A Leap of Faith

As a girl, she would rush home from school to read the latest newspaper comics episode of Little Annie Rooney, an orphan who suffered under the iron fist of Miss Meaney, the director. Back then, Alcyon dreamed of someday founding an orphanage where children were loved and happy.

Suddenly she was living her dream. Life was dangerous, scary. The rebels were watching, but the children were blooming. "When I see the color creeping into their cheeks and the light dawning in their eyes," she said, "I can't think of any place else I would rather be!"

This is the story of International Children's Care, an organization totally dependent upon prayer and private donations. From its humble origins in Guatemala during the brutal civil war, God worked one miracle after another to protect the Flecks as they brought hope to a generation of orphans.

Meet a severely brain-damaged infant who grows up to be the smartest person in her class, a pianist and a physician's assistant. And discover the sequel to Child of the Crossfire, as Salvador, the hero, falls in love, becomes a minister, and is reunited with his mother, who sings once again the songs she sang to him as a child.

And to think it all began with a voice--a message from God that nerved her for a life of daring service:

"Why are you so afraid?

Don't you know you have a Father who loves you?"

Alcyon Ruth Fleck, mother of four, spent the first half of her life as a missionary in Central America with her husband, Ken. With a lifelong passion for helping homeless children, she founded International Children's Care. During 24 years of service to ICC the Flecks have never taken a salary. Previous books include Brand From the Burning and Child of the Crossfire.