OUR DIARY

Wednesday is a special day because we visit children at the Rudensk boarding school. We noticed that with each meeting the number of children who come to us increases, and their eyes shine with God’s love and joy from communion with the Heavenly Father. Our team of volunteers has increased and we try to listen to each child, give wise advice, pray and just be friends and mentors – to be a family!

I would like to share Nazar’s story with you, with his permission.
— Hi, my name is Nazar and I am 15 years old. I don’t have any brothers or sisters, only my dad, and my mom died recently.
— What do you like to do in your free time?
– I go to the gym with the guys, and after training we play ping-pong.
— What would you like to learn?
– Learn to ride a bike.
— What is your favorite lesson at school?
– I like literature, drawing, and I also like to read.
— What do you dream about?
– I want to go to Minsk, and I also dream of going to the Church to see how it looks from the inside.
— How do you feel about your failures and victories?
– I get upset because of the failures, I was drawing recently and the drawing didn’t quite work out, then I was upset, but the teacher came up to me and suggested how to fix it, and I succeeded. I was very happy, and my inner self-confidence increased, and before that, my first thoughts were that I was a loser.
— What important decisions have you made recently?
– I have decided to be more hardworking and responsible. I try to be open and help other children and teachers. But before I tried my best to avoid work.
— Why do your friends love and appreciate you?
– For my help, which I provide to children who do not study well.
— What would you like people to know about you?
– That I am kind, friendly and love God.
— What brings you joy?
– My friend Sveta and other friends. They amuse me and can always listen to me. And when the team arrives, because you are always cheerful and have such a warm and joyful time with us.
— What surprises you about God?
– His ability to rescue even when people can’t help, God always helps. He is able to help people in different places of the planet.
— If you could see God now, what would you ask Him?
– So that he would give me the ability not to sin, because I am offended and I can offend in return, so that in difficult moments He would strengthen my faith and help me through difficulties.
— How does the arrival of the team affect you?
– When you come, I receive older sisters and brothers with whom I can be safe and with whom it’s always interesting to be. I learn a lot of new things, and my faith in God grows. I believe that you are not accidental in my life, and I hope that when I get out of boarding school, I will be able to continue my friendship with you, and maybe go with you to other children’s boarding schools.

This month we talked about Jesus, about His life on earth and about His love for people, manifested in miracles of healing, resurrection, multiplication of food and many others. The children became very animated and asked us to pray that Jesus would show his love and miracles in their lives as well. We inspired them to read the Bible, because the word of God strengthens our faith and helps us to trust God in all circumstances. The final theme of the month was the story of the Savior’s Birth, and we were able to teach the children about the true meaning of Christmas and God’s Majestic plan for the salvation of all people and the forgiveness of our sins. Immediately after the topic, we prayed in groups and the children talked about what was bothering them or what bad habits they couldn’t get rid of, and then asked God to change them and make them look like Jesus Christ!

Greetings, dear brothers and sisters. The year has come to an end and I want to thank God for His mercy and grace. This month we had the opportunity to visit orphaned children in Belynichi. December is a favorite month for children, not only because of the winter break, but because they celebrate Christmas and New Year. In this last month of the year, we talked with the guys about the following topics: “The Miracles of Jesus” – with this lesson we wanted to show the Divinity of Jesus Christ to the guys. I was pleasantly surprised that many of the guys, especially those who had just recently arrived, knew about the miracles of Jesus. When we asked what kind of miracle would you like God to create, the answers were different. The guys were talking all over each other, one would ask for his health, another asked Jesus to heal his memory, which would help him with my studies, someone asked for his parents to be fine. Such questions especially create an atmosphere and bring joy to discussions. Another time, when we arrived, we discussed the parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus.” We talked about the decisions we make here, being on this earth, and how it can affect our future and eternal. It’s nice to see that the guys read and get answers in the Word of God. We looked at the rich man in the parable, and then we looked at Lazarus. The guys said that they understood that it is important in their successes not to be arrogant but to thank God for everything they have.

The following Thursday, graduate Tolya called me. Tolya graduated from the Belynichi boarding school 2 years ago. He said: ‘Dima, can I go to boarding school with you, I want to see the guys?’. I said ‘Tolya, of course, let’s go’. Tolya studied construction and when he was looking for a job, he remembered the believers and turned to us for help. They didn’t really want to hire orphans. And so we found out where we could go to get a job. The job itself was in Minsk, Tolya arrived at the appointed time and when he came to the HR department to get a job, he was met very badly there. Tolya was informed that he would not be hired and generally they wanted to send him away.

Tolya left the office, stood praying and believed that they would suddenly change their minds and still take him. He stood at the door for more than two hours, waiting for the decision to change and still hire him. And then an older man came up and said, why are you standing here for so many hours? Tolya said I’m an orphan, I’ve studied and graduated, but no one takes me to work, so I’m standing here thinking and praying that they’ll suddenly change their minds and hire me anyway. The man entered the HR department and after a couple of minutes Tolya was invited into the office and hired. It turned out that the older man was the director of the construction department, and God opened his heart to Tolya. As a result, Tolya has been working at a construction site in Minsk for more than a year, and he is doing well. On the day that Tolya was hired, he also received a place in the hostel, as well as money for food. Thank God that He arranged everything this way. Tolya said ‘I also want to speak in front of the guys and say that I have a rule of three “NNN” translates like this. Nothing Is Impossible. (in russian all three words start with letter N). With God, everything we can overcome. When we arrived at the boarding school, we held a meeting with the guys, where Tolya spoke, and then we talked a lot about the Nativity of Jesus Christ. We were talking about God, who saw how the whole of humanity was just sliding downhill and there were so many sins that God needed to send Jesus to help people solve the problem of sin. And now God wants us to be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ and put all our worries as well as all our sins, on Him. Only Jesus can solve the problem of sin and rebellion, and also solve the problems in life. The children notably opened up and asked God to be their friend, and also asked God to forgive them for their sins. Dear brothers and sisters, thank you so much for being with us this year, thank God that another year has been blessed in the field of God. May God bless you in the new year and help you every day!

December was no less intense for Smilovichi than the previous months. There were still many children, although there were some changes: in mid-December, a little girl named Zhenya was taken away, and two brothers, Tim and Dima, went to foster care. But despite the fact that some of the children have left, new children have appeared. For example, one of them is a 5-year-old boy named Roma. Unlike many other children who needed to get used to us at first, he actively interacted with us on the very first day of acquaintance, played with us, hugged and kissed us. In terms of discipline, compared to other children, it was not easy with him, because he wanted a lot of attention to himself, but at such moments you realize that he behaves this way not because of evil, but because of a lack of parental love. This month was special with an unusual program. At one of the meetings, we held a master class: children made toys for the Christmas tree out of salt dough. Surprisingly, all the children were involved in the process: both toddlers, who were happily decorating toys, and older children, including teenage boys. The children even managed to try making salt dough themselves, and they were very happy to learn something new.

And the last meeting in December was very special: a real celebration was arranged for the guys with an appropriate atmosphere and treats, where everyone could blow out the candles on the cake. And the main highlight of the evening was that each child was given a large gift box in honor of Christmas. The guys felt incredible emotions from what happened to them. It was obvious to the naked eye that everything that happened to them was something completely incredible for them. In addition to these kinds of meetings, we also continued to tell the guys the truths from the Bible. A separate lesson was devoted to the topic of Christmas, where we told the story of the birth of Jesus, who He was and why He was born.

The guys tried to listen and answered our questions. There were some parables this month: this time it was the parable of the rich and poor Lazarus. It was nice to see how some of the guys tried to reason and express their options about what this parable teaches. We tried to figure it out with them, involving them in this process, what it might mean to them. In the context of the parable we once again repeated the essence of the Gospel. It’s great that they remember, sometimes with our hints, the things that we told them before, and we, in turn, try to repeat the main points. We also try to provide interesting and understandable activities for younger kids. At that time, it was the miracles of Jesus. We want the kids to understand that Jesus is not someone far away for them, but that He loves them and that He is with them.

As before, our meetings are not complete without games and songs. They’ve been really enjoying the games lately. We started separating the older kids and the toddlers, which the older kids are very happy about. This allowed us to get even closer to them. In terms of songs, we also don’t stand still: in December, we sang new songs with the guys, which they really liked. And what is especially noteworthy is that teenage boys who had not previously participated in this, but were just sitting on chairs, began to actively sing. As you can see, December turned out to be very bright and very intense, thank God for this period of time and for the opportunities for service that He provides.

Greetings, dear brothers and sisters. We are grateful to God that during November we were able to attend the Rudensk boarding school. We noticed that more children started to come to our meetings, often we can see new faces, which means that we have new acquaintances. We are glad that we have a new meeting place – a sports hall, I am very glad that everyone can come to our meetings and there is enough place for all the guys. It’s nice to see how the guys bring their friends and how they talk: – Come on, it’s interesting and fun there.

Also this month I had an interesting conversation with Sergey. He moved from another boarding school to Rudensk. Sergey told me a little about himself.
— I have three sisters and a brother.
— What are your interests?
– I really like swimming, and I am glad that the Rudensk boarding school, to which I was recently brought, has a swimming pool.
— What else would you like to learn?
– I would like to learn how to play tennis and also ride a bike.
— Sergey, what do you like to do in your free time?
– I really like to read, because reading calms me down.
— What are your favorite subjects at school?
– I really like the subject of labor training, because I like to work with my own hands.
— Do you have a dream?
– Yes, I would like to get a license and be able to drive a car.
— How long have you been at boarding school?
— I have been in a boarding school since I was a child.
— What was the most important decision you made at school?
– The main decision was to quit smoking and swear.
— What would you like people to know about you?
– That I am responsible and I like to help people, especially children. I am also a good and loyal friend, very devoted to my friends.
— What brings you joy in life?
– Alyona, who is coming with you, she brings me joy. She talks to me a lot and makes me laugh. And also it brings me joy when I eat ice cream.
— Sergey, what surprises you about God?
– That He is a defender, He is faithful and always answers my prayers. Through the meetings with the guys, I learn different news, and I can also understand how God loves me, and it also seems to me that I am becoming smarter and more responsible.

Also this month we talked about the “Good Samaritan”, about the importance of helping those who need it so much. Because of our low self-esteem, we often expect someone else to do it and we stand aside. But this story has shown the importance of timely assistance to those who are nearby. It’s always more valuable.

Also this month we talked about the “Ten Virgins”, talked about the importance of preparing for significant events. But most importantly, we must prepare to meet God. Christmas is coming soon, it’s important to think about what this holiday means to me? Who is my Savior? Another time, when we arrived, we talked about talents and took the Biblical story “About Talents” as a basis. God loves people so much that He blessed each person with special talents and many guys shouted out what they could do. And we talked about the importance of developing these talents for the benefit of people.

Thank God that God opens especially the hearts of children, that after meetings, new guys ask for the Bible so that they can read stories with us and get to know God. The last theme of the month was “Wise Builder”. A wise builder chooses the right foundation for construction. We also have to build our lives and look for friends who will help us make the right decisions. The wise builder from the Bible did not have a house collapse because it was on the right foundation. We also need to build our lives so that God is our foundation and support, then everything will be fine for us, despite the difficulties. Dear friends, thank you very much for your prayers and for your support, may God bless you in all your ways!

The year keeps rolling full steam ahead, filled with vibrant trips to visit the kids in Belynichi.

November has already come to an end – how time flies! This month stood out, first, because November 10 marked the World Day of Prayer for Orphans. On this day, countless churches around the globe lifted their prayers to God: for children living in orphanages, for the teams ministering to them, and for families who open their hearts and homes to orphans. This beautiful unity in prayer reminded us once again that God is at work, opening hearts to kindness and love.

During one of our meetings, we reflected on the parable of the lost sheep. Bogdan, playing the role of the shepherd, threw himself into the part with such sincerity and emotion that the story truly came to life before our eyes. He searched for the sheep all over the room, and his enthusiasm was contagious. Bogdan has become one of those kids who doesn’t just take part actively but also asks deep questions that sometimes make even the adults stop and think. His thoughts and genuine heart are a clear reminder that God reveals His truth even through the hearts of children.

This month was also filled with lessons on forgiveness and kindness toward one another. At our last meeting, we prayed in small groups, and afterward, I asked the kids: «Should we ask God for forgiveness?» The children paused to think and then answered in unison: «Yes, for our wrong actions». The next question sparked even more interest: «How should we ask for forgiveness?». Matvey, almost immediately, responded: «We can pray and ask for forgiveness.»
But what touched everyone’s heart most was Nastya’s suggestion. Holding my hand and looking into my eyes, she said loudly «Let’s kneel when we pray!». Her words lit a spark in everyone. In the blink of an eye, we were all on our knees, standing in a circle. That day, every child wanted to pray to thank God for everything and to ask for forgiveness. It was a deeply moving and heartfelt moment, as the children’s voices filled the room with warmth and God’s grace.

This month was yet another testament to how God works in the hearts of children. He teaches them kindness, forgiveness, and sincere faith. Even in the simplest moments – whether through the role of a shepherd or a child’s prayer – His power shines through, transforming hearts and filling them with love. This month has shown us that we’re not just teaching the children – they’re teaching us, too. Through their trust, openness, and desire to seek God, we see His hand at work, inspiring us to continue this ministry with even greater dedication and love.

Greetings, dear reader, as well as friends, brothers and sisters! We are glad that we can serve our God by spreading His kingdom on earth!

In November, we actively visited the Smilovichi orphanage, which houses thirteen children. I still can’t get used to the fact that the guys we saw just six months ago are back at the shelter. When we arrived and the guys came out to meet us, the joy was mixed with sadness. We were glad to see the children, but we were disappointed that they were here again. The guys eagerly told about how they were at home, how they took care of their pets, and also that some of the guys learned to swim. We noticed that they embellished some of the facts, as if they wanted to see that their parents were not so weak, although they did not always manage to overcome their addictions.

So, in November, we held some interesting topics for the guys. The first topic was “Don’t oversleep an important moment in your life.” The theme was born from the story of the ten virgins from the Gospel. We talked about the importance of preparing for important events, that it is important to prepare for matinees, to be ready, beautifully dressed, washed. After all, the Biblical story showed that there were 5 wise and 5 stupid girls. The wise prepared and were always ready, while the stupid, on the contrary, neglected to prepare and did not think what they needed. Communicating with the teachers, we realized that the guys had problems with the preparation, and thank God later we received feedback that the situation changed and everything became better. We must also prepare for the coming of God, this is one of the important points.

At the next meeting, we did crafts. Natasha showed an example of the fish that we made afterwards. I like this time, because at such moments the guys talk about what is happening at school or kindergarten. And so during the meeting, Dima and Tim told that they would soon be taken to a foster family. They are very happy that they will be able to leave the shelter and that they will have their own room and their own toys. When I asked if they wanted to go home, the guys said no, because it was bad at home. Also, each of the little children looked at us, called us to spend time with him. Everyone dreams of Mom and Dad. That’s why they sometimes try to climb on our hands or ask to be thrown into the air on our hands. And at such moments they laugh so contagiously.

The next topic was the parable of the talents. We talked about the importance of not burying your talents, but developing them. We said that God gave everyone something of his own. Alice said that she likes to sing and immediately Zhenya screams and I love to sing. It turns out that everyone in our shelter has different talents and the guys just vied with each other to shout out what they like and what they can do good.

When we arrived on the last Tuesday in November, we were talking about a wise builder who built his house on stone. This story explains the important of the choice of foundation – what we are building on. And we talked about how they can rely on God even when all the people around them don’t understand it. God is the only right foundation, and when we trust Him and when we ask, He comes to our aid. Dear friends, thank you very much for your prayers and your support for serving orphaned children in Belarus. Let’s pray that Dima, Tima and Darina are safely settled in a foster family. God bless you.

Hello, dear readers! Thank God for another opportunity to go to the orphanage in Belinichy in October. IMG_0672At the end of SeptemberI went to Belinichy orphanage for the first time. I was very happy to meet and get to know these children. They welcomed me very warmly and we were able to become friends with them right away and I am very grateful to God for this, because I understood that if I could have a close relationship with the children, then it would be much easier to spread the Gospel tothem, and so it happened! The children listen attentively in class and even when some of them make noise, the children still remember the stories and conclusions from the stories and answer questions well at the end of the lesson.

Every Thursday, when we come to Belinichy the children greet us with love, hug us, say that they were really looking forward to seeing us when we arrive, we really appreciate it! After that we divide them into groups as before. The children are dividedinto 2 groups: older children and younger ones. At the beginning of our meeting we always pray with them that God blesses our meeting, after that we sing a few songs and play games with them. After the games the children sit down comfortably and we tell them a Bible lesson. The topics of the Bible lessons in the 2 groups are the same, but it is very good that there is an opportunity to divide the children, because the same Bible story or topic can be told to different ages in different ways so that it is more understandable, for example, with older children you can touch on deeper life themes based on the Bible lesson, while the younger ones understand perfectly well if there is some electronic material, for example, a presentation or colorfulpictures.

In October I was mostly with the younger children, we were able to get to know each other well and communicate. About 20 younger children come to each meeting, thank God for that! This month almost all the lessons were about the parables that Jesus told. For example, “The Parable of the Sower.” It is very important for the younger children to speak in simple words during the lesson, because the parables have a deep meaning, it is important that the younger children also understand it. The main idea of ​​this topic is that if we have a soft heart and not a hard or stony one, like other types of soil, then this helps to remain in our hearts what we hear in our Bible lessons: to believe in Jesus Christ, to try to do well, to be kind, obedient, to help others, not to swear and so on.

Another parable we looked at was “The Parable of the Unmerciful Creditor”. That day, when I was in the group with older children, the guys and I were all sitting on the carpet and listening to the lesson that Vasya was telling us, there was a very friendly and informal atmosphere at this lesson. The children heard a story about a man who owed an incredible amount of money, and his debt was forgiven, but after a while the same man owed ten times less, he did not forgive the debt. The main idea of ​​this parable is that sometimes we cannot forgive a smalloffense from another person, while he forgives us many of our bad deeds, so we must always be forgiving and lenient to others.

I am very grateful that I was able to communicate with some of the children in person, I am very sorry to hear their stories from life, when a small child comes to you and says that one of his close relatives (one of the parents) died recently, it is very painful to hear. However, I am glad that many of those children periodically go home, during the week or on weekends. And at this time they can be with their parents or grandparents and other brothers and sisters. Praise God for this peaceful time to spread the Gospel. Blessings to you!

I’ve just recently started visiting the kids in Rudensk, and thanks to the summer camp most of them know me. And with the guys, which I was the leader of in the summer camp, I even have great relationships. Sure, they are always glad to meet us, to tell us about themselves, to ask how we’ve been doing. Interestingly, they always notice every change, every detail in one’s appearance. That surprised me at first. Later on I got used to it. There is a girl, when meeting always hugs me and says: ‘ My dear Nadya, I’m so glad to see you! I love you so much!’ It’s worth a lot.Now we tell them Jesus’ parables. I like that most of His stories teach us about God’s nature, His Love, His character. By these parables we try to reach children’s hearts, to explain, that even though something wrong may happen in our lives, we always have our loving Father near us. Way more near than we think.

Almost each meeting at least one kid tells me about his or her bad dreams, and we always pray for them together. So that the kids know, that if they are afraid of something – turn to the Christ- He will protect you. I always teach them, that God will always remove our fears, we should only ask Him. Hi will never leave us. I’m sure, they will keep these words in hearts. One girl told me that after our conversations even her sleep is getting better. I understand that it’s not because of me. I don’t know how it works, but I believe, that Holy Spirit does His work among them even after we leave. My goal in this meetings is to share what I have in abundance, my Love. God is Love. I believe that even though God is everywhere, sharing our Love we in a way introduce the guys to the Holy Spirit. He shows them His character. It delights me.

I remember that many kids were hooked on the topic of forgiveness. When asked if God forgives criminals, most answered that no – it is not easy for them to accept that God is forgiving. That time, no one shared their story of unforgiveness with me. But earlier in the camp, one girl had told me how she had been offended by her entire family, who abandoned her. I think such stories are common. On the last trip, one girl of about 10 years old cried so bitterly that everyone left her, no one calls or visits her. It’s very difficult to find a proper word in such situation . There is nothing much to say. I’m not sure that at that moment she took my words, which sounded something like this: «Angelina, I can’t imagine how much it hurts you and I can’t explain why this is happening in your life. But I want you to hear me now. Even when your family is somewhere far away, not near you, no matter for what reason, you always have Jesus. He knows how to wipe away your tears, He knows how to comfort you. He loves you very much and doesn’t want you to cry.” I hugged her and added, “He hugs you like that. When you’re in pain, tell Jesus about it.” She nodded.

Apart from spiritual food, of course we do not leave children without entertainment. I noticed that most of all they like outdoor games, where they can run, jump and shout. Something intellectual holds the attention of only a few and quickly tires them out. The same thing with songs: they get bored with more melodic ones, but sing fun songs with pleasure and movements. Their favorites are when interacting with other people like “Wave your hand to everyone” – this is how they especially like to communicate with us. And in conclusion, I would like to say that children’s prayers touch your heart – the most sincere and natural: “Lord, help me to be good,” “Excuse me for saying bad words,” and so on. The tradition of praying in circles at the end of a meeting (when each child goes to the adult he wants to) is my favorite. This is how we develop in them a habit of common prayer for each other. And we see the fruits of it.

In October, there were still quite a few children. Compared to September, you can feel that they have already gotten used to us and consider us “their own.”For example, a girl named Varya joyfully hugs me every time the children greet us, and a girl named Alice said goodbye in a way that made it clear she is already looking forward to our next visit. The little ones eagerly come to us for hugs. During one of our visits, a girl named Kira, who is 5 years old, tightly hugged me as soon as we arrived and didn’t want to let go, not allowing me to greet or hug the other children. There are kids whose parents visit them periodically, and there are those who are hardly visited at all. At times, they have shared that what they want most is to return to their families. But during the time they are there, we try to make the most of it, helping them understand the Gospel more and more, as well as who God is, what He is like, and how this relates to their lives.

This month was dedicated to the parables of Jesus, including the parable of the wedding feast, the parable of the good shepherd, and the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee. We dedicated our first meeting in October to studying what the Bible is, why this book is so special, and why it is the most important for us among many other books. While discussing the topic, we strive to explain it as clearly as possible, also using visual aids. For instance, while studying the parable of the wedding feast, we acted out the parable with the older children as we told the story.

During the sessions, the children periodically ask questions related to God and faith. Prayer holds a special place in our visits, and we also set aside time for it, including showing the children that they can pray on their own without anyone’s help. The older children even tried praying out loud, and they did so quite willingly. Besides the educational part, we sing Christian songs with movements that they have already grown to love at each meeting, and we also play fun games with them to help establish a connection and create a friendly atmosphere. We hope to further build friendships with the kids and continue to help them come to know God.

This year, September was sunny and warm just like in summer. Usually, in such weather, children spend most of their time outside and they have a choice between coming to our meetings and rushing outside and spending time there. We tried to organize our meetings so that we could communicate with children who did come and with those who ran away outside. We spent the very first trip of this month completely outside. Our team was divided into several groups, in which we communicated with the guys on topics of interest to them, found out how they spent their summer, what good things happened in their lives, and also learned their prayer needs, for which we then prayed with them. And also, each person from our team shared their testimony from life, telling how Jesus can help us.

At one of the meetings, we organized sports relay races for the guys. I like this time because we have the opportunity to learn more about the character of children, see how well or poorly they get along with each other, how they are able to accept victories and defeats, as well as how they are able to work in a team and support players who may be weaker due to their physical limitations. We were there with the guys to guide, correct and support them in critical situations.

In the following meetings, we talked about why Jesus helps people, and also that He is ready to accept them as who they are. We also discussed why Jesus went to the cross. Next, we started a series of topics on Bible stories from the New Testament. The children especially remembered the “story of the prodigal son”. It was difficult for them to understand and accept that the father forgave the prodigal son without any reproaches, let him back into his house, fed him and gave him all the best. But God does the same thing – forgives and accepts everyone who opens their heart to Him! At the end of the meeting, a girl, Polina, came up to us and said that she really wanted a Bible for herself. At such moments, I realize that each of us, no matter if you are an adult or a child, still needs God’s word. We know that there is a Bible in the school library, but for children who ask for it personally, we always try to bring a separate book for them personally.

During our ministry to orphans, we have become convinced that children who read the Bible not only know the biblical story well, but God also heals their minds and hearts, making them able to accept and accommodate the truth. A lot of these guys, after graduating from school, when they come to new cities to work or study, find a church for themselves and stay there. For me, this is joy of victory of God in the lives of the orphaned children we serve!

A new school year has begun as well as a new season of our ministry to orphans. In the last days of August we managed to meet with the new graduates of the Belynichy orphanage, that were spending their last days at the school. An adult and independent life awaits these children ahead, life that is very difficult to adapt to. That is why we decided to make a warm friendly meeting for them, where we tried to listen to each of them and just hug them. During this meeting we could remind them of God, to whom they can come at any time and in any circumstances.
We also prayed for them with a prayer of blessing. Then we started visiting younger children who are still in orphanage.

At the beginning of the month for these children we made sport games. During such games characters and personalities of children are often revealed as well as their ability to work in a team, support each other and ability to accept both victories and defeats! At such moments possible difficulties in dealing with this children are especially noticeable. At the same day for younger kids we made chalk painting activity. This is also a good opportunity to see their feelings and fears of by their drawings, see their dreams and ideas about life. Meanwhile other people from our team were with children who could not participate in sport games and chalk painting due to their mental and physical disabilities. Instead of these activities children got hugs and attention.

During following meetings of the month Bible lessons were held. This month we talked with the guys about the personality of Jesus Christ, why He helps people, why He wants to take care of them and how much He loves people. Then we continued the series of Bible stories from the New Testament. Guys were especially impressed by the story of ” the Prodigal Son”.

This year a teenage boy named Roma started coming to our meetings with his friend. Before both of them avoided our meetings and instead were playing football, watching cartoons and sometimes were making fun of other guys who come to our meeting regularly. Roma is a leader among older children and therefore he was often the one who would takesome of the children away from our meetings, influencing them in a bad way.
But now we see how God answers our prayers and disposes children’s hearts to hear and perceive God’s word! Thank God! During one of our meetings I saw how one of Roma’s friend began to try in every possible way to take him out of our meeting, constantly saying all sorts of teasing words over and over again: “Are you seriously going to sit here and listen to this odd lecture?”. But Roma firmly stopped him with the words: “If you want go away then do it! But I’m staying!” As a result, both teenagers stayed at the meeting. Moreover Roma became the winner in answering the questions that Ilya asked at the end of the Bible lesson! Meanwhile I was touched by the situation and admired how God makes possible what sometimes seems unreal to us!

The second special moment for me was meeting with Yarik. I’ve told you about him before. He has Down’s Syndrome and he mostly communicates using certain sounds or syllables. Previously he was quite aggressive and in a fit of rage he could clearly pronounce cuss words. But now we see how much God is changing him and we noticed that he became much calmer and began to pronounce a lot of clear words, especially the names of the guys from our team. It feels like not only our team is very glad about it, but Yarik himsel. Sometimes he even manages to say someone’s name several times in a row. It’s funny and at the same time cute! Besides he tries to be the loudest singer during our worship moments, which is also very cute to see and creates an atmosphere of gratitude to the Heavenly Father for His great love for these children!

Hello! I want to tell you about my trips to Smilovichi in September.
About 12 children were admitted to the shelter. Moreover, half of them are from 3 to 5 years old.Therefore, during this period we had to adapt and think about how to divide lessons and games for seniors and juniors so that they would be interested. Of course, we decided to divide the lessons, but for now we are doing the games together. Of course, it’s not easy with kids, but with God’s help we can handle it. It’s much easier to work with older guys from 7 to 14 years old. If the lesson with the elders goes on as usual, we told them about who Jesus is, about what the Bible is, and then followed the parables of Jesus. You can’t tell the same to junior kids that easily. I think it’s hard to attract, but they also all run away and constantly offend each other, there are usually about 7 of them. But God gives wisdom and we try to sing songs with them with movements about God and Christ, play games along the way, exhorting them not to offend each other and try to obey the elders and take with us a special cloth with pictures and figures from the Bible to show and explain the essence of the lesson on it.

From the little ones, everyone is different, someone like Dima and Zhenya and Darina Jr. sit quietly and are obedient and even remember, and when you come again, they sometimes remember what the main truth was last time. Some of the little ones are constantly playing pranks and not listening, for example Timofey, Sasha and Kira.
But we admonish them, and it even happened that Sasha and Kira were taken to the orphanage teacher because they completely violated discipline and disrupted the lesson. But the next time they behaved much better, apparently this kind of punishment affected them and it made it easier for all of us.

The kids are very much climbing into our arms and hugging – this is a special blessing from the trip when you can just hug them all and tell them that Jesus loves them and we are here to tell you about Him and make friends with you.
We hug the older ones too, but not so much and often, after all, they have already grown up and are no longer children, but they are more obedient and calm for lessons, although they often get distracted at first, but thank God they have already got used to us, made friends with us and listen to us. I was very filled with how we read the parable about the lost sheep in the Bible with them. After we read every line together and I explained everything to them in order what it all means and how it relates to us, they began to ask me a variety of questions: is my grandfather also resurrected? And those who are in heaven, will they see those who are in hell? And when will there be a resurrection from the dead? And when will Christ come? And everything like that,unfortunately, I no longer remember all the questions exactly, but I remember how on their faces it was clear that they were thinking and reasoning and it was kind of serious, and I was so happy for them that they took the words of the Bible seriously and that they apparently believed that Christ was really true and He really You’ll be back soon. And also that He loves us and weneed to come to terms with him.

We prayed then both before and after lessons, in principle, as always, we pray for our visit first in the car before going to the shelter, at the beginning before the games, at the beginning before the lesson and at the end after the lesson. I am grateful to God that there is such an opportunity to visit children and tell them about Christ.

In June the same children were at the orphanage: Timofey, Darina and Dima, but unfortunately Dima was still in the hospital, so we spent time with Darina and Timofey. On the one of our last meetings, we told them the biblical story of how Jesus healed a sick man who was lowered through a roof. The guys listened carefully and actively answered questions. Unfortunately, it is very clear that their parents did not work with them much, although the children are very intelligent. They also have very little idea about God, but they listen with interest when we tell them about Him. Therefore, I would really like to continue to visit them so that they learn who is God, what He is like and how this relates to their lives. Last time we met, we drew with chalk crayons on the street, which helped us communicate with them even more. Children treat us completely differently than they did on the first day we met, they are much more disposed towards us. For example, Tima smiled very sweetly at us and actively hugged us when we said goodbye. Let’s hope that we will continue to be able to build relationships with the guys.

This year has been busy with trips to the orphanage. There were always children there, and our team actively visited them. This year there were children of different ages: from two years old to teenagers. There were children who were taken from their family and towards the end of the year they were returned back to their family, there was a teenager who was taken from a family-type orphanage and who had been in a colony before the orphanage, there was a girl who had been in the orphanage for a long time and who was taken to family-type orphanage. During this time we told them Bible stories, parables of Jesus, talked to them about the qualities of God, raised various practical topics and we wanted the guys to get to know Christ through all this. The children were not from Christian families and before meeting us they had a very weak idea of ​​God, but they listened carefully to what we told them and remembered surprisingly well.
It was very clear how the guys understood biblical truths better and better after each meeting. In addition, our meetings were accompanied by games, songs, and communication with the guys, which helped us to create a friendly atmosphere. The children had holidays for Christmas and Easter along with wonderful gifts. It was clear that the guys were friendly to the team and were looking forward to meeting us, and besides, they talked about it themselves more than once. Thank God that He gave these wonderful guys the opportunity to serve. It was truly a special time.

For many years, my team and I have been looking for opportunities to hold a summer camp for orphans from the Rudensk school, where we have been coming on Wednesdays since 2008, but each time we were refused. We did not give up, held camps for other children from other schools, believed that God could open this door, prayed constantly and a miracle happened! We were given permission to conduct a 10-day camp on the school grounds for 146 children. Praise God for the opportunity to share his love and truth through Bible lessons, joy through games and creativity, new skills through communication and learning!

Our camp was called “The Secret Inside,” and every day we revealed a new facet of the beauty of our inner man according to God’s plan, and not the depravity and destruction of this world. We chose this topic not by chance; when we arrived on Wednesdays and talked with the children, we noticed that they completely devalued themselves and believed in lies that resulted from mistreatment and rejection by parents and close relatives. In recent years, we have seen that children need adult mentors who will help them gain the necessary experience that will help them in life. We chose the most relevant topics in which we saw that children have big problems, especially after graduating from school.

We divided the children into two large groups: children from 6 to 12 years old and from 13 to 17 years old. All the children were very open to actively discussing topics and participating in our meetings. I would like to note that thanks to these meetings, the children began to cope with low self-esteem, criticism, guilt, envy and unforgiveness.

Examples of lesson topics: a heart that is wise, a heart that is obedient, a heart that is grateful, a heart that is forgiving, a heart that is faithful, a heart that is loving. During the lesson about obedience, there were a lot of questions from the children, and from their reaction it was clear that they really wanted and tried to be obedient, but the internal pain from the traumas they had experienced was preventing them.

Vladik (he is 10 years old) said that his parents often offended and punished him just like that, for no reason, and then abandoned him forever, sending him to a boarding school. His question to God was: is it his fault that he was abandoned? For what actions does God punish people? And how to become obedient? We said that he was not to blame for his parents’ lifestyle. And that parent’s hearts and lifestyle were destroyed by sin. We talked about the qualities of God, His mercy and justice, and that His love never fails. After the lesson, Vlad wanted to pray and ask for forgiveness from God. And he also decided to forgive his parents.

During the camp, we saw changes in the children’s behavior towards each other and their teachers. They began to react more calmly, support those who were weaker, ask for forgiveness if they were wrong or called names, in general the atmosphere in the camp became more friendly. On the day of gratitude, we gave an example of the healing of 10 lepers and the children from the third grade said that they would pray for the healing of Ksyusha, because she does not speak, but only nods her head and has difficulty pronouncing even her name. Together with them, we asked Jesus to heal her and take away her fear. Next day, when we were making crafts with our own hands and the adults were helping, Christina from the team decided to help Ksyusha and began asking questions about the craft and what she wanted to do and in what color. Suddenly Ksyusha spoke up and began to list all the colors and was even surprised herself, from what he said. Children from her class began to jump, scream with joy and thank God for the miracle. We are all very grateful to God for Ksyusha’s healing!!!

There were also many interesting games and clubs in our camp, where children learned to work together to win as a class and have a good time. At first, they humiliated those who were weaker or could not cope with the task, but we, on the contrary, encouraged and helped, taught them to be friendly and value each participant. After each game, we made conclusions and explained that we all have different abilities, talents, and that we even think differently, but only by supporting and respecting each other can we achieve our goals and be winners. The children said that we taught them to play very interesting games and gave them many bright moments in life and, of course, they were happy with the gifts they received for their participation!

During creativity classes, Natasha prepared crafts in such a way that everyone could try themselves in drawing, modeling, weaving, and creating their own toys. This develops creative thinking and hand motor skills in children and teaches perseverance and accuracy. All the children enthusiastically went to work and rejoiced at what they did with their own hands.

The school administration included one hour of daily work in the garden in the camp schedule. We also decided to take part in this work and be an example for the children. Our help in such boring hard work became a great testimony for educators and each child. Working together, we were able to communicate with children on various topics and show that work is an important part of our lives and after graduating from school they can choose the profession of a vegetable grower or farmer.

The most important part of each day was the evening meetings in the assembly hall, where we sang songs with a biblical meaning. And at such moments the children’s faces glowed with love and they calmed down in the atmosphere of God’s presence. One evening, after Vlad’s topic about how we are all very dear to God and He will never leave us, teenager Kirill said: I think God has left us and forgotten us, because all the circumstances are against us. And it was so nice at the end of the camp to hear his words of gratitude to God, who sent such volunteers to serve all the children in their school.

On the last day, we invited all the older children to make peace with God and about 80% of the children consciously prayed and asked God to change their lives! We were very happy to serve every child and believe that the seed sown will grow and bear fruit!!! Thank you all for your prayers and participation! May the Lord bless you and strengthen you!

P.S. I also think it’s important to write about Vladislava, who was a volunteer on the team, and back in 2018 she was an orphan in the Smilovichy orphanage, where we go on Tuesdays. And there, at one of the meetings, she opened her heart to the Lord and dedicated her life to Him. In 2019, she was adopted by a believing family. Now she is already a student, and in her free time she helps children with a similar story and pain!

Dear friends, welcome to our website. It is so good that every month throughout the year we can dive into the service of God together. Thank God it was a special month. Children have changed at the Smilovichi orphanage. Now there are three children there, Dima, Tim and Darina. Children from the same family, it was very stressful for them to come to the shelter. When we first met the guys, they were so closed that they were afraid to tell their names. For an hour, the team and I tried to communicate, to get them to talk. We brought M&M’s candies with us. All the candies are multicolored and each color meant something. Yellow tell me your dream, green what would you like to change in life, red what is your favorite pet, brown tell me about your friend, orange where would you like to go, blue what is your favorite dish? During this game, we got to know each other and just chatted. Gradually, the guys talked about their dog, about friends or cartoons, and gradually we became friends.

When we arrived another time, we decided to teach the kids to sing children’s songs, but the songs were with movements. At first they just watched, and then they started showing movements with us. When I saw that the guys were repeating the movements, I thought thank God we got one step closer. After the movement songs, the guys started to smile, but they still looked at us warily.

We prepared the game “edible inedible” and just talked about what they like to eat. As always, candy won, but Tim also said that he would like to try ice cream. What a simple wish I thought, and then they told me that they came from the village and the family is very poor, mom is in the hospital, and they don’t have a dad. On the way back the guys and I talked about bringing ice cream next time and treating the kids.

We also held a lesson in which we talked about the “Lost Sheep”, about how the shepherd took care, and the sheep was so curious that it got lost. We tried to remake the story to suit their age, which is 3, 4, 5 years old. But the shepherd found his missing sheep and saved it. And then we told about Jesus Christ, how He came out to look for us, and when He found us, He simply offered his friendship and salvation. There were no conditions, there was a simple call to be with Him. While we were painting, the guys told us that they liked the caring Jesus. And Darina also said that she wanted to pet a little sheep.

When we arrived the next week, we found out that Dima was admitted to the hospital, he had bad tests and bad blood. We also ask you to join in the prayers so that all the treatment will be beneficial, and Dima can quickly recover and return to his loving brother and sister. This school year has flown by so quickly, and we are glad that we could be at the epicenter of God’s will. We saw how God answered prayers and children returned home from the orphanage and, most importantly, how children gained faith in Jesus Christ. Thank God and thanks to everyone who works with us to serve orphaned children.

Hello everyone. Thank God that He gives strength and desire to go to the children in Rudensk, communicate with them and lead them to Jesus Christ. Many thanks for your prayers. In May, we told the children that God is an omnipresent God, that He is near, that He hears our prayers and He is not far from each of us. Just as God is Light and there is no darkness in Him. We told the children that if they believe that they walk with God but walk in the dark: they slander each other, offend, steal, call out, do not listen to the elders and educators, then God does not want this and that such a person is still in the dark, we tried to make the children look at their fruits. We constantly pray for children and together with them during our meetings, children tell us what to pray for them and share their experiences and their lives, it really encourages me to continue to come and participate in their lives, helping them come to Christ, pointing them to Him both in prayer and in words, and in business and in our games with them.

Also in May the children did crafts and thank God that they can just chat with believers and sometimes a whole lesson just to do something together, I believe that this also strengthens our friendship with them and communication.Also in May, we held a lesson with them on the topic “the impossible is possible” and we took the topic about how Jesus pacifies the sea and that everything is possible for Jesus. So that the children would know that He is God and that we need to trust Him and go to him. It is always very interesting when someone asks questions about the Bible, it shows that children think what they are talking about. I am very glad when we can sing songs with them and just play something fun and interesting.

During the games, too, the children’s hearts are very open, you can immediately see who behaves and how who treats each other. We also have to constantly admonish them so that they do not slander each other and do not offend. This part of the trip is always present. But we also try to encourage them. I was surprised when one of the guys named Sasha took me aside and asked: “but I’m reading the Bible and praying, and then what? What should happen?” – I was very glad that he asked this question and was just as glad to give him time and explain why God wants to communicate with us and that we communicate with Him and what prevents our communication and how we reconcile with Christ.

Also in May, my wife and I took 2 girls for foster care for the weekend they are Sveta and Bojena, we were happy to go with them to nature, light a bonfire and chat, we were also glad that on Sunday they could be with us at a meeting and watch how the church gathers and what it does. We are also always glad when we can once again personally tell them the good news about Christ and the Kingdom of God.

Please pray for the service of children in the boarding school. I see how Scripture speaks about the importance and value of us, the disciples of Christ, being a light for children in boarding school all the time, they need it more than the children of believing parents. They don’t have believing parents, they don’t have a church, and if not we then whom will tell them about Christ? and if we don’t tell them, then how can they be saved? Even if sometimes they are not attentive or often you do not see in them an interest in Christ, unfortunately, our responsibility before God is to be a light for them and bring this light about the glory of Christ directly to their home in boarding school – so that they can hear. Romans 10:17 “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the word of God.” and it is also written: Proverbs 22:6 “Instruct a young man at the beginning of his path: he will not turn away from it when he is old”.

So the school year at the Belynichi boarding school has flown by. But I am glad that every Thursday there were trips to the guys who became not just friends for us but a big family. This year, more than fifteen new children have been brought to the school, and about ten people will graduate this year. On the one hand, getting to know new guys, and on the other, the release of those who have become dear friends for you. We communicate a lot with the guys who will graduate and that’s what Vanya said: “I’m very worried about how I will be greeted at the training school in the new place and how they will treat me! I love my school very much, because this is my home, where I feel safe.” Andrey said that he is waiting for graduation, believes that everything will work out for him in life and that a lot of acquaintances are waiting ahead.

We talked to the older guys about the qualities of God, what He is like. The fact is that children were told about God in wrong way, referring to the heroes of Greek mythology, and accordingly the children have no hope in difficult circumstances. That’s why we decided that we would tell the guys about God, who loves, protects, helps, and also gives his life in redemption for sins. And it’s so nice to see guys who tell us that when they pray, God changes the circumstances: – We won the football game, passed the exam well, grandma called and said she was already healthy. Only God can help from a distance, and thank God that faith is being formed in children.

Also this month, we talked with the younger guys about Daniel and his lost childhood. We told them that Daniel was taken captive and he was an orphan. But despite this, Daniel remained faithful to God, he and his friends remembered what their parents had taught them, so they did not compromise when they were offered food sacrificed to idols. This lesson was especially told, because although the guys already know a lot, sometimes when they are alone with a problem they often make the wrong decisions. And with this story, we wanted to teach them not to go away from the right path and remember that bad companies will lead to wrong decisions and difficulties.

We also talked about faithfulness at another meeting.
The fact is that it is difficult to be faithful nowadays. This quality is sometimes considered a weakness rather than a virtue. But we decided nevertheless to show what faithfulness produces by the example of Daniel. So, we told them about Daniel and how he got into the lion’s den. We said that Daniel was faithful to both God and the king, even the enemies could not figure out how to accuse Daniel, so they went to cunning and deception. Faithfulness is the most precious thing that can be, and when I asked what faithfulness was, the guys offered one definition after another and it’s nice that they know this word. “Faithfulness is good,” Yarik, who speaks poorly, shouted at me. And Edik said that it is difficult to be faithful and fulfill all the duties and requests of the teacher. That’s why this lesson is important. I told the story of Daniel how he was betrayed for his loyalty to God and the king and how he got into the lion’s den. I asked if Daniel got into the moat fairly, whether he did something wrong. The guys answered no. I said that sometimes we will be accused, told lies, but we must be faithful and devoted and then God will help us in life. God saved Daniel from being torn to pieces. Both for him and for us, God can and wants to help. Dear friends, despite a difficult year, we are glad that we could be faithful to God and faithfully convey God’s truths in the Belynichy boarding School. Thank you for your support and prayers! God bless you!

At the beginning, our teem wants to greet you with the words: “Christ is Risen! He is truly Risen!”

Thank God for giving us the opportunity to celebrate Easter with the guys on April third! We invited a church team that practices theatrical performances, and our friends were able to hold an exciting performance dedicated to the Easter holiday. We told the kids the true meaning of Easter, greeted each other with the words: “Christ is Risen, Truly Risen!”, and after the performance each child was given a present.
When the guys opened their presents, they were very happy. Praise to God! Every time we visit the kids in Rudensk, we see that there is awakeness among them. The guys come to us and we have great time together. We pray, play, sing together and most importantly, we teach the kids the biblical principles through stories from the Bible and through our testimonies from our life. Thank God for the opportunity to participate in the life of the guys!

There are two guys at the orphanage with the same names, they are both Sasha. They constantly come up after our meetings and ask us to make an additional prayer for them. Thank God for their open hearts! They talk about their problems and experiences, and together we can openly pray, as well as teach and inspire the kids to pray by themselves. And watching the two Sashas, other guys also come up to us and ask us to pray for them too. And since there are way more children than team members we also pray in groups, in order to involve more children. In general, the guys are more open than ever to changes and relationship with Jesus. And we help them build relationship with the Living God. We teach them that God is always with us, that He loves each of us more than we can even imagine, that He wants to be friends with us and help us. We teach the children not to be shy and turn to Jesus at any moment. Because He’s right next to us!

We also held classes on various topics such as qualities of God: “God is the Creator, “God is pure and righteous,” “God is bread,” “God is omnipresent.” Through these topics, we explain that God created each of us and that He takes care of His creation. Also that God does not like sin and He wants to help us get rid of our addictions. We also talked about the importance of being with Jesus and following Him, because He is the source of life and that wherever we are, He is always with us. Friends, thank you very much for your prayers and your support of our ministry! Thanks to God, we can spread God’s kingdom on this earth together, as well as influence the youth! Blessings and peace to each of you! Until next month!

Greetings, dear readers! April has come to an end and we thank God for our trips to the orphanage in Smilovichy. There were only a few trips this month because the children returned to their parents in mid-April. Thank God that the parents were able to correct their situation and all the children (Miroslav, Alisa, Yana, Darina) left the orphanage. Our team members were a little sad to say goodbye to the children, because they had been in the shelter for quite a long time (since autumn 2023), but we hope and believe that they will be better at home with their parents! We also hope that they will remember the good news about Jesus Christ that the children heard from us, and in due time it will bear fruit!

We are very pleased with how actively these children participated in the Bible lessons and how they answered questions with awareness and understanding throughout our meetings with them. We believe that all this was not done in vain! During the last meeting, we gave them a large Bible for children with pictures, we hope that Miroslav and his sisters will read it and tell their parents about it. All the trips in April were wonderful, we talked a lot, played, sang, and glorified God. The children were always very happy when we arrived.

Our Bible lessons with them were held in the form of communication. It seems to me that this way the children remember better what we talk about with them. We ask them questions during the conversation, so they are more interested and understand the Bible story/topic more clearly. This month we continued to look at the qualities of God: God is bread; God is light; God is love.
In the first lesson, Nikita’s main idea was that we must seek God and read the Bible, since all the truths with which we can be satisfied are written there, and not just physical bread.
In the lesson about light, Anya told the children that when there is darkness in our lives, we are scared, we don’t know how to act in different situations, we hit, stumble and fall, just like in a dark room, but when we believe in Jesus Christ, He becomes a light in our life and we are no longer so scared and we know what to do, also the Bible in our life is a flashlight, because with truths we can illuminate dark places.
In the lesson about love, Sasha talked about how God loves them and He is always ready to accept us, no matter what we do (for example, the parable of the prodigal son) and that God took away our sins and gave us eternal life, which we did not deserved as a gift, and this is the most vivid proof of His love. Let’s pray for these children, so that the Lord will always be with them in due time, so that the parents will correct themselves and not return to their previous way of life. Blessings!

The April weather was pleasant with sunny days and trips to the farthest boarding school were even more enjoyable . Every time we come to the children, see their joyful faces, we can’t help but respond in kind. I am pleased to think that children really consider us friends, trust us, and tell us about their joys and experiences. In April, the younger guys had the themes “Friendship with God. Abraham”, “An incident in the desert”, “God chooses a king. The beginning of the story of David”, “David and Goliath”, “Friendship with Jonathan”. We try to make every lesson for special children very clear, vivid and memorable, so we often involve them to participate. It is really joyful to see how children with limited minds but with great enthusiasm help in conducting the lesson, participate, stretch their hands to answer, and just glow with happiness when they hear gratitude in response. For them, the recognition of society is very important. Yarik, a boy with Down syndrome, is our main assistant in all matters, a lover of singing songs and calming noisy children. And how proud and pleased he is when he hears “Thank you for your help, Yarik!” This is such a simple moment for us, but so incredibly important for them. At that time, the older guys had a series of topics about the multifaceted personality of God: “God is the Creator”, “God is pure and righteous”, “God is bread”, “God is omnipresent”. In addition to the themes, there was crafts that children of any age simply adore. Those who can’t speak normally can express themselves in creativity without words. For such children, it is important to be heard and noticed. Every time we thank God for the open doors to boarding schools, for the hearts of educators and children, and we rejoice in every hour spent together.

There is a boy at an orphanage, his name is Vanya. Vanya always comes to our meetings, and participates actively. Recently he came up to us during another meeting and says: -Guys, you taught us to learn to forgive. It’s really difficult!- and he told us a story about how he was offended. Thank God that the kids trust us and tell us about their problems and needs. After the story, Vanya began to ask us questions about the best way to deal with his situation. We gave him a couple of advices. He thought about it, and at the end of the meeting, after we prayed, he came up to us and said that he had made a decision to forgive those people who offended him, because it would be the right thing on his part. After all, they might not even think about it, and this probably was the hardest thing for him. And after he forgave them, this burden fell off his shoulders. Thank God that we can help and influence the children in a kind way!

This month turned out to be very active, eventful and joyful! More and more new guys came to our meetings. Even the oldest guys, who used to stay away, are now actively participating in our events. As it turned out, the topics of our meetings about various addictions turned out to be very relevant for them. There were moments when the oldest boys with all the courage and openness shared their problems faced by themselves or their parents. For example, when Vadim talked about the problem of alcoholism, this topic was especially relevant to many children for the reason that many of them ended up in boarding school because their parents consumed alcohol and led an immoral lifestyle.

At the next meeting, Alyona talked about the dangers of smoking, how much it destroys the human body and how quickly addiction sets in. Members of our team are occupied in different professional spheres. Alyona is a nurse, so she easily, with a lot of illustrations, revealed the topic both according to medicine and to the Bible.
The topic is also relevant for the guys, because many of them have already tried to smoke and many of the guys shared their experiences about how easy it is to start smoking and how difficult it is to stop later.

Ilya spoke about another widespread addiction in the modern world. We all use Internet resources and social networks. Together with the guys, Ilya identified a list of positive aspects related to the Internet. For example, this is a quick search for information, communication, music, sports and other positive resources. But, unfortunately, if we use the Internet and social networks incorrectly, we can fall into various traps with a lot of destructive information, get under negative influence, and also face computer and gaming addiction. Ilya not only told the guys about the problem, but also showed them ways to solve it and shared his personal example of how he copes with not being trapped on the Internet.

At the last meeting of this month, Katya talked with teenages about watching horror movies. She talked about their negative impact on the human body, soul and spirit, talked about the fears that arise as a consequence. The guys were impressed by this topic because they watch such films quite often and are already familiar with some of the consequences, such as nightmares, fears. The guys talked about how sometimes it’s difficult and scary for them to fall asleep. In my opinion, it is very important to take care of what these children fill their hearts and minds with, because there are no parents next to them who can be there when they are scared, who can hug and calm them down.
And also, I’m worried about the especially vulnerable psyche of the guys! Katya talked a lot about what alternative God offers and how important it is to spend time with Him, filling your heart with His word and how healthy and important it is to pray and ask God for protection both day and night! It’s great that God gives each person from our team different gifts and talents, as well as professional skills that we can use in our ministry! And also, we are glad that God opens the doors of boarding schools and gives us the opportunity to serve the orphaned children of our country! Praise God for everything!

Greetings, brothers and sisters. Today I want to share how we attended the Belynichi boarding school. At the moment, there are one hundred and twelve children in the school. Most of the guys are children up to the seventh grade. And about these guys I want to tell you. This month started with crafts activity, we wanted to do something different at our visits, so Natasha, one of the leaders in our team, offered to conduct crafts activity. Children love it very much, they like not only the process of creation, but also the fact that they can tell and sometimes eagerly about what they feel and what they live through. Such events always open up the world of children to better understanding. During the creative process, we learned that Danik’s parents began to come and that they were preparing papers in order to recover. Sasha said that our visits bring her joy every time. Slava, a boy who speaks very little due to the diagnosis, showed with his hands and smile how he likes everything.

The next week, when we arrived, we talked from the Bible about how Anna asked God for a son. After reading this story, we could meditate on how God responds to us. Sometimes God says wait or not, and sometimes God answers right away. This lesson helped to understand that turning to God is not a lifesaver, but a real relationship being built. And that sometimes you need to put in order to get an answer. And then Danik told to the guys ‘I prayed and my parents, who abandoned me, want to take me home again’. When we finished the topic, the guys prayed for their parents, that God would help them, and that their parents would come to visit more often.

When we arrived another time, we had a topic about Eli and Samuel. We said that every person on this earth has his own purpose from God. And following the example of the story, God wants to talk to every person. It is important for God when He speaks to us through Scripture and through prayer, so that we do not just listen, but obey everything He says. The main point of the story is about Samuel’s obedience, that he was not afraid and said everything that was needed to people. Despite the fact that Samuel lived in Eli’s family, he told the truth, which was very poignant. And then the guys started saying that it was difficult for them to tell the truth, because they thought they would not be understood or they would be immediately punished or simply ridiculed. But we encouraged the guys to pray in order to speak the truth boldly and be faithful in word and deed.

When we left the block where the lesson was taking place, we talked to the guys about how they spend their time and they told us that they watch horror movies. Our team decided to hold the following topic about the horrors, what they bring and what are the consequences. Katya from our team said that she would hold this topic. When we arrived, we talked about the dangers of such films. Roma said that when he watches much of such films, he can’t sleep afterwards. It seems to him that something bad is about to happen to him. The other guys started telling what was happening to them. And Katya in her topic said that fear can bind a person and can steal peace and rest. That watching such scary movies opens the door to fear and problems in the future. Many of the guys asked us to pray so that their sleep would be restored and they could sleep peacefully again. We are so glad that then the guys called us and said that they began to sleep better and the horrors of the night no longer interfere with their sleep.

On March 31, the whole world celebrates Easter. We also decided to hold an Easter service at the end of the week, where we told the guys where this holiday came from, what Easter means to us now and how we can see God’s plan now. We talked about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and at the end we showed a couple more scenes for children. At the end of the performance and our lesson, we gave gifts to the children. We are so glad that this special month we could focus the children’s attention on important truths, as well as help them to overcome the inner fears that the children have lived with for so long.

Dear friends, thank you very much for your prayers and your support. We believe that this joint ministry will help the children to succeed both spiritually and physically. Thank you very much and blessings to everyone who reads and to everyone who serves with us. Christ is risen! Truly risen.

This month, our goal was to tell the children at the shelter about the qualities of God, about His versatility and how relationship with Him can change their lives for the better. In the first week of March, we talked about the fact that our God is the Creator of life, the universe, all living things, and most importantly people. Miroslav asked why God cannot force people to live well, be obedient to Him and not sin. He is concerned about this issue because their parents try not to drink alcohol, get better, but at some point they break down and become addicted to alcohol again and the state, seeing their lifestyle, does not give them permission to take Miroslav and his sisters from the orphanage. We showed the answers to the children’s questions in the Bible and inspired them to continue to pray for their parents, as well as for God’s will for each of them. My team and I also pray for all the children we visit and serve, because prayer can change even the most difficult circumstances!

The following topics were that our God is Pure and Righteous, which means that we also strive for His righteousness and even if we sin, we can be cleansed by asking God and people for forgiveness. Alice, who is 7 years old, admitted that she sometimes offends her sisters (Yana, she is 5 and Darinka, she is 3 years old) and that it is very unpleasant for her when she does this. She said she would ask God for more love for her sisters and forgiveness if she did wrong to them again.

In the last week of March, we prepared a festive program and invited Diana, who changed into a big heart costume, and her image and performance told the children about God’s love and what we celebrate on Easter. When she said that we celebrate the death of Jesus Christ for the sins of all people and His resurrection, we saw surprise in the eyes of the guys. It turned out that this was the first time they had heard about what kind of holiday it was and how much the Lord loved each of us! Thank God for the opportunity to sow the seeds of truth, love and light into these children’s hearts.
At the end of the holiday, we gave everyone a gift box and rejoiced with them when they opened their gifts and laughed with happiness. The children said that they had never been given such cool gifts in their lives and they were very grateful to God for everything that came in the box))) We thank everyone for participating in the lives of the children of Belarus! May the Lord bless you and your families abundantly!!!

Dear readers! Thank you for your prayers for serving orphans in Belarus! Thank God for the February trips to the orphanage in Smilovichi! At the moment, the same children are in the orphanage as before. For several weeks we were unable to visit them because the children were in quarantine due to chickenpox, which caused our trips to be suspended for a while. Thank God that the children recovered and our meetings with them resumed! I haven’t seen the children since the end of December and I was very pleased when some team members wrote to me that the children were asking about me, this made me very happy, because it meant that we were able to make friends with them and they were looking forward to meet us and are always very happy when we come to them! On my first trip in February, after a short break, the children were so happy to see that they literally knocked me off my feet and we sat on the floor together and hugged for a long time. It was a wonderful time.

The children are very happy to play games with us and also praise God by singing. I never cease to be amazed at the desire and involvement with which they do this, thank God for that! This month we talked with the guys about several topics, such as “Faith”, “Prayer is conversation with God”, “Bible”. I am happy with the fact how the children try to listen to what we tell and how they answer questions. Especially the boy Miroslav (the oldest brother), he answers very consciously and we are always pleasantly surprised by this.

Obviously we do not know when these children will be taken back to their family, so while they are in the orphanage we wanted to talk to them about such important topics as I wrote above. That the Lord hears our prayers, sees our hearts, knows what we are worried about, what we want, what we are afraid of, so we can always and in any situation turn to Him in prayer and open our hearts to Him. Katya also explained exactly how we can pray to God – talk to Him like to our closest friend.

In the lesson about faith, I told them the biblical story of how Jesus walked on water to the frightened disciples, the main idea of the lesson was the idea that it doesn’t matter where we are and what we do – the Lord sees us and our heart, whether there is fear there or something else, it is important to believe that the Lord can do everything and can help us in our matters.

On another trip, Dima talked about the book that God left for us – the Bible. He told me that everything written in it is reliable, and also why it should be read and studied. Thank God for everything! Blessings, brothers and sisters!

Our trips to the boarding school in Belynichi took place in different formats. At the beginning of the month, the younger guys watched acartoon about Moses, with which we memorized the whole story that we introduced to the guys last month. During the meeting, I noticed that the guys were offending each other, calling each other names, and I decided that we should teach them to say good words to each other. They had to notice some good qualities of a friend in pairs. It turned out that it was difficult for most of the guys to both say compliments and accept them. Katya and I also tried to say kind words to the children about how wonderful they are and highlight good qualities in them. One boy burst into tears, he was very affected by the words that we told him and the fact that he turns out to be so wonderful!

At one of the meetings, we held a Gospel concert. Angelina, a member of our team, came with a worship group from her church. They sang songs, some of those which we sing with the guys, and also asked questions from Bible stories, for example, about exit from Egypt. It was obvious that the guys knew the answers. Vanya was themost active in answering questions, he strives to read and study the Bible.

There was a contest with chocolate hidden under a chair and Yarik, who has down syndrome,found a chocolate bar and was very happy. He was called on stage, and he even answered some questions in his own language, which we have already learned to understand. At the end of the meeting, a new girl from the younger group, whose name is Alina, came up. She warned that she would not be at the next meeting, it was clear that she listened with great thirst and that our meetings were important and interesting to her. I also managed to attend a separate meeting with the older guys.

At this meeting, we talked about theft. About where it starts and how it ends. We gave examples from the lives of the guys who graduated from their own school, how it all started from a very little thing, and how later theft led them to prison. We gave an analogy from the Bible that the biggest thief is the devil and if we steal, we imitate him. At the very end, we prayed with the guys that they would make the right choice in their lives and never get into a situation with theft.

At the last meeting, we talked with the older guys about the difference between true love and falling in love, which often leads to early sexual relationships and many other serious consequences and wounds. We also talked about how God looks at sexual relations and that He intended it for healthy family relationships.
In the end, according to a good tradition, we prayed for the guys, so that they would avoid wrong relationships, respect and appreciate each other, and also so that in the future they would have good healthy families. I was very pleased that many oldest guys came at this meeting, because they used to run away to school football or somewhere else on their own business before. The topic turned out to be very relevant for them, so the guys were very actively involved in the conversation.
Meanwhile, Dima was teaching the younger children a Bible lesson about the Bible, about the message that God wants to convey to all people! I believe that this month of our ministry was very eventful and fruitful! Thank God!

I greet everyone. Gratitude to the Lord God Jesus Christ that He gives us opportunity and strength and desire to go to boarding schools for communication, friendship, care and testimony to children about the Gospel of Christ. This month, God blessed Rudensk boarding school that we held crafts with children, Alyona talked about the dangers of smoking for health and compared it with what God says in the Bible, about addictions and the consequences not only physical but also spiritual. 1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” Nastya also talked about premarital relationships, about the fact that God does not like sexual relations outside of marriage and also mentioned the consequences. Ilya spoke on the topic of “theft” and there were also a boys’ and girls’ parties. There was a conversation with girls and boys about the dangers of pornography. We are grateful that there is such an opportunity to be close and friendly with children, to be a good example for them, to pray with them and for them, and also to tell them about Christ and the Bible.

Nikita and Dasha had the opportunity this month to take Sasha Dyagel and Nikita Kirichenko to their home for the weekend. They went to McDonald’s, played board games, attended a church meeting and just had a good fellowship and spent time together and also talked about the Gospel and how the guys understand the sence of the Bible.

On the last trip, Sasha asked to pray for his mother so that she would be found and stop drinking alcohol. And Sveta also asked to pray for her brother, who started smoking, as well as for her mother.

The guys in Rudensk really like to hug, when we wait for them at the entrance near the dining room, they come up to us and often hug us. It’s great that a lot of guys come, usually 15-20 people. It’s good that so many kids hear about Christ, the Bible, prayer and God. The last time Katya told her testimony about how she lived and how God changed her life. The children listened attentively and I think they understood that they could find themselves in the same situation as Katya and that no one but God could help them.
Please pray for us so that God will bless friendship with the guys, friendship in the team and friendship with the staff of the boarding school for whom I hope we are also a good testimony of Christ and His Gospel. Colossians 4:3 “Praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ”.

Now there are six children in the orphanage: five from one family, and one from another. During the few months of our communication with them, they got used to us well. Darina, who is three years old and who at first shunned us and stayed close to her sister, now welcomes us with joy, hugs us and communicates with us. It is clear that each time they wait to meet with us, and besides, they say it themselves. A girl named Alice once said: I was waiting for Tuesday when you would come. When someone from the team can’t join the trip, the guys ask why this person did not come and whether he will be next time. Once we even received handmade gifts from the guys. At the moment in the orphanage there is one teenage boy named Vadim, who never came to our meetings, despite the fact that he was called many times. Despite this, one member of our team managed to talk to him alone and tell him the Gospel.

This month we had three girls: Yana, Darina and Alice. Unfortunately, their brother was admitted to the hospital. The girls listen well to the Bible lessons. Before meeting us, they had a poor understanding of God and the Bible, for them it is mostly new information. But despite this, they absorb and remember it very well. They are involved in the lesson and actively, sometimes even vying, answer the questions that we ask them during or after the story. Through the Bible lesson, we try to introduce children to God. For example, in the last lessons we talked about gratitude and told them the parable of the prodigal son. Through this parable, we tried to explain to them that God is loving and that He is always ready to accept a person, no matter what happens in his life. We also applied this parable into their lives and explained to them that God is just as open to them as to the prodigal son and that God loves them in the same way.

We also play different games with the children every time, which they also enthusiastically accept. Games help to get closer to them and create a fun and friendly atmosphere. Also, the guys love Christian songs with movements and even hum them in their free time. During the last trip, we managed to devote time directly to communicate with them. The girls shared what they like to do in their free time, who they would like to become in the future and how they communicate with each other. They talked about how they lived in a family. Their parents visit them from time to time. Like many who are in such institutions, they want to return back to their family. However, as far as we know, they will still be in the orphanage for some time.

We continue to visit the children at the Belynichi School every Thursday and during the month of January we conducted Bible lessons with them according to the plan. We are very pleased to see that many children come to our meetings with their Bibles and sincerely want to know the word of God. Artyom always comes with prepared questions about those verses that he couldn’t understand, and in personal communication we try to give the right answers and encourage everyone who studies the Scripture. When we told the story of the prodigal son, about his mistakes and sins, but also about the father’s love and forgiveness, great surprise was visible on the faces of the guys. During the discussion of this topic, they said that their lives are also changing thanks to God’s love and forgiveness. Some of them asked us for forgiveness for disrespect, bad behavior and rude words, which they couldn’t restrain sometimes. We see huge changes in their lives, character and light in their eyes. God works in the lives of His children and it is a privilege for us to be a part of it.

For younger children, we taught a lesson about God’s love and how we can show our love for God, that our actions and decisions always show how much we love Him and are ready to be obedient. Misha said that he stopped offending other children and behaving badly with educators. He is glad that he feels safe and confident in the love of God!!! Yarik (he hardly speaks) tries to participate in everything and always comes forward to pray and say once again that he believes in God and wants to know Him and be with Him always. Even the educators noticed a change for the better in his behavior and relationships with people. They said he became less aggressive and closed. Now Yarik is a more open, peaceful and kind child. Thank God! The Bible says that the Word of God will not return to Him in vain, and we continue to sow these seeds of truth in children’s hearts. Thanks a lot to everyone for prayers and support in the ministry!

Dear friends! I want to tell you how another month of our service to orphans passed. The time with the guys was truly bright and eventful because everyone still had the aftertaste of holidays and vacations. Trips to children in Rudensk began with a Christmas program. We love this time very much because both children and adults are especially inclined to hear about God and for us this is a great opportunity to break false stereotypes about Christmas and talk about the true purpose of the birth of Jesus Christ into our world. Of course we told the children the story of Christmas which is written in the Bible. Then there was a time when we sang together some songs for our beloved birthday boy Jesus, simply hugged each other and were happy that we could spend this time together. After worship we held a Christmas quiz with many interesting questions and tasks. I was very pleased that the guys responded quite well and actively, which means it’s not in vain that they come to our meetings and remember what they hear from us! After the main program we had a tea party with sweets. And at the end of the evening, according to our good tradition, each child received his long-awaited Christmas gift! The children were delighted! Many of them later returned and thanked us for the gifts! Thank God for the birth of Jesus Christ, that on His own birthday He gives gifts to the people He loves so much!

The topic of our next meeting was “Gratitude.” I really want the kids to be able to be grateful not only when they receive gifts, but also in their everyday lives. For example, they are grateful to their teachers for taking care of them or grateful to each other for their help and support in difficult moments of life. Of course, we also taught them to be able to find in every day of life something for which they can thank Heavenly Father, Who is always there and Who gives everything they need for life! As a biblical example we used the biblical story of the 10 lepers, in which only one person returned to thank Jesus for healing him from a serious illness. We really hope and pray that the word heard will penetrate into children’s hearts and develop in them gratitude to God and people around them. Then we told the children the story of the prodigal son, who realized how good it was to be close to his father only when he had lost and squandered everything he had and was left completely alone, in poverty and in his own helplessness! We dream that every child who heard this biblical story would open his heart to God and never repeat the story of his parents and waste his life on what brings suffering, pain and loneliness.

At the last meeting Anatoliy talked about how he came to God and how much his life had changed. His story was based on the biblical text from the book of Proverbs, chapter 1. It talks about how dangerous bad companies can be and where they lead. But it also talks about what path God offers people. Anatoliy shared with the guys how difficult his life was before meeting God. He also shared how good he is now, what kind friends he has in his life now, and how great it is to follow God!
Children are very impressed and inspired by the testimonies of the team or the guests, which we invite to our meetings sometimes. We hope that the story from Anatoliy’s life not only impressed the guys, but also motivated them to reconsider their own lives. This is relevant especially for graduates who will graduate from school in a few months and go to study or work in different cities. During this period they are seriously faced with the choice of friends, who subsequently have a significant impact on their lives. We always try to involve the children in local churches, but the graduates are the people, who make that final choice! Thank you to everyone who supports us prayerfully and financially, as well as to those who read us!