LOVE 4 THE CHILDREN

In May we continued our trips to visit the dear children in Smilovichi. Some of the kids were known to us, but the new ones joined as well. Some of the kids were taken home. For example Nastya, who had only been in the orphanage for about three weeks, went back to her parents. Miraculously, during our last meeting, she wanted to exchage contacts with us. So now we can send messages to each other and stay in touch. Nastya comes from a difficult family and has some development problems but she still reaches out to us. 

Closer to the end of May, Kostya was also taken home. He is a very smart and attentive boy who listened very carefully to what we told them. What’s even more encouraging is that he was very fond of us. He hadn’t spent a lot of time in the orhanage —just a couple of months — and we hope that what he heard from us will stay with him for a long time. In May, new children arrived: Ignat, who is 2 years old, and his older sister Alina, who is 6. At first, they were very reserved and didn’t interact much with us, though they were present at the meeting. But over time, they began to open up more and more. During our last visit in May, they were actively engaging with us and even asked to take them up in our arms. It’s so joyful to see such changes. The kids who were already familiar with us continue to be our friends. The caregivers say that the kids wait every Tuesday for what they call “the guests” to arrive. 

During the Bible lessons, the older children actively – and often competitively – answer our questions. Artyom reads the Bible, which we once left for them, on his own. Sometimes it’s surprising how well the younger kids remember and answer our questions, like Roma, who sometimes does better than the older children. Of course, some of the little ones struggle  with remembering biblical stories, like Kirill, who has developmental challenges. Despite this he’s always with us, eager to connect, and waits for us just as much as the others. In May  we had a series of lessons about the life of Joseph. The kids learned about his story and the vital role of God in it.

We also discussed how they could apply these lessons to their own lives. Additionally, we encourage them to read the Bible by themselves. We hope that the vivid story of Joseph, which most of them remembered very well will leave a deep impact on their hearts.  We didn’t forget about the songs they’ve already come to love. They have their favorites, which they sing enthusiastically, knowing the words by heart and performing the motions even better than we do. What’s especially encouraging is that these are the songs with good Christian messages, using simple, child-friendly language to remind of important truths. Glory to God, Who has made possible these wonderful meetings with the kids.  With God’s help we hope to continue serving these diverse, fascinating, and wonderful children.

Another month has passed. I recently realized that I have been visiting my children for almost the entire school year. It’s surprising – time is running fast. When I analyze, I want to see the results of these trips, and I do. Recently, a guy I know asked me how I understand unconditional love. To what extent are we humans capable of experiencing such love, or is it available only to God? I told him that this is exactly what I feel for the children we visit. It doesn’t matter how they behave, we still love them, tolerate them, and admire their successes so much. But, of course, the children’s attitude towards us is also pleasant. They look forward to seeing us again, show interest to our lives, notice the little things, and say goodbye every time as if it was for the last time. 

I am very pleased that they not only participate in what we offer them, but also ask questions, it is clear that they are interested in the stories from the Bible that they hear, they are happy to learn new songs with us, come up with games, etc. It is impossible not to notice the transformation of children. For example the boy Kostya, who had only recently arrived at the orphanage and was at our meeting for the first time, he was so emotionless, like frozen. He seemed to be in contact with us and kept up the conversation, but it felt like his thoughts were in his life’s tragedy and he hadn’t adjusted yet. We have seen a similar situation with many other children who have just arrived. But over time, the ice melts, and the child becomes himself again. I want to believe that the Lord also changes them, and they become better, kinder, more honest. Because talking about good and bad deeds, about Christ’s sacrifice, about His victory over sin, and many others cannot go in vain.

 By the way, we celebrated Easter in April and raised all these topics with the children. In honor of the holiday, I baked cupcakes and we took them to the orphanage, which the children were delighted with, although, of course, we explained that Easter is not about cakes and colored eggs, but about the Resurrection of Christ. I really liked that the children asked a lot of questions and were interested in the details of this important event. I remember 12-year-old Artyom saying, “So it turns out that’s why we say ‘Christ is Risen!” It’s so wonderful that now they know the essence of the holiday. We also gave them gifts that day. The girl Nastya spent only a few weeks in the shelter, she was in shock, when she received the box, and asked: “Is that all for me?” The following Tuesday, when she found out that such gifts are not given every week, she was upset.

In addition, in April we held a creativity lesson. I really like watching children when they create – it shows each child from a different perspective – something that is not visible at first glance. You can see who is more organized, who needs to finish the job, who does not like monotony, who needs to follow the example, and much, much more. And, of course, as a result, all the art objects come out completely different, fully reflecting the character of their creator – it’s incredibly interesting . On our last trip, the behavior of 5-year-old Roma was very memorable, which we later remembered more than once and laughed. In order to motivate children to listen carefully and then answer questions, we give them candy for the answers. Roma is a very bright boy with a good memory, although he is restless and it’s difficult to keep him in place.

Roma remembered the story well from the previous meeting, but this time he listened inattentively and, raising his hand, answered the questions simply by saying what he remembered from the last time. “Roma, that’s another story.” “I just want some candy,” Roma replies. That’s the truth written in the Bible, that we need to be like children – sincere and real.  It’s nice to know that not only we, but also the children can teach us something. So, going back to the analysis, what results of trips I observe, perhaps, is that children change us a lot. I believe that we influence them by bringing God’s love, but they also influence us. These spontaneity, sincerity, desire to learn new things, activity, flexibility, lightness are what we adults sometimes lack so much. And I want to learn this from them. We sometimes have a game where someone hides an object in a room while the others search. There are children who give up after a few rounds and no longer want to search, but there are more who do not want to give up, but are ready to search again and again until they find it. They tell us so much that we can apply in our lives. But we have to listen. And notice.

Hello everyone. I want to share how we went to Smilovichi in March. When we first arrived in March, there were only 2 kids in the shelter, Roma and Kirill, they are about 5-6 years old. I was glad that I could play with them, take them on my shoulders and hug them.I am glad that the children are happy when we arrive and say that they are really waiting for us when we arrive next Tuesday. We played the game “cat” with them, where the cat catches mice, the cat is blindfolded, we were cats in turn and mice too. The kids really enjoyed this game. Sasha taught the lesson and told the children about our heart and that without God it is black and dark, but with God it is in light, and using the example of a glass of water, we tried to show them how Jesus heals our heart.

Masha Varya and Artyom have already returned from the sanatorium on our next trip. They are older, Masha is 8 years old, and Artyom and Varya are 12 years old. We played the “coin” game with them, and all the kids wanted to flip a coin and determine who won. We also sing Christian children’s songs about God with them every time, which children also love, especially when the song has movements. We held a lesson with colored markers and painted pictures, we tried to tell the children about Jesus that he is a lifering for us and discussed this topic what to do if we are spiritually drowning, then who can help us? Who should we go to for help? We also try to pray with the children and ask them questions about their understanding of the topic after the lesson to make sure that they understood our idea correctly.

The next time we came, we were holding relay races. We split into 2 teams and ran, jumped, rolled balls and all that. During the relay races, the children’s hearts were very open, and they had to be comforted, admonished, and encouraged a lot. Since they often get upset when they don’t win, they often treat each other badly if you let their team down. I think this was a good reason to remind them of God’s principles that we do not humiliate other people if we have not won because of them, and in general we should love our neighbor and not insult him.

We were teaching a lesson about God’s gift to us and whether we deserve it. We tried to talk to them about the truths of the gospel and prayed for them that God would give them understanding. We also had a crafts lesson with them this month. The guys made paper crafts on it. I am grateful to God that there are people who can contribute to this cause, and there are people who are ready to travel and play and sing and conduct lessons with children. I hope that this will be a good testimony for God, first of all, and for people. It often happens that the caregivers who are in the orphanage also hear some of our songs and see our attitude towards children and ask them to pray that we would also be a good witness for them about God, Christ and the Gospel.

In February, we discussed rather deep and fundamental biblical topics with the guys, and also explained to them how it affects their lives. The first topic of February was about prayer, we divided the children into toddlers and older children and told the topic to each group separately. The kids had a visual story about what prayer is. We also showed and explained by example how we communicate with God. The older children also talked about this topic. The answers and questions of the children showed a response from them, especially from Miroslav, who gave quite deep, informed answers. Later this month, we talked about the fact that God is loving and that He cares about each of us. The children are always willing to answer the speaker’s questions both during the course of the story and after it, which contributes to an interactive atmosphere.

Another topic that was raised in February is faith. Unfortunately, the older children missed it because they were sent to a sanatorium, but despite this, we held it for the children who stayed there. In the most accessible language and using good visualizations, we tried to convey to the children the fundamental truths about what faith is, emphasizing that God Himself and living with Him changes a person’s life and heart. On the last trip in February, there was creativity, the children did a beautiful craft that they really liked. It was another reason to talk and interact with the kids. It is interesting that, according to the idea, everyone had to paste their photo (which we printed out in advance) on the craft, as if they were a passenger in a balloon. But some of the guys wanted to paste not only their own, but also our photos next to their own.

Just like in previous months, we played with the children, and the children still loved this time very much. There were new fun games this month, and the kids enjoyed participating in them. As before, we sang songs with the children that they had already learned and loved very much. Also, on one of our trips, we gave the children a real surprise: we brought delicious homemade pizzas with us and set up a table for them. Of course, the guys really liked it. And anyway, with each trip, the guys were getting better and better disposed towards us.

In addition, I would like to describe a little boy about 5 years old named Kirill. It is clear that he had a difficult past, it is clear that he is an anxious, intimidated child who, despite this, is very attracted to us, and even one day burst into tears when we left. The older guys periodically opened up to us and shared with us their feelings about their parents, we tried to listen to them and support them. Summing up, we can say that the children are really looking forward to meeting us and want to be friends with us. Also, thank God for the opportunity to tell the guys about Him. Our fervent desire is to continue bringing the guys closer to Him.

There were some trips to the orphanage in Smilovichi in January. Probably about half of the children were either taken to a foster family, or returned to their own family, or sent to a sanatorium, and we also got to know the new arrivals. Here I had to deal with the fact that an attachment to children grows, and when someone suddenly leaves, to be honest, the first time I cried. There was a boy about 4 years old who practically settled in my arms. He chose me once, and since then he has taken a piece of my heart forever. Somehow, miraculously, I managed to calm him down. The baby began to constantly show tenderness and love towards me. And recently he was taken into foster care, I had to convince myself that it was better for him and I should be happy about it. I understand that this is our ministry: first, to give the maximum to the children, and then to let them go and remember them in prayers, to entrust their future fate to God. And of course, giving is much easier than the rest. In January, one significant event happened for me personally: I had a birthday, and the idea came up to celebrate it with the children. It just coincided with the day of the trip. I made a cake, bought candles and took it all to Smilovichi. Unfortunately, there were only 5 children, but they were so happy! It turned out to be no less valuable to them than it was to me. They congratulated me, hugged me, kissed me – they just bathed me in love, and there was a family atmosphere. We laughed a lot, and the cherry on the cake was blowing out the candles, which every child participated in. I guess now the rest of the guys from our team will also want such a holiday.

Recently, I had a chance to teach kids about how much the Lord loves children and wants all people to be like them, to tell them what it means. I liked that even the youngest ones know that every person is equally important to God: regardless of status, age, skin color, profession, etc. But the fact that He always loves us, even if we act badly, we have to constantly remind them – they forget: it is difficult for a child to believe in unconditional love, and they think they have to earn it.

Every visit, my team and I try to ask questions about previous topics to make sure that the material is fixed, and, of course, the elders remember it better. For this, special thanks go to Dmitry, who knows how to convey to children in a way that probably no one else of us can yet. I notice that the guys already have confidence in us, they are always very happy to welcome us. From my observations, they look for some kind of approval from us: they brag about things, grades, and some of their achievements. This is pleasant and means that they can listen to our advice, read the Bible, pray, etc. Among the new arrivals there is a 5-year-old Roma, who is superactive and practically restless. How loving he is, the phrase “Nadia, I love you” spreads warmth all over me. The Lord gives us so much through these children!