Archive for March 2010

News from Olga Goncharenko –

First of all, I’d like to start with the cooking class the orphanage. Teenagers from our church are very interested in helping out. Not only they became friends with orphans, but they are a great help in cooking classes and playing sports with the kids.

During those cooking classes, orphans learn basic skills of cooking a plain meal, as well as how to set the table and even how to make a dessert. They love it when they can do it themselves and we love to teach them how to do it as well as bring all the necessary ingredients.

Second, we had a great time with a group of orphans at the Belarusian Nature museum (it was my first time there as well). The children learnt about the animals that live in our country.

After the museum we all went to McDonald’s for lunch. Minsk Family Home girls have joined us, helping with orphans. It was the second time for Katya, who is 18 years old to be there.

After McDonald’s the girls as well as the orphans went to a Christian Youth conference dedicated to Love. The day was full of good impressions.

Another thing that we wanted to share was a visit to a foster family with 8 kids. SOR is getting a cow for that family. Nina, who is a mom, a single woman in her 60, is a new believer and loves the children dearly.  For our visit, she has invited 3 other foster families from the area.  She was an inspiration to them to start taking kids out of the orphanages.

It was surprising to see two kids from Stankovo, whom we met before, to be in one of those families.  Last year SOR provided pigs for all those foster families, this year it’s a cow and we would like to get them chickens as well.

We shared a meal together and heard a lot of sad stories about each child: the girls of 3 years old were not walking yet, and the boy of 10 was not talking; some kids had scab. But the joy is that now they are all doing well, talking and walking, healthy and feel safe in a healthy Christian atmosphere.

Here are our prayer and financial needs:

1. Please pray for summer programs and camps. We want to take 40-50 kids to camps this summer. The cost for 1 child to go is 215$.

2. We would like to get chickens for 5 families this spring. One chicken is about 3$.

Thank you for all your help and support that allows us to continue the good work in Belarus. May God bless you abundantly and fulfill the desires of your hearts,

– Olga and SOR