LOVE 4 THE CHILDREN

The beginning of this year was productive. My team and I prayed that God would open the doors for evangelization and that God would answer our prayers throughout the month. At the beginning of the year, we visited many villages where there were meetings with performances and gifts. Usually, many children from villages end up in boarding schools and orphanages. We decided to prevent that. The villages of Belarus look very poor, but it is there that children and parents are very open to the gospel. Hopelessness, unemployment, drunkenness: here are the frequent “companions” of the villagers. Usually, after arriving, we showed a performance showing that there is hope even in the darkest of times. It was said that Christ was born and the birth of Jesus brought peace into the world. There were brief testimonies of people how God helps in life. It is clear from what we saw that the people are not spoiled by such ideas, and the children enthusiastically looked at the heroes of the Christmas story.

After that, we talked about how God gave Jesus Christ to the world, and that he brought salvation to people. Which is the most valuable gift. But we also want to give a gift that will be a good reminder for the guys about this event. It was so nice to see how the guys received gifts! There were cheers from the guys. And some children couldn’t wait and decided to open the gifts to see what was in the box. Parents, as well as grandmothers who raise children, came and thanked us, saying: “We are so poor that we save on everything”. They thanked me for the mug that was in the gift, for toothpaste, brushes, socks, and for every toy. The children were going home, and, seeing off the guys, we heard them retell the meaning of the story and how they were glad to learn about the true meaning of Christmas.

Also this month we visited boarding schools. Rudensk became the first boarding school where we arrived. We have talked a lot about the life of Jesus Christ this month. And that’s why, when we showed the performance, we saw that many guys knew the right answers. I like to see how children not only remember Jesus Christ but also try to put their faith into practice. They pray and it’s nice to hear what they say to God in simplicity. For the children, the great evidence was that despite the wind and snow, we come to them. “You probably love us so much that you come even in bad weather”: the guys said.

Just recently, we recalled a story about a paralyzed man who was brought by four friends and Jesus healed him. In the beginning, the friends could not carry him through the doors, but only after disassembling the roof could they carry him, and seeing the faith of friends, God healed a friend. Difficulties teach us to be persistent in achieving our goals.

Also this month we were in Belynichi. A special place where we are always expected. There are many children with Down’s syndrome living there now. When we arrived, the children ran out in sneakers in the snow to meet us. “We’ve been waiting for you guys!” the kids were shouting and hugging us. Despite all the pathology of the children’s health, we see how God blesses their memory. They remember Bible stories very well, and going through the topics of the life of Jesus Christ, we see that children shout out answers. And it’s also interesting to watch the educators who come to meetings with the guys. We see that they are also changing, it can be seen from the reflections that they voice. Thank God for reaching their hearts. We were talking about the healing of two blind people. Such stories especially touch children in Belynichi, they know how to sympathize with the characters of the Bible, as they themselves need a miracle. It is very nice to see the joy of the guys when we say that Jesus healed two blind people or fed 5,000 people. This is joy and surprise, which is difficult to describe, you can look at it forever. That’s why we buy children’s Bibles so that children can read and look at bright pictures in their free time, telling stories that Jesus did.