I went to
Ukraine with Philemon 1:6 in mind- “And I am praying that you will put into
action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and
experience all the good things we have in Christ.” Our God is generous. I wanted the kids in Ukraine to see that, to
understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. This was my daily prayer and motivation.
On the
plane, I read this excerpt from My Utmost
for His Highest,
He went out, not knowing where he was going
—Hebrews 11:8
Have you ever “gone out” in this way? If so, there is no logical answer
possible when anyone asks you what you are doing. One of the most difficult
questions to answer in Christian work is, “What do you expect to do?” You don’t
know what you are going to do. The only thing you know is that God knows what
He is doing. Continually examine your attitude toward God to see if you are
willing to “go out” in every area of your life, trusting in God entirely…Have
you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to
do— He reveals to you who He is. Do you believe in a miracle-working God,
and will you “go out” in complete surrender to Him until you are not surprised
one iota by anything He does?
I
knew this message was timely and I needed to pay attention, but I still didn’t
realize just how much I would need to remember these words later on the trip!
The
orphanage at Gordinya had the nicest facilities I’ve ever seen for an
orphanage. The buildings were large and
clean, the teachers were friendly to the children and to us, and the kids were
decently clothed. However, these kids
were emotionally and spiritually starving.
Punching, biting, and slapping were routine in their interactions with
each other, so from the first day we focused on being gentle and kind, showing
the kids a better way to communicate and interact. We had small group Bible lessons in the
mornings, and my group consisted of 11 10-12yr old boys and girls. It’s amazing how quickly we fell in love with
them! One of our girls named Nastia had
a birthday during camp. We bought her a
cake and sang “Happy Birthday” to her in English. We were warned about her on the first day
because she was especially violent. Even
when she wasn’t angry, she was rough and didn’t know her own strength. On the day after her birthday however, she
sat next to me during lesson, so I put my arm around her. Instead of wrestling with me like I expected,
she simply hung on to me softly and sat still.
While talking to my Ukrainian team member that afternoon, I found out
Nastia asked her about Jesus and if He could love her, and after talking a
while, Nastia gave her heart to Jesus!
I gave my
testimony during the evening concert.
Since I grew up in a Christian home, I worried the orphans wouldn’t
relate to my story. I ended up being as
honest as I could, sharing Hebrews 6:13-20 with them. I described my life as a boat at sea. Without an anchor, my boat was at the mercy
of every storm, but with Christ as the anchor of my soul, it doesn’t matter
whether the sea is calm or rough. Jesus,
not my circumstances, is the center of my hope and the source of my joy. My prayer is that the orphans will realize
only God satisfies, and though their circumstances may never improve, they can
have imperishable hope, joy, and purpose in our glorious Lord. Please pray with me!
Christmas Eve,
the American and Ukrainian teams went caroling through the village. We sang in Russian and English, going from
house to house. Some families came out
to hear us sing and give us candy. It
was a precious time. Christmas day, we
gave all the orphans hats and scarves (we had more than enough!) as well as
candy and presents. They were so excited
that people they didn’t even know who lived so far away in a different country
cared so much about them! It was hard to
leave that afternoon.
Once we were
back in Kyiv, we went to see the property Hope For Orphans recently
purchased. HFO has incredible plans for
this land- a transition program to help older orphans understand what it means
to be a healthy family, teach them useful skills to make a living, provide a
constant Christian presence, and an example to the younger orphans that they
can live healthy, productive lives; a farm and barn where orphans can grow
their own food and experience animal therapy; centralized, fully equipped camps
where orphans can spend their entire summer and winter breaks; and so much
more! We prayed together for God’s
blessing over the land. I can’t wait to
see how God will use it and I hope to be a part!
A highlight
of the trip for me was going back to Vovkavinci for a day. We had a camp at Vovkavinci orphanage this
summer and I really connected with a 12 year old girl named Yulia who gave her
heart to Jesus at camp. I saw her
again! Since I didn’t have a translator
with me, our communication was limited, but I saw light in her eyes and got to
hug her and tell her over and over that I love her. We listened to music together on my ipod and
she showed me how her English was improving by trying to read the song titles
to me.
I did
receive some difficult news on this trip.
Remember the Vovka family? They
are the 4 orphan children closest to my heart.
Their orphanage is closing down next year so all the children are being
placed in foster homes. I found out 3 of
the Vovkas, Vova, Dan, and Dasha have been placed in a foster home, but Nastia,
the oldest girl, refused to go because she desperately wants to be adopted by a
member of Hope For Orphans. I brought
Christmas presents for them and had so hoped to see them, so this news
devastated me. I wanted to be angry at
God, but didn’t I just tell the orphans God was my anchor? What do I have left if I don’t cling to
Him? I have to trust His higher thoughts
and better plans. He is good and loves
the Vovkas far more than I do. I don’t
know His plans, but I know Him and I can trust in His goodness. Please pray for their future, that they would
be reunited and adopted by a Christian family who loves them.
Thank you
for partnering with me on this trip! I
love Ukraine and am passionate about the work God is doing there. Thank you for your support, prayers,
encouragement, and for making hats and scarves.
I am humbled by the overwhelming care you have for this ministry. God bless you!
Me, Colya, and Mandy
Me and Masha
Our small group 
Handing out the scarves 
