Orphanage in Velykopolovetske

From left to right, trying to keep from freezing in the snow and wind:
Oksana, Olya, Edna, Zhenya, and Vlada

Yesterday, we met up with four of the girls from Chernihiv (Olya, Vlada, Oksana, and Zhenya) to travel to a nearby orphanage in the Bila Tserkva region in the village of Velykopolovetske. It isn't really an orphanage, but rather an internaught. It functions much like an orphanage, but most of the children actually have parents. They have either been abandoned or taken away from abusive parents. For simplicity, we refer to it as an orphanage and basically it is very similar in appearance. The children there range in ages from 6 to 17 years old.

Our plan was to put on a little skit about the birth of Jesus and then spend time talking with the children. When we arrived there was already a group of Ukrainian volunteers from Kyiv putting on a festival to celebrate Svyatyi Mykolai, or the feast of Saint Nicholas. Traditionally, on the 19th of December, children in Ukraine receive gifts to mark the occasion. So we just celebrated with the children and spent time with them later in their classrooms where we received lots of loving hugs and gave back as many as we could.

The children showing off some of their talent

Wearing costumes to celebrate

Did Moroz handing out gifts

Olya with some of the girls

A chance to dance

Pavlina (16), Edna, Olya, Valya (17), and Olya (17)

Edna and I spent a lot of time talking with Pavlina (the girl in red in the above photo). She loves practicing her English and is a really smart girl. It was so sad to hear her talk about how depressing it is for her there. She will have one more year and then she will be on her own at age 17. Edna has promised to write to her and we were happy to hear that she is in contact with American Christians in Kyiv and has been involved in a good church there. Pavlina has other siblings, but rarely sees them.

7 year old Vova really liked his new puppy

Vlada with a little boy who was sitting under a table

Little girls often have their hair cut short because of lice

Sisters, Valya, Tanya, and brother Dima. A fourth sibling not pictured is also at the orphanage.

One of the saddest moments for me was hearing about the three siblings in the above photo. Valya, the little girl in pink so happy with her little squirrel, was horribly burned on the top of her head, down to the bone. Apparently her mother pushed her into a heating furnace as some type of punishment. She suffers from learning disabilities as well, but she had the most beautiful loving eyes and she told me that she knew Jesus loved her. They have two other siblings in another orphanage/internaught.

When it was time to go, it was difficult emotionally as well as physically. One little boy named Artem who had been hugging me and hanging on me earlier, came running out into the snow in the dark. He was yelling, "Uncle Hrysha (my Ukrainian nickname), I didn't say goodbye yet!" He kept holding on to me and I wanted to just sit and hold him, but we had a bus to catch. It broke my heart. I really want to go back there again.

I'm so encouraged by the girls from Chernihiv who travel half the day just to love these kids and share about Jesus with them. They honored us by spending the night in our home and then left this morning in the falling snow to see the children one more time before going home to Chernihiv. They're my heroes. Thanks girls.