Marshmallow and Kite!

What an amazing day we had with the youth on Monday! We learned it had to be holiday. So, why not to do a little picnic?

We learned how to toasted marshmallow! Yay! We made s'mores with crackers and chocolate.

For all, toasted marshmallow was for the first time! Except me. :) Some of my dear friends in America have taught me how to do this. I was glad to share my little experience!

Everyone was delighted and said, "Wow! We could see it only in the movies! It's so cool!" :)

 Also we learned to launch a kite!And this was also the first time for everyone! It was so funny and great! So many emotions and laughter!!! 

Children and even their parents were delighted and super excited!!!😍 Edik shouted at the top of voice, "Mama, look, I'm launching a kite myself! " His joy was not the end!Olga was so proud of him :)

Everyone was like in the Heaven! 😇We all had a very fun and amazing day relaxing and enjoying each other!!! 

Praise God for the amazing day, beautiful weather and wonderful fellowship with each other!!!

The Last Bell

Yesterday was a Last Bell in the orphanages. This means that the children went home to relatives or summer camps. It was painful to watch graduates... because they are still children... Where will they go? What awaits them? Where will they be in a few years?.. That`s sad and our hearts are broken for them...

And at the same time it was joyful. We again had the opportunity to see each other and show that they are not alone. Give one more hug and to show and tell that they are loved by God, their Heavenly Father.

Brother Misha had the opportunity to say a valedictory speech.Many tears were shed...

We came not only to say goodbye to graduates but also brought small wonderful gifts.

We collected all the photos of their childhood and made photo albums. Children were delighted!!!

Look, how small I was! This was often heard. :) It was so great to see their joy and delight! ♥

Sounds the last bell for graduates ...

This year we managed to attend the ceremony of the Last Bell in two orphanages. Because they were at different times.That was great!

These little ones were so cute! ♥

One more valedictory speech of bro.Misha in other orphanage

I think that picture is a small gift but dear to the heart. :)

It was so sweet to see the joy of the children ♥♥♥

We hope that these pictures will remind them of the wonderful moments in their life and will remain in their precious hearts forever.

Even, if the children are on summer vacation, our ministry does not stop. There is a lot of work and many other orphanages, where many precious souls are waiting for us :)

The transformation of housing(before and after)

We are super excited that we finally finished a HUGE project and the Kozak family moved to their new lovely home!!! How awesome! The transformation of housing is amazing! Olya and Sasha are VERY happy, VERY much appreciate this huge blessing and they are VERY THANKFUL to you all!!! ♥♥♥ They could not even think that this could happen sometime in their life. Such a large and wonderful change in their house! 🏠

Olga has long been dreaming of a bunk bed for her boys. What a wonderful a surprise was not only for mother but for her precious sons! Edik and Anrew are soooo very excited about their new bed! Olya burst into tears, when she saw a new electric stove and an oven. "It was my dream! And I could not believe my own eyes!" And tears sprinkled from the eyes of the young mother... ♥ We are happy for sweet mommy.

Here are few pics from their housing before and after...

You can see the short video where are more photos ;)

                                

Thank you VERY MUCH for participating!!! Thank you all for this great miracle and that you touch the hearts of young people and make a HUGE contribution to their lives! Thank you for being a wonderful miracle in the lives of many hearts!!! You can not even imagine what this house means for this sweet family and what a precious blessing you are for the BOM... But God knows :) We glorify and praise God for each of you!We love you!!! ♥♥♥

Summer camp for kids!

These beautiful graduates are from very poor families where many of them live on hunger. Parents of some abuse alcohol or drugs. Some children witnessed violence or murder. Therefore, the children are left to themselves and forced to beg on the street in order to somehow survive. Teenagers try to mimic the older to look better and wear the clothes of their friends or relatives of their age. Often these children are deprived of personal belongings. But most importantly, they feel lonely and needless to no one... Many of them have to endure of humiliation and insult in families. Their hearts are full of fear, uncertainty, emptiness, loneliness and without hope. They are defenseless and often in danger. As we call them "social" orphans. They can`t be adopted and parents don`t take care of them also...

Once we talked with a tutor of this class about the problems in the families of precious kids and what awaits them in the future. Then she burst into tears and said that she loves very much these children and that they had not left the orphanage for many years. Can you imagine how these teenagers feel in their hearts? Many of them are afraid to leave the walls of the orphanage knowing that they have at least something and they are safe. They are afraid of something new and afraid that no one will help them after they will leave. What is there beyond the walls of the boarding school? What awaits them in the future?

We really love this orphanage and this class of graduates! It is especially dear to us. ♥ I do not know why... Perhaps this was my orphanage in the past and the same teacher was also my teacher??? She remembers me as a little girl :) I really do not know. But my heart cries out to God about these sweet children every day... 

God gave the idea to make a small camp for these young souls to somehow ease their troubles before leaving the orphanage. To bring joy, delight and show that they are not alone, that they are loved and dear. And especially dear and precious to Christ! For several days we will live together, sing, eat, pray, read the Word of God, play games, have fellowship, enjoy the creation of God and just have a great time! We would really love to show how beautiful the world and the creation of God are! After all, these children have never seen a mountain, a sea! They've never been to McDonald's! The orphanage is located in a very small village, where there is nothing and interesting to see and to go out. 

I believe with all my heart that God will send all that is necessary for this! In some moments He has already begun to show His hand and bless. :) 

When I asked the teacher, she started crying and said, "You do not even know what it means for them ..."

I'm sure that these few days together will change the world outlook of children! I'm sure that it will help them to see how beautiful the world is and how great it is to be together with those who love you! Our desire is to become a big loving family for these few days.♥ They have never been in a camp and especially a Christian camp! It will bring a lot of pleasure and great joy to these young people! It will also help them to see and feel that they are not alone, not abandoned and loved by Christ! That many people not only in Ukraine but also abroad love and care for them!

Would you like to touch the hearts of these lovely children? :) In a previous blog post I wrote about how several weeks living together touched the hearts of two young precious teens. And I'm sure that it will be unforgettable and amazing time and will stay in the hearts of these lovely children forever! ♥♥♥

To bless these teenagers, it is need $2,320. 17 children and the BOM team along with their teacher, together 22 people. It is $21.00 per person for a day. It includes absolutely everything! The money will be spent on food (5 days), accommodation, bus rental, gas and much more. We have only 3 weeks to raise funds!!!

Would you like to be a part of emotional healing and bring joy and delight in lives of these precious teens? Would give a chance to live these sweet souls like one big family with BOM staff, please? :)

The gift of love you can send using the button Chip-in on the right side of the blog.

Also you send through PayPal to save fee.
tingministries@comcast.net
Please, leave a message  "summer camp for orphans"

You can send a check to:

Stephanie and Brian Carpenter
Ting Ministries

29 East Poplar Street
Lebanon Pa 17042USA

Thank you very much in advance! You can make a huge difference in lives of many! :) May God greatly bless you!!!

P.S. We would be so thankful if you share the need, please! ;)

They have stolen our hearts

I`m super excited to share with you about amazing things in BOM! These orphaned brother and sister have stolen our hearts. ♥

Nina 19, Tolik,17. They are like a gulp of living water in the wilderness and a great encouragement for us! They are such a precious treasure! 

I'll start from the very beginning... Some time ago, our wonderful partners Ting Ministries asked to visit teens and learn about their needs. We prayed for the opportunity and the right time because of the busy schedule. And finally came the day of our meeting! We did not know what to expect... But after spending only one day together, we became wonderful friends and realized that we can not leave them... They do not have anyone who would support them in a difficult moment. :(

Nina and Tolik live in such terrible poverty that the heart shrinks with pain seeing everything and realizing how hard it is for these children to live alone. It overwhelmed and absolutely broken our hearts and we understood that we should to do something... I cried. My heart ached with big pain for these sweet kids...  They faced with loneliness. No support. Fear. Emptiness. Poverty. Danger. Without future and hope. And many more...

They often go hungry, having no means of subsistence. They do not have firewood for the winter and they often freeze even in summer because the house is very old and damp. The roof leaks when it rains and the ceiling can collapse at any moment.

Nina says that she goes to bed with fear going through so that nothing falls on her head. The young guy did not know how to shave properly and much more.

  Can you imagine how to wear winter shoes in +20 degrees with no socks? Tolik could not afford to buy even the cheapest shoes and a pair of socks. You would have seen his eyes and delight in having a new pair of shoes!

"We never had so much food!" Their eyes glowed with happiness and delight! Our hearts rejoiced, seeing the joy of these young souls!

When we said goodbye, they asked, "Please, take us to live with you..." Oh, my! This broke our hearts even more...

Very soon Tolik and Nina came to us. There was no limit to our joy! Very soon we were able to buy these sweet kids all the necessary clothes for the summer. We lived together as a family. Together went to orphanages, packed and gave gifts to graduates, played and spent time with children in orphanages, had fellowship with the church, cooked meal, prayed, read the Bible together, had fun and much more. 

In one of the orphanages the guys quickly became friends and the graduates asked,  bring Nina and Tolik to us again! :) ♥ So sweet.

A few days later they started calling us Mom and Dad. How lovely! ♥♥♥ They had appeared an appetite and they started eating a lot. :) They were shocked and surprised. Soon they even gained some weight :) Love heals!!! 

After spending only 2 weeks together. Tolik wrote such a touching letter, which made us all shed tears. Then the poor guy cried all evening...

Translation to the letter:

"Dear our friends. I am writing this letter so that you will never forget us. I know that we are not like you would like us to be. In these two weeks you became our parents. We never thought that such kind, affectionate, and good people still exist on this earth. Oksana, I appeal to you. I want you to always be so young, beautiful and kind always. Aunt Alla, you become us like mother. We will never forget your kind and wonderful smile. Your heart is big as the sun. Uncle Misha you are our father. You are wise and kind man. And I am sure that you will teach more than one hundred children of wisdom and God bless you. 

Friends remember you are more than believers. You will always be in our thoughts and in our hearts. We love you!"

Message from Nina:

"Thank you mom. We will do as you said. We love you and may God bless you.

I will pray for you and read the Bible. Maybe God will help me to become like you are..."

We ask you to pray for these precious young people, please! They have many difficulties and some dangers. So that God will solve problems that can hamper their future lives. That He would lead them out of the land of spiritual bondage as the people of Israel from Egypt. That God opened the door for them to new opportunities. How the Red Sea parted before the people of Israel. We believe that God has a special plan! But we need His guidance and almighty. To make a miracle in the lives of these two sweet young souls, who have became especially dear to us. Pray they trust their lives to Jesus!

Thank you very much! Prayers can do miracles!!!

Bikes and Shish kebab

We had a terrific day with the children of the whole orphanage a week ago!!! Having collected all the necessary things, we came to kids. Several young adults and BOM staff rode bicycles with the children. Nature, fresh air, beautiful weather. Everything was amazingly beautiful! While part of the team went with children on bicycles, another part of the team cooked shish kebab, pilaf and everything else. One of the graduates learned to cook shish kebab.So wonderful! Everything was very tasty! Mmm! So delicious!!! 

Do you remember the Biblical story of how Jesus fed 5000 people with 2 fishes and 5 loaves? Something similar happened to us. :) We were going to feed about 30 people but not more. But it turned out that more than 70 people were fed!Wow!!! This is the whole orphanage! Amazing!!!

Then we played different games with children. Children were delighted! Everything was just great! All the employees of the orphanage and especially the children were so happy! One of the employees came up and said. "I'm very ashamed to admit. But today was the most delicious shish kebab in my life." ♥ So, if you want to try the best shish kebab, welcome to Ukraine! Ha ha! ;)

But really, God blessed in many ways and we were surprised and so thankful to the Lord! Many warmly thanked with  kind words. It was so awesome to see everyone happy at one big table! Big and lovely family. ♥ 

We thank God for such wonderful opportunity to have a great time with children and employees! We are so grateful to our Heavenly Father for the opportunity to touch the precious hearts of kids and even adults!It is such a wonderful blessing to bring joy and delight to many souls!!! God is so good!!!We praise and thank Him!!!