Hidden from father

A week ago we were looking for a 15 year old girl. Olya graduated from boarding school this year. Her father drinks, beats mother and kids, humiliates them, abuse, threatens. He even tried to kidnepped Olya and blackmail her mother! Can you imagine what the poor girl feels?! It is impossible to describe all the horror that this poor family has experienced and endures! They hide in a wild and remote from civilization village in a very old house, where the roof leaks and mosquitoes "eat" you! We have millions of them this year! In a village where there is no school for children, no a kindergarten, where there is no work, mobile phone works with difficulty in certain places.

 The medical first-aid station is closed and it is noticeable that it has not been working for a very long time. So, if you feel bad, you have to die there...

  There are very few families. About 70% of abandoned houses. Transportation does not go there. You have to walk more than an hour to the nearest village to catch some kind of transport.

 There is no store in the village either. People in the village say that the "store" comes 2-3 times a week and brings them some food. The "store", this is vehicle what brings groceries and it stays about 30 minutes. And then goes to the next village. If you did not have time to buy bread or what you need, you will wait two more days when the vehicle comes again.

  The kids wanted ice cream. But ice cream will be in a few days, maybe... :( It is not difficult to imagine the state of perishable products, when there is no refrigerator in the car and today it is 35 degrees of heat outdoors...

  Olya is very scared, along with her mother and her smaller sister and brothers.She looks lost :( When we gave money for groceries. You should have seen how mother and children were happy! ♥ She thanked heartily and was ready to cry... After all, they had only 150 uah($6.00) for living! Their family receives child care in the amount of $150 per month. At one time they received $65 per month for 4 children.

Olga's younger brother was very pleased that he drove the car! ;0)

“Then Jesus told them this parable: ‘Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent’” (Luke 15:3-7).

The parable of the lost sheep offers an extraordinary glimpse of heavenly emotions. The shepherd calls his friends and neighbors together, saying, “Rejoice with me.” The rescue of the lost sheep was a cause for proclamation and celebration.

We traveled many hundreds of kilometers and villages to find Olya! We drove from village to another wild and lost village asking people. It was crazy! Mother hides a new place of settlement for fear that their father did not find and kill them! Olga`s mother was greatly surprised how we have found them! The Lord miraculously blessed us and could find sweet gilr! Olga is so happy she is safe today and could stay with us for a while! We were very happy, rejoiced and celebrated in our hearts, when we found Olga, like shepherd a lost sheep! :)

Roads where we often have to drive

This is WHY!

   How would you feel while living in this house? What would you think when you sleep on a dirty and broken bed? What would you do, if you are often hungry? 

  When we arrived and entered this terrible house, it was a HUGE shock! Dirt, the smell of cigarettes and alcohol, the stench, the dark and old house that is about to fall... All this terrifies and the question arises. Do people live here???

  We knew that Sveta was living in terrible conditions, but we had no idea that they were so terrible. Huge shock and silence! I began to understand the young lady much better, why there are some difficulties in everyday life and behavior. Our hearts were absolutely broken when we saw where she grew up or sometimes she came to visit her parents and smaller siblings. I stood silently for a long time and was ready to cry.

  Children seemed to be ok with this... Because they are used to this life and have not seen anything better in life... :( I`m typing and my eyes are full of tears. My heart is heavy... I do not find words to explain this whole nightmare...

Yes, they sleep on this bed

 

  Do you see a small sandwich and a half orange on the table? Natasha, who is 14 and graduated orphanage this year. She brought the food from the orphanage. The poor girl knew that there was no food at home ...

Here is sleeping 13 year old Vova. Yes, on this terrible and dirty couch, without a bedding,without a warm blanket and a soft pillow and probably full of lice and bedbugs.Can you imagine how cold it is in winter?

There is no electricity in the house

These leaky and horrible doors lead to the street.

The support inside the house so that the ceiling does not fall down on head

A rotting ceiling that can collapse at any time...

Seeing all this nightmare and danger in which children live, we simply could not leave them there!!!

  Parents drink for a long time and absolutely do not care about these beautiful kids...By court decision, they should be deprived of parental rights in several months.

 Children will live until the end of the summer with us. When they officially become orphans (on paper), the state will decide their further fate.

  Kids were so excited to be out of home! You would see how Sveta laughed and was so joyful her younger sister and brother are with her!

Brother Misha taught Vova how to use a fork...

And what kids don`t like icecream? :)

  When we started to wash all their clothes that they took with them. It broke my heart that the clothes were in the same condition as the house. Everything looked like trash and there wasn’t anything to be washed because the clothes were very worn out. Therefore, we are forced to buy these lovely souls ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!

  This is the reason WHY children get to orphanages! Poverty, hunger, hopelessness, alcoholism, abandoned, violence and much more... They survive! This is the reason WHY we attend orphanages. This is the reason WHY we support graduates. This is the reason why BOM supports poor families. And this WHY your support and prayers are so cherished!

  Today, these lovely children are safe, sleeping on clean beds, taking a shower every day, their bellies are full, they spend time together, laugh, play. We study the Bible daily. It was funny when one of the girls began to eat and Natasha said. "Wait! We did not pray yet!" And they live only a few days with us! They quickly learn new things and are so sweet! :)

  But most importantly, they are surrounded by love and care. We are so blessed to take care of them! We do not know what will happen to these kids. We ask you to support us in prayers, please. Pray God to give us wisdom, strength and patience. Pray God to change their minds and precious hearts. They are absolutely  immature and such children! Pray for God to take care of their needs. They have some health problems and we will need time and funds to help these sweet souls. We need take them to a dentist. Also Natasha is 14, but she is so very tiny as a 9-year-old girl! We need to help her body to grow. And many other worries. We need the mercy of God... Thank you so much for your care and love! Your prayers mean a lot for us!!! ♥♥♥ God is so good as always! We love you all!!! :)

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!!!

Renovation of house (part 2)

Oh, my! That is AWESOME blessing! THANK YOU!!!! THANK YOU so much! We raised 116% of needed funds! It`s even more then we planned! I'm speechless and overjoyed. Your generosity and kindness is SO great and overwhelmed our hearts, dear Friends. God is so good!!!!!!!!Wow!

More work was done today!

We are soooo happy finally new windows and door was placed there! So, this family will stay warm this night. We are so so glad we did not have rain these days!

 The view of windows and door outside

"Oh, it's so beautiful!" said Zhenya when saw the new door. "I can not believe we will have new windows!" They both are thrilled!

We finally were able to place the glass to one more window

and have done the floor at one room.

One more exciting news we have! Two more brothers, Jason and Daniel from US came to help BOM. They have been such a blessing helping today!
Tomorrow we are going to an orphanage. We have one more such incredible blessing!!! But in next blog post. Can not wait to share with you!!! :)

 With the help of the brothers we cut all the firewood!Yay!

As we have light outside already, we can work till dark :)

Soooo happy God blesses and provides everything this family need! THANK YOU again!!!!So pretty excited all wonderful blessings we have!!!!

Renovation of house (part 1)

We are super busy these days! Finally I can update a little what we done and what we are going to do in Zhenya`s house.

First, we are so thankful to everyone, who took part in this vital project!Thank you very much for all your wonderful gifts of love what make it possible. Thank you trusting us and saving this poor family from terrible cold!.Many thanks for prayers what gives us wisdom, God blesses and provides. Please, keep praying for the project. We still need 40% of needed funds.God will give us physical strength, as we get tired very much. As beside the project we should continue to do another mission work.

What we have done.

We cleaned out the yard from garbage and trash.

That save money, we painted a window and plan to place glass there in near future.

We chopped wood.Some young adults learned to chop wood and were very excited to do it.

The nice neighbours of this poor family saw that we help and started to help too and then their children also. How exciting and amazing! As the result their children came to church and heard the Gospel. Hopefully neighbours will come to church some day too. Some of them are really interested know more about God.

Yana was pretty excited that she learned and can chop firewood :)

Little Vitya saw how adults worked and decided to help to "chop" firewood too. It was so sweet to watching how he wanted take part in it. :)

This precious little man wanted so much to help and take part! It was so priceless to watch how he helped his parents. ♥

Children of neighbours helped with firewood.

BOM with your help bought more firewood what will be enough for all winter and hopefully till Spring while will be cold weather. Yay!Thank you!

Dinner time

We have replaced old and rotten floor for new one.

I love how it looks!

 We have changed all electric stuff for new. There were too old electric cords what would make a fire.

Sasha learned how to work with electric wires .

The forecast showed that all week will rain. But God answered our prayers and we had just a little rain. We praise God for His mercy and goodness to this sweet family!But nights are too cold now! This poor family feels cold. Zhenya catch cold and little Vitya too. :( Not surprised. Factually this family sleeps outside... One night Zhenya waked up and found Nazar so cold that she thought he is dead. She was so scared! To save baby we took to my home. He lives for several days at my home already. Baby Nazar is so precious and sweet little boy!  Finally we can replace windows and door tomorrow! Praise God!!!

Zhenya and Kolya are very happy and they have a hope to stay in warm house this winter. There are so so much work to be done! Zhenya always says, "everything becomes so beautiful! " What a great and amazing blessing to the family! ♥