Eco Outreach in Russia
October 18, 2011
Simon Young and Sergei Tovstapyat have been leading ecological field trips for orphans and school children in the St. Petersburg area. Simon is from the UK and has been ministering in Russia for many years. Sergei is perhaps better known as the administrator of Camp Elama. Through teaching ecology, they build relationships with children and teachers and share the gospel as they study God’s creation.
From October 3rd to 13th they conducted theoretical and practical lessons with students from School #280, investigating issues related to environmental pollution and development. This program, in partnership with MIR, is presented under the auspices of the Mendeleev Chemical-Technological University in Moscow.
A very talented group of 12 students from the 6th and 7th grades participated.
The program consists of field trips to study and monitor nature in order to analyze problems of environmentally sustainable development of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region.
Simon and Sergei also spoke with the leadership of Chemistry and Biology Lyceum #281 about starting a high school program. They will also conduct sessions with the orphanage in Tolmachevo, two hours south of St. Petersburg. And they are planning an Eco Camp at Camp Elama in June of next year.
It’s great to see this program expanding. Here are Sergei and Simon (in back) with the students:
Yuri and Marina – Breaking the Cycle
October 18, 2011
MIR: HEART FOR ORPHANS MINISTRY
We have an opportunity to help graduates from orphanages. Two of them are Marina and Yuri. We worked with Marina in the orphanage and we met Yuri through Marina. They have a boy Dima, three years old now. This family is trying to make a different way for their son.
Yuri and his brothers were sent to the orphanage when their mother died. His father moved to Ukraine with his other three kids. Yuri graduated and stayed in St.Petersburg. He finished technical school and his profession is a welder. He worked for some time but now lost his job.
Marina was put into an orphanage when she was 8 years old. Her mother is drug addicted and disabled now. It seems that Marina did not experience her mother’s love and care ever. As we remember Marina was a very tough teenager and sometimes ran away from the orphanage.
This is all a consequence of a difficult life outside a family where no one accepts and loves her. She also was discouraged by care givers in the orphanage. We witnessed a conversation between Marina and one of the care giver, who said “you will never succeed and you will have to bring your children to orphanage to be raised.”
Clothes and Toys for Marina's Family
Marina graduated from a different orphanage than Yuri. Then she met Yuri and they decided to be a family. They live in one room with Marina’s mother because the government doesn’t provide for her apartment yet.
One day Marina asked us (she has our contacts) for help when she did not have enough food to feed her baby. So we brought them some food and found that they have basic needs to cover for themselves and for their baby. We looked through our clothes, our daughter Nastya gave her toys and several families from our church gave baby clothes for them. They were very thankful for everything.
So step by step we are building our friendship with Marina and Yuri. Both of them love their son Dima and hope that he will never experience what they have. God has opened for us a door to share Christ’s love with them.
Watching Video about Athletes in Action
Please pray for this young family:
Sharing the Gospel with Yuri
We are grateful to all of you who pray and partner with us working in God’s field!
May God be with you,
Yan & Nadya If God leads you to Support HEART FOR ORPHANS read HERE
You Can Help — Christmas in Belarus
October 9, 2011
Olga Gonchareko writes:
As we are planning our Christmas visits we really would like to ask you for your prayers and donations towards Christmas gifts.
Here are some ideas or/ and needs for Christmas:
- a Christmas box of sweets and chocolates — $5 per child (we need about 250)
- school supplies — $15 per child
- new kitchen for the shelter (electrical stove, table, sink, refrigerator, dishes, etc)
- food baskets for foster families, handicapped people, poor families – 20$ per basket
Belarus: Shelters, Teachers and Weddings
October 7, 2011
From Spring of Revival Director Olga Goncharenko:
Dear friends,
As fall is here in Belarus and we enjoy the pretty leaves and colors, the ministry goes back to its regular schedule after summer. We continue to visit orphanages, shelters, foster homes and spend time with orphan graduates.
This time we want to share about our clown party that we had in one of the orphanages. There were 160 children, most of them had some health issues. We had 5 clowns, who led games for kids and gave out small gifts and candies to the kids. It was held in a big assembly hall where all the kids could come.
We had a great audience that enjoyed our play and we really enjoyed those kids. We also made some new friends. Most kids wanted to talk to us and spend some time afterwards.
Last weekend it was Teacher’s day in Belarus. And we decided to get some gifts and congratulate all the 15 teachers at Stankovo shelter. We got all of them a bottle of shampoo and a box of chocolate. They were so thankful.
At the official part we enjoyed our time together with the teachers at the table having food and cakes. Then we also had time with the kids. We brought them some fruit, drinks, cookies and candies. While teachers were having their party the kids were snacking on their goodies. It was fun.
Also we were given 2 wheel chairs that were a great blessing to 2 women who were in great need for the chairs. Valentina, the first woman, got into a car accident 2.5 years ago. She can’t move her lower part of the body, she lives all by herself and she is praying for a computer, so that she can keep in contact with the outside world as well as work part time on the computer.
The other women Vera hasn’t been outside for a long time (she lives in a tall apartment building). Now with the wheelchair, she can go out. She was so happy. Please continue to pray for those ladies.
MFH News
October 1st was Katya’s wedding. Katya was in MFH for 2 years. She was a good girl, who learnt a lot during that time. We are happy for Katya.
The ceremony was very small, it took places at a court house near Minsk. Katya was a pretty bride that day. We continue to pray for her as she enters her own adult life. May the Lord be with her and keep her safe, helping her to remain in the teachings she received, and we trust that her life will be successful.
Thank you all dear friends for your prayers, support and for my birthday wishes,
Love,
Olga Goncharenko
True Needs at Peterhof #2
October 3, 2011
An update from Katya at MIR, about the Peterhof #2, an orphanage for children with disabilities –
As you approch this place, it’s a beautiful building and good staff that works based on enthusiasm with very little income. Very often they feel forgotten. As one of the counselors said with bitterness, “a country with resources like ours, that sends space ships to space, would not provide disabled kids with clothing and foot wear on a timely basis”.
It takes special foot wear for children at this place, as many children crawl and don’t walk, so taking them out is a big problem. The wheelchairs that the orphanage have only fit the smallest children, and when they grow up they don’t fit anymore.
There is shortage of funds to provide the needed medication. The medication has to be requested once a year and the system is very slow if the child needs emergency help. This is when staff takes initiative to look for additional sponsors. I often get phone calls like this when the Peterhoff staff is in need of emergency medication.
The children have to be weighted very often, and when the scales broke, they called us again.
Thankfully, we had a donation coming in at the time and we were able to use the funds that were donated by Zanardo family and the orphanage staff is very thankful for this.
Another constant need is pampers. Out of 90 children in the facility 60 wear pampers on a regular basis. Obviously the load of pampers provided from official source is not enough and this is when I hear another call for help. There are several things that you can always help with at Peterhoff #2:
1. pampers
2. medication
3. wheelchairs
4. orthopedic footwear
Fewer people are willing to donate towards the kids that wll never grow up or improve. It takes a special awareness to do it.
May God lead your hearts as you read this material.
Foster Families in the Leningrad region
October 3, 2011
From Katya Plusnina in St. Petersburg —
On September 29th, Nadya Boldyrev and I were invited to attend the Cross-Regional Conference on “Fostering: problems and achievements”, organized by the Committee of Education of the Leningrad region and held at the Great Hall of the regional government.
Elena Spasskaya, the chairman deputy started by saying that for five years in the Leningrad region the number of foster families has sufficiently increased and it has been a positive trend.
One of the main ways of social support for adoptive families so far has been a monthly payment: of 5516 rubles ($183) to the family with a child of preschool age, and 6953 rubles ($230) – to the school age child.
Conference participants acknowledged the positive experience of the Gatchina district where “The Village of Hope” hosts 18 foster families with up to a hundred of children. In 2010 the second building phase of this town started. So far this foster family settlement is supported by Harmony Psychology Center specialists.
The Village of Hope is a unique place. There are two Christian families so far, and Natalia (at right in the bottom photo), who has coordinated a group of children traveling to Estonia with Love Russia, is one of them. We hope to continue serving this place in multiple ways.
According to the children’s rights specialist Tamara Litvinova, families are in great need of counseling as conflict situations with children arise and their rights and boundaries have to be guarded.
Tamara Litvinova is reporting fewer orphans and children left without parental care, as well as a growing number of children adopted by the Russians, not foreigners.
In 2006 in the Leningrad region, there were only 27 foster families, they brought up 44 children. 430 foster families have already brought up 608 children according to the July 1, 2011.
A university Mr. Igor Schatz, who spoke at a conference on the psychological climate of the modern family, just formulated a simple goal to strive for which is the child’s happiness.
In conclusion of the conference the adoptive parents and ladies named Vera (Faith), Nadyzhda (Hope) and Luba (Love) were given flowers. The representative of Russian Orthodox Children’s Mission spoke highly of the families’ achievements and introduced the textbook on foundations of the Orthodox faith.
Nadya with foster families from”The Village of Hope”
