December Update

For three weeks in October and November, Open Arms was given the opportunity to return to Ukraine and the children we love. The purpose of this trip was to reconnect with the graduates in their new trade schools and learn more about how we can develop our long term ministry.

The Pravda Orphanage

Our time at Pravda was much shorter than normal because the kids were in school. But the four days we spent there were filled with so much fun, games, dancing and loving on these lonely children. While we were there we were able to hand out much needed socks, jackets, shirts and other warm winter clothes to all the children of Pravda. Though it was still fall by the calendar, the cold winter weather had already begun to set in so it was great to provide the kids with warmer clothes for the coming months. The kids and staff were very thankful for the help we were able to bring.

In addition to hanging out and strengthening our relationships with the kids at Pravda, we also were able to spend a lot of time with Dusia and Sergey. This young couple, both Pravda graduates, lives in a small house near the orphanage with their beautiful 7 month old daughter, Vala. We were able to bring baby clothes and other needed supplies to this amazing family who we have grown to love so deeply.

We are thankful that God has so graciously blessed us to be allowed to keep going back to the orphanage and to continue our ministry with the kids and the staff at Pravda.

Graduates

One of our main goals on this trip to Ukraine was to connect with as many children as possible who graduated from Pravda this past year. As of September 1^st, after completing the 9^th grade, 45 children were placed in trade schools throughout the Sumy region and are now learning to become tractor drivers, receiving little care, and minimal education in cold and abusive environments. God completely blessed our search as we found children at train tracks, ran into kids at the bus station, and spent the majority of our time loving on these desperate hearts. After our initial connections, our apartment was continually filled with the faces of the children we love so much. It is clear that these children are ready for Open Arms ministry; they are ready for love and desire opportunity.

Winter came in full force during our time in Ukraine, but the children were far from prepared for the frigid weather. Wearing windbreakers in 12°F is far from adequate. Open Arms took the opportunity to share the love of God with these children by taking them to the nearby market. For the first time in their lives they walked around a market, picked out what they wanted, tried it on, and purchased brand new jackets, shoes, gloves, pants, etc. Other firsts included: their first restaurant experience, first chocolate chip cookie, first McDonald's hamburger, first experience in a supermarket, and, for Sasha Pevniv, he made his first wish on a birthday cake. Though their situations in life leave little room for hope, their spirits have not been broken. They long for more in this life: they have cried through many nights, faced abuse and hardships no child should ever experience, their loads are heavy, but we will work to show them that God's love will never fail.

Life After Pravda

God continues to broaden our vision for what He will have us do in Ukraine. As we hung out with the graduates, we were able to see first hand the very real needs that fill each of their lives. The trade schools were uninviting places; most were run down and had poor facilities. The places where these kids live are cold, to say the least, and very lonely places. Our kids wore sweatshirts and jeans in the below freezing weather, with shoes that did little protect their feet from getting cold and wet from the snow. No wonder many of them were already sick, coughing constantly. Each month if the kids continue to attend the trade schools, they are given a small amount of money through the government. This usually equals between 10 to 30 dollars, hardly enough to survive on. This amount is not sufficient to clothe them and provides little to sustain their basic hygiene needs or transportation costs. Taking care of their physical needs, has always been a huge focus of our ministry, as we try to care for them in tangible ways and show them the love of Christ.

The children's lives only get harder after their two years in the trade schools is completed and this is when they truly have no support. Our hope is to be able to get them into real schools that will actually train them to be able to make it in life; instead of their trade schools where most all of them are learning to become tractor drivers. Even though they have already been at their schools for a few months, they already see through the scheme: that their schools provide very menial education and are going to get them nowhere. Statistically, many of the kids will end up dropping out of school. Either way, at the end out their two years, most end up on the streets with no government assistance and no way to survive. That is huge reason why 70% of boys end up in crime. Our ministry longs to prevent this from happening to these children. We will be doing everything we can to provide them another path in life through tangible opportunities, as well as loving them and showing them that they are worth something.

It has been a long road establishing relationships with the kids and proving ourselves trustworthy, but God has truly developed these friendships and the kids are more open than ever. We have reached the point where they finally know that we are going to be there for them and that they can rely on us. As we grow in our relationships with them, we pray that God will open up opportunities to share more of our faith with them. These kids come from very hard backgrounds with personal tragedies that have happened in their own lives and the general cultural atheism that is still dominant. These children so desperately need to know God and how beautiful the gospel truly is. We will be looking into partnering with churches that will be inviting and welcoming places for our children to get involved. Please pray for God to work in their hearts and give them faith to believe in Him.

Face of Open Arms

Name: Andre Kovalenko
Age: 16

Andre is the kind of kid who rarely demands attention. He'll stand on the sidelines and quietly observe everything that is going on. He comes across as a good, stable, responsible kid to the average observer, but it takes a long time to actually get to know his heart. He's good at hiding his emotions, but his sadness is often portrayed as he lays on his bed alone and tries to shut out the world around him. When given time and attention, he is so easily filled with appreciation and joy. The smallest gift given to him will be undoubtedly treasured. It takes him a while to feel safe enough to build deeper relationships with people, but when he does, it is beautiful to be a part of. He is able to be so thoughtful and giving, chivalrous and protective towards those he loves. Over time, he is more able to express his true emotions towards those he trusts, even able to admit when he's been hurt or when something meant the world to him. Much of his story has yet been told, but he has lived at the Pravda orphanage for much his life, alone with no siblings or family support. In a letter, he wrote that in his entire lifetime, he has never been given a present by anyone. An amazing person who never deserved the kind of life has been through, Andre now has the chance to develop his amazing potential under the love and support that Open Arms will provide.

How You Can Help

Many of you have asked how you can help and specific things you can do to be a part of this ministry. We would love to see you taking action to join us in helping these precious kids! Here are some ideas of things you can do to help now.
-- Tell your friends! Talk to family, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, teammates, roommates and anyone else you know! Let them know about the needs of the forgotten orphans in Ukraine and what Open Arms is doing to help. The more people that know the more people there are to pray and help fund raise.
-- Buy a bracelet for Christmas! Our leather name bracelets make great stocking stuffers, gift exchange items or Christmas presents! Give a gift that's more than just a present – 100% of the proceeds from our bracelets go straight into our ministry supporting needy orphans in Ukraine.
-- Organize a fund raiser! A garage sale might raise more money than you'd think. One Open Arms friend raised over $800! Any amount you can raise will help take care of the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the orphans in Ukraine. We can send bracelets, slideshow dvds and flyers to have at any garage sale, bake sale, car wash, benefit concert, auction, raffle or anything else you put together to help support Open Arms. Let us know if there is anything we can help you with to get your event running!
-- Talk to your church! Open Arms would love to establish more connections with churches and you can help. Talk to your pastors and church leaders about what we are doing and how your church might be able to be a part of it! Encourage your church or youth group would like to get involved through prayer, financial support or by organizing a fund raiser. As time and travel will allow, we would love to come speak or attend a fund raising event. We will gladly send you a packet of information about Open Arms for you to give away to anyone who might be interested in finding out more information about our ministry or how they can support.
Prayer Requests

--Pravda – please keep the children of Pravda in your prayers, particularly through the cold and lonely winter months. Pray that God would continue to soften the hearts of the children and the staff to the gospel.

--Graduates – after visiting with many of the Pravda graduates on this trip, we have seen even more their many needs. Pray that God would provide for them and show them His love through others while we are away.

--Connections in Ukraine – we would love to be able to find and connect with a local church in Sumy. Please pray that God would guide us in this search and that we would be able to meet other Christians in the Sumy area.

--Language – we are all still working to learn Russian and Ukrainian so we can communicate more with our kids. Pray that God would give us understanding as we learn. Also pray that we would be able to find a tutor once we move.

--Our Home in Ukraine – we were able to look at a few houses in Ukraine on this trip, but we are still in search of the right house for us. Please pray that God would lead us to the home He has for us.

--Fund Raising – praise God for the generous giving of many supporters up to this point. We are still in need of around $50,000 for our house alone. Pray that He would move in people’s hearts to give to Open Arms so that we can have what we can have enough to cover all our start up costs.

--Non-profit Status – we are still awaiting approval of our non-profit application. Pray that it would get processed quickly.

--Partnering with other organizations – Open Arms is looking to partner with churches, businesses, organizations and foundations to build up financial and prayer support. Pray that we would be given and respond wisely to opportunities to present our ministry to potential ministry partners and supporters. If you have any connections with your church or any other group you think might be interested in joining our ministry, please let us know!

Thank You

To those of you who pray for, give to, and encourage the ministry of Open Arms, thank you. If you are interested in learning more about Open Arms or how to support, please let us know! Your support in this ministry is what allows us to continue sharing God's love with these children. We would not be able to do this without you!

October Update

Note: This update was supposed to be posted in October... Sorry for the delay.

It has been a couple of months since the last update and much has been going on with Open Arms. We have been busy planning our move and working to make the best decisions about all of that. With all the health scares and family emergencies, we postponed our moving plans for a later date. In the midst we have been given the incredible opportunity to take a 3 week trip back to Ukraine to settle major logistics to solidify our move. The W Charitable Foundation has graciously sponsored our team with this trip and we will be in Ukraine from October 23rd through November 15th. Please keep our team in your prayers as we work to accomplish many goals throughout our three weeks.

- Pray that we would be able to connect with all of the recent graduates in their various locations
- Pray for strength as a team with the emotional aspect of this trip
- Pray for unification with the local Christians in the Sumy region as we work towards this goal
- Pray that housing would be found for the future move that would be inexpensive and strategically located
- Pray for our time at the Pravda orphanage and meetings with the director, Nina.
- Pray for safety as various travels will take place daily
- Pray for health, especially for Annie who is not at 100%
- Pray for Sashko, our translator and friend – he is praying about where God desires him to be and we would love to have him as a part of our ministry fulltime
- Pray that God would direct us and give us wisdom with long-term decisions

As we continue to pursue this ministry God has placed on our hearts, we continue to need your support. Please pray about how God might be asking you to support this ministry and become a part of Open Arms Ukraine. Thank you for your prayers and support! Without the body of Christ God's love will never reach these desperate and lost children.

july update

Summer Camp 2007
This June Open Arms put on a two week summer camp program for the children of the Pravda orphanage. It was clear throughout our time with the children that God was working overtime to help us accomplish our goals and truly bless these beautiful children. Sashko, our translator, was a complete blessing in our lives as a team. He went above and beyond anything we could’ve expected and helped us in countless ways throughout our weeks in Ukraine. Our days at Pravda were filled with some of our favorite activities with the kids such as soccer games, break dance parties, and swimming in the river. We were also given more time to spend building relationships with the children we love so much. As an added blessing, we had the opportunity to spend time with some of Pravda’s graduates from last year. The time with these kids was a beautiful way to deepen our relationships with them. At the same time, it was a painfully eye-opening experience to the reality of how quickly the statistics become the lives of these children after they leave the orphanage. This trip was key in the continual development of our relationship with the orphanage director and the teachers as well. Nina, the director, gave us the green light to continue our ministry and visits throughout the year at the orphanage. Overall, God’s love for these beautiful children was driven even deeper into our hearts and our desire and commitment to love and care for them has never been stronger. We are excited for the incredible privilege of sharing God’s grace and love with these children and continuing our ministry to them.


Graduation
One of our major focuses for this trip was the kids of the graduating class; on May 31st, 45 amazing children “graduated” from the Pravda orphanage. It was an amazing blessing for Open Arms to be there for this event and to show our support for the kids who we are privileged to know and to have watched grow up over the last few years. We were able to give each of the graduates a gift, including a brand new blanket, beanie, clothes, a watch, school supplies and other things that will help them as they prepare to leave the orphanage and begin the next stage of their lives in just 2 months. Getting to know these kids in the time we have spent at Pravda over the last few years has been an honor and a gift. The statistics that are typical for these orphan “graduates” in Ukraine are heartbreaking. For many of the Pravda graduates, the orphanage is the only “home” and their friends the only “family” they have had for the majority of their lives. Realities sink in quickly as they are suddenly forced to learn to live life on their own without proper food, shelter and support at such a young age. These kids are a huge part of our focus in ministry and we look forward to years of continuing to love support the kids of this class and many others.

The Shipment
One of the highlights of our trip was the arrival of the shipment we sent the end of last year. We spent months collecting, sorting and organizing donations to bring to the children of Pravda. Many of you spent time and money putting together presents for each of the kids at the orphanage. We sent these gifts, and many other supplies – blankets, beanies, socks, crafts, games, toys, etc. – to the orphanage in a large cargo container at the end of last year. We learned a great deal in this process and on June 13th, a truck filled with 126 boxes arrived at the Pravda orphanage. We were able to give gifts to every single child at the orphanage; with special attention given to the orphans facing life on their own in a matter of months. Seeing the joy and excitement on their faces as we handed each of them their gifts and watching them walk proudly wearing their new clothes was well worth the work put into collecting, sort-ing, organizing and shipping it to Ukraine. Thank you so much for those of you who bought presents, participated in the blanket drive, brought donated items, gave money to help pay for shipping, or simply prayed for it all to get there safely! There is no way we would have been able to do this without your help. Through this, God’s love was once again showed in tangible ways to these beautiful children.

Long Term Ministry
The ministry of Open Arms is one based, not solely on a program, but primarily on our relationships with the children. A large part of the purpose of Open Arms is to provide for the physical needs of the Pravda graduates and also to support them both emotionally and spiritually. The graduates of this years’ class will be going to over 15 different trade schools spread out over the Sumy region. Lord willing, by the end of August, the Open Arms team will be moving to Sumy. Our purpose will be to provide a home that is a place where they feel like family and know that they are safe, cared for and loved. Because they will not all be located in one city, this home will be a safe haven for them to come to at any time they need a place to go. These graduates are often without a home and it is common for them to find themselves in crime and prostitution as a means of survival. With your support, we will be able to provide a home where they can always find a safe place to sleep, a warm meal to fill their stomachs, and the love and support they need to help encourage them in life. We believe that by providing for their physical needs while loving them in the place they are in, we will be sharing the gospel of Christ in a tangible way that will be the most understandable way for them to receive.

While the graduates are a major focus of our ministry, there are still around 200 kids living in the Pravda orphanage. The Open Arms team living in Ukraine will be making weekly visits to the orphanage to continue our ministry there, both to the orphans of Pravda as well as the director and teachers. We will be further building trust and relationships with the children while providing activities and Bible studies there weekly, as well as putting on a camp program for them in summers and winters. Open Arms is looking to purchase a small house near Pravda so that we are better able to function in our ministry there. This home will provide a place for us to stay when we are running camp and different activities throughout the year and it will also be a place for graduates to stay, as many come back to visit friends and siblings still at the orphanage. We are excited to see the impact that faithfully displaying the love of God will have on the orphanage and even community of the village surrounding the orphanage.

A Face of Open Arms
This is Sasha Pevniv – to sum it up, Sasha is someone who just makes you smile. He loves to make people laugh and his own laughter can fill a room so beautifully. Recognized as one of the kids with great natural leadership abilities and intelligence, he was transferred to another orphanage that would provide him with more opportunities. However, Sasha, missing his close friendships in Pravda, decided to come back in order to be with his friends. The brotherhood that exists amongst these boys is the only family that most of them have, including Sasha. After his mother abandoned him when he was only 8-years-old, his only relative is an aunt, with whom he spent the summer in 2006. He described it as a bad experience and said he never wants to go back. He would rather be at the orphanage. Definitely one of the most popular and influential kids in the school, instead of being feared amongst the others, he is mostly respected by all. Full of charisma, Sasha is someone who can win over anyone with his charm upon first meeting them. People are drawn to him due to his natural upbeat and truly friendly nature. He is always full of energy and rarely complains even in the midst of actual, physical pain. However, beneath all his charm and natural extroversion, Sasha has a sensitive side that is so beautiful to witness. He is able to reach out to others when they are in pain, being there for them and showing them that he truly cares. He is genuine in his actions and emotions, whether they are moments full of joy or pain. He embraces life and makes you want to live life more fully as he does so despite the harsh circumstances of the life he faces alone. He longs to be loved and soaks up all the love and attention that is given to him. He longs for care and support as he is there for those around him. I have been truly blessed just to know such an amazing young man. And I consider it one of the greatest honors in my life to call Sasha not only a friend, but a brother.
-Annie Carbonaro

Fundraising
Open Arms has many hopes and dreams for the children of Pravda as well as many plans and goals to help these dreams become reality. The team is planning to move by August 22nd and our goal is have $75,000 for our all start-up costs by the time we leave. This money will go to the purchase and furnishing of a home in the city of Sumy and a house in Ivonivka, the village the Pravda orphanage is in. Our goals are big, but we trust in a God who can provide everything we need and more to allow us to carry out our ministry to these kids. We cannot do this on our own. Any amount you can give will help us reach this goal and bring God’s love to the otherwise forgotten orphans. Checks can be made out to Open Arms Ukraine and mailed to 17049 Via Flores, San Lorenzo, CA, 94580. We are also in need of people who want to partner with us in this ministry by financially supporting us on a monthly basis. Please pray about how God may be moving you to share what He has given you and become a part of what Open Arms is doing to love the orphans of Pravda.
Get Involved
Open Arms would love to see you getting involved in our ministry by helping to raise support. We are blessed to be the ones doing the actual work in Ukraine, but we certainly cannot keep this going without your help. We have had friends, family, businesses, churches and youth groups that have taken the initiative to tell others, sell bracelets, organize benefit concerts, car washes and clothes drives. A ten-year-old girl and her friends even went door-to-door around their neighborhood asking people if they could wash cars and walk dogs to help raise money for Open Arms. Please contact us and we will gladly send you pictures, flyers or bracelets if you would like for you to have at a car wash, bake sale or some other event you may organize. We would also love, as time and travel may permit, to speak at your church, youth group, Bible study, club or other event. Feel free to contact us about any information you would like to receive about Open Arms or if you would like to set something up to have part of the Open Arms team speak.

The Heart of Our Ministry
The more our vision becomes solidified and as we move forward with developing our ministry, the clearer it is that everything we have done and will do is revolved around our relationships with these amazing children. As God has blessed us with being able to spend over three and a half months with these children, over the past two years, He has also extremely blessed us by helping us grow some intense friendships with them. We have gotten to know these children more and more each trip, and each time our vision becomes a little clearer in how we can best love and care for them. We know more of where they are at with God and the struggles that they will be facing in life. One of us summed it up with this: “How can we explain what our ministry is? Our ministry is Sasha, Andre, Kolya, Sergey, Vitalik....” Consisting of very specific friendships, our ministry will strive to demonstrate the love of Christ by not only helping to care for their physical needs but by continuing to walk with them in life and be there for them when no one else will be. These children are very much alone, in a world that has abandoned, abused, and forgotten them. When we stop to think how amazing each child is, how they have such an ability to care for others, or how they are so generous, or when we see their natural leadership abilities and charisma, we are blown away with the blessing it is to know them. God has truly given us such a beautiful gift in allowing us to be friends with these children. Our ultimate goal is to show them the love of God, that calls each one of them to come to Him as they are and find comfort in His arms that will never let them go.
- Laura Oyen

Prayer Requests
· Fundraising – our plans for ministry cannot be accomplished without the necessary financial support. Pray God would provide the supporters who can help us raise the funds we need to bring God’s love and grace to these children
· The hearts of the staff and teachers at the orphanage – pray that as we are interacting with these people that God would soften their hearts to the gospel and that they would be able to accept his gift of salvation
· The graduates – at the end of August, these kids will leave the orphanage and enter a frightening new stage of life out on their own. Pray that they would be we would be encouraged and motivated as they enter their respective trade schools and that they would not fall into the unhealthy activities that so many orphans often do
· Our home in Ukraine – pray that we would be able to find and have the funds to purchase a home both in Sumy and in the village so that we can provide the support needed for the kids
· Preparation for the move – there are still a lot of things that need to fall into place before we can move. Pray that we would get all the paperwork settled with our sending organization and our visas, and that we would have the needed amount of monthly support
· Language studies – pray for us as we are learning to speak the language both before we leave and once we have moved

Thank You
There will never be a way we fully show our gratitude for the support so many of you have shown as we take on this dream. Stories of prayers, support checks that come so faithfully, and generous gifts from so many – these are just a few of the examples of the ways you have encouraged us. If we could express the way that these kids are being blessed and the changes we are seeing in their lives, you might understand how grateful we are for all of you. Our dreams of hope for the children that we love cannot and will not be accomplished without your continued prayer and financial support. God’s hand is moving in the hearts of the children and you are a part of that. Thank you.

support our summer trip!

Dear family and friends,

Believe it or not we are about to embark on the teams 4th trip back to the Pravda orphanage in the country of Ukraine. Over these past few years God has allowed us to work with the beautiful children there and this work is far from finished. It has been quite a journey as well as an amazing gift to watch this kids grow and partner with you in this ministry.

As we prepare for long-term ministry in the country of Ukraine we will be going on a three week trip back to Pravda. There we will be able to spend time with our kids, watch 40 of the children we love prepare to leave, and shower upon them the gifts so many of you graciously provided. For the last portion of our trip, we will be meeting with different churches and ministries in the Sumy region (the region of our orphanage) and establishing long term contacts in order to prepare for moving to the country.

Please join with us in prayer – five of us will be going on this trip and attempting to share the love of God with the 200 children at the orphanage as well as with the orphanage staff and director. Your prayers are vital in the success of our ministry. Please pray that God would put favor in the staffs' hearts so they will allow us to continue long term ministry at Pravda. Keep the children in your prayers that their hearts would be open and that they would allow God's love to change their lives. Specifically, this trip will focus on the oldest group of 40 children who are preparing to leave the orphanage and face life on their own. These children range in ages from 14-16 and we hope to establish contact with these children that will continue beyond Pravda as they face the harsh times ahead.

With this ministry there are various costs we will encounter along the way. Overall, the trip will cost around $2000 for each of us to go. These costs encompass far more than a plane ticket as we will be attempting to help the orphanage in buying new windows that will provide better insulation for the cold winters. Each window costs $200. Also, while most kids are sent to various locations during the summer while construction takes place, certain kids are instead snatched from their beds in the middle of the night and forced to reside in a mental hospital for the duration of a month. There are no grounds for these placements other than the money that will be saved on the part of the orphanage. During their stay they undergo harsh treatments that include shock therapy as they spend the month heavily drugged in solitude. We are attempting to negotiate with the orphanage director to send these children to various summer camps instead of the inhumane mental hospitals. All it takes is money for these children to be spared. These are just a few of the costs that lie ahead and every little bit of support can make a huge difference as we deal with these initial costs in ministry. $5 can help keep a child out of the mental hospital or provide better warmth for the winter months to come.

Your support in the past has been so vital and your prayers for the future enable us to do the will of God in the country of Ukraine. If you are interesting in donating to our trip, you can make checks out to Open Arms Ukraine and mail them to 10637 Ashworth St., Bellflower, CA 90706. Please pray for us as we trust God to lead us in this trip and fill us with His love as we care for these amazing children. Pray that these children will see God clearly and be filled with His hope as they come to know Him and the beauty of the gospel. Thank you for all the love and support that you have showered on me! God has truly used you to bless me beyond measure in this ministry! May you continually be reminded of and filled with God's love for you each day!

God bless,
-The Open Arms summer team
[Anika, Annie, Laura, Melissa, Donovan]