LOVE 4 THE CHILDREN

Every year May delights people with bright, sunny weather, reviving and blooming nature and the sonorous singing of birds returning from the south. Usually, at this time of the year, children break out into the street and it is already much more difficult to gather them in the premises for any events. But this year, it rains almost all May in our country. Therefore, all our beloved guys come to our meetings and together with them we try to create a joyful and friendly atmosphere, support each other and learn to notice all the good that is in the life of each person. The older guys started to prepare for their final exams. Most of them share their experiences and thoughts about what awaits them after graduation, when they will be faced with an adult, independent life.

In our meetings, we talked about resentment, betrayal, as well as destructive anger and what to do and how to deal with negative emotions. It is interesting that all children are usually divided into those who completely deny the existence of certain in them and those who have already learned to admit their problems and look for ways to solve them. At one of the meetings, Katya conducted the topic: “Anger”. This topic is especially familiar to children living in boarding schools. It is very difficult for them, at times, to manage their emotions, and besides, from the very childhood they are deprived of affection and care from the dearest people and simply are not taught how to behave in emotionally difficult situations. Katya did not just talk about what “anger” is and what consequences it leads to, she gave a lot of practical advice on how to cope with anger and guided the children to solve this problem together with God, who can change a person’s heart and give consolation and peace. At the end of the conversation, a girl named Vika shared that she often faces the problem of anger and causes a lot of pain for herself and other people. Vika came forward and asked to pray that God would release her and help her change. Of course, we all supported Vicka’s decision and prayed with her. It seems to me that this is a vivid example of how the word of God works in children’s hearts. At the request of the older children, we held sports relay races in the last week of the month. In the Rudensky boarding school, the guys are very fond of sports and they participate in many competitions, both in our country and abroad. For our part, we try to take into account the requests of children and periodically organize sports events for them. This is also a great time when we can see how the characters of the guys are revealed and their ability to accept victories and defeats. Thank God for this great time!

Hello dear brothers and sisters!

I want to share with you how this month passed. At the beginning of the month we held a “bachelor party” and a “bachelorette party” with the guys. At the “bachelor party” we touched upon the topic: “Jesus the way.” Many people choose to follow the simple path that leads to destruction. But there is also Jesus, who is the true path, and if you follow this path, then a person will have eternal life. We also compared our life to a “house”, and so to speak, we took it apart piece by piece.

For example, our eyes are the windows (What we look at is important), and our heart is the door (What we let in is important). It is also very important that our foundation is built on Jesus, because He is our foundation! We talked to the girls on the topic “True beauty”. There are several concepts of beauty: there is external beauty (how you look); inner beauty, which is important (our relationships with people around us, our habits); God is not partial to people, and He helps everyone to be truly beautiful inside and out. We also held an Easter show this month. Most of the team were allowed to come exactly on Easter week. We also came with a youth Christian theater team. Together with the guys, we remembered where and when Easter was first celebrated, and what it means for us. And most importantly, what it meant for God the Father, and what price God had to pay in order to reconcile us with Him.  The whole school gathered. There were teachers, children and the school administrators. The deputy director said that she could not come off from the show, and that she really liked it. Observing the children, we could get some sort of feedback, because during the month we have been talking about the upcoming Easter. And during the performance, the children were competing with each other to shout out the correct answers. How nice to see that the guys understand that Easter doesn’t mean Eggs, nor rabbits, nor rolls. Easter is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and the subsequent resurrection.  All this was important to say, because even in our time people associate Easter incorrectly. When the performance was over, Dima went out, and together with the whole audience, repeated the solemn greeting: “Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!”.  We brought along with us gifts for the children. The guys were happy that God answered them, and that these gifts were everything they needed. All this aroused joy and sincere gratitude. ‘Thank you for reminding us of the true meaning of Easter’ – said the Teachers! We thank everyone who prayed for us, and who helped collect these gifts for children! Let’s pray that the seed sown will bear fruit!

I am very glad to have the opportunity to attend an orphanage  and serve children despite the epidemiological situation in the country. The administration is well disposed to us and supports us in spending time with the guys. 
We can see that the children missed us and are very happy to visit us. This month I would like to highlight a few guys. When we were talking about “Forgiveness”, Artyom of the older boys came up and told us that it was very difficult for him to forgive his abusers. I got to talk to him and said that it is indeed difficult. Sometimes we can’t forgive ourselves, but God can help us if we ask Him to. And in fact, not everything is so simple-sometimes you need to forgive the offender many times before you get freedom. I would also like to highlight Petya. He loves to dance. Many people say that he won’t succeed, he won’t achieve anything in his life. But we try to encourage him, to praise him, to highlight his efforts and talents. We also emphasize his good qualities, such as loyalty and  responsiveness. He always comes to our meetings, always helps. Another person I want to mention is Christina. She’s one of those people who has just started coming to our meetings. It was she who asked us to pray for her on her birthday. Alyona prayed for her and blessed her. In general, we can see the changes in the guys. They open up, share more personal experiences.

Greetings, brothers and sisters! We are glad that God gives an opportunity to serve orphaned children! We are glad that orphanages are open, and we can serve children! We haven’t seen the children for a while. The first February visit to Rudensk took place on the 3rd. When we arrived many children did not believe that we will hold meetings with them. Because of the pandemic they were often forbidden to gather together even within the orphanage and ofcourse they weren’t allowed to gather with other classes or to receive guests. So the meeting started and when I asked who wanted to pray Peter said, ” I want to pray and thank God.” His prayer was a thanksgiving to God for our arrival and for the fact that the disease is losing its power, so the children can finally meet with friends. Then Pauline also prayed. She prayed for her family and friends: “God, I do not know where they are now, but please keep my family from the virus! Thank you so much for the team coming! Be with us”! I was surprised by the atmosphere that was in that place. It is usually difficult for teenagers to pray in front of other teenagers. But this time, no one was laughing, and there was silence. We’ve been talking about a lot of things over the last month, but the main point is: “THE TIME HAS COME”! We understand that many teenagers have already known a lot about God. The topics during our meetings have become a challeng for them and have encouraged them to take concrete and open actions. The topic “Time to help” – we talked about how Jesus helped on earth and that God wants us to follow His example in daily life, helping others. The topic “Time to love”. We asked what  prevents us from loving? It’s hard to forgive your parents, it’s hard to forgive your friends who betrayed you, it’s hard to forgive yourself, to forgive God. “So unforgiveness is the main barrier that prevents you from loving ?” we said. ” Yes, that’s right!” they replied.  “Then let us pray that God will help us to forgive those who have caused us to feel much pain.” Such lessons are not just theory, but practice. We move from words to deeds only by practicing our faith and beliefs. Simple tips, but a difficult decision.  “We know that we have to live this way and we want to do what is right  but we don’t have strength to do this. What should we do?” they say.  It’s so great that we’re moving to another level of depth! Hearing such questions and thoughts makes us understand that our teenagers are on the right track. We help them come to the answer themselves by thinking with them because then there is a chance that the guys will apply it to their lives. Prayers, the participation of children, and answers to the questions  indicate that children’s confidence in faith and hope in God grow. The task of our team is to pass the faith in God, as well as to help children cope with low self-esteem through the knowledge of God. And you know, I think we can do it! Thank you friends for praying with us! Because the prayer of the righteous can do much!

Hello dear reader! Thank God that this month we had the opportunity to go to the boarding school. But unfortunately, due to the situation with covid-19, it was not possible to stay there for a full month. Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray that this virus soon loses its power and be gone! Thanks to every person who prays for children and our team. Every time we come to school, we see that the children start to rejoice and smile. When we see them, they run and hug us and talk about how they are doing. It’s so great to watch their emotions because they are sincere! This month we continued to talk about David with the children. We remembered who David was, the guys said that God was with David, and this was expressed in deeds. For example: when a lion or a bear attacked David, He killed them with his bare hands. The guys also recalled that if there are any difficulties in life, then you need to turn to God, and He will definitely help! The second case was in the classroom, I was telling the children a story about David and Goliath. And there was such a moment. From history, when King Saul asked David why do you think that you will defeat him? I asked the children what do you think? What did David say? And the Children say “I will win it, because God is with me” and then I asked this, why will he win? And the children answer “because God is with me” and I asked a couple of times, and the guys were so inspired and straight, shouting that God is with them, and He will help in any situation. It was a bit like in a medieval movie about war when knights stand against each other and they are motivated to win, and they shout like “God is with us”. I think the guys will remember this for the rest of their lives, that God is with them, and He will help them if they turn to Him. With the adolecents, we talked about the importance of dreaming. Because when we dream, then we more specifically understand what we want to achieve in life. And when we reveal our good plans and dreams to God, then He will help, because for God nothing is impossible. The main thing is to build a personal relationship with God, trust Him and also take steps towards God and your dream. Beside this the adolecents had an autumn photo session. For them, it was something unexpected and joyful at the same time. At the begining some guys were a little embarrassed when they were photographed, but after a while they did it with great pleasure. Also this month we met with some graduates of the Rudensky boarding school who are now studying or working in different cities. The life of the guys after graduating from the boarding school goes in different ways. They find themselves in a variety of living conditions or in circumstances that are still difficult for them to cope with on their own. That is why we try to pay special attention to graduates. I really liked the meeting with the guys who are now in Vileika. We managed to gather the children in a local church and introduce them to a pastor who gladly accepts orphans and helps boarding school graduates. We could freely and in simplicity communicate with the children, eat pizza together, drink tea and learn about how their life is going after leaving the boarding school. In the end, we prayed with them, and then gave out some gift sets to the guys. The guys exchanged phone numbers with the pastor from Vileika. We really hope that they will be open to God and start attending the local church. Be blessed!