Archive for January, 2025

In January:“Smilovichi orphanage”

Posted: January 31, 2025 by Dzmitry Nachyna in Smilovichi
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There were some trips to the orphanage in Smilovichi in January. Probably about half of the children were either taken to a foster family, or returned to their own family, or sent to a sanatorium, and we also got to know the new arrivals. Here I had to deal with the fact that an attachment to children grows, and when someone suddenly leaves, to be honest, the first time I cried. There was a boy about 4 years old who practically settled in my arms. He chose me once, and since then he has taken a piece of my heart forever. Somehow, miraculously, I managed to calm him down. The baby began to constantly show tenderness and love towards me. And recently he was taken into foster care, I had to convince myself that it was better for him and I should be happy about it. I understand that this is our ministry: first, to give the maximum to the children, and then to let them go and remember them in prayers, to entrust their future fate to God. And of course, giving is much easier than the rest. In January, one significant event happened for me personally: I had a birthday, and the idea came up to celebrate it with the children. It just coincided with the day of the trip. I made a cake, bought candles and took it all to Smilovichi. Unfortunately, there were only 5 children, but they were so happy! It turned out to be no less valuable to them than it was to me. They congratulated me, hugged me, kissed me – they just bathed me in love, and there was a family atmosphere. We laughed a lot, and the cherry on the cake was blowing out the candles, which every child participated in. I guess now the rest of the guys from our team will also want such a holiday.

Recently, I had a chance to teach kids about how much the Lord loves children and wants all people to be like them, to tell them what it means. I liked that even the youngest ones know that every person is equally important to God: regardless of status, age, skin color, profession, etc. But the fact that He always loves us, even if we act badly, we have to constantly remind them – they forget: it is difficult for a child to believe in unconditional love, and they think they have to earn it.

Every visit, my team and I try to ask questions about previous topics to make sure that the material is fixed, and, of course, the elders remember it better. For this, special thanks go to Dmitry, who knows how to convey to children in a way that probably no one else of us can yet. I notice that the guys already have confidence in us, they are always very happy to welcome us. From my observations, they look for some kind of approval from us: they brag about things, grades, and some of their achievements. This is pleasant and means that they can listen to our advice, read the Bible, pray, etc. Among the new arrivals there is a 5-year-old Roma, who is superactive and practically restless. How loving he is, the phrase “Nadia, I love you” spreads warmth all over me. The Lord gives us so much through these children!

In January: ”Belinichy orphanage”

Posted: January 30, 2025 by Dzmitry Nachyna in Belinichy
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Dear brothers and sisters, I greet you! So the new year has begun, and with it our trips to the Belynichy School. We are glad that God allows you and us to move on to a new stage of life. Thank God. At the beginning of the year, we had the opportunity to visit graduates from the Belynichy boarding school in Bobruisk. When the guys found out that we were coming, they were very happy and prepared for the meeting in advance. We agreed that we would meet with them at the Reconciliation Church. So even before the appointed time, the guys were there two hours before our arrival. We are glad that the guys got to know the pastor of the church and the youth. When we arrived, we brought pizza with us. We listened to the guys, it was interesting to find out what they go through and how they overcome the challenges along the way. We realized that since they are orphans, there are much more difficulties for them to integrate into society. Danik the pastor told the guys, we want you to become a part of our family and a part of the church. It was obvious that the guys were surprised by the pastor’s suggestion. But they agreed anyway, and Andrey said thank you very much for your concern and for your love for us. We haven’t seen much love for us lately, and you’ve given us what we needed. We brought the guys grocery bags with food, as well as everything they needed for cooking. We talked, prayed, and then took the guys to the dorm.

Also on January 11, we came to wish the guys a Merry Christmas. Our friends, the puppet theater, came with us. It was a surprise for the guys, and when they saw the team, they were very happy. When the performance began, the dolls told the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and, in general, why he came into this world. The guys were so immersed in the story that silence and exclamations of emotion sounded during the performance. More than 40% of the children were new ones who had never heard of the Nativity of Christ. Thank God that there was an opportunity to tell an amazing story, as well as to show how the birth of Jesus changes a person’s life.

Another time, when we arrived, we discussed the topic of Zacchaeus. We talked about how a small person became big in the eyes of God. Because of their diagnoses, children have congenital developmental features and sometimes think that they are not good enough for God to pay attention to them. But when we told about Zacchaeus, how he lived and what he did, how he offended and robbed. Zacchaeus is bad, the children said. But God sees both good and bad children. For God, everyone is important. And when, during the story, the guys heard that Jesus had come to his house and had a good conversation with Zacchaeus, our hero decided to change his life. And he said I’ll give it all away if I’ve offended or robbed someone.

The guys said it’s hard to forgive someone who does bad things to them and it’s hard to change quickly. But with God, anything is possible, Sasha said. The story has shown that God sees even in a crowd, and even those who are short, ugly, or act badly. God can forgive us if we ask for forgiveness. Faith in God can change us. Escorting us to the car, the guys recalled different situations that happened to them and when they thought that God did not know and did not see them. Thanks Dima for sharing this story, it helped me to understand that God cares about me.We had another topic this month when we talked about how Jesus loves children. We have shown by our lesson that Jesus values children and wants them to trust Him as children trust their parents.

And that God doesn’t care only about adults, or stars, presidents, or teachers. Everyone is important to God. Coming to Jesus is easy. It’s okay to be curious. Children ask a lot of questions and want to learn. God likes it when we want to know God more. But it may happen just like as the disciples resisted the parents who brought the children to Christ, so sometimes the older guys may not believe in God and try to destroy faith in you. We need to remember that God is waiting for us and he loves children. The guys exclaimed, I am important to God! I say, of course. Dear friends, thank you for your prayers and for your support for us! Pray for the children to have a solid foundation and a breakthrough in their life and faith.

 

 

 

In January: “Rudensk orphanage”

Posted: January 30, 2025 by Dzmitry Nachyna in Rudensk
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Our January trips to the Rudensk school began with a Christmas theater production, which our friends, the actors of the Christian theater, were happy to show. The children were captivated by the plot and the bright decorations, and after the performance they were filled with joyful emotions from what they saw. The children, who recently became orphans and came to live in a boarding school, told us that for the first time they learned about the true meaning of Christmas and now they want to learn more about God and will attend our Bible lessons on Wednesdays. That evening, the children’s eyes shone with joy and hope, hope for a loving and faithful God, about Whom they watched the production. The celebration ended with the distribution of gifts, each of the 140 children received a package or box containing everything necessary for hygiene, warm hats and gloves, school supplies, educational toys and, of course, sweets.

They jumped with happiness and gratitude to God that they were taken care of and now they have everything they dreamed of! Sasha said that now he would have his own purse and he would carry a Bible in it and read anywhere in his free time. Ksyusha was delighted with the big doll that looked so much like her. My team and I were glad to be able to see the emotions of each child and returned home overwhelmed with joy from serving orphaned children. For our next trips, we prepared biblical themes about Zacchaeus and Jesus, who loves children, and explained their meaning, showing that everyone is important to God and even a bad person can turn to Him. We said that the Lord never rejects us and wants to heal them from rejection by their parents and close relatives. At the end of each meeting, we pray with the children in groups and they share what bother them or how God answers prayers. 

I also want to introduce you to Sasha, who comes to us all the time and loves to read the Bible very much. I’m Sasha and I’m 15 years old. I don’t have any siblings, and I’ve been living at a boarding school since the first grade. I was taken away because my parents didn’t take care of me, as I was told, they drank a lot and led an immoral lifestyle. What do you like to do, do you have any hidden gifts or talents? I really like singing and I often perform in front of the school and in front of the guests. I love to sing! Sasha, tell me, how do you overcome your failures in life? I endure, but when I’m really worried about my defeat, I talk to the caregivers and ask for help to figure it out, because it’s hard to solve my difficulties alone. When you have free time, what do you like to do? I love reading, and reading the Bible brings me special joy. I like to read the New Testament because it says how Jesus Christ forgave our sins. It makes me very happy.

 What is your goal in life and what do you want to achieve? I really want to study well, and therefore I try to spend a lot of time preparing for lessons. I also want to become a singer and they tell me that I have a good voice. I try to perform at all school concerts and it helps to get closer to my dream. If I suddenly fail to become a singer, then I would like to become a massage therapist. I think I have strong hands). What are you worried about? I’m worried that I don’t have many friends with whom I can talk openly. Lately, I’ve started asking God for friends. Looking to the future, I think it will be difficult for me without friends, but when God answers, it will be easier! I trust Him. What important decisions have you made in your life? One of the important decisions was to quit smoking, another decision was to forgive my abusers and the guys who often offended me as a child. What are you appreciated for in class?I think it’s for my openness to help others, especially those who can’t do anything at all. You said you read the Bible a lot. What principles of the Bible work in your life? I’ve become more obedient, more compassionate, and I’m trying to control my anger. What would you like other people to know about you? That I am kind, polite and that I am the one who can help in a difficult moment. What is your strongest quality? I think I’m faithful! What surprises you about God? That He is All-powerful, kind and merciful. If you could turn to God, what would you ask Him for? I would ask God to be my protector, so that He would keep me safe in difficult times. I would also ask for good health.