LOVE 4 THE CHILDREN

The April weather was pleasant with sunny days and trips to the farthest boarding school were even more enjoyable . Every time we come to the children, see their joyful faces, we can’t help but respond in kind. I am pleased to think that children really consider us friends, trust us, and tell us about their joys and experiences. In April, the younger guys had the themes “Friendship with God. Abraham”, “An incident in the desert”, “God chooses a king. The beginning of the story of David”, “David and Goliath”, “Friendship with Jonathan”. We try to make every lesson for special children very clear, vivid and memorable, so we often involve them to participate. It is really joyful to see how children with limited minds but with great enthusiasm help in conducting the lesson, participate, stretch their hands to answer, and just glow with happiness when they hear gratitude in response. For them, the recognition of society is very important. Yarik, a boy with Down syndrome, is our main assistant in all matters, a lover of singing songs and calming noisy children. And how proud and pleased he is when he hears “Thank you for your help, Yarik!” This is such a simple moment for us, but so incredibly important for them. At that time, the older guys had a series of topics about the multifaceted personality of God: “God is the Creator”, “God is pure and righteous”, “God is bread”, “God is omnipresent”. In addition to the themes, there was crafts that children of any age simply adore. Those who can’t speak normally can express themselves in creativity without words. For such children, it is important to be heard and noticed. Every time we thank God for the open doors to boarding schools, for the hearts of educators and children, and we rejoice in every hour spent together.

There is a boy at an orphanage, his name is Vanya. Vanya always comes to our meetings, and participates actively. Recently he came up to us during another meeting and says: -Guys, you taught us to learn to forgive. It’s really difficult!-  and he told us a story about how he was offended. Thank God that the kids trust us and tell us about their problems and needs. After the story, Vanya began to ask us questions about the best way to deal with his situation. We gave him a couple of advices. He thought about it, and at the end of the meeting, after we prayed, he came up to us and said that he had made a decision to forgive those people who offended him, because it would be the right thing on his part. After all, they might not even think about it, and this probably was the hardest thing for him. And after he forgave them, this burden fell off his shoulders. Thank God that we can help and influence the children in a kind way!

Greetings, brothers and sisters. Today I want to share how we attended the Belynichi boarding school. At the moment, there are one hundred and twelve children in the school. Most of the guys are children up to the seventh grade. And about these guys I want to tell you. This month started with crafts activity, we wanted to do something different at our visits, so Natasha, one of the leaders in our team, offered to conduct crafts activity. Children love it very much, they like not only the process of creation, but also the fact that they can tell and sometimes eagerly about what they feel and what they live through. Such events always open up the world of children to better understanding. During the creative process, we learned that Danik’s parents began to come and that they were preparing papers in order to recover. Sasha said that our visits bring her joy every time. Slava, a boy who speaks very little due to the diagnosis, showed with his hands and smile how he likes everything. The next week, when we arrived, we talked from the Bible about how Anna asked God for a son. After reading this story, we could meditate on how God responds to us. Sometimes God says wait or not, and sometimes God answers right away. This lesson helped to understand that turning to God is not a lifesaver, but a real relationship being built. And that sometimes you need to put faith in order to get an answer. And then Danik told to the guys ‘I prayed and my parents, who abandoned me, want to take me home again’. When we finished the topic, the guys prayed for their parents, that God would help them, and that their parents would come to visit more often. When we arrived another time, we had a topic about Eli and Samuel. We said that every person on this earth has his own purpose from God. And following the example of the story, God wants to talk to every person. It is important for God when He speaks to us through Scripture and through prayer, so that we do not just listen, but obey everything He says. The main point of the story is about Samuel’s obedience, that he was not afraid and said everything that was needed to people. Despite the fact that Samuel lived in Eli’s family, he told the truth, which was very poignant. And then the guys started saying that it was difficult for them to tell the truth, because they thought they would not be understood or they would be immediately punished or simply ridiculed. But we encouraged the guys to pray in order to speak the truth boldly and be faithful in word and deed. When we left the block where the lesson was taking place, we talked to the guys about how they spend their time and they told us that they watch horror movies.

Our team decided to hold the following topic about the horrors, what they bring and what are the consequences. Katya from our team said that she would hold this topic. When we arrived, we talked about the dangers of such films. Roma said that when he watches much of such films, he can’t sleep afterwards. It seems to him that something bad is about to happen to him. The other guys started telling what was happening to them. And Katya in her topic said that fear can bind a person and can steal peace and rest. That watching such scary movies opens the door to fear and problems in the future. Many of the guys asked us to pray so that their sleep would be restored and they could sleep peacefully again. We are so glad that then the guys called us and said that they began to sleep better and the horrors of the night no longer interfere with their sleep.

On March 31, the whole world celebrates Easter. We also decided to hold an Easter service at the end of the week, where we told the guys where this holiday came from,  what Easter means to us now and how we can see God’s plan now. We talked about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and at the end we showed a couple more scenes for children. At the end of the performance and our lesson, we gave gifts to the children. We are so glad that this special month we could focus the children’s attention on important truths, as well as help them to overcome the inner fears that the children have lived with for so long. Dear friends, thank you very much for your prayers and your support. We believe that this joint ministry will help the children to succeed both spiritually and physically. Thank you very much and blessings to everyone who reads and to everyone who serves with us. Christ is risen! Truly risen.

Our trips to the boarding school in Belynichi took place in different formats. At the beginning of the month, the younger guys watched acartoon about Moses, with which we memorized the whole story that we introduced to the guys last month. During the meeting, I noticed that the guys were offending each other, calling each other names, and I decided that we should teach them to say good words to each other. They had to notice some good qualities of a friend in pairs. It turned out that it was difficult for most of the guys to both say compliments and accept them. Katya and I also tried to say kind words to the children about how wonderful they are and highlight good qualities in them. One boy burst into tears, he was very affected by the words that we told him and the fact that he turns out to be so wonderful! At one of the meetings, we held a Gospel concert. Angelina, a member of our team, came with a worship group from her church. They sang songs, some of those which we sing with the guys, and also asked questions from Bible stories, for example, about exit from Egypt. It was obvious that the guys knew the answers. Vanya was themost active in answering questions, he strives to read and study the Bible. There was a contest with chocolate hidden under a chair and Yarik, who has down syndrome, found a chocolate bar and was very happy. He was called on stage, and he even answered some questions in his own language, which we have already learned to understand. At the end of the meeting, a new girl from the younger group, whose name is Alina, came up. She warned that she would not be at the next meeting, it was clear that she listened with great thirst and that our meetings were important and interesting to her. I also managed to attend a separate meeting with the older guys. At this meeting, we talked about theft. 

About where it starts and how it ends. We gave examples from the lives of the guys who graduated from their own school, how it all started from a very little thing, and how later theft led them to prison. We gave an analogy from the Bible that the biggest thief is the devil and if we steal, we imitate him. At the very end, we prayed with the guys that they would make the right choice in their lives and never get into a situation with theft. At the last meeting, we talked with the older guys about the difference between true love and falling in love, which often leads to early sexual relationships and many other serious consequences and wounds. We also talked about how God looks at sexual relations and that He intended it for healthy family relationships. In the end, according to a good tradition, we prayed for the guys, so that they would avoid wrong relationships, respect and appreciate each other, and also so that in the future they would have good healthy families. I was very pleased that many oldest guys came at this meeting, because they used to run away to school football or somewhere else on their own business before. The topic turned out to be very relevant for them, so the guys were very actively involved in the conversation. Meanwhile, Dima was teaching the younger children a Bible lesson about the Bible, about the message that God wants to convey to all people! I believe that this month of our ministry was very eventful and fruitful! Thank God!

We continue to visit the children at the Belynichi School every Thursday and during the month of January we conducted Bible lessons with them according to the plan. We are very pleased to see that many children come to our meetings with their Bibles and sincerely want to know the word of God. Artyom always comes with prepared questions about those verses that he couldn’t understand, and in personal communication we try to give the right answers and encourage everyone who studies the Scripture. When we told the story of the prodigal son, about his mistakes and sins, but also about the father’s love and forgiveness, great surprise was visible on the faces of the guys. During the discussion of this topic, they said that their lives are also changing thanks to God’s love and forgiveness. Some of them asked us for forgiveness for disrespect, bad behavior and rude words, which they couldn’t restrain sometimes. We see huge changes in their lives, character and light in their eyes. God works in the lives of His children and it is a privilege for us to be a part of it. For younger children, we taught a lesson about God’s love and how we can show our love for God, that our actions and decisions always show how much we love Him and are ready to be obedient. Misha said that he stopped offending other children and behaving badly with educators. He is glad that he feels safe and confident in the love of God!!! Yarik (he hardly speaks) tries to participate in everything and always comes forward to pray and say once again that he believes in God and wants to know Him and be with Him always. Even the educators noticed a change for the better in his behavior and relationships with people. They said he became less aggressive and closed. Now Yarik is a more open, peaceful and kind child. Thank God! The Bible says that the Word of God will not return to Him in vain, and we continue to sow these seeds of truth in children’s hearts. Thanks a lot to everyone for prayers and support in the ministry!

Greetings, brothers and sisters. The last month of the year – what was it like for the Belynichi boarding school? I can say that it was eventful and fruitful, filled with hope and joy. This year we were able to meet new guys who came to the boarding school. The team took care of the new kids, helping them to integrate into the school. We were also able to hold the summer camp called “Secret Inside”. There are children at school who cannot travel and attend summer camps due to health diagnoses.

We are glad that we were able to hold a camp, as well as participate in the life of the school, to be close to those who need love and support. Special children need special love. We hold meetings with both younger children and older ones. Meetings are held weekly on Thursdays. We sing, play, pray and also discuss current topics. This month we talked about waiting for the birth of Jesus Christ. The guys and I said that by coming into the world, Jesus Christ brought hope to people. We understand what time we live in, but children also need hope. But what do children need hope for? The hope is that despite the difficulties in studying, God can help. For example, a boy prays to improve his studies, and God has arranged for the teacher to spend a little more time with him.

When we arrived another time, he met us and said: “God helped me, I improved my grades”. Only God gives us hope when we ask Him. The following Thursday, we arrived and talked about how the Birth of Jesus Christ brought peace with God to people. Now we have a heavenly Father and He is our intercessor. Peace is what people and children need. Many examples were told by the guys at the meeting how they reconcile and why it is so difficult to forgive. It turned out to be very relevant. But most importantly, Jesus reconciled us to our Heavenly Father. We don’t live in enmity anymore. On the third Thursday, when we arrived at the boarding school, we talked about the birth of Jesus Christ. We were talking about the

Angel who announced the good news to Mary. We talked about how the angels in heaven shouted to the shepherds about the birth of the Savior. The guys who came this year didn’t know the Christmas story well. Their eyes were burning and curiosity pushed them to ask questions and rejoice enthusiastically. The Nativity of Jesus Christ brought people joy, hope, peace, and most importantly salvation through Jesus Christ. God did not want to put up with the fact that man was going to perdition, so God redeemed us from our sins by sending His Son. On December 26, we had our last trip this year. We decided to hold a Christmas performance.

Diana came with us, she helps us periodically. Diana dressed up in a costume of Joy. And on this day we remembered the birth of Jesus Christ, we talked about the importance of God’s coming into the world. We congratulated each other, sang, played, and at the end of the performance there were gifts. Thank God for all the caring people who helped to buy everything necessary for gifts to children. When we opened the gift bags with the kids, the guys were very worried, because they didn’t know what would be there! But when the first gift was opened, a wave of joyous shouting echoed down the corridor! Look what I have! I never even dreamed of such a thing!

I love to draw so much, thank you for giving me paints and brushes, said Seryozhka! Kirill – look at the lego set! Oh thank you very much, it was my dream! Sasha says I like it so much that my gift included a set of hair clips and elastic bands. When all the packages were opened, some children cried with happiness, other guys jumped for joy. Despite the fact that there are a lot of new kids at school now, we are happy to serve them and talk about the most important gift – about Jesus Christ. We are glad that the children pray and thank God for all the good that they have at boarding school. I am glad to witness God’s care and the changes that are happening to the guys. I want to thank everyone who prays, who serves. Thank God for you. I desire to see more changes and goodness from God this new year! Blessings to you and your families!