Can you imagine 30 kids sitting around your supper table? Can you imagine trying to find shoes and toothbrushes and toothpaste and clothes for 30 kids? Can you imagine getting up at night to care for them? WOW!
That's exactly what Grace Nuamgo Cing does with her husband, Run Lian. They have 3 children of their own, but have taken in 27 kids! Children that had nowhere to go, nobody to look after them.
HFTN has helped them to start farming mushrooms to provide income for the home. They weren't gathering quite enough mushroms to sell, so they stand in need of some personal care items for the children and food. They wanted to add some mushroom pots to begin to grow more mushrooms, to generate more income.
What beautiful souls to take in so many children. What a cost it is, but it is one that will be so worth it! Pouring love and care into the life of a child is NEVER a waste of time!
I began to tell people of their story. We all hear stories everyday of people in need, and it's impossible to help everyone. It is our job though, to be asking ourselves which story we CAN help with and how.
My mother, Rosemary Riches began to ask herself how she could help. She loves children, and admires Grace and Run Lian for their commitment to making a child's life better. My mom hasn't always had all that she needed. She's familiar with the feeling of being a poor family back in Scotland, and she spent time struggling to provide for her own children at times.
Her heart went out to this family, struggling to provide even the basics.
She began to figure out ways to help, she donated the $1000 needed to increase the mushroom business for Grace and her family.
My mother did something even more though. She didin't stop there. She began to pull out her Barbie collection. She never had things like that as a child, and began buying them and putting them away for her granddaughters. She decided, that since they all have what they need anyway, the sale of these dolls would help Grace to take care of the needs of the children.
She took her broken gold jewelry, and sold it. She is wondering if she really needs to have that expensive purse sitting in her closet, or if it'd be better spent on feeding a child.
I asked my mom, "Why would you do that for people you don't even know?" Her answer was simple. "I like to help people who are doing good work and cannot repay me." I know she has a heart for the underdog, those in need, those that are struggling to make it, especially chlldren. She also knows material items are just things. People are of greater value. Things are replacable, children are not.
These people I've mentioned have something you can't buy. They have something make up and clothes can't create. They have a heart that responds to the needs of others, and they have beautiful souls becase of it.
There are other beautiful souls all over the place. People who will stop and think about how they could help in some way.
Are you one?
Grace and her family's project through Hope For The Nations is called Hope for Mayanmar. They stand in need for monthly sponsors for the chldren, and some money to catch up with some basic care items, and tuition for the children to attend school.