made me smile, too, because something good came out of tragedy.
Thanks for my smile of the week, Diane!
Oh how very neat. And you're right, Kima, I wish the news media would focus on stories like this, of people making a difference (and how we can help). Those girls are an inspiration. Thanks for sharing, Diane!
Wow, Kima, that is definitely an inspiring story! And so wonderful that something good could come out of such a heartwrenching loss.
Women (and girls!) can do so much!!! Who says men rule the world? : )
It's nice to hear good news instead of the constant barrage of deaths, bombings and robbing. It's also nice to know there are good people out there making a difference. Thanks for sharing this story!
Loved it!
Thanks girl!
CC
And the winner is . . . KIMA! Kima, please email me at diane@dianekelly.com with your snail mail address and I'll send you the ARC and some SWAG. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!
Thank you so much for sharing on this very nice and wonderful story.
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