Small Things Can Make Us Happier
November 24, 2011
Tanya Zaikina, MIR staff member, writes from St. Petersburg:
Storage at the Boldyrev's flat
This is a story to show how one person can bless so many. And you can, too.
Recently I have become a part of one event. As we handled this project, there were so many blessings about it and it was a joy to be useful:
A young man, who prefers to remain anonymous, made a donation of different household and sewing items. He got the stuff as an inheritance and decided to bless people who have needs. Among other things there was a knitting machine, a lot of wool, cloth, summer and winter clothing, shoes and other things which might be useful in any home.
Through Yan and Nadya Boldyrev (who have served in orphanages for many years) he donated it all to orphanages and rehabilitation centers.
Here are some of the organizations that received donated items:
-
Irina, receiving donations at “Taste of life”
Shelter “Harbor”
- Children shelter “Life”
- “Nehemiah” organization
- Sunday school of Christian church (Kolpino city)
- Orphanage “Nikolskoe”
- “Rodnichek” – private centre for children from disadvantaged families
- Christian Church (Petergoff city)
- Children’s ministry of Church “Word of Faith”
- Christian ministry “Taste of Life”
- Shelter for young mothers with children (from the church “The Source of Life”)
- Orphanage #2
- Rehabilitation Centre of “Grace” Church (Pushkin city)
- Also a few orphanage graduates were blessed by some of these donations.
Socks knitted by adults and children (”Grace” Сhurch, Pushkin city) using the donated knitting machine
The Heart of Ministry
November 20, 2011
I love it when this happens –
Last month, Olga Gonchrenko posted this as part of her update:
We were given 2 wheelchairs 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.
One of our supporters, Erin, was touched and gave money to purchase a computer for Valentina. Erin’s Bible study class gave money to pay for the first year of internet service (which is very considerate).
To me, this is an excellent example of how the Lord uses living stones (1 Peter 2:5), the body of Christ, to express His love to those in need.
Several people in the Stoneworks family fulfilled their roles; Mary Jean Preece, Stoneworks Administrator, handled the transaction well, Olga Goncharenko guides the ministry, and Valentina’s prayers have been answered.
And perhaps best of all, Valentina and Erin (with the help of Google Translate) are now in direct communication.
Equipping Volunteers
November 15, 2011
Mission cooperation is one effective way to serve God in His field. November 4-5, 2011 mission «Youth for Christ» organized a conference on the theme: «Skill to serve kids».
At this seminar were believers and volunteers from different Churches.
Our ministry «Heart for Orphans» was one of the presenters. Our session was «How to Use Crafts for Children’s and Youth Ministry». We taught Christians to use this skill as the possibility:
* to build relationships with kids
* to discover kids talents
* to help kids improve self-esteem
* to illustrate Bible lesson
* to do Evangelism
We thank God for this opportunity to share our experience with other ministers who are serving children.
Please pray with us that God will send many ministers among orphans and kids from dysfunctional families.
If God leads you to support HEART FOR ORPHANS read HERE
Reality of Russian Orphans
November 15, 2011
Who are they – these Russian orphans for whom we have a heart?
Today in Russia there are between 2 -5 million homeless children, with 800 thousand orphans living in orphanages. A growing number of children are known as ’social’ orphans. They represent 90% of orphans.
Social Orphans
Social Orphans: children whose parents refuse to take care of them or whose parents who have been legally deprived of their parental rights. In Russia, this happens more than 30,000 thousand times each year. The main causes of social orphans in our country are unhealthy family environment, poverty, alcoholism, drugs addiction, and parents who are in prison.
Some parents abandon their children after birth, others leave them out on the street. There are cases where children were sold for a few bottles of vodka. The relationship of these parents to their children are often like a consumer (exploited child labor) or indifferent (without taking care or giving an education). Often these kids lack for their basic needs, and even more-so lack love and acceptance.
Often these children are abused, both physical and psychological violence is done against them, which causes them to run away from families and orphanages, and sometimes leads to suicide.
Graduate Orphans
Also, they must face the harsh reality of life outside the orphanage when they graduate. They do not get a full experience of healthy family life as they grow up; then they are often unable to build up their own full-fledged family.
Because they have no other place to live, many graduates must return to the families from which they were taken. Well over 50% of graduates join the criminal world, become prostitutes, drug addicts and alcoholics, just as their parents before them.
God calls Himself “Father to the fatherless” (Ps. 68:5) and He “watches over …the fatherless” (Ps. 146:9).
And God wants the Church of Jesus Christ to care for orphans, showing them His love. “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (Jas.1:27). What a great God we serve!
God gave a great privilege to our “Heart for Orphans” ministry, to do His work in St. Petersburg, Russia among orphans and graduates. We want to help them avoid a life of crime and hopelessness and want to help them know our loving God, His commandments and blessings in Jesus Christ.
We tell each child that he is special, unique, dear in the eyes of the Lord, that God loves him and He awaits him at Home.
Read more: What we do?
If God leads you to Support HEART FOR ORPHANS read HERE
Bible Studies and Birthdays in Belarus
November 14, 2011
Here’s some news from Olga Goncharenko:
Greetings dear friends,
Last month was very eventful for us. Let us begin with
MFH
The girls are doing well. Every week we get together for a Bible study (home group). Besides, we keep in contact with the former MFH girls. This time we had a baby shower for Tanya, who has been out of MFH for about over a year. Tanya is going to have a boy , whom she wants to name David. It was a surprise party for her and she was thrilled. Besides a having a great time together, she got most necessary things for baby such as a crib, a high chair, clothes, bedding for the baby, etc.
This coming month we will have a birthday girl in MFH home. Besides, the girls are preparing a Christmas theater program, that we will show at different orphanages.
Orphanages
We got to go to Stankovo 4 times in two weeks. It was the big even of 50th anniversary of the orphanage. First we were helping to prepare for that. We had a Master class of making fall crafts and gifts out of natural materials. Later on the gifts were given to the former graduates of the orphanage, who all came for the big event.
Second, we helped to get some food items, as after the even there were tables with food . And thirdly, we attended the big event. It was really great to see so many familiar faces of those teachers, who used to work at the orphanage. We had very good relationships with them, and the most exciting thing was to meet many graduates, who came back for that day. We talked and we remembered some of the things from the past.
As a gift for that event we gave the kids a big football table. I hope they will have a lot of fun with it.
And our last visit was during their fall break, as we played some games, had tea and talked. It’s so sad to see how young girls make wrong choices and start smoking at very early age. Please keep them in your prayers.
Now we are starting to prepare for Christmas and we need your help to get Christmas gifts and things for the Christmas fair.
Every month or so we bring diapers to the needy kids of Zhdanovichi orphanage. They are ages 3 to 6, but they look so much smaller, besides many of them have health problems, they do not talk, and they many allergies. We come to embrace them and give them a little bit of love. One boy Sergey had broken his arm and it didn’t heal for a long time, as the is allergic to milk and the orphanage can’t buy him calcium vitamins. Read more
God’s Perfect Timing
November 10, 2011
Alina Pizhova is foster parenting two children. Even though their life is hard right now, their faith is growing. Here is good update from Alina —
Hello Dear Friends!
I would like to thank everyone for the prayer and for the support! God is doing miracles! I would like to share our testimony here and to thank everyone!
In September we got a onetime allowance from the government for fostered children. We were able to pay for the rent for September and October and to buy what we needed for school and other necessities. I have tried to manage the situation in order to be able to pay the rent for November, but we had unforeseen expenses, I was ill and had to buy some medicine, and besides that the onetime allowance we got from the government was less we had thought it would be.
The time to pay the rent came closer and I was praying and sent the request to my friends. There was no sum of money to pay the rent for November. I got more and more anxious and discouraged, but I was praying and trusted God.
Usually we pay the rent on the 6th it was Sunday that is why we put it off until Monday the 7th. On the 7th there was no money either and I decided to talk to the landlady and put it off until the 8th (in our agreement the dates to pay the rent are from the 4th to 8th of every month). So I had one day to spare.
Also at the beginning of each month I need to do some other payments like to pay for additional classes for Nastya and Danik (it is about $35 – $50 for each of them) and we didn’t have them either. I decided that kids should get the investment first , besides there was not enough money to pay the flat anyway. So I went to pay the communal bill that we have to pay in addition for the rent and I paid for classes.
In the evening on the 7th there was still no money and on the way home I called Anya and shared with here my frustrations. When I came home Nastya was just returned from dance classes and was going to watch cartoons and I joined her taking the phone with me, thinking I have to call my friend and ask to lend me the money.
When I took the phone I saw an sms massage that said that somebody had offered the money for us. With this sum of money we were able to add to the rent and to pay for Danok’s classes we even had a little left to buy some food. On the 8th of November I was able to pay the rent! Praise God!
I thank Him for His continued faithfulness! I am very thankful to those people who send the offering to us! I even do not know who it was but I am thankful! May God blesses you. Thank you very much to everyone who prayed for us and encouraged us, without you support and Prayers we wouldn’t make it!
Yours Alina, Danik and Anastasia
To support Alina and the children, click here and choose MIR:Foster Family from the drop down menu.
Meeting in Estonia
November 4, 2011
I was in Estonia for a few days earlier this week. Yasha & Olga Goncharenko and their children came up from Belarus, and it was nice to meet them there and introduce them to our Estonian friends.
The Goncharenkos stayed at our ministry flat in Johvi. Pastor Artur Pold and his wife Valya welcomed them with open arms. They took them to a spa and treated them to a fresh fish dinner (you catch your own fish). All in all, it was a great trip, though it was too short for me. We look forward to their next visit.
Yasha and Olga were able to take back a large load humanitarian aid, too. Now there will be many gifts for orphans this Christmas.
