Jack was one of the first volunteers who came from Germany to help Russian children and ended up staying with them. Here, he met his future wife, and they are now raising their three children together. Jack leads an organization that includes not only a social shelter but also foster families.
These children used to live in groups in the shelter, but we set a goal for them to be in a family. And we achieved this goal! We searched for these families, and today they live on our territory.
“The Children’s Ark” attracts all kinds people like a magnet. Almost 8 years ago, the Baldis, Kostya and Sveta, joined our team. They are an incredibly active and creative couple – a real find for us! At first, they picked up the “Youth-Teen Club “EXIT” project. And 4 years ago, they opened a children’s club.
Children aged between 7 to 10 come to the meetings. The idea is for children to see their talents and learn how to develop them. In an informal setting, they play, sing, learn to hold discussions, participate in musical performances, and simply have fun.
Two boys immediately showed themselves to be active helpers in the club. Vitya Kurmaev and Artem Kaplenko enthusiastically took an interest in the sound and lighting equipment. They began to master musical instruments and participate in a music group, where they sang songs with other children.
The boys grew older, and their responsibility and interest grew with them. Artem organized a similar preschool club for the youngest children in our shelter several times. Vitya often suggested different ideas to diversify and make the club’s program more interesting.
Last season, the boys actively prepared topics for the club and confidently taught biblical truths to their peers. And this year, these two boys became leaders in the children’s club! Now they also continue to fulfill their responsibilities and lead the children who come to the club. They help them gain confidence, develop their talents, and learn to make friends. And how pleasant it is for us to see these fruits! Tears of joy fill our hearts, seeing how our children grow not only in years. What was sown in their hearts now bears fruit.
Dear friend, we would be very happy if you join us! There are different ways: become a volunteer, help financially, pray, support with kind words. Together, we can help a large number of children! Do not close your heart!
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!
This story started in 2018. God put in our hearts to visit the children’s shelter of Gorodok village (Krasnoyarsk region). There we met a gypsy family with of children. Our love for these children led to more frequent visits to the Minusinsk children’s home where they eventually ended up.
The story of these children is not simple. Their fathers are different, they don’t communicate with them at all. The mother dealt drugs and was already sent to prison for the third time. At that time the children lived with different stepfathers. The older ones raised the younger ones, they cooked for themselves. Unfortunately, in prison, the mother did not change her thinking. The children stopped going to school. They mostly had to do household chores. And some were born in prison, and spent their first years of life in the orphanage. We started to be friends, meet and invite the children to visit us in the children’s ark. There, together we cooked, read books, watched movies, talked a lot, told them about Jesus, and played games. We developed very close relationships with some of the children, and that’s why we are able to take them with us.
In doing so, we demonstrating what a Christian family is. And it helped the fact that in August 2022, two of the guys, Rimm and Ruslan wanted to stay in the Christian family forever.
Their lives started changing for the better: they gave up harmful habits, had goals for the future and an interest in studying. Ruslan likes to attend church… This story is just beginning and there’s a lot more interesting in store for these guys in life. Thank you, may God bless you!
Gypsy families have their own rules and peculiarities. Children generally study until 3rd grade. Educating their kids is not always easy The reasons are vary: poverty and dependence on parents, language barrier, lack of transport and roads in the village, and much more. After For 2-3 years of school, children still cannot completely to read and write. And at home they can’t except help. This leads to a long chain of other problems.
A social apartment was organized in the gypsy village. It is home to Claudia, a project manager from Germany. She is currently takes care of four gypsy children who live with her, with parental consent. Little Sabina and Ruslan became the first children who started going to kindergarten who from a gypsy family. This year, Sabina said goodbye to kindergarten. She learned to read and write there. We really hope that from September she will enjoy her school life and she will be able to achieve better results than her older brothers and sisters.
Claudia is fully responsible for all expenses related to the children. Claudia’s help extends to other families in the gypsy village. Many families and even teachers themselves ask for help. Please help us to do good! Helping one of these children will not change the world, but the world will certainly change for that child. Thank you for your help during this uncertain time!
The will of God for us personally is to be close to children who are scared, hurt and lonely. Recently, I often see how the word of God is “a cheerful heart is good as medicine” is being fulfilled. Every time we visit children in a hospice, oncology, orphanage, children run to a meeting and it seems that their hearts rejoice. In this moment you understand that you are in the right place and God is near! I’ve often been told that serving God changes who we are, and that’s for sure.
This month we visited 4 orphanages, we went to the hospice 8 times and took care of children in especially difficult circumstances, and every week we played with our children in oncology, gave joy and gifts, sang songs about Jesus, all the children and their parents are very grateful to us, and therefore you! Several parents began to visit the house of prayer and read the Bible. We have an acute need for Apollo, a child in the hospice. We need to help him overcome his heart problems, he needs surgery, but he is very weak. Although he is getting prepared, always new obstacles appear, sudden swellings, and various allergic manifestations.
We bring him healthy food, medicine and provide spiritual and emotional support. We pray that the child survives, he is all alone, and he needs a family. Pray for us and for the children who we serve together. Thank you for your open hearts!
The coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. It is beautiful here, extraordinarily! Palana – a small town with a population of 4000 people, Kamchatka, on the west bank of the river Palany, not far from the confluence with the Sea Okhotsk. A port provides a connection for ships with fuel, food, and manufactured goods. There is an airport with a local airline, receiving planes and helicopters from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and district towns.
During the winter a road with a length of almost 311 miles from Palana can be driven to reach the villages Esso and Anavgay. To get to the nearest villages a helicopter or snowmobile is needed. The church in Palana has have been praying for this event for a long time. And now here’s to the first gospel trip with the Trakol ready to go! The distance to the village and back is 124 miles.
There is no road at all, only snowmobiles can pass through. With God’s help, we will be the first to use this technology to reach them. We checked the route in advance to know how to get there. We pray about this and ask God for protection and blessing!
