Blessed Orphans

October  2024

Dear Friends,                          

Thank you for being amazing partners in ministry! Did you know that we only have 100 donors – you are one of our special partners from God  and we thank God for you in every way!

Because there is so much going on in Ukraine, we covet your prayers. Next month I will update you on our Christmas outreach, but a preview is the decision to buy sweaters for the teenagers, toys for the smaller children, and candy for all of the kids. We are also providing money for a meal and Christmas program for the entire family in several churches this Christmas - but more to come next month.

Within our region of Ukraine, the bombs and missiles continue to explode with regularity, but it has become part of people’s everyday life. A news report from a Ukrainian news source confirmed that Ukrainian conscripts that go to the front line only survive for a couple of days before they meet their demise due to their poor training. Meanwhile, Russia just announced that they are consripting another 133,000 men for the front line. Perhaps Russia belives this war will still continue for awhile.

Ukraine continues to advance inside of Russia, and apparently, the US has now given the permission for Ukraine to use Western made missiles to hit deeper into Russia, which may have significant escalation ramifications to this war – time will tell, but I hope not, because too many lives have already been lost. The latest number is about 1.3 – 1.5 million men killed thus far.

Our ministry continues to support many churches and individuals with food, supplies, biblical resources, and hygiene products monthly. But Christmas is by far our largest outreach of the year. We are hoping to reach many kids this Christmas.

We also raise support for orphan needs and twice a year I update you on how your gifts are being used. In this letter, I want to highlight a few of the orphans you have helped (it isn’t an exhaustive list, but just a sampling of kids you have helped). Most orphans have been placed in foster care homes with families who care for them - but some families can’t afford to help with additional needs (due to the high unemployment since the war and the escalating inflation), so our ministry comes alongside to help where we can with the love of Christ.

We made the decision to only provide for the kid’s needs and not the family’s requests for support  – this has been made quite clear to our ministry partners and conveyed to the families. We are concerned that if we give to the families directly, it may never get to the children, so we are being super careful here. Below are several short stories of children that you have recently helped.

Luba’s Teeth Doesn’t Stop Her from Constantly Smiling!

Dear friends, you gave money to help repair Luba’s teeth and jaw. One family was so touched by this child that they gave an additional amount to help with her dental costs. However, Luba has a very complex jaw issue and more work is needed in the months to come. When her jaw and teeth are repaired, I am going to see how much it will cost to fit her for braces too. She has already had several operations and despite the many problems with her mouth and teeth, she still smiles constantly and believes everything will be OK in her future. I want to keep investing in her with the hope she will have a better chance of fitting in as she grows up! Luba knows many people are praying for her and helping her and she wants to convey to everyone her “deep gratitude and deepest and best thank you!”

Slavic Has Had A Really Hard Time and Needs Your Prayers

Another orphan you have helped is named Slavic. His mother tragically died in March 2024 and his  father is gone too – we don’t know if his dad died or abandoned him. He has been under a guardianship since March, but his guardian also refused working on his behalf. I am sure he has felt very rejected, since he was all alone in life for several months. By God’s mercy, he is now with a foster care family. This young man has emotional issues and vision impairment. We cannot do much to help him on the emotional side, but we can all pray for him. But we did purchase new  glasses and prescription medication. Please keep Slavic in your prayers, since he still has a long road of healing ahead of him.

Refusenik Was Finally Helped – After 16 Years!

Refusenik has been an orphan from his birth and he is now 16 years old. Unfortunately, his entire life, no one wanted to adopt him due his severe disabilities. He has always lived in an orphanage and knows no other life. He has severe mental impairment, with down syndrome and chronic Hepatitus B. Refusenki doesn’t have the ability to speak and needs to wear diapers due to his physical disabilities. My guess is that he has had vision problems for years, but no one stepped up to help improve his vision. With  your help, he was finally able to get diapers for daily use and the glasses to see better - after 16 years! It is a small thing for this very needy young man, but “thank you” for helping us bless him!

 Katya was Abandoned at Birth

Katya was born in 2009, but her mom didn’t take her from the hospital when she was born – she was an unwanted child. She was born with tuberculosis and the medical staff tried hard to keep her alive. Because her mother was uncaring and unfit, her parental rights were revoked by the government. It was discovered later on that her mother was an alcoholic and not a woman of upright moral character. She was eventually placed in an orphanage, but eventually moved to a family to live with in 2010.

Thankfully, Katya is a very normal kid in many ways, but she does have a few mental disabilities. Because she was abandoned at birth and placed in a family home at a young age, she has no memory of the past and all she knows is growing up in a loving foster care family. She does need special treatement and attention the family says. With your donations, we have helped with her dental needs and the foster care family wants to express their heartfelt appreciation.

Friends, if you would like to help more children in the coming months, please continue to donate and place on the check or online donation to “orphans,” however, we do allocate money in the budget, just in case these designated gifts fall short. Thank you again for all that you do for these children and everyone in Ukraine. I know these acts of kindness touch lives, so I really appreciate you showing the love of Christ in tangible ways, as well as, praying for Ukraine, these kids, our ministry partners and us too. God bless you!

In Jesus’ love,

Ron

(Note: The photos were not of good quality from Ukraine and we could not post here; if interested in seeing graining photos, please reach out to me. Sorry about that!)