\"If you are an orphan, the pain is total\"<\/span><\/h2>\n- I think only adults who have been orphaned themselves can fully understand the bitterness of an orphan! We have a saying that goes: \"If you have no father - you are fatherless, no mother - you are an orphan, and then the pain is total\". <\/span><\/p>\n- I became fatherless early in my life because my father died when I was still very young. But I still had my mother, and she was a good mother who was full of love and care. But the joy in my life ended when my mother died suddenly. I was only 16 years old and the tragedy felt indescribable. <\/span><\/p>\n- Then I moved to my disabled uncle's house a short distance away. He took me under guardianship and I lived and grew up with him. He was a good man, my dear Uncle Kalja. He had lost his wife and I became like a daughter to him. I lived with my uncle until one day I met my husband and we started a family and had two children, a son and a daughter. <\/span><\/p>\n- Both my husband and my son were born with Down syndrome. The authorities would not give my husband a disability pension because we had children despite the authorities advising against it due to the risk of having children with Down syndrome. Therefore, my husband only gets half a disability pension. Both my husband and I have had a hard time finding work, and the work we have is poorly paid. So today we live with my dear old uncle Kalja. <\/span><\/p>\n- Last winter our situation was very difficult, but somehow a church here in town heard about our plight. They came to our home and said they had heard about us and wanted to help us with \"Bags of Hope\" (bags of food). They called this help a service of mercy, which really spoke to me because I really felt that it was a merciful and loving thing they were doing for us. <\/span><\/p>\n- <\/span>They also gave me a Bible to read, and they came here every week for a few months with help. We often had tea together and they told me about God and often asked me if I had a need they should pray for and if they could pray for me and bless me. I desperately needed their prayers and healing for my broken heart after the death of my parents.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\nTouched by God's love<\/h2>\n
- One day God suddenly touched me in a very strong way that brought tears to my eyes. It was God's spirit and love that filled me, I think. It was overwhelming, and that day I accepted Jesus into my life. <\/span><\/p>\n- It's been about a year now, and step by step I've started walking with Jesus in my life, reading the Bible and praying. <\/span><\/p>\n- My husband hasn't come to faith in Jesus yet, so I pray for him. But both my children believe in Jesus now. We also go to church, and we are very happy about that. For me, it's like I've become part of a new family, God's family. I rarely cry anymore. I used to do that a lot in my life. But now my lips have changed into a smile. Thank you God!<\/span><\/p>\nIntercessory prayer<\/h2>\n
If you would like to support the \"Bags of Hope\" project with prayers, you can ask:<\/p>\n
\n- May God richly bless the ministry so that more families can be helped and experience God's love in a practical way<\/li>\n
- May God open hearts so that more people can come to faith through \"Bags of Hope\"<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Support Persecuted Christians in general<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t