What’s Ahead? Our Hopes and Dreams

Our actions are an expression of our faith and simple gestures of Jesus’ love.  We can’t change the world by ourselves.  However, God can use us (our missionaries and supporters) as vessels of healing.  Jesus was so good at having just the right word or touch for his people.  “Share with God’s people who are in need.” –Romans 12:21.  Today, He still does—through you and me.

[thrive_headline_focus title=”Who We Serve” orientation=”left”]

With the Russian economy in shambles and the divorce rate at 85 percent, life for Russia’s children may not get better any time soon.  Abandoning children is a distressingly common occurrence in Russia—where babies are often left in hospitals, on the street or at the doorsteps of struggling orphanages.  There are over 600,000 abandoned children in Russia–90 percent have parents who either can’t afford to raise them or have abandoned them because of alcoholism or prostitution.  If those parents have minimal contact with their children, even as little as one visit a year, the children can’t be adopted.

The problem goes beyond the walls of the country’s orphanages to the children who are too old to live there and to street children who spend winter days looking for a way to keep warm.  According to a recent report in the Moscow Times, of the 15,000 Russian teenagers who leave orphanages each year, 40 percent become homeless, 30 percent become criminals, and 10 percent commit suicide.

To briefly focus on the plight of street children, many of the kids have run away from home or have been kicked out, mainly due to alcohol abuse and physical abuse from one or both of their parents.  Nearly all of the girls, and a large number of the boys, have been involved in one form of prostitution or another, and many suffer from sexual diseases.

The Russian orphanage systems—home to more than half a million children who were totally supported by government funding during the Soviet times—now struggles just to care for the children and their basic day-to-day needs [such as clean rooms, nutritional food, seasonal clothes, games and toys, vitamins and critically needed medicines, etc].  There simply are not enough resources and little hope that they will receive all the help they need.

[thrive_headline_focus title=”Why We Serve” orientation=”left”]

Our passion is for the poorest children whose suffering breaks the heart of God.  Our mission is to provide practical assistance and friendship programs, and by doing so, to share the love and good news of Jesus Christ with Russian children and adults touched by our outreaches.

[thrive_headline_focus title=”How We Serve” orientation=”left”]

Russian Missions presently ministers to 21 regions of Russia.  Each team has adopted one or more indigenous orphanages.  Initial relationships have been formed and arrangements for future support have been developed.

[thrive_headline_focus title=”One Story from the Mission Field” orientation=”left”]

The orphanage in the village of Yashkul, Republic of Kalmykia was built in 1960.  The building is over 45 years old and has never had any capital repairs.  There is abject poverty in Kalmykia and the orphanage is a place of safety to approximately 160 at-risk children ages 7 to 15 years.  If truth be told, at times the orphanage is over capacity because there is nowhere else for the children to go.

Regrettably, some children lag behind in social and learning skills, because of the inability of an overworked staff to donate sufficient time to each child.  Some are even malnourished because the orphanage could not afford to feed them “specialty” diets.  A relatively simple medical problem such as lactose intolerance could easily be solved elsewhere.  However, there is nothing the orphanage can do to help such an ailing child.  Dedicating specific resources to a child who is simply allergic to milk and needs a substitute such as soy milk is unrealistic.  Why allow a child to suffer?  Because of Russia’s economic crisis orphanages no longer can allocate $1 per day to feed and clothe each child.  Instead they are forced to scrape by one a mere 33 cents per child per day.  There is not an extra penny for an individual need.

A sad example of their collective plight: Russia has been experiencing one of the coldest winters in recent years.  Consequently, the director of the orphanage had to send the children home because there were inadequate funds to pay for heating.

Recently, the director of the facility was asked, What is the most important thing these children need?”  She pleaded, “Everything, everything, everything!”

[thrive_headline_focus title=”What’s Ahead?  Our Hopes and Dreams:” orientation=”center”]

 Improve the living conditions and quality of life of the orphans and their caretakers.

  • During this bitterly cold winter, the only functioning lavatory is an outhouse.
  • There is a dire need to repair the bathrooms and showers-pipes are leaking, broken floors, etc.
  • Replacement and repair of dilapidated windows-some need total replacement; others need calking and pane replacement.
  • Provide seasonal clothes and shoes and other basic needs (bed linens, towels, etc.)
  • Offer supplemental health items such as personal hygiene packets, soaps, vitamins, etc.
  • Repair of the laundry equipment—laundry detergent is often a luxury
  • Replace dilapidated furniture throughout the facility (a particular need for new beds)
  • Spiritual growth and development – basic school supplies, children’s Bibles and Bible study programs

[thrive_headline_focus title=”You can make it happen.” orientation=”left”]

The fate of these children remains uncertain.  In Russia’s struggling orphanage system, there is no guarantee that they will continue to have their basic needs met, let alone receive the spiritual or emotional attention they need.

Please say “YES!” today to a child in need.  Your humanitarian gesture will be like a whisper from Jesus: “Dear child, You are loved; you are going to be OK” 

Thank you and God bless you.

Your Brother in the Lord,

Pastor Vitali Yuchkovski

 

Stories of Hope

Bread and Hope: How Our Daily Bread Ministry is Making a Difference in Ukraine

Bread and Hope: How Our Daily Bread Ministry is Making a Difference in Ukraine

The Heartwarming Moments from our Summer of Hope outreach

The Heartwarming Moments from our Summer of Hope outreach

Love, Grace, and Laughter: The Impact of Our Summer of Hope on Young Lives

Love, Grace, and Laughter: The Impact of Our Summer of Hope on Young Lives

Summer of Hope: Spreading Love, Sharing Joy, Changing Lives.

Summer of Hope: Spreading Love, Sharing Joy, Changing Lives.