News

Shall we play?

Thanks to our friends, there is a wonderful playground in a yard at the Good Shepherd Shelter. A good playground is a rarity in Ukraine and therefore boys and girls who live nearby often come to play. We see this in a positive light because our children can learn to make friends with children from families and can also learn how to be hospitable to guests. But how different these children are, as if from two different worlds! In one world you can feel free from danger, you can relax in knowing that at any moment a tender loving mom or a caring grandmother will come to your aid. The other world is the world in which an abandoned child lives--in which you can never show that you are weak and you must constantly evaluate the situation around you in order to be prepared to give a rebuff and defend yourself and your own whenever necessary. For you there is no one to rely upon, all you have is your own strength. Cruel? But cruel and a reality for these children. They live in this reality at school, on the street, and at home. And I observe anew how light-hearted little girls from good homes play with dolls, sew clothes for them, make little houses for them, and I look at our dear little girls who have already seen and lived through such pain that even adults haven’t faced. Pain makes you more grown up, and you already look at the world differently, with somewhat sad eyes. Our girls rarely play with dolls…

Autumn vacation

Two months of fall flew by and two long-awaited weeks of vacation began for our children. There are 23 students at the Good Shepherd Shelter. They range from Kolya A., Andrey S., and Danil T. who entered the first grade to Dima T. who will graduate this year. The rest of the children are in the primary and middle classes. Some have already decided for sure that they will become a cook or a police officer after school and some are still pondering. The staff and friends of the Good Shepherd Shelter pray for each of our children, that they will find themselves and their calling in order to be useful to the Lord and those around them.
 
Vacation is the best time! During vacation you can finally sleep in (on school days the children are awakened at 6:15 a.m.), discuss with your friends everything that you wanted so much to discuss, but you didn’t have enough time, play soccer, ride bikes, take part in competitions, visit relatives. Vacation is the most wonderful time--you can ask any child at the Good Shepherd Shelter, but how quickly the time flies!

Beauty contest

It goes without saying that every one of our children is the most beautiful to us. You see the child, worry about him, try to feel what he feels, and the child becomes the most beautiful to you! But how many doubts and questions about their appearance spring up in every head, especially in the heads of girls! The difficulties and problems that they lived through with their parents left their mark on the outlook of the children and the children’s opinions of themselves. And how important it is to raise this opinion and tell a child that he is special in our eyes and the eyes of the Lord! We held a small hairstyle contest in which all the boys and girls competed, young and old. Everyone styled their hair and we prepared small prizes. At the end of a few contests, we determined the winners. We thank God for this time, a chance to be together, to laugh and make each other happy! Is this not indeed a family?!

An evening of music

Music is around us everywhere—at the store, on the bus, when we move, think, and relax. What kind of music do you listen to? What is it about? Is it sad or happy? We decided to organize an evening of music in order to widen our children’s understanding of music. We invited guests who play various instruments. Together we were able to listen to different types of music, to reflect on what music carries with it, and to participate in skits and games.
 
It is also a great joy to us that five of our girls of different ages have begun to take piano lessons. The teacher comes to us for the lessons. To those who practice with great desire comes ongoing improvement and inspiration. Please pray for our children, that they will have desire and zeal and will learn to overcome challenges.

Good Shepherd Shelter Pedagogical Conference

Six educators work in our team. Three educators work with the oldest group and middle group, and three work with the youngest group. To be an educator is a special position in our home because you are an example—you are watched and evaluated, tested, and questioned. You are tested to find if you can be trusted--are you a true friend or only pretending? How can one be a wise educator? Where can one get the strength and wisdom to receive, understand, and help a child? Glory to the Lord that we can always turn to Him. In the Bible it is written “ “ and therefore the pedagogical team gets together every three months in order to advise each other, share experience, and pray for our children together. Also, at every conference an appointed educator prepares a report on a given theme applicable to us. At the last conference the educators discussed the book How to Love a Child, by the renowned Polish teacher Yanusha Korchaka.

Six questions

In October, our Kristina B. turned fifteen. Kristina has lived at our home for around three years. She is a serious and responsible girl. This summer, Kristina helped the cook prepare food for 50 people at the camp our children attended. She loves to work and is able to cope with difficulties.

We asked our Kristina six questions:

One girl’s story

This girl’s name is Alyona. She has lived with us for only a few months. She is ten years old and is in the third grade. She has blue eyes and is a very lively, active girl. It sometimes seems that her energy and optimism have no limit. Alyona has only a mother. Her mother has HIV, doesn’t work, and drinks. Alyona lived with her mother in a rented house without electricity and unheated because no one bought coal. Alyona rarely went to school and when she did, she was dirty and had lice. Her mother brought her to our home. Alyonka easily joined in with our group of children and became friends with other girls. Our teacher is working with Alyona in order to get her up to par for school. Alyonka is also studying games and piano. She came up herself and said that she wants to study with the other children. Every parent can make a mistake and sometimes these mistakes are irreparable. Every adult can give in to his perpetual troubles and despair. And while the adult looks for a way out, the child suffers and it falls upon the child to pay for others’ mistakes and resolve adult problems. Praise the Lord that in the life of this little girl something changed--she doesn’t have lice, someone is caring for her health and development, she can go to school, learn to play piano, and most importantly simply be joyful and give us her smiles and happiness every day!

Dear friends, praise the Lord that He cares for us, looks after our needs, helps in times of trouble. Thank you very much for your prayers and spiritual and material support. We help the children together — you on your end and the staff of the Good Shepherd Shelter on the other. And may our Lord rejoice when he sees our united work for these children! Dear friends, we thank each of you very much for being with us!

Please pray together with us:

Our material needs: