Feeding Time

Edna and Dani enjoying a taste of motherhood

I haven't posted a blog in awhile, so I thought I'd share a couple of photos I took last Friday. We were visiting the orphans at the infectious disease unit of the hospital in Kyiv with Marianna, Dani, and Allyson, and it happened to be feeding time. There were three babies that day, two boys and one girl, all under 8 weeks old. It was difficult for the girls to put them down when it was time to leave. It's hard to imagine that these babies can be so easily discarded by their mothers. One baby that was there, was the second baby to be abandoned by a local mother.

After feeding them, we left them swaddled and sleeping in their beds. Their faces were so sweet and peaceful. The babies were so tiny and perfectly crafted with God's gentle hand. The thought that was on all of our minds was, "How could anyone not want these little treasures of life?"

Marianna and Allyson were enchanted by this little girl

Sadly, abandoned babies and children are a common problem in Ukraine. The ones that don't end up in hospitals or orphanages, live on the streets any way they can. We constantly see "Lost Children Alerts" on television, but they are more like "Lost Parent Alerts". It's typical to see a young child being interviewed who only knows his or her name and age, but doesn't know where their mother or father is. They are often found abandoned in public places, left to fend for themselves.

Here are the lyrics to a popular Ukrainian rock song by a band that is trying to raise public awareness of the issue. It's called, "Lost Children". (I did my best to translate the thought properly.)

Like leaves plucked from a tree
Like flowers broken by the wind
Wandering in a bad world
Unloved, lost children

Nobody wants them
Not their mothers, not their fathers
They're lost and nobody wants to find them
No one, No one

Mama, find me - I'm here!
Mama, any longer and I'll die

Like dogs in the night
Extra people in our society
Resulting from reckless love
End of story, a taboo subject

With a crucified heart
Trouble follows them everywhere
People - Fear God!
And sort this out for yourself