youtube

If you don't already know, Open Arms Ukraine has a youtube channel!
http://youtube.com/user/OpenArmsMinistry
Be sure to check it out for videos of the kids and our ministry in Ukraine. If you're lucky, you might get to enjoy some fun moments with the kids... Like English lessons with Shevchenko.

July 2008

OPEN ARMS UKRAINE July 2008

A Day in the Life...

Since our official move to Sumy we, as Open Arms, cahave been continually blown away by the work God is allowing us to be a part of. It is an incredible honor to work with all of you as His hands and feet in the lives of so many in Ukraine. We have been focusing our efforts on finding long-term and tangible support that will help the orphans who struggle in their post-orphanage transition in life such as education and job training. As we work to walk alongside the many children no longer at the Pravda orphanage, we have also established weekly visits to the orphanage to continue our ministry there. Not only are we able to visit the 200 children of Pravda weekly, but this gives us an opportunity to connect with the "Shevchenko" family of Ivanivka, comprised of children no longer at the orphanage, as we work to help them succeed in their goals. Visits have also begun with the various children from Pravda who are now in prisons throughout Ukraine. No support exists for these orphans and the mistakes of their pasts in no way define the future God has in store for them. All this has been taking place as we solidified a simple apartment on the outskirts of the city that acts as our central location of ministry for the time being - with daily meals being provided for these desperate children and a location of refuge available for them. The days are busy, the stories are heavy, and we know that trials await us as we work to help these forgotten children. We continue to trust God's will in it all and look forward to more triumphs and trials to share with you all!
Roman Yeremenko
Roman is a rare kid - he is full of charisma and laughter despite the harsh realities of his life. He carries responsibility with grace and communicates his heart to those around him with love. He has 5 brothers and 1 sister - 2 brothers were adopted out of the country years ago. Now, his older brother faces prison and his siter gave into a life of prostitution. Roman refuses to live this same kind of life.
As a young child, his father would electrocute him and hang him from his neck for as long as his little body could handle it before death. His mother left when he was only 4 years old and has been in and out of the picture ever since - always leaving destruction behind her. At 6 years old, Roman's dad's life ended in a drunken rage. Roman and his siblings were then left to the cruel orphanage system.
During his time at the Prada orphanage Roman dedicated himself to his schoolwork and made his way to a better orphanage in the city of Sumy. He recently finished his 9th grade education and we were blessed to be a part of his "graduation day". We were the only family present on this occasion and it was clear he was proud to have us there. Since our move to Ukraine, Roman began to come to our apartment every day after school. We do all we can to provide for his needs - physical, emotional and spiritual. Through this process he has become and integral part of our family and we are excited to help him in what lies ahead now that he is no longer in the orphanage.
Right now we are focusing our efforts on helping Roman find better schooling in the Sumy area. As of now, his orphanage has him set for a low-end trade school in the village where his mother now resides. It is an awful, dangerous village and Roman would be forced to live in an environment that would put his very physical life in danger daily. His mother's boyfriend is an abusive alcoholic who attempts to stab Roman and his brothers when he is drunk. Recently, Roman's older brother Losha (who is currently at the same trade school) received a deep stab wound in his leg. Roman was there visiting his brother when this happened and was able to pulle the knife out... they might not be so lucky in the future.

Our prayers for Roman, Losha and the rest of the Yermenkos is that God would give us wisdom and direction as we attempt to help these desperate children. God is clearly moving and providing a new way and life for these young boys as we work alongside them. Please join with us and pray that we can continue to provide the resources that will best help them. All prayers and support are greatly needed in this effort.

The "Shevchenko" Family
Sergey Hutarev and Dusya Sityuk both graduated from Pravda in 2006, and together, they now have a beautiful 14-month-old daughter, Vala. These three (along with Dusya's brother, Misha, and Sergey's brother, Vova) live in the little village of Ivanivka, in sight of the Pravda orphanage where they spent the majority of their childhood growing up together. WIth almost no support and no example to look to of how to raise a healthy family, Sergey and Dusya, both only 19 years old, work hard to love each other and support themselves. Both have heart wrenching stories of absent parents and what they endured as young children. Dusya's heart for people is uniquely beautiful, especially considering she didn't grow up with anyone showing her consisten love in any form. She has a natural ability to pour out motherly love and care, not only to Vala, but also to many of the kids from Pravda who daily come to hang out at their house. Sergey's love for Dusya and Vala is beyond words. He finds what work he can to provide for them and strives to be the loving father that he never had. Hard working and committed, they are currently saving to have gas and water installed in the little house they were fortunate to inherit from Dusya's grandmother.

Open Arms has been truly blessed in our relationship with this precous family, even before they left the orphanage. They have always had a strong influence on the kids of Pravda, continuing since they graduated thanks to the close proximity of their home to the orphanage. God recently showed us how significant their salvation would be to these other kids - both thsoe already graduated and those still at Pravda - because of this influence. Please join us in praying for God to allow us to contiue to support, love them, and see God work mightily in their lives.
Thanks and PrayersThank you for all of your prayers and support as we minister in Ukraine. We need you so much as we continue our ministry and follow where God lead us. We have many needs and prayer requests that we wanted to share. You are such a vital part of our ministry and we are so thankful for your help.

- Pray that local churches/Christians would support, enourage, and join our ministry
- Pray for the graduates who are on summer break right now, that God would protect them
- Pray for God to give us His wisdom and guidance as we set up more boundaries and structure in our ministry
- Pray for God to soften the hearts of the children we work with, that He would provide opportunities for the gospel to be shared, that He would give them faith and salvation
- Pray for opportunities to network with already existing organizations in Ukraine that would help us develop a school and work program for the graduates
- Pray for the children that in prison, that we would learn how to best minister to their needs and that God would comfort them and draw them to Himself
- Pray for our own spiritual enouragement and unity as a team

If you would like to become a part of Open Arms Ukraine through prayers, financial support, or would like to hold a fundraiser to help with the costs of running such a ministry, your help is greatly needed and appreciated. All checks should be made out to Open Arms Ukraine and mailed to P.O. Box 277, San Lorenzo, CA 94580-0277. Feel free to e-mail us with any questions you may have: OpenArmsMinistry@gmail.com. With the body of Christ, great things are possible in His name.

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

January Update

We wanted to send an update as, drum roll please… we are preparing to move over to Ukraine by March 1st. We are very excited to begin this new chapter of our ministry as God directs and leads us in our long-term ministry.

To get us started, we will be living in an apartment in Sumy, and establishing ourselves there. We will be checking out local churches and networking with ministries who have developed transitional programs in Ukraine. We will be reaching out to the many Pravda graduates in their various locations and continuing our ministry with the Pravda orphanage. We are Lord willing, going to be running a two-week summer camp at the orphanage this summer.

While we are here preparing for this move, the weather in Ukraine has been below freezing, often reaching negative temperatures. Most all of the orphans don't have sufficient clothing for the harsh winter weather. Cold, with nothing to do and no one supporting them it is really easy for these kids to get themselves into trouble. Please pray that God would fill them with hope and show them joy in a country where it's normal to live a depressed life of alcoholism. Pray that God will provide for their needs and bring them encouragement in the cold and lonely months of winter.

As we prepare to move we ask that you would take some time to ask God how you might be a part of this ministry. Financial support is greatly needed as we still need commitments to cover our necessary monthly support. Timing is critical as we are set to leave the end of February. Any size donation will help keep this desperately needed ministry going. If you want to partner with us in our ministry by supporting financially, please e-mail us at openarmsministry@gmail.com for more information on how you can help.

Thank you for the way you support this ministry through your prayers and support! Please continue to pray for Open Arms Ukraine and the lonely orphan children who so badly need love and support.

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!