LOVE 4 THE CHILDREN

Hello! I love when the mood is well, when the answers of God on praying are seen and there is a possibility to say: “ Thank You God, that You hear our praying, answer on time and bless abundantly!” Serving in Rudensk orphanage is a special experience and memories. The time that we spend with the children, opens a lot of their pain, complexes, resentments, frustrations and unforgiveness. What can we do? Shall we just close our eyes and move on? We can do it, but children won’t learn how to love, trust, to accept themselves and the others. But, how to deal with the pain, which constantly reminds about itself? There are many children in this orphanage who where badly injured by some adults. I want to tell you about one girl from this orphanage. Her name is Sveta. She is haircut like a boy, her behavior is also boyish. To attract attention of other people, she often puts up a fight and humiliate children who are weaker than she is. All this is the outward manifestation of her inner anxiety and wounds that remain in her heart since childhood. Of course, it is difficult for her to trust people, especially to adults. Who can help her? Yet, there are many children like Sveta. From the very childhood parents took care of us, but children like Sveta didn’t have any parent. Government may provide orphans with accommodation, food, clothing, educational opportunities, but the internal pain and mistrust to everything around, often leads to alcohol and drug addictions, prison and even suicide. That is why our main goal is to teach these children about the love and forgiveness which God Himself manifests in relation to people. This month, we spoke on the theme: “Bitterness of grievances.” We talked about what it takes to make a decision to forgive and to let go of the offenders because the offense firstly destroys us from within. It is very important for them to forgive their parents, friends and teachers. Old bitterness of grievances should leave, and in its place comes forgiveness, healing of internal wounds and joy! In addition, this month we talked on topics such as: “The relations of friendship”, “Forgiveness,” “Loneliness in the crowd.” We believe that all these topics were not in vain, so please pray that more children could get free from their own unforgiveness and failure.

Although February is a short month but for us and for children from Rudensk orphanage this month was very intensive and diverse.
One of our meetings we dedicated to the subject of Freedom. In it we tried to show children how wonderful when God Himself liberates us from sins. How wonderful it is that God helps people to be liberated even from the worst addictions like alcohol and drugs!
We already told you that in each orphanage there is its beloved and unique format for our meetings. In Rudensk orphanage children love “stag parties” and “hen-parties”. This is the time when boys and girls meet separately. This month for boys we had meetings with subjects “The heart of the father” and “Develop yourself”. At “The heart of the father” meeting we told teenagers that in the future they are going to be fathers. Boys found what Bible teaches on the subject of who is a genuine father and what should one do to become a genuine father. Most prominent example of a loving father is God Himself. That evening many boys told their stories about what that had to go through in their childhood. Most of them did not have a father or a negative example of a father when a father beat his children and their mother, drank alcohol and did not bring any money to live on to home. But the boys from our team tried to encourage the boys and show them that they have a chance to live a different life that God offers. At the lesson “Develop yourself” we talked about abilities and talents that God has given to each man. But it is important to develop these abilities to be able to achieve something. And The Word of God always calls us to actions, not to laziness and indifference!
While the boys had their parties the girls at their first hen-party learned that God has put a certain meaning even in the name of every person. Moreover the girl heard one more time that God loves their look, their name, and first of all sees the good in them. At the second meeting with girls we had a tea party. The subject of the lesson was “Inner beauty”. At this meeting we learned to see in ourselves positive qualities but also to admit our shortcomings. Atmosphere at that meeting was extra special. Some girls came to the meeting without a good mood, one girl was even weeping and several best friends had a quarrel. But God has blessed the meeting so much so at the end of the meeting the girls started to talk openly not being afraid to be embarrassed before us or other girls about their shortcomings and what they would like to change in themselves. But what is most important most of the girls prayed that evening and even in their prayers they admitted their shortcomings and asked God to change their hearts. It was especially impressive that at the end of the meeting the girls were leaving with joyful faces even the one who came to the meeting with tears. And the best friends who had a quarrel admitted their faults before each other and made up! Glory to God!
To introduce more variety at one of our meetings we organized sports relay with balloons. It was a very good time not just because it is funny and joyful time but also because it is an opportunity to unite children with each other. Not just winners but the ones who lost got sweet prizes that evening. Most of all we were joyful that winners did not exalt themselves before the ones who lost and were not upset that both teams got prizes! We glorify God for these blessed times!

Christmas time is so special and it reminds us that God is not indifferent to the world and He cares about people. God cares about each individual and God showed his love through sending His only Son Jesus Christ to the Earth.
This month we went to the orphanage in Rudensk. There are 175 orphans and we believe each kid needs love, hope, and faith. Some of the kids even can’t understand their need to an extent because of their bad diagnoses.  Not everybody can treat such badly ill kids in a good and tolerant way.  What can we do about such a society which is not ready to accept and treat kids with disabilities or those who are different from them  well? Can we change the society we live in.  We believe we can but it can take time.  Every year kids leave the orphanage and start their own life. We don’t always pay attention to how their life goes. They got used to the life in the orphanage with “the same kids like them”.
We dream about the society where kids can have a good life, they are treated well, nobody mocks at them or abuses them and where his society accepts such special kids as those who see this world in their own way. But still it’s just a dream yet. And we want kids be prepared for the life out of the orphanage.
The news about Jesus Christ born is good news for the kids with disabilities and also for their supervisors. A lot of them need faith and hope as they leave the orphanage, they don’t have anyone except for God and the team of Christians that serve them and made friends with them. I think our visits to the orphanage are very important as they help them understand their future life out of the orphanage better and build their own life on   the right foundation – Christian values. Jesus Christ’s birth shows and proves God’s love and hope that the orphans need so much.
The orphans that were at the performance could see how God helps and how mighty He is to change the circumstances around us.  There was the director of the orphanage   and the staff at the performance. After the performance, the director of the orphanage expressed his gratitude to the team for the contribution to the orphans spiritual development. When we gave presents to the orphans we got to know that some of them have never heard about Christmas as their families didn’t celebrate it and didn’t tell them about God. It was such a blessing to see the orphans so happy, with their eyes shining from delight and hope that they can overcome everything with God. I have recently talked to the orphan who left the orphanage and eventually he is no longer with a bad diagnosis that he used to have back in the orphanage. I’ve noticed the hope in his eyes, the hope that only God can give.
I’m so glad our visits bring fruit and Christmas brings hope and faith to people’s hearts!

I send greetings to you, brothers and sisters!
One more year has come to an end. What was it? How did God blessed us this month? This year we saw how great and caring our God is through the open hearts of the authorities of the orphanage. This is a good opportunity for us to serve both the kids and the staff. We were able to see how the kids are growing and are changing and how the Word of God touches them and they make a conscious choice towards Jesus.
This month we talked about a common-law marriage with the kids. After leaving the orphanage a lot of young people are deceived by entering such kind of light relationship as a common-law marriage. These relationships are ones that have no right Biblical ground. We told that this is one of the lies that Satan offers: we can have relationships without a family, without being married. We’re so delighted that we definitely relied on the work of the Holy Spirit that guided us in teaching. Without it we wouldn’t be able to cover this. This topic appeared to be so essential that it provoked a discussion. The kids were surprised at the fact that they used to have different parents or their parents were constantly changing the partners and it was wrong. They have had a wrong picture of what family is like and they’ve had wrong principles about a family life since their childhood as they had bad examples of their own parents. As we serve these kids we always face with their so called low self-esteem and guilty consciousness which make them depressive an fearful. “ We are losers, we’ll never do better,” – this is what we can often hear from the kids. They are wrong to believe that they can’t change and knowing it we also had a discussion called “There’s nothing impossible”. We told that you can achieve whatever you want if only you make efforts and entrust your life in God’s hands. We believe God heals, changes, restores and helps. This was the first time the kids saw our support and that we believe in them, we believe they can achieve their goals, get better with their studies and we are ready to help them.
In order to sum up I’m going to come to some conclusions: this month was marked with the kids being open to teaching which leads to knowing God more and dedication to praying more. Another good thing is that they started using their knowledge about God in their practical everyday life.
As Christmas is coming we see a good opportunity to share God’s love and mercy with the kids and the staff of the orphanage. We ask for prayers for the hearts of the kids and the staff.

This month we had the opportunities to visit the children at Rudensk orphanage-school again. We glorify God for that and are thankful to all those who participate in this together with us (both financially and in prayers)
This time we touched upon actual topics for the children: happiness and dreams. The actuality was evoked by the fact that the children in the orphanage grow up without parents, without proper love, without a good example of right relations in the family. So, in the majority of cases, these children don’t have any guidelines how it is right to build a happy life. Undoubtedly, each of these young people dreams of a good and happy family, of achieving something in life. But the reality is that many people whom they encounter (peers, mentors, teachers), just put an end to their future lives outside the orphanage, to their dreams of a happy life. That’s the reason why these two topics are closely connected.
During communication with the children at our meetings, we were telling them that every person has a missing God-sized ‘puzzle’. And when people try to put other pieces into this ‘puzzle’ using something in what they seek happiness (alcohol, girlfriends or boyfriends, much money) – they will not feel happier. We showed it using the example of David. Although he was a king and had huge wealth, he found real happiness only in God and in close relationships with Him. This is why Daved was called ‘a man after God’s heart’.
We were also talking that to dream of a nice house, a car, a good job and decent pay is not bad! And God is not against to bless them in every possible way in their earthy life. Above all their dreams shouldn’t be more important than Christ and relationships with Him.
We finished our meetings with the words from the Gospel of Matthew ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well’
It was nice to see that these themes touched the children when they came and thanked us. It was also nice to see enthusiasm in their eyes because their dreams were accepted, but not mocked at and crushed. Now these children know and believe that they have hope of a happy life.