Baby House & Children's Shelter

Our first day of ministry got off to an easy start with a visit to a baby house where the children are kept until their fourth year. Sergey’s (one of our interpreters) youngest sister had been adopted by his parents from this orphanage, and he knew the director and the facility. We were treated very hospitably and the children were a delight to visit. The GAiN boxes and wheel chairs were out on display and many thanks were relayed to us for this aid. We split into smaller groups and soon many of the children were being held. My team headed for the "special needs" children. The children were in play time so we were able to get down on the floor with them to play and interact. Nazar and Vanya have downs and were such fun tossing balls. A few we saw were in cribs, some with CP and some blind, or blind and deaf. Alina captured my heart. She was aprox 14 months old, blind, loved to suck on her little fingers and had such a sweet smile when talked to or held. We gave gifts of teddy bears to the infants and gospel explanations to the care givers. Later we were treated to chai in fine china cups and cookies. Karla experienced another joy in the kitchen as all four cooks prayed the prayer of repentance. Then it was back to the bus for our sack lunch, but the bus would not start. So we had time to eat our lunch without the usual bumpy jostling.
I should explain that years ago it was put on the heart of one of our dear sisters to not forget about those giving care behind the scenes. The apron ministry was born - the aprons have pockets in the colors of the gospel bead bracelets and each pocket is an explanation of the color. We designate a team member to visit all the kitchens to share our praise for their care of the children and to share the love of Christ who died for them as well as us.
One group got on a “mastruka” or mini bus to collect supplies at House of Hope and then visit a hospital. They limited us to a small number to the rest of us enjoyed a stop at a park while waiting to meet back up for the last site of the day.
The last site was a shelter. Due to an outbreak of chicken pox, only those of us who had contracted chicken pox previously were allowed to go into the youth shelter. These children are temporarily cared for at state expense until one parent is again able to resume custody. The children are not at fault, but simply victims of parental indiscretion. Often it is a single mother who has received a short jail term and thus no other care is available for the child. There were older siblings here taking on the role of guardian for younger ones. I have never had chicken pox, so this one I had to sit out on the bus. During the visit one of our team spoke to a young lady Lila. In their conversation, when asked what she wanted to become, Lila replied that she wanted to go to school to join the police force so that she could protect children from abuse. I am certain there are reasons unspoken for her passion to pursue this career at 13 years old. I pray she can fulfill her dream.
The bus thankfully worked well the remainder of the trip.