---There’s a darling order of contemplative nuns out west, who spend a good portion of their day praying for the rest of us. To help support themselves, they run a little on-line gift shop. Okay, so most of us don’t need hand-made vestments, but we might be interested in candles, soaps or other little gifts. I’d love to give them a boost in sales, either now or in the future, so please keep their website in mind: www.benedictinesisters.org

And here’s our story:

For several years, Cheryl McKinney had been trying to protect her precious granddaughter, Destina, from what Cheryl suspected was abuse from the adults in her home. “I was concerned about my grandson too, but Destina seemed to be the main target,” Cheryl says. She and her husband had repeatedly reported instances of abuse and neglect to Children’s Services, but it seemed that nothing was ever done to change the situation. “It broke my heart to see things happening, and be so helpless,” Cheryl says. “I cried many times and was very depressed.”

Eventually, Cheryl turned to prayer. She had always believed in angels, so now she asked God to send these beautiful guardians to watch over and protect her grandchildren. At the same time, she refused to give up. “Finally I decided to write letters to the Governor, Mayor, and Police Chief,” she says, “begging them to do something to help.”

In May, 2003, Cheryl was asked to come to the offices of Children’s Services to discuss the situation. She was very apprehensive—would they believe her, or regard her as a trouble-maker or worse, a liar? But she needn’t have worried. The officials at the meeting were very kind. “They talked to me for 3 hours and then while I was sitting there in their office, they had a case worker go to my grandkids' home and remove them,” she recalls. “The next day my husband and I were awarded custody of them.”

The children are doing very well, and each day they bring joy to Cheryl. But there is an extra dimension to her happiness that she hadn’t anticipated. Shortly after the children were placed in Cheryl’s home, Destina told her grandmother that during the “hard times,” she often felt someone with her, someone she couldn’t see, but a kind and caring presence whose arms would encircle her in a warm hug.

And that wasn’t all. One morning Destina had awakened to a voice that kept calling her name. When she opened her eyes, she saw a beautiful lady dressed all in white. There was a soft glowing light around her, and she was smiling. “Who are you?” Destina asked, astonished.

“I’m your guardian angel,” the lady told Destina. “I was sent to be with you.” Then she beckoned. “Come closer. The time is short.”

Destina had gone to the angel without fear, and laid her head on the angel’s shoulder. The angel, in turn, embraced Destina. So warm the caress… yes, it reminded Destina of those other times when unseen arms encircled her…

Then the angel had spoken again. “The time has come,” she announced, then disappeared. Destina had found herself back in bed, wondering if it had all been a dream. But it hadn’t. That same day, Children's Services, along with the police, had come to the home and removed Destina and her brother.

When she heard this, Cheryl’s eyes filled with tears. During all those months, when she had asked angels to surround her grandchildren with the protection she could not give, God had heard her prayer. “This has confirmed my belief in angels, and in the power of prayer,” Cheryl says. We cannot always be there for our loved ones, but God’s angels can and do take our places. What a heavenly thought!

Copyrighted 2004 by Joan Wester Anderson. For more stories of God’s love, check the website at: www.joanwanderson.com.