There were quite a lot of children in the shelter this month, half of them are younger, and half are already teenagers. All of them are waiting for our arrival, one of them even once said, when the team was going to go home, “I wish next Tuesday would come soon so that you would come again.”
On the last trip, Katya, who is 6 years old, asked why we couldn’t stay longer and leave later. The kids happily go to hug the team members. We play a common game with all the children together, and then we divide them into two groups: kids separately, teenagers separately. The kids were informed in simple words about what God is, that He is Kind and that He loves them. They were also told about prayer, that you can communicate with God and you don’t need any special skills for this. Despite their age, it resonates with them. What we tell them does not pass without a trace, it feels that it is still
possible to convey to them some truths
about God at the level of their understanding. There were moments when the kids talked about what was happening at their home. A girl named Zhenya told how her father beat her mother in the face. A girl named Katya told how her mother beat her grandmother, who was sitting in a wheelchair, and how she and her younger brothers waited for dad to come home so that it would end. Katya from the team told the children the story of her childhood and described the difficulties she had to go through.
Older children listen to Bible stories with interest. Some of them actively read the Bible for Teenagers in their free time, which we brought them, and at home they do even more than what we ask them to do. It is clear that they are not indifferent to what is happening: they remember well what they are told, it is felt that they are involved in the conversation, they willingly answer questions in the course of the story. For several weeks, they were told about Who Jesus Christ is, what He is and what significance it has for their lives, analyzing with them some stories from the Gospels and parables that Jesus spoke.
These guys are open to sowing the seed of faith in them. Last week we spent the birthday boy’s day. We gathered all the guys and said that we want to celebrate your birthday with you. We brought a cake and candles with us. When we all sat down at the table, the guys had to put out the candles. And this joy was in the eyes of the guys. They shouted again, light the candles again. We were so glad to see the happy eyes of the guys. I’ve never had such a birthday, the kids said. And we, looking at this joy, simply thanked God. The guys from the shelter will soon leave for the camps. And each member of the eam said his wishes to the guys. We prayed and blessed the guys. Dear friends, thank you for your prayers and support of the ministry! We are glad that together with you we can influence children and that the kingdom of God is spreading.