Joyfully Retired

Pam Cope is a wife and mother from Neosho, Missouri. She lived through, barely, a parent’s worst nightmare – her son Jantsen’s sudden death at the age of fifteen. Prior to her son’s death, Pam had been searching for something to give her life meaning. She tried excessive shopping, numerous self-help books and so forth. Nothing helped. The grief from her son’s death overwhelmed her and added to her feelings of aimlessness. Within the year following his death Pam had no desire to eat, leave the house or do anything but curl up and cry. She sunk into a life-threatening depression.

Many things came together to help Pam climb out of the black hole. One of them was the reassuring voice of God in the quiet of her bedroom. She also had an extremely supportive husband, daughter, other family members, friends and a good doctor.

Once she was back on the road to recovery one of her tasks was to decide how to spend the money given in memory of her son. She searched many charitable projects. She and her husband felt the need to do something for children. Close friends were working with an orphanage in Vietnam so the family traveled to the orphanage to see if this was the right place for the money – Jantsen’s gift.

Not only was it the right place for Jantsen’s gift but they met a baby there who captured their hearts. This trip was the beginning of a whole new way of life for Pam and her husband Randy. They went on to establish an organization, Touch A Life Foundation, that has also changed the lives of many children.

In addition to Vietnam, they have helped children in Cambodia and Ghana in West Africa. As they say on their website, “The focus of the organization is to stand in the gap for hurting and exploited children.”  The help they have given children is both financial and personal. They’ve been able to rescue children caught in life-threatening situations. Many others have joined in with the Copes to help Touch A Life. To learn more about the organization, go here.  

I’m very honored to have had the opportunity to read this book. I’ve enjoyed it so much that I’m recommending it to everyone I know, especially those who care about innocent children. Thanks to Anna at Hatchette Book Group, I can offer three copies of Jantsen’s Gift  to three lucky readers. Comment on this post to enter. This is open to all U.S. and Canadian residents, no P.O. Boxes.  I’ll keep it open until May 14. Be sure I have your email address.