LOVE 4 THE CHILDREN

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!