LOVE 4 THE CHILDREN

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.