Thursday's Ministry Sites

We start today at an Elderly home. Here the folks are unable to care for themselves without assistance and have no family to care for them. Unlike here in the states, most elderly family is cared for in the homes of other family members.

These folks were happy to see our young faces and smiled huge smiles as we sang to them. We shared the gospel, talked and gave hygiene carepacks to each of them.

Yelaina was a dear sweet lady, 89 years old whose story broke my heart. During presumably WWII, her baby daughter was killed in her arms by bomb shrapnel and while fleeing from those bombs she had to bury her in the woods without a priest or funeral. As you can imagine even after all this time she cried while telling the story, demonstrating with her arms how she was holding her dear little girl.

A home connection was also made at this site. When I announced that I was from Minnesota one of the staff had family in Duluth and has been to Minnesota herself. She talked about the lake (Superior) and the lift bridge.

This afternoon's boarding school we tried shoes sent from Gain on the children. We saw two groups here - the older children were split into 3 groups and then we all saw the younger children in one larger group. When talking about who we are and where we are from we use one of these cloth maps. On the reverse side is the United States so they can see closer up the states (regions) we each came from.

This guy here was in the back corner of the class and when given anything from the team he kissed and then hugged each and every item.

Tonight at dinner we are joined by Andrew, Galina and Natasha (not the one pictured with the interpreters) from House of Hope. Andrew spoke to us about his testimony and life and about House of Hope and how it started with Galina and Natasha trying to provide a safe place to get the kids off the streets and either into homes or into boarding schools where they would be fed, clothed and educated rather than prostituted. The ministry has grown and has a kids center when the kids can come for recreation, meals and a community outreach for the needy.