Jesus not only practices mercy but is Himself merciful, and that’s why His actions and deeds are merciful. Serving children greatly helps to instill this virtue and enables them to experience these feelings and transform them into character.
I received a letter from the father of a child we worked with two years ago when they were undergoing treatment for bone marrow transplantation in oncology. We provided assistance during those challenging days, and he mentioned that he remembers the sense of support and calmness we offered. I can’t recall all the details, but he remembers everything. What touched me the most was that he values what I taught him about prayer and trusting God. The parents united by this problem have their social media chat group for exchanging information. They refer to me as the priest who is always in touch. When I learned about this, I realized how important it is for these people to feel supported during times of sorrow!
This month, everything went as planned with many visits to children’s homes, hospices, and oncology wards. I want to share some joyful news: I previously wrote about a child named David who had speech issues and urgently needed surgery. We welcomed him into our family, successfully treated him, and he was able to start first grade in a regular school.
A huge thank you for your participation in this ministry! We welcome any assistance and request your prayers for the children and our team.
I am happy to share some news with you about our work with children at risk. On June 1st, which was Children’s Day, we were able to reach out to 400 children in various places: orphanages, pediatric oncology, hospices, and homes for disabled children. We spent quality time with them, gave gifts, played games, and had heart-to-heart conversations.
For some of these children, this celebration might be their last in this earthly life, and we talked to them about hope and trusting in Jesus. There are many positive moments. Lera’s health has improved; for over three years, we have been caring for this child. There were times when we prayed for her life when she was in very critical condition. Now, I am thinking about how to help her get an education, find meaning in life, and avoid repeating her mother’s life story.
However, there is still a need. In the hospice, there is a girl named Lyuba who has been there for two months. She is in a very difficult physical and emotional state and is being fed through a special tube in her stomach. She behaves aggressively, like a little “beast.” But she has started getting used to us and can communicate on her own level.
She needs special feeding supplies and many other small things like diapers, wipes, and more. I ask for prayers for her; she is in a very critical condition. Thank you so much for your support!
Greetings, brothers and sisters! Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This means that when we give, we receive true joy and fulfillment through serving others, and ultimately, serving God.
I am grateful to God for revealing this simple truth, and I want to share the blessings from our collaborative work and express immense gratitude for the prayers and financial assistance. This month, we have been involved in ministry at orphanages, an oncology hospital, and a children’s hospice.
The fate of Dasha particularly requires attention and prayer. She is a 12-year-old girl who is paralyzed. We got acquainted when I was asked to transport the child from her home in the Omsk region to the hospice in Kormilovka, which is approximately 250 kilometers away. During the journey, we had time to get to know each other better. Dasha’s mother, Lena, also has a 5-year-old daughter, and she is raising the children alone without a husband.
Dasha was born as a healthy child, but when she was four months old, she received a vaccination at the local clinic, and she became unwell and started lagging behind in development. Later, after medical examinations, it was discovered that the pediatrician miscalculated the dosage, resulting in damage to the nervous system, and Dasha is practically unable to move. She never learned to crawl or walk. Her mother carries her in her arms. Dasha was admitted to the hospice because they have the necessary equipment for further diagnosis and treatment.
Now we have become friends with Dasha and her family, and we will help them. The mother is facing financial and emotional hardships. Dasha requires special nutrition, hygiene products, and medication. I ask for your assistance and prayers. Thank you for your participation!
Graduates from orphanages, twenty people, came to our Christian base in the village for three days. We had a very good time with them, and the children attended the meetings and all the events. We also visited the orphanages and spent time with our friends. In the past month, we received twenty children, all of them are small abandoned children.
Gosha, a boy from a hospice, is in in need special care. He can hardly move, but he understands and reacts, especially to affection and attention. Apollo is on the path to recovery, and it’s much easier for him to breathe because of the food we bring him.
The pediatric oncology department is also overcrowded, with many new children. We sent a boy named Egor to St. Petersburg for a bone marrow transplant. He urgently needs surgery, and his condition is currently critical. We did everything we could, and now our friends in St. Petersburg will visit the child, bring everything he needs, and pray with Egor. He loves it when people pray for him.
Saveliy sends a huge hello and gratitude. We have helped him a lot, and for almost five years, we have practically been raising this child. His mother cannot cope with life, but Saveliy, despite being born without kneecaps, is an amazingly cheerful child. He spends a lot of time in church and is preparing for baptism. He now has a friend, Anton, a teenager in a wheelchair, who also loves life very much. God takes care of the disabled through us in our city!
Thank you, brothers and sisters, for your prayers and financial support. Our ministry is growing, and we greatly need your help.
I express my immense gratitude to you, and Glory to God, for the dozens of children’s destinies in which we have taken part and witnessed God’s miracles with our own eyes. At the moment, Lera has been discharged from oncology and is going to a children’s home, where she will temporarily live with her older sister. Their mother has been deprived of parental rights, and we will take care of Lera.
A particularly needy boy, Anton, who is disabled and in a wheelchair, needs our care. We met him in a hospice, where he has a severe diagnosis, and the fact that he is still alive is a miracle. I prayed with him for healing, and God answered. The boy was discharged and now lives at home with his mother and sister. They were so inspired by his healing that they began attending our church. We take Anton to youth meetings twice a week and help them with food and medications.
A special joy is Saveliy, our young man who is preparing for baptism and actively participates in the church’s life. Many believers are inspired by his dedication, even though he is on crutches, half-starving, and with a drug-addicted mother.
I want to conclude this letter and send greetings from David. He asks to convey his gratitude for the help. He can now speak and attend a regular school because we paid for an operation on his vocal cords. Thank you for being with us!
We talked about Christmas to many people and over 500 children received gifts and participated in the celebration! At the oncology hospital, we held a puppet show and sang songs about the birth of Jesus with children and their parents, and the medical staff was also present and there were many questions and expressions of gratitude.
Now in the hospital, together with other children is Lerka Burmakova, she was transferred from St. Petersburg two months ago. Her mother was deprived of parental rights and the child may be in an orphanage, but since her health is constantly in danger, it is better for her to be in the hospital. We visit her and replace the family as much as possible. We help her study, buy things and necessary medicines.
A special surprise I received in the hospice, we came to show the Christmas performance and to give gifts, and we were greeted by all the staff of the children’s hospice – 21 people – and they set tables for us.
We listened to many warm words, then I told them my wish and spoke about the essence of Christmas, it was a good time, there were many questions, and there is a desire to gather once a month and talk about the Bible and how to understand and apply it. It is a miracle of God – I prayed for four years to organize a small group with these wonderful people. Thank you friends for your love and participation!
