One of My Children

Here's an article from MercyShips July 2008 Newsletter--it features Emmanuel, a 9-year old orphan who was born with club feet. He lives at one of the orphanages that Orphan Relief & Rescue works with, so it was a fun surprise to see him in the newsletter! I visited him two days before I left Liberia, and he was looking so good! He's back in school and loving life!

'Thank Papa God, Thank Ye!'

An orphan sings out in gratitude for healing made possible by the generosity of friends like you.

Emmanuel, a shy, pint-sized orphan, grew up friendless because he was born with two severely deformed feet. Another boy, 9-month-old Junior, came to us after his mother was shunned by her neighbors because her baby was crippled.

Thanks to your loving support, both boys received free, world-class surgery to straighten their twisted feet aboard the Africa Mercy. Healed of a painful deformity that would have resulted in lives of poverty and despair, both boys now look forward with hope for better futures.

"Thank Papa God, thank ye!" sang out Emmanuel in joyful response.

Mercy Ships, a global Christian charity, seeks out the forgotten poor and provides them with much needed help, love, and respect. Your generosity enables our volunteer crew and medical professionals to deliver hope and healing to the suffering.

Before the Africa Mercy arrived in Monrovia earlier this year, a goal of raising $449,603 was set to provide the free specialized surgeries and therapy to help 115 Liberians walk again. Over the next few months, the personal attention of Mercy Ships supporters like you will be the difference between a normal life for children like Emmanuel and Junior--or a life of pain and suffering.