A Prayer, a Photograph, a Message
The story behind the photograph — in seven moments.
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The Prayer
One day, while china-painting and praying, porcelain artist Marianne Ball asked:
“You made me an artist… I need a new idea of an angel to paint.” -
A Few Weeks Later · August 16, 1998 · Amboy, Illinois
Leaving church with her four-year-old granddaughter, Marianne saw angels in cloud form appear in the bright blue sky. She drove home for her camera — only to find they had followed her. She took the photo from her driveway.
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The Long, Narrow Cloud
Marianne showed the photo and told the story at gatherings. People kept asking what the long, narrow cloud beside the angel was there for. She didn't know.
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October 1998 · Florida
Her 82-year-old mother — unable to converse because of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's — gazed at the photo of the angels and exclaimed: “They are!” They were the only words she spoke during the visit.
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Five Years Later
A man researching mysterious phenomena found Marianne's website and sent an email: “It must be a paintbrush.”
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God's Message
A paintbrush — making a finishing touch on the angel's wing. It made perfect sense: she had asked for a new angel to paint, and angels were sent — to photograph, and to paint.
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Today
Marianne paints the angels on porcelain and other mediums, sharing her message with the world.
Read Marianne's Full Story — in her own words
Lightly edited for length.
Throughout 1994 I prayed for the healing of a close relative. That November, an angel contacted me for the first time, directing a thought to my mind: she was knitting a sweater for her wings. I laughed — I wasn't thinking on my own and had no idea what was going on. Now I know that God has a sense of humor, and that this was His way of getting my attention.
For three years I shared the experience, no matter how silly it sounded. I kept reading the Bible and attending weekly prayer meetings. I am a porcelain artist, and one day while china-painting and praying I said:
"You made me an artist. I've been painting angels on Christmas cards and other greeting cards. I need a new idea of an angel to paint."
A few weeks later, on August 16, 1998, I left church fellowship with my four-year-old granddaughter and her dad. Angels in cloud form appeared in the bright blue sky — and we were the only ones leaving the church at the time. I drove home to get my camera, only to discover they had followed us home, settling above the house where I attended prayer meetings. I took the photo from my driveway.
That October I traveled to Florida to visit my 82-year-old mother, who suffered from both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease and had stopped speaking. I placed the photo in a brass frame on her dresser. On my last visit, I held it up and said, "Mama, I took this photo of angels; they are real angels!" She stared at it and said, "They are!" — the only words she spoke in the two weeks I was there. I left Florida with peace of mind, knowing God's angels would watch over my mother.
For five years afterward, people who saw the photo would ask about the long, narrow cloud beside the angel. I didn't know what it was. Then a man in Maine, researching mysterious phenomena, came across my website and emailed me: it must be a paintbrush. I understood at once — it is like a paintbrush making a finishing touch on the angel's wing, and God's message made perfect sense.
"I asked for an angel. He heard my prayer, and angels in cloud form were sent to me to photograph and to paint. Thank you, Father. You are an awesome God!"
