Six years ago, we met with a Gypsy family on a children’s holiday. After getting to know them we learned about the needs of this family. Six months later at they had their 6th child, little Regina, and a year after that her brother Vakhtang was born as well. Lela is a mother of eight children she did not have the opportunity to go to school. She gave birth to her first child at 16, but her birth certificate was only issued at 22 years old, and a passport at 28 years old. Lela has no permanent roof over her head, she has no education, no documents, lives in poor housing conditions, without water, electricity, toilets. Circumstances in gypsy the village just didn’t let her lead a normal life.
We, the volunteers of the Children’s Ark, now we are taking care of this family so that the children have a future. Because of the bad living conditions, Regina and Vakhtang were able to temporarily live with our volunteers. Now we’re going to open the “Children’s Ark” next to a Gypsy village in the Kaluga area. The doors of our house are open around the clock. Since September they can start going to the nursery and even school. We want, that children experience God’s love and care and could live a Christian lifestyle and integrate into society. Parents are very grateful for the help and trust us with their children. By supporting such projects, you become part of God’s plan. Please, pray that these children have a future and hope! Thank you for praying and supporting us.
The life of children in the orphanage is scheduled to the second. They grow up withdrawn and don’t trust anybody. Igor, barely remembers his own parents, because since he is three years old he lived in a correctional orphanage in Krasnoyarsk. Since he stood out from other kids with autism and Down syndrome, he was transferred to the Minusinsk children’s House six months ago. He is 11 years old, but he acts like a little five year old child. He smiles a lot and needs love and special care.
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Yegor is 13 years old. He lived with his biological family,
but his parents abused and beat him and fought between each other a lot. Six
months ago, in front of the boy’s eyes his mother killed his father. She was
sent to prison, and Yegor was sent to an orphanage. Despite what happened, the
boy remains kind and sociable, but very afraid to go to a foster family. He
says that in the orphanage is much better. If his loved ones did this, why wouldn’t
others do that either. His need to re-learn to trust and feel someone’s love
In the near future we want invite children to us in the
“Children’s Ark” and organize events outside. We need a portable audio
equipment. Moreover, to organize children’s leisure, our team needs sport
equipment: game tables (football, bowling, hockey), bicycles and balls. During
winter we need ice skates, since we are planning build a frame for a rink. We
will be grateful for your support our great common ministry. God bless you!
The life story of Viktor Sklanda is about how a wounded
child’s soul became a beacon of hope for other children.
Victor could have a good life. His father bred thoroughbred horses. The family atmosphere was good and friendly. But then his fate changed drastically: his father was killed, his mother became addicted to alcohol and sold the family’s property. As a result, the family has torn apart. For Victor, as one of the youngest children in the family, this meant a new reality in life: an orphanage in the outback of Russia.
This was supposed to be a dark chapter in Victor’s story: “All against all.” Hatred and cruelty shaped his young soul. An environment in which mercy and love were considered weaknesses stifled hope. The picture of the future was predictable – going to nightclubs, drugs, alcohol, possibly crime, and jail. It seemed like it was the sad end of the story. But, Victor’s life took a decisive turn:
Foreign missionaries visited the orphanage. They showed love
to us, even if they were originally punished with meanness for it. Interacting
with these people fascinated Victor and caused the hatred and anger inside him
to diminish. And not only that, but also that he chose a relationship with God
himself. Of course, problems and difficulties did not go away from his life,
but God gave him a new direction in life.
Today, Victor’s heart seeks to show children from
disadvantaged families and children who had to grow up without parents, a view
of life with God and encourage them to let go of their fear of social
connections.
Unfortunately, there are still too many children in
orphanages or shelters in our region who also need our help. One of the bridges
to teens and young people is sports. And this is exactly what we are using now
and want to use even more in the future.
Already, the graduates of the Children’s Ark actively attend
sports events. We plan to start joint work in this direction with the youth and
teenagers of the “EXIT” club. The leader of this project is Viktor
Sklanda.
We rented a gym until June 2021. In addition, we are looking
into renting a place infinitely that will become a meeting place for children
and youth, where it will be possible not only to play football and volleyball,
but also to meet children and make friends.
Do you want to become a sponsor of the “EXIT” project? And for success stories like Victor’s to come true? Maybe someday it is your contribution that will transform the soul of a wounded child into a person who is passionate about helping others. If this affects you, feel free to participate with a one-time or monthly donation.
We learned about the “Open heart Ministry” when we were visiting Kansas City in 2016. And in 2019 we opened our own counseling center. This is God’s way of healing tormented hearts.
Here is a brief testimony from an employee of the Children’s
Ark – Maria Unrau:
“25 years of experience with children orphans helped me understand the depth of pain children experience through betrayal, rejection, and violence. The “Open Heart Ministry” is exactly what we lacked in the upbringing of the children. While I have little experience in counseling, but everything I apply gives positive results. During one of the sessions, the student opened up about all the resentment and pain in relation to her mother who abandoned her she was 10 years old. Being back at the shelter she missed her mother, who was waiting for her and tried to call. Years passed, and she still prayed and believed that her mom would come for her. And then a miracle happened – her mother answered the phone.
The girl heard a familiar voice, which was irritable and rude. Her mother began to scream at the child: “Why are you calling? I’m visiting and I can’t talk to you.” And hung up the phone. The girl burst into tears. After ten years her mother picked up the phone for the first time but they didn’t have a conversation. The pain of rejection tortured a grown-up girl. Healing came during prayer when she forgave her mother. God consoled and healed her wounded heart! This is just the beginning. We still have work in from of us for the rest of her life.
I am grateful to Christ that He called me to be His tool for
His kingdom.
By Russian law, children living in an orphanage must be
outside for at least four hours a day. What to do with them and how to
entertain them if it’s raining outside? In St. Petersburg, it really is raining
a lot. Rain is a part of our life here. And when it rains, children should have
a roof over their heads. We already have two wooden gazebos, and we are very
grateful for them, but there is not enough space for everyone.
Therefore, we decided to build a third gazebo so that every
child has a place and opportunity to be outside. But gazebos are not only needed
in the rain, our children love to be outdoors. The food is tastier outside, and
it is easier to play and draw on the street. Our staff is happy to provide
outdoor lessons or heart-to-heart conversations with children.
For the third such gazebo, we need to raise about $2,000.
We will be very grateful if you help the Children’s Ark in
purchasing materials and building another gazebo for our children! Thank you
and God bless you!
I want to introduce you to Dasha, she is one year old. She has been the youngest member of the Children’s Ark for several weeks now. The mother has a drinking problem and is unable to care for her. She often left Dasha alone or took her with her when she was drunk. Social services have been looking into her for a long time because Dasha is not her first child! Dasha has three brothers and a sister, and they all live in our foster families.
The Kireev family has one biological son and seven adopted children. When social services called and said Dasha needs a home, without thinking twice, they agreed to adopt her. The joy of Dasha’s brothers and sisters was indescribable. They were waiting for the day when their little sister would come and they would all be together. Dasha got used to her new situation and family. She is an intelligent and active child and already has a special relationship with her adoptive mother. We are very grateful to God that the Kireev family can live with us in the Children’s Ark, and that they were ready to take Dasha in.
Raising a large family is not easy, and we thank you for
your prayers and help in covering the costs of our little ones.
