Archive for February, 2025

In February: ”Belinichy orphanage”

Posted: February 28, 2025 by Dzmitry Nachyna in Belinichy
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This month we had not that many trips to the orphanage in Belinichy than usual, as the children were sick, and at the request of the administration we had to pause our visits. On the one hand, this is disappointing but on the other hand, there are some positive aspects to it. For example, the children missed us a lot, and when the visits resumed a little later, they treated those meetings with special care. In such moments, the children always reassess their values, and they begin to cherish the time spent with us even more. Each of the kids joyfully welcomed our team, and each of them wanted to share something special that had happened during that break.

This month we still managed to talk with the kids about what faith without doubts is. I think it is very important to have such conversations with the kids, so they always have hope and don’t fall into despair or gloom in difficult moments of life. They need to remember that everything that seems hard or even impossible for humans is always possible for God! The Bible has many vivid examples of the power of faith and how people received their miracles because, in their struggles they seek help from Jesus Christ and were confident that their healing was found in Him.

A striking example of this is the story of the healing of the blind man or the woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years, and all she needed was to touch the hem of Jesus garment to receive her long-awaited miracle. At the next meeting we had sports relays. This is always a special time because during sports the children’s personalities really show, such as their desire to win, their self-esteem and their ability to work as a team. It doesn’t always go perfectly for them, but the guys from our team always try to actively participate in the relays and, at the same time teach the children about unity, patience, and how to support weaker members of the teams.

This time, the teenagers with Down syndrome, whom I especially love, participated with great enthusiasm. What touched me the most was how joyful and grateful they were to be allowed to participate alongside the other children in all the contests, and how hard they worked to bring victories to their teams! I am grateful to God for the opportunity to be with the children in these moments! And over the years I understand more and more what it means to have lived a day meaningfully! Thank God for the open doors to boarding schools and for the administration that is open to us and allows us to come to the Belinichy orphanage!

 

In February:“Smilovichy orphanage”

Posted: February 28, 2025 by Dzmitry Nachyna in Smilovichi
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In February, we discussed rather deep and fundamental biblical topics with the guys, and also explained to them how it affects their lives. The first topic of February was about prayer, we divided the children into toddlers and older children and told the topic to each group separately. The kids had a visual story about what prayer is. We also showed and explained by example how we communicate with God. The older children also talked about this topic. The answers and questions of the children showed a response from them, especially from Miroslav, who gave quite deep, informed answers. Later this month, we talked about the fact that God is loving and that He cares about each of us. The children are always willing to answer the speaker’s questions both during the course of the story and after it, which contributes to an interactive atmosphere.

Another topic that was raised in February is faith. Unfortunately, the older children missed it because they were sent to a sanatorium, but despite this, we held it for the children who stayed there. In the most accessible language and using good visualizations, we tried to convey to the children the fundamental truths about what faith is, emphasizing that God Himself and living with Him changes a person’s life and heart. On the last trip in February, there was creativity, the children did a beautiful craft that they really liked. It was another reason to talk and interact with the kids. It is interesting that, according to the idea, everyone had to paste their photo (which we printed out in advance) on the craft, as if they were a passenger in a balloon. But some of the guys wanted to paste not only their own, but also our photos next to their own.

Just like in previous months, we played with the children, and the children still loved this time very much. There were new fun games this month, and the kids enjoyed participating in them. As before, we sang songs with the children that they had already learned and loved very much. Also, on one of our trips, we gave the children a real surprise: we brought delicious homemade pizzas with us and set up a table for them. Of course, the guys really liked it. And anyway, with each trip, the guys were getting better and better disposed towards us.

In addition, I would like to describe a little boy about 5 years old named Kirill. It is clear that he had a difficult past, it is clear that he is an anxious, intimidated child who, despite this, is very attracted to us, and even one day burst into tears when we left. The older guys periodically opened up to us and shared with us their feelings about their parents, we tried to listen to them and support them. Summing up, we can say that the children are really looking forward to meeting us and want to be friends with us. Also, thank God for the opportunity to tell the guys about Him. Our fervent desire is to continue bringing the guys closer to Him.

 

In February: “Rudensk orphanage”

Posted: February 28, 2025 by Dzmitry Nachyna in Rudensk
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Greetings, brothers and sisters. We thank God for the opportunity to serve the orphans of the Rudensk boarding School. Every Wednesday in February, we were with the guys and spent a unique time with them. These trips always bring joy and really energize us. We see how God opens children, and they become able to change their lives. Change begins with the attitude towards other children, and more and more often we see that this is not fake in front of us, but natural. Even the teachers see the changes in the children. This month we talked about the importance of prayer. Some of the new guys wondered why we should pray, because God knows our needs anyway. And we said that it is important for God that we build a relationship with Him. When we pray, especially when we feel bad, we always feel better after we pray and have peace in our hearts. The guys began to practice and then shared how God answered their prayers. It’s nice to see the joyful children shouting, It worked, God answered.

Another time, when we arrived, we held the theme “Don’t worry about tomorrow.” And we talked about how God takes care of us and how He takes care of the little birds. God knows what we need and His response is always on time. We said that there is no need to worry about clothes, because God has already planned everything in advance. One child stood up and said, “I need a sweatshirt”, the other said, “and I need pants!” The guys were surprised that we had just brought everything they needed without any agreement. Our ministry just handed over the things for the guys that we brought. And this was a practical example of God’s care for the children. In the end, we said that worry doesn’t help, but trusting God helps us. Therefore, we encouraged the children to trust God and pray, because God hears us. And also read the Bible, because there are many examples of how other people trusted God and this strengthens faith.

The next topic was “Faith without a doubt makes God happy.” We talked a lot about faith, what it is based on. The guys said that my faith is based on the promises of adults, another said my faith is based on my own strength, someone said about the ability to adapt that both now and later it will help me. But we talked about how strong faith is based on trust in God. After all, when we fully trust God, He is able to change circumstances in spite of difficulties. We were talking about Bartimaeus the Blind that evening. We talked about what he had heard about Jesus and believed, and when Jesus passed by, he did not miss the opportunity, he turned to Jesus. Faith is calling out to Jesus even though others are in your way. We noticed that both then and now people sometimes prevent us from believing in God by trying to drown us out.

But if we break through the crowd of unbelief and criticism, we will get what we pray for and ask God for. God likes it when we trust Him. One boy said that sometimes it’s so hard to trust God because you want to see, not just believe. Another thanked God that even though he couldn’t see God, he could see how God was responding. Our next trip was relay races. We decided to just spend some informal time with the guys, playing with them and having fun. It was obvious that they really liked it. We also bought diapers and detergents for school this month. Brothers and sisters, let us pray with you that God will transform the children and educators, so that the changed lives will bring glory to God.