January 2009

Graduation Dresses

For a kid in high school, prom is usually a highlight. For the children at the Pravda orphanage their graduation is their time to shine. The girls wear prom dresses, the boys in shirts and ties, and for that day, they are the stars. This year, economic crisis in Ukraine has escalated the prices of dresses even more than usual as orphanage support from the government has decreased. We have decided to see how we can help make this day special for the children at Pravda and are looking for your support. If you have a used prom dress, jewelry or dress shoes that you would like to donate, please contact us through e-mail (openarmsministry@gmail.com) or by phone [(510)435-3625)]. Monetary donations are also greatly appreciated as they can help us buy dresses here in Ukraine for these beautiful young ladies. Together we can share God’s love in this way and help make this graduation a day they never forget.

Aids Talks/Abortion

Ukraine ranks #1 in all of Europe, which includes 43 countries, for the prevalence of AIDs among adults. According to the UNAIDS report in late 2008, Ukraine and Russia are stated as the region with “the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the world with prevalence doubling since 2001” (avert.org as quoted from UNAIDS statistics). With this reality, we have seen an increasing need for awareness among the children we work with as many turn to sex at a very young age. On January 16^th, we held a two part lecture series for the oldest classes at the Pravda orphanage and we are set to do the same for the next classes in the coming weeks.

We have also received permission from the Sambir Juvenile Colony to hold the same lecture series for the young men there who are preparing for life outside those walls. Every day decisions are made, but we hope that with education some of those decisions may be altered for the better.

Alongside the AIDs lecture at Pravda, we will be holding an abortion program January 24^th with a young pregnant woman from a local Sumy church as the speaker. She will work with the oldest classes and share with them about the realities of pregnancy and what takes place with an abortion. Our goal is to inform these children of the truth behind the terminology used while shedding light on God’s truth in these subject areas.

Orphanage Ministry

Ever year we are faced with a new class of graduates from the Pravda orphanage and therefore our relationships there are of the upmost importance. If trust is not built with the children before they are placed in the trade school system, it is hard, if ever, to build trust to bring them to help. With this reality we have been building a team of Ukrainian volunteers from the local church who will be traveling with us monthly to the Pravda orphanage. They will focus their time on creating programs and building relationships with the 2 oldest classes that will hopefully lead to continued relationships beyond the children’s time there. Our goal and vision is to see long-lasting relationships developed that will lead not only to tangible help and support when the children are released from the orphanage, but also to a personal understanding of salvation in their lives.

OpenArmsMinistry@gmail.com * PO Box 277, San Lorenzo, CA 94580-0277 * (510) 435 - 3625

Watch Drive Update
Thank you so much to all of you who helped participate in our watch drive for the boys in the Sambir Juvenile Prison! We were able to bring enough watches for every one of the boys for Christmas! Because of your willingness to support and give, this enables us to be able to continue to do ministry in Sambir and brings a little bit of joy to these lost boys in prison. Thank you!

Another Yeremenko
Ira Yeremenko, age 23.
Ira is the oldest and the only girl with six brothers. We have worked with three of her brothers, Roman, Losha and Ivan, but had only ever briefly met her once. Upon returning to Ukraine, our translator got a disturbing call from Ira. She had been kidnapped and held in a nearby city for the last three months. She had been forced to work and beaten daily by a man who had a personal vendetta against her mom. After three months, she was finally able to get a hold of a phone and found a piece of paper in her pocket that she didn't know what in there. Ira had washed her pants seven times, not knowing that this paper, with numbers for her brothers and Sasha, our translator, was in the pocket. She found the paper and was surprised to see that it still looked like new, having no water damage to the phone numbers written on it. She tried each number and the only one that worked was Sasha's. Thanks to the help of a friend who works for the police, we were able to get the man to put Ira on a bus to Sumy and we picked her up at the bus station the following day.

Since arriving back in Sumy, the people in the local church have warmly accepted and showered her with God's love. Ira has now professed to accepting the Lord and has been filled with joy and a peace we didn't see when we first met her. Right now she is staying with us and looking for a job in Sumy. Ira strongly has it on her heart that her brothers, and even her mom, need to know that Lord and has spoken to them boldly about it from the moment they were reunited.

Upcoming Events
We will be making a trip to Pravda on the 6th to celebrate Ukrainian Christmas with the kids there. We will be bringing home-made American sweets and small gifts for each of the children.

Ukraine is the number one country for AIDS in Europe. We have been approved by the orphanage and the prison in Sambir to bring a small group and give a presentation on AIDS. An international organization called ACET - AIDS Care Education and Training - has developed a curriculum that we will be using. Both of the presentations will be some time in January.

Prayer Needs
Ira - Pray that God would continue to give her boldness in her new faith. Pray that she would be able to find a job and begin a new life in Sumy.
AIDS Presentations - Please pray that we would be able to find a couple more volunteers to help with the presentation in Sambir. Pray for the effectiveness of our times in both locations.
Finiancial Support - Continue to pray that we would receive the nessecary financial support for our ministry in Ukraine.
Local Church - Pray for God to work in the hearts of Ukrainian Christians as we reach out to try find more volunteers for our ministry.
Graduates - Please continue to pray for our graduates salvation.