LOVE 4 THE CHILDREN

A fabulous month, one of the most expected. On the threshold of Christmas, I think, the very air is full of festival. Each pre-Christmas week we are lighting candles and talking to kids about piece, joy and hope. They love being involved in the Bible lessons. So we light candles and give them to each child. During the lesson the children are holding their candles, looking very imported and inspired. It gives them the feeling of being really important.
It’s amazing to see love in their faces, to see joy of meeting us each time (even if the children express it kicking you at the back! )
Each time you go to the orphanage, you preserve hope that at least some of these children will choose the right way in life and won’t get lost in this severe world. Because they will know that way. And because they will step on it, knowing there’re people who love them and care.
When I go there, I praise the Lord for that opportunity. Because we learn much from these kids – learn to open our hearts towards people and to be grateful for each and every moment of life.

Unfortunately , this month there were fewer trips to Belinichy boarding . But despite this , we were able to talk with the guys on the following topics : ” How to learn to be a good friend “, “Solitude” , and we have already started topics about waiting for the birth of Jesus Christ. This time is called – Advent . First Advent was devoted to the theme: ” Jesus was born to bring peace .” Our meetings have been constructed in the form of discussions , which gave the children a good opportunity to show their opinion . In addition, we conducted various games organized private communications with the guys who are particularly needed support and communication. Moreover, children from boarding Belinichy love to sing so we always sing a lot! Despite health problems , these children are happy to learn new songs .
Besides the positive side, we have also encountered difficulties . This month, it was hard to keep discipline. But this was not because the kids are noisy or unruly, but because there were fewer trips than usual. Accordingly, they really did not have enough of our attention. They just wanted to have fun, laugh , talk , because for long periods of our absence , they have something new going on than they would like to share with us. We hope that in December we will be able to visit them more often. Therefore , we would be grateful if you will pray that the next month we could pay more attention to children from boarding Belinichy .

The month September was filled with many events in orphanage so that we visited the orphanage in October. Over the summer and months September children were missed us very much so that they gave us warm welcome. Life of orphan children is not as colourful and joyful as the children who live with their own parents. The children are very happy to see us in the orphanage and give us many thanks and warm welcome. Our visit the orphanage is a colourful even for the children.
It is an old saying that “when you are in trouble, help another individuals and you feel better”. It is true and when you live and help other people it brings you joy. The orphan children appreciate activity and with great pleasure take part in our programs which we offer them. They enjoy sing a songs and take part in Bible lessons.
This month we have shared a story about Jonah and about God’s love towards us. We also have said that God would never abandon us. God always gives us the second chance and hope. God is merciful and in spite of our disobedience gives us a hope and redemptions. We spoke with the children on following themes “more than carpenter” and Jesus as our Messiah, God and Saviour.
I am always asked myself what I am going to give the children why am I going to the orphanage. Am I ready to be a tool in God’s hands? What God does wants from me? How can I help the children and how can I share my love to the children. Whenever we depart the orphanage my heart is filled with worry for the children and their future. I am always under the impression of the orphanage visitation. My heart is filled with desire to taking part in children’s life. While the visitation I embrace the children, give them my love, smile and listen them. The children are in need of love, support and relationship. They want to be loved and accepted.
We consider our ministry as a high priority to serve the Lord and children. For us It is more than ministry it is a close connection with the children and strong desire give them comfort and joy. The ministry helps us to ponder our own life and find our own troubles insignificant. The ministry teaches us to understand other people, love and forgive them.
God blesses us abundantly in the ministry and He always available to support us and encourage for the ministry.

Hello.
At the beginning I want to thank everyone who actively supported our ministry during the year. Dear friends, your prayers mean so much for us, and even more for the orphans. Despite the distance between you and us, we see God’s response to our prayers due to which we can together fill these children’s needs giving them faith, hope and love.
Orphans are a group of people who are brought up fully illiterate about Christianity. The vast majority of them don’t have a positive role model and the foundation for their life principles is very fragile. This is exactly why orphans are so desperate for help and support, especially spiritual. Their souls were crushed in the early childhood and the pain constantly reminds them of who they are. And Satan whispers that they are loosers because nobody needs them. There are tens of thousands orphans in Belarus alone. What is in store for our nation? Will it be lost or we will manage to get closer to a dream about Belarus without orphans?
During the whole year we did mission trips to the Belynichy orphanage. We are a group of young people who are indifferent about the future of the growing generation. We accept the challenge and start to fight for their souls. As Christians we believe that only with the help of common effort and prayers we can give hope to the kids. Summer camp that was organized in June the climax of all we had been doing during the year.

On the whole, there were 93 children. That was a very special camp. In the beginning we didn’t have enough financial support even to organize a camp for 50 campers. But God had His own plan. Only due to His grace and mercy this camp became possible. It was called “Goal oriented life”. The name wasn’t chosen randomly. I want to remind you that children from this orphanage have either physical or mental deficiency. But despite terrible diagnoses, we were often amazed by the talents they had got. Some of them draw wonderful pictures, other sing, write poems, some are fond of scrapbooking.
I want to point out one teenager. His name was Vadim. It was so amazing to see he had learned to play the guitar for only ten days! Moreover, he did it very well. The camp lasted 10 days which were full of both success and tears. From the very first days of the camp we felt pressure from the authorities. Every day we prayed and fasted so that we managed to get to the end of the camp, for no one to prevent us from sharing the gospel. Everyday we saw God answering our prayers. Besides, we witnessed children’s changes:some teenagers gave up smoking, they changed their attitude towards each other, elder kids learned to help younger ones and the most important was that many kids started praying and reading the Bible for the first time. And those who had already heard about God, could receive good spiritual support.
That was God who gave us strength to defeat the devil every day with the help of His Word and the prayers of our team. As the result of our camp 15 children repented. It’s hard to describe those tears of joy! I remember a couple of orphans came up to me and said: “Dima, my life is meaningless, my family broke, mom is an alcoholic, she drinks everyday and each day has a new man. She stopped looking after me and now I’m here”. The guys standing beside us told very similar stories: “We don’t have hope. We are likely to have the same destinies our parents did, we think we were damned”. I suggested them we pray and we asked God to remove patrimonial damnation. We prayed together and then separately. We asked God to cleanse their sins and change their lives. Then the boy, who’s name was Vanya, came up to me and thanked us for organizing this camp. Vanya is a Belynichy orphanage graduate. He was on his vacation and, for he had no place to go to have rest, he asked a permission to join the camp. During the time in the camp we saw the life of this embittered teenager being changed. Despite all the pain this adult world caused in him, Vanya regained an ability to smile, sing songs, he learned to play the guitar and the most important thing was that he repented. He said: “When I studied at school I didn’t fully realize, what would be in store for me when I go to receive further education and live in another town. And when I graduated from the orphanage I faced much betrayal and pain people cause each other. I didn’t know what to do because I didn’t have anyone beside me to talk to, to understand and support me, but the camp gave me hope”.
God’s Word says: “Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, oh hold them back”. (Proverbs 24:11)
I thank God for making this camp evangelistic! Each day was special ‘cause each day God renewed His mercy and added those who were being saved.

We visit Belinichi boarding school to tell children about the Bible, about God, and naturally expect them to change as the time passes. However, I wish to say that the opposite process surely take place: it is me who change.
It’s joyful to see children’s happy faces when they meet us or accompany us. It enriches you – when you hug them or play with them. They cannot pay you back – the only thing they can give is their smile, openness and joy.
You learn to love them the way they are. During a lesson I notice that different children react to what they hear in a different way. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if they understand anything or not. But there is something I know for sure: when they’ll grow up, they won’t forget about God, Who cares about them, Whom they can always pray to. And I know, they won’t forget also about Christian friends they still have in this world.
During the last two lessons we told them the story of Daniil and the three friends. I found that the children behaved much better than in the beginning of this year. Sometimes I was astonished by the silence that filled the air at the lesson – because usually the children are being a bit noisy and inattentive. I was happy to notice, that they answer our questions well – which means they do understand everything.
I find it hard to express in words what I fill, visiting the boarding school. When you take a pause, stay at home instead of going there – your feelings die down. That’s why I’m looking forward to join these journeys, to enrich each other. These children lack many things in life, which we usually take for granted. Things like love, family. They have no idea, what it’s like to have a family! Frankly speaking, nobody needs these children… That’s why I don’t want to leave them on their own, that’s why I want to compensate this lack of love, lack of brothers, sisters, father and mother. I find it so important to tell them about God, so that they came to know: they are not alone, never alone! I pray that God would show them the Salvation and embrace them with His love.