This month we visited three orphanages and held two meetings with orphanage graduates. This is a very valuable time: while in the orphanages we focus on building relationships of trust, working with graduates is very different. With them, we need to walk through many moments of their lives and influence them by our example.
We visit about 20 children twice a week — we play with them, sing songs, give gifts, and do crafts. We also work closely with their mothers. Two children have recently been admitted to us — a boy, Dima, and a girl, Liza. Their medical tests are very poor, and they are undergoing urgent examinations. They are in great need of our help.
One of the graduates paid money for a room without taking any documents and almost ended up on the street. We intervened in time and resolved the situation, preventing scammers from deceiving him. Another graduate opened a small business and almost took out a large loan without thinking about how he would repay it. Many of the graduates attend services and are happy to build friendships with us.
Thank you for your joint labor, for the glory of the Lord!
In the children’s hospice, 18 children with very serious conditions are undergoing treatment. They needed medicine, hygiene supplies, and special nutrition, and we were able to bless them with these in the oncology ward.
At the Artyn orphanage, several children graduated — children I remember as toddlers. All these years, we’ve invested in them and cared for them, and now they’re stepping into adult life.
One especially meaningful moment at the graduation was seeing Sergey Kun play the synthesizer and guitar. This boy once had no future — there were plans to send him to a psychiatric institution. He couldn’t control himself and was considered dangerous.
We spent a lot of time with him and eventually found a way to his heart — through music. First, we bought him a synthesizer, then a guitar, and he became passionate about it. Now he’s learning hymns from a songbook and singing. For me, this is a real miracle.
This week, a girl named Anya was admitted to the oncology ward with a relapse. Her condition suddenly worsened, and test results were very poor. She now urgently needs a bone marrow transplant. Preparations have begun, but they need help buying tickets and some essential items.
Anya’s mother is raising her alone, and also has another child with a disability. She’s completely worn out.
Please pray for this family. Thank you, dear friends, for your support. We’ve received many responses from parents and children — they are deeply grateful to all of us.
In the oncology department, we hold a group for parents — with tea, Bible reading, and open conversations. Twice a week, we visit the children, spend time with them, play games, bring gifts, and build friendships. The atmosphere is very warm and positive, and that’s the most important thing for the children.
Our social worker, Natalya Ordin, helps children every day to restore what has been lost: documents, connections with parents — and along with that, hope for change. Natalya is the first person the children meet when they step through the doors of the Ark. She helps establish contact with parents, accompanies the children to court, and negotiates with child welfare authorities.
One day, we received a call from the city administration asking if we could take in a four-year-old girl who was undergoing observation at a hospital. We agreed — there was space in the younger group. But a few days later, it turned out the girl had an older brother. That presented a challenge, as there weren’t enough spots available in the boys’ group.
Still, since we had already promised to take the little girl, we decided we would also accept her brother. On the appointed day, we went to the hospital to pick up the children — and found out there were actually three of them: aged 4, 6, and 9. We had to take them all.
As the hospital staff said: “Where there are two, the third is no trouble.”
“The whole way back, I was anxious — wondering if we had taken the right children, since we didn’t have any documents in hand, just verbal confirmation from child protection services. But we brought them all back and realized: where there are two, the third really isn’t a problem.”
Dear friends, you can be part of this ministry to children by supporting the work of the Children’s Ark. Thank you for your caring and compassionate hearts!
Saveliy was born with a disability and a very rare diagnosis — he has no kneecaps. When we first met, he couldn’t speak due to having undergone 19 surgeries. The pain had tightened his facial muscles. He couldn’t move without a wheelchair. His mother died from drug abuse, leaving him completely alone.
For the past six years, we’ve been walking alongside him. Today, he speaks well, studies foreign languages, walks with a cane, plans to start a family, has been baptized, and actively participates in ministry. Just a week ago, he left for St. Petersburg to pursue his studies. He wants to earn a living so that he can help others like him get back on their feet and introduce them to Jesus.
Right now, we’re also praying especially for five-month-old Anya, who is in hospice care. She is the fifth child in her family, and all of the children have been abandoned by their parents. Anya has already survived three heart surgeries and is currently in critical condition. She is fed through a special machine with nutritional formulas. Despite clear developmental delays, she responds well when I visit and reaches out to be held. We’re providing her with food and care.
I’m so thankful that you are always near — praying, supporting, and helping us. Every month, I receive dozens of calls and letters from children and their relatives expressing deep gratitude. It’s hard to describe what that means.
This couple got married in 2016 and spent years unable to have children. During that time, Ira decided to volunteer at The Children’s Ark. It was there that she met Kira — a little girl who would forever stay in her heart. By then, Kira’s biological parents had lost their parental rights, and she was about to be transferred to a state institution.
One day, Ira asked her husband, “Could you love someone else’s child?” His answer was simple: “Yes.”
To support the development of relationships between children and adoptive parents — and to inspire more young families to consider adoption — we host family gatherings, individual consultations, group workshops, seminars, holiday celebrations, and cozy evenings of connection. Every donation you give helps strengthen a family and change a child’s future.
After that conversation, Ira and her husband enrolled in a foster parent training course. When they submitted their paperwork, they finally heard the long-awaited words from the child welfare office: “Congratulations — you’re now Mom and Dad!” Kira went home with them, and their new life together began.
But the story didn’t end there.
A year later, due to difficult family circumstances, Kira’s younger sister, Lusya, was brought to the shelter. When the family was informed by social services, Kira began asking, “Can we take my sister too?” And six months later, Lusya joined their family as well.
At the moment we have more than 50 children who have graduated from the orphanage, but we only have influence on those with whom we managed to build friendships while they were still in the orphanage. There are children preparing for baptism, and they have become part of the new team. At the hospice the situation is stable — we deliver personal hygiene items and special baby food every week. In the oncology ward the children are waiting for us, and the parents come every week to our gatherings, where we talk about life and read the Bible. I ask you to pray for Anya — she is 14 years old and has leukemia. She is being prepared for a bone marrow transplant. Her mother can be the donor, but Anya’s test results are poor, and the doctors are unable to prepare her for the flight and operation.
There is also a very bright little girl named Korkem, she is 9 years old. She also has leukemia, and the doctors are preparing her for a bone marrow transplant; she needs special care, including special nutrition. We rejoice for little Kristina. She is recovering and, after chemotherapy, has started to improve. I already asked you to pray for her — she is still hospitalized with her mother because she is very young, but very smart. I want to express gratitude on behalf of the parents and our team for your participation and help! Thank you, dear friends!
