We continue to develop ministries for children facing difficult circumstances and see a tremendous need and blessing. We want to convey a huge thank you for your prayers and financial assistance! This month has been particularly busy as more than 30 children were admitted to oncology and hospice care.
I have also started a small group with parents. While the children have their one-hour sessions, I gather the parents in the kitchen, and we talk about their fears and concerns. They listen to the Gospel in a special way.
There is a special need for Rita and her family! She is 8 years old, and they are preparing her for a bone marrow transplant, which requires a lot of strength and finances. Currently, the child is on hormonal treatment, and at this moment, the children are particularly downcast.
In the hospice, we visit Dasha, who is 12 years old. When she was very young, she received a vaccination with an incorrect dosage, which caused her paralysis. She requires round-the-clock care and is confined to her bed, unable to do anything independently. Dasha’s mom is very tired and in despair. She is raising Dasha alone and needs a lot of strength, finances, and emotional support to keep going and not give up.
We decided to help this family and support both the mother and Dasha. Dasha’s mom has started listening to the Gospel and praying, which is very encouraging for us.
We have also gathered 250 children from three orphanages into our school and welcomed 20 graduates in the city, participating in their placement in dormitories near educational institutions. Thank you for your involvement in serving underprivileged children!
Children who come to foster families often carry a heavy baggage of distrust, pain, and disappointment. And when you see happiness on the face of an adopted child, you rejoice twice. Parents of such children need a lot of love, strength, and wisdom. That’s why supporting foster families is so important! When parents have support, it’s easier for them to love. When parents can get answers to their questions, parenting becomes wiser and more balanced. When parents have time to rest and socialize with other parents in the same situation, it’s a time to recharge.
That’s why one of the directions of the Children’s Ark is to support foster families. We hold regular Saturday meetings for parents and children so that everyone can spend this time productively, joyfully, and soulfully. Every Saturday, we meet with teenagers from foster families and run a club. This summer, there was a wonderful opportunity to interact with the kids on hikes. During this warm season, we equipped the boiler room, reconstructed the water supply system, repaired the summer shower, and renovated some rooms in the house. In September, we completed the cleanup and garden rearrangement.
We would be delighted if you become a part of the Children’s Ark ministry!
For the first time, a camp for children was organized in the Priuralsk tundra. For nearly a week, tundra children had the opportunity to get to know Christ as the best friend of all children. The hymns they learned became part of the program and the overall celebration.
The communication with adults before the camp usually culminates in the Lord’s Supper. This fellowship is eagerly awaited by reindeer herders, a tradition that has been ongoing since February 2023, with a similar gathering in the prayer house in Vorkuta. After the official part of the gathering concludes, local friends willingly express their desire to continue informal communication. The demonstrated love and involvement often solidify theory into practice, a significant aspect of mission work.
After the fellowship, local residents, some on reindeer sleds, some in cars, and others on foot, disperse to their camps and tents, ‘so as to live for the rest of their earthly lives no longer by human desires but by the will of God.’ 1 Peter 4:2.
Last year, Lena came to us. At that time, she was seven years old. Unfortunately, Lena’s mother did not arrange for her to go to school. We never know how long we will have the children with us. This year, we were among the first in line to submit an application for enrollment in the first grade. We have even passed the medical examination with the future first graders.
And then we encountered a surprise in the form of a refusal, as it was also necessary to pass a psychological-medico-pedagogical commission. In short, our eyes twitched, and our brows turned gray, but we passed the commission. And the child was enrolled in school. When a child enters the first grade, the requirements for their speech, behavior, and way of life change dramatically. It’s an exciting moment for every parent and future first-grader.
Lena is eagerly awaiting the day when she will go to school. So we don’t waste any time: we study, learn to read and write, solve problems, and much more. And from September, our socio-developmental center will open its doors again, and the children will attend additional developmental activities.
Everything in the world starts small, everything is born small, and then it grows: a small seedling becomes a big tree, a stream joins a river, words turn into sentences and great novels, a few notes compose great melodies.
We thank you for your heart and prayers, for your cooperation and assistance in serving the social orphans! May God bless you abundantly!
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.
On July 29-30, 2023, in the Vorkuta tundra at the foot of the western slope of the Ural Mountains, the traditional gathering of indigenous believers from paganism took place—Nenets, Khanty, and Komi.
The beauty of the Polar Urals is truly mesmerizing! The purity of mountain air, crystal-clear refreshing streams from melting glaciers, and the uniqueness of the region attract many tourists from various parts of the country.
For the local inhabitants, this is their historical homeland, the place of their ancestral migrations, where for centuries, the designated territory for grazing reindeer herds has been silently preserved.
The Arctic land… These places hold many sad and well-known stories from the past… Today, the younger generation can barely recount the events of the Stalinist era that occurred 80 years ago. But forgetting one’s history is detrimental to the future!
Even today, occasionally at youth gatherings, we can hear legendary lines from wartime:
“They cannot be found in the dust of paths,
Amidst the taiga and the Ural ridges,
And on the little hill, a friend’s hand,
Will not place a bouquet of violets.”
A militant atheism annihilated thousands of living Christians in the first half of the last century… But the law of “sowing and reaping” was never repealed, and as a result, today’s youth confidently echo in their hymns:
“Oh, distant North, do you see the barrenness,
Holy seeds are already growing!
And on your abandoned fields,
Fruits will be harvested in future times.”
Thanks to the prayers and sacrifices of many faithful Christians, people in the far north are turning to God!
