LOVE 4 THE CHILDREN

May is always a particularly exciting time in our ministry because very soon some of the graduates will leave the school forever. This is a period when they start telling us which cities they will go to for further studies, begin to exchange contact information and at that time we try to support and encourage them, as well as introduce them to local churches in the cities they are moving to. After all it is great that the doors of churches are always open for such special young people, and there they can find support and help during this challenging period for orphan graduates. For them this time is a step into a new, unknown adult life!

At first, it is really difficult for the young people to adapt to society, which always carries the risk that teenage boys might fall into bad company, and girls might enter into complicated relationships. They are very vulnerable and easily influenced during this period, so we try to help them find worthy friends in the church and avoid negative influences. This year, there are 23 graduates at the Belinichy orphanage. We have known most of them since their very first days at the orphanage when they were 5-6 years old. Before our eyes, these young people have grown up learning, falling in love, crying and laughing; being kind and angry; joyful and strong; sometimes weak and defenseless. It was with our team that each of them first encountered God and learned concepts such as faith, love, forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.

We send these young people into adulthood with special tenderness and fully entrust their futures to our good and loving God! Regarding our trips in May, they were quite interesting and full of activities. We dedicated the entire month to the biblical hero Joseph, who faced betrayal by his brothers, loneliness and injustice throughout his life. But in all these circumstances he remained faithful to God and God consistently supported Joseph by giving him strength and wisdom in various life situations. At the end of the story, the children learned how greatly God rewarded Joseph for his faithful and kind heart and how He gave him strength to forgive his brothers who had once betrayed him.

During our final meeting where we discussed Joseph’s example, we had an opportunity to talk with the children about forgiving themselves, forgiving those who hurt them and forgiving God. This topic is quite relevant for orphans because each of them has faced betrayal and pain caused by the most closest to them – parents. Some children still struggle with resentment towards their parents, others blame God for placing them in an orphanage, some live with feelings of guilt for various reasons. All these issues require time, special attention, patience and most importantly – God’s work in their hearts! On our part, we try to be instruments in God’s hands so that all the good things our Heavenly Father wants to give thesechildren can come true, with love, care and friendly hugs.