Meet my sweet little friends, Joel and Holly

Dear Friends,

Let me tell you a great story with a happy ending. It’s about how Heaven’s Family has helped two precious children named Holly and Joel.

The story begins with their father, Sonny Cung Luai, and mother, Biak, several years before Holly and Joel were born. Sonny was attending Bible school when, one day, God gave him a vision to care for orphans. After graduating, he went to work at an orphanage in Kalaymyo, Myanmar as a step towards following his calling. Five years later, Sonny had learned a lot about caring for orphans, but he didn’t think he had the faith to fulfill the vision that God had given him to pioneer his own orphanage.

That’s when Sonny became a modern-day Jonah. He resigned from the orphanage and fled, trying to get as far away from orphans as he could.

Sonny and Biak rented a small bamboo house, planning to live a quiet life—but Sonny soon discovered that he could not flee from the call of God. It wasn’t long before people began bringing orphans to him, but Sonny refused to take them in. Eventually, Sonny’s heart broke when someone brought him and Biak an infant baby girl. He then surrendered to God—and to the vision the Lord had given him years before. Today, he and Biak care for eight orphans—all sponsored through Orphan’s Tear—in their home that they now call Beulah Orphanage.

Now comes the part of the story where Holly and Joel come in. Two-and-a-half years ago Biak gave birth to their firstborn child, a daughter named Holly. When Holly was eight months old, however, she became very ill. Their doctor told Sonny and Biak the bad news: Holly had tuberculosis. In Western nations TB is treatable, but in many foreign countries like Myanmar it is still a life-threatening disease, especially for children.

Sonny then contacted me, and Heaven’s Family began to help with doctor bills and medicine through gifts to the Critical Medical Needs Fund. Although Holly was receiving the prescribed treatments, she did not seem to be getting any better. A year later her brother Joel was born and while still an infant he, too, contracted TB. Now both of Sonny’s children were plagued with the often-fatal illness.

Over the next few months, Heaven’s Family helped cover the medical expenses for Holly and Joel which, although just a few dollars, were more than an impoverished orphanage director like Sonny could afford.

Then in February something began to happen. Holly began to look better and wanted to play. Finally the day came when the doctor told two delighted parents that Holly and Joel were both healthy! We also celebrated here in our office when we recently received the following email from Sonny: “HOLLY and JOEL are healed. Thank you so much for your always help and prayer.”

That, my friends, is just one thing the Critical Medical Needs Fund does with your contributions. Sometimes it takes $1,000 to save a life…and sometimes it only takes $32 as it did for Holly and Joel. Thanks to you, stories like this have a happy ending!

Sonny holding Holly and Biak holding Joel, left; together with their orphanage family, right

In His service,

Patti Samuels
Director, Critical Medical Needs Fund