Inspiration within the Internat

Life in the internat (orphanage) system in Ukraine is a tough road to walk. Living with 120 to 160 children, ages 6 to 18, eating and sleeping in large groups, void of some of the simplest chances for privacy, life is nothing less than a daily challenge. In these internats are for children with physical and mental disabilities, the challenges of self-image and social development are multiplied considerably.

The children of the Dobromel Internat are one example of these children. Not only are the children challenged, but also Dobromel is a poor community and receives little financial help from the national government in Kiev, Ukraine. The facility is old and worn out, recently receiving standard and cosmetic repair. Through many donations from other organizations in America and possibly other countries, the children have decent clothing to wear, and beds to sleep in, although, they need the most basic elements of life; those are love and attention.

Pastor Volodya and his team visit from two hours away whenever possible. They bringing love and attention in the form of the AWANA program, providing activity and food, both physical and spiritual. Tamara, a young woman working as a nurse, gives her free time to visit the children. It is clear in the picture above that the children are famished to experience something new. Crowding around Tamara, they want her attention, her friendship, and contact with someone from a world different from their own.

There are players and there are spectators. In the second picture above, look at the expressions on their faces. What do you see? Are some of them content to be spectators? May some be anxious to participate? Will some be challenged to stop watching life pass before them and get involved in the game? This is our task. Volodya and his team are there to encourage the children to realize that they are valuable players on the team.

I hope to be able to visit more often. I want to spend more time with the children, learning more about their education and social opportunities. Please follow our blog as my future wife, Svetlana, and I visit Dobromel, Marganets, Froonza, and more communities as the doors open. Our goal is to help disadvantaged children find a better piece of life, reaching for all that they can grasp.

Blessings From Above

 During the Woman’s Day celebration, March 8^th, I had the opportunity to meet my future grandson, 7-day-old Daniel. Such a little creation; he is formed and shaped, every part completely developed. This little miracle is so amazing. I thought, “How fortunate Olya and Kolya are to have brought a second beautiful child into the world.”

It is a challenge, of course, to nurture and raise any child from that first moment of birth. For some, though, the challenge is multiplied. It is for these children that I have been called to Ukraine; it is for these children that God has a plan. I have often wondered why God allows some children to be born with disabilities; why others are created with perfection in form and ability. Does He think of the special children? He has not forgotten them. No, they are carved in the palm of His hand.

For the past nine years, I have been trying to see things, as well as people, including myself, with God’s eyes. After running away from people with disabilities, running away from my own disability, running away from who I am, God brought me to a place in time, a place in this world, a place in my life where I could begin to see myself through His eyes. It was at this point that He showed me why He created me, why He allowed my life to follow the path that it did. He showed me   what the work was that He had for me to invest in, for the rest of my life.

Children are blessings from above! We don’t always see them as such, but they are, never the less, blessings for us to cherish, to nurture, to love, and from whom we should receive love. I always wanted a child of my own. My vision was small for my life, but God had a plan of a few more children than was my dream. After eight years of serving the children of Ukraine, I now touch the lives of more than 500. Each one requires me to see them with God’s eyes, as creations of His that He sees as beautiful. It is often a challenge for me, but I am reminded to see them with God’s eyes, not my own, which have been corrupted by the values of this world.

My challenge, my work for the children with whom God has blessed me, is to provide something, to improve their opportunities to have better lives, to have a chance to change the outcome of their lives. Each child has a different physical or mental challenge. I can relate to many of them, but some are so far removed from anything that I have experienced, I haven’t a clue. Even so, God has a plan. He prepared all of the people with the special knowledge and gifts needed to help the children; He continues to introduce me to them. They are my team here in Ukraine.

Who are the children who are your blessings from above?