Archive for December, 2024

In December: “Smilovichi orphanage”

Posted: December 31, 2024 by Dzmitry Nachyna in Smilovichi
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December was no less intense for Smilovichi than the previous months. There were still many children, although there were some changes: in mid-December, a little girl named Zhenya was taken away, and two brothers, Tim and Dima, went to foster care. But despite the fact that some of the children have left, new children have appeared. For example, one of them is a 5-year-old boy named Roma. Unlike many other children who needed to get used to us at first, he actively interacted with us on the very first day of acquaintance, played with us, hugged and kissed us. In terms of discipline, compared to other children, it was not easy with him, because he wanted a lot of attention to himself, but at such moments you realize that he behaves this way not because of evil, but because of a lack of parental love. This month was special with an unusual program. At one of the meetings, we held a master class: children made toys for the Christmas tree out of salt dough. Surprisingly, all the children were involved in the process: both toddlers, who were happily decorating toys, and older children, including teenage boys. The children even managed to try making salt dough themselves, and they were very happy to learn something new.

And the last meeting in December was very special: a real celebration was arranged for the guys with an appropriate atmosphere and treats, where everyone could blow out the candles on the cake. And the main highlight of the evening was that each child was given a large gift box in honor of Christmas. The guys felt incredible emotions from what happened to them. It was obvious to the naked eye that everything that happened to them was something completely incredible for them. In addition to these kinds of meetings, we also continued to tell the guys the truths from the Bible. A separate lesson was devoted to the topic of Christmas, where we told the story of the birth of Jesus, who He was and why He was born.

The guys tried to listen and answered our questions. There were some parables this month: this time it was the parable of the rich and poor Lazarus. It was nice to see how some of the guys tried to reason and express their options about what this parable teaches. We tried to figure it out with them, involving them in this process, what it might mean to them. In the context of the parable we once again repeated the essence of the Gospel. It’s great that they remember, sometimes with our hints, the things that we told them before, and we, in turn, try to repeat the main points. We also try to provide interesting and understandable activities for younger kids. At that time, it was the miracles of Jesus. We want the kids to understand that Jesus is not someone far away for them, but that He loves them and that He is with them.

As before, our meetings are not complete without games and songs. They’ve been really enjoying the games lately. We started separating the older kids and the toddlers, which the older kids are very happy about. This allowed us to get even closer to them. In terms of songs, we also don’t stand still: in December, we sang new songs with the guys, which they really liked. And what is especially noteworthy is that teenage boys who had not previously participated in this, but were just sitting on chairs, began to actively sing. As you can see, December turned out to be very bright and very intense, thank God for this period of time and for the opportunities for service that He provides.

 

In December: “Belinichy orphanage”

Posted: December 31, 2024 by Dzmitry Nachyna in Belinichy
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Greetings, dear brothers and sisters. The year has come to an end and I want to thank God for His mercy and grace. This month we had the opportunity to visit orphaned children in Belynichi. December is a favorite month for children, not only because of the winter break, but because they celebrate Christmas and New Year. In this last month of the year, we talked with the guys about the following topics: “The Miracles of Jesus” – with this lesson we wanted to show the Divinity of Jesus Christ to the guys. I was pleasantly surprised that many of the guys, especially those who had just recently arrived, knew about the miracles of Jesus. When we asked what kind of miracle would you like God to create, the answers were different. The guys were talking all over each other, one would ask for his health, another asked Jesus to heal his memory, which would help him with my studies, someone asked for his parents to be fine. Such questions especially create an atmosphere and bring joy to discussions. Another time, when we arrived, we discussed the parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus.” We talked about the decisions we make here, being on this earth, and how it can affect our future and eternal. It’s nice to see that the guys read and get answers in the Word of God. We looked at the rich man in the parable, and then we looked at Lazarus. The guys said that they understood that it is important in their successes not to be arrogant but to thank God for everything they have.

The following Thursday, graduate Tolya called me. Tolya graduated from the Belynichi boarding school 2 years ago. He said: ‘Dima, can I go to boarding school with you, I want to see the guys?’. I said ‘Tolya, of course, let’s go’. Tolya studied construction and when he was looking for a job, he remembered the believers and turned to us for help. They didn’t really want to hire orphans. And so we found out where we could go to get a job. The job itself was in Minsk, Tolya arrived at the appointed time and when he came to the HR department to get a job, he was met very badly there. Tolya was informed that he would not be hired and generally they wanted to send him away.

Tolya left the office, stood praying and believed that they would suddenly change their minds and still take him. He stood at the door for more than two hours, waiting for the decision to change and still hire him. And then an older man came up and said, why are you standing here for so many hours? Tolya said I’m an orphan, I’ve studied and graduated, but no one takes me to work, so I’m standing here thinking and praying that they’ll suddenly change their minds and hire me anyway. The man entered the HR department and after a couple of minutes Tolya was invited into the office and hired. It turned out that the older man was the director of the construction department, and God opened his heart to Tolya. As a result, Tolya has been working at a construction site in Minsk for more than a year, and he is doing well. On the day that Tolya was hired, he also received a place in the hostel, as well as money for food. Thank God that He arranged everything this way. Tolya said ‘I also want to speak in front of the guys and say that I have a rule of three “NNN” translates like this. Nothing Is Impossible. (in russian all three words start with letter N). With God, everything we can overcome. When we arrived at the boarding school, we held a meeting with the guys, where Tolya spoke, and then we talked a lot about the Nativity of Jesus Christ. We were talking about God, who saw how the whole of humanity was just sliding downhill and there were so many sins that God needed to send Jesus to help people solve the problem of sin. And now God wants us to be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ and put all our worries as well as all our sins, on Him. Only Jesus can solve the problem of sin and rebellion, and also solve the problems in life. The children notably opened up and asked God to be their friend, and also asked God to forgive them for their sins. Dear brothers and sisters, thank you so much for being with us this year, thank God that another year has been blessed in the field of God. May God bless you in the new year and help you every day!

 

 

In December: “Rudensk orphanage”

Posted: December 31, 2024 by Dzmitry Nachyna in Rudensk
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Wednesday is a special day because we visit children at the Rudensk boarding school. We noticed that with each meeting the number of children who come to us increases, and their eyes shine with God’s love and joy from communion with the Heavenly Father. Our team of volunteers has increased and we try to listen to each child, give wise advice, pray and just be friends and mentors – to be a family! I would like to share Nazar’s story with you, with his permission. Hi, my name is Nazar and I am 15 years old. I don’t have any brothers or sisters, only my dad, and my mom died recently. What do you like to do in your free time? – I go to the gym with the guys, and after training we play ping-pong. What would you like to learn? – Learn to ride a bike. What is your favorite lesson at school? – I like literature, drawing, and I also like to read. What do you dream about? – I want to go to Minsk, and I also dream of going to the Church to see how it looks from the inside. How do you feel about your failures and victories? – I get upset because of the failures, I was drawing recently and the drawing didn’t quite work out, then I was upset, but the teacher came up to me and suggested how to fix it, and I succeeded. I was very happy, and my inner self-confidence increased, and before that, my first thoughts were that I was a loser. What important decisions have you made recently? – I have decided to be more hardworking and responsible. I try to be open and help other children and teachers. But before I tried my best to avoid work. Why do your friends love and appreciate you? – For my help, which I provide to children who do not study well. What would you like people to know about you? – That I am kind, friendly and love God. What brings you joy? – My friend Sveta and other friends. They amuse me and can always listen to me. And when the team arrives, because you are always cheerful and have such a warm and joyful time with us. What surprises you about God? – His ability to rescue even when people can’t help, God always helps. He is able to help people in different places of the planet.

If you could see God now, what would you ask Him? –So that he would give me the ability not to sin, because I am offended and I can offend in return, so that in difficult moments He would strengthen my faith and help me through difficulties. How does the arrival of the team affect you? – When you come, I receive older sisters and brothers with whom I can be safe and with whom it’s always interesting to be. I learn a lot of new things, and my faith in God grows. I believe that you are not accidental in my life, and I hope that when I get out of boarding school, I will be able to continue my friendship with you, and maybe go with you to other children’s boarding schools. This month we talked about Jesus, about His life on earth and about His love for people, manifested in miracles of healing, resurrection, multiplication of food and many others. The children became very animated and asked us to pray that Jesus would show his love and miracles in their lives as well. We inspired them to read the Bible, because the word of God strengthens our faith and helps us to trust God in all circumstances. The final theme of the month was the story of the Savior’s Birth, and we were able to teach the children about the true meaning of Christmas and God’s Majestic plan for the salvation of all people and the forgiveness of our sins. Immediately after the topic, we prayed in groups and the children talked about what was bothering them or what bad habits they couldn’t get rid of, and then asked God to change them and make them look like Jesus Christ!