LOVE 4 THE CHILDREN

In January, we introduced the children from the Belynichi boarding school to the story of Anna, who prayed in the temple, asking God to give her a son, whom she would later bring to the temple, thereby fulfilling the promise she made to God. Then the children learned about the life of Samuel (Anna’s son) in the temple, under the supervision of Priest Elijah, and how Samuel’s life eventually turned out. Through this biblical example, the children learned about how faithful God Himself is, and how much He blesses people who are faithful to Him. It is amazing how such examples strengthen children’s faith and give hope that God hears their prayers and that at the right time, they will definitely receive their answer!

The brightest and most memorable event of this month was Christmas event which was followed by the distribution of present boxes! Due to the fact that it was more difficult to collect the required number of presents this year, the event was held a little later than usual. But this did not prevent the festive atmosphere, the opportunity to tell children about the meaning of the Birth of Jesus on earth, and at the end to receive a lot of positive emotions, admiring the moment when children receive and then open their presents! Children are happy with every smallest toy, every pencil and every candy that they find in their boxes. And we rejoice and thank God for every open heart that has been collecting these presents!

The second highlight of this month was our visit to the graduate students who are in a disabled home now. These guys have serious mental and physical disabilities, what makes it difficult for them to adapt to the surrounding reality, and their capabilities are seriously limited, so they are in such an institution. For many years we have not had the opportunity to visit these guys, but they have tried in every way to keep in touch with our team. Some said that they believed and prayed for years that we would come to them someday. And finally, our long-awaited meeting happened! It is impossible to describe in words the degree of joy that every person who was at this meeting experienced! The guys greeted our team with strong hugs and even applause, which was unexpected for us!

Then, we just talked to them, learning about what is happening in their lives, what they are doing and what they dream about. It’s amazing that despite the limited opportunities, these guys are very talented! Someone is engaged in creativity, creating beautiful paintings from beads and other materials, someone sings, and someone composes poems. Then there was a moment when the guys asked us to hold a meeting in the format that we usually used when we came to their school. We gladly agreed! We played a little with them and remembered their favorite songs with movements. We knew that the time we spent with those children was valuable and needed for them, and that for all the years of separation, they had a serious reassessment of values.

And also I noticed that, despite the fact that these guys are already quite mature people externally, inside they are still the same children who, as before, need the simplest hugs, acceptance, love and affection. Their eyes are still the same children’s eyes, hiding dislike, rejection and a very difficult life path. That is why we used the opportunity to remind them of God’s love for each of them, as well as to tell them about Christmas and congratulate them on this wonderful holiday! At the end of the meeting, each graduate received his Christmas present! The guys hugged and thanked each of us and said they would be waiting for us again! And by the way, we also left them with presents – the children gave each member of our team pictures that they’ve made on their own!