July 2009
Super Camp
For 10 days in June, the children and grounds of the Pravdinksa orphanage were buzzing with the excitement of a super hero summer camp. A team of 14 super-leaders from Ukraine and America lead about 120 kids split into 6 super-teams in various daily activities and events. There were games, crafts, Bible lesson, competitions, slip-n-slides, parties, classes and even a hidden Batman worth points for your team! Each day in our lessons the kids were taught about an certain attribute of who God is. His grace, love, faithfulness and compassion were just some of what we were able to share with these children. It was amazing, watching God work in the lives of these kids throughout our time there and in relationships with their leaders. Our team worked hard all 10 days loving on these kids and sharing Christ with them. Please read further to see what two of our American team members had to say about camp this year.
Meet Lena
That first day when I saw Leana in the crush of kids crowding our porch, I thought she was a boy. Along with the baggy secondhand clothes, her deep voice, close-cropped hair and rough exterior made her appear anything but feminine. When I discovered she was in my group and asked Melissa to remind me what the name of that boy was, I’ll never forget her response: “That’s actually a girl, her name is Leana, and you’re not the first person to make that mistake.”
I don’t know her story of where she came from or how she got to the Pravda orphanage, but I’m sure it must be a crazy one. All week long I watched as Leana sauntered around the orphanage, mostly on her own. When I did see her with other kids, she was often verbally bossing or physically pushing them around. Most times I think we wrote her off as “that crazy girl,” and she never did much to change our opinions.
Then came picnic day! Each of the camp’s 6 teams headed down to the river with bags of juice and soda, cookies and chips, for some bonding and fun. In the midst of the feeding frenzy, some slight confusion left Leana out of our party. Angrily she stalked off to the river on her own, the lone outsider among the celebrants.
Towards the end of the picnic, I finally learned what had happened. Most of the kids had returned to the river and most of the food was gone, but I rushed around to gather what leftovers I could. I brought my scavenged 2 cups of juice and box of chip-like things to a quiet spot on the edge of the river and called for Leana to come join me for a private picnic, not knowing if she would continue to sulk or accept my invitation.
What happened next caught me completely by surprise. Leana came and sat, but not for long. On her way out of the water and up the bank, she’d spotted a boy from our group who looked like he was having a bad day. Before I knew it, my tough little tomboy had her cup of juice in hand and was off at a brisk pace to offer her drink; he turned her down. So she returned for our picnic–and took off a second time to offer him our last box of chips. Again, he refused (the little punk), so she offered them to other kids and teachers instead. I sat in amazement at this simple act. Coming from someone else, maybe it wasn’t such a big deal. But from Leana, that simple act was so out of character and spoke volumes. We sat, enjoying the rest of our picnic in the summer sun, and I shot up a quick prayer of thanks and asked God to continue softening these kids’ hearts towards each other and him.
-Kari Bachle
Loving Like Jesus
A lot of people asked me what I was hoping to accomplish by going to an orphanage in Ukraine, and working with kids who, according to the statistics, were doomed. And the answer was simple - God loves them.
Truth is, once there, I loved them. These kids are more full of life and love than any other group of kids I've ever worked with. I saw God work in Ukraine. I saw Him turn the
lives of 5 kids toward Him. I saw Him give these kids hope, so that even if they become part of those statistics, that they will continue to have life.
It dawned on me while I was there, that maybe, for some of these kids, the best time of there lives maybe during these camps. And maybe for the first time, these kids would feel truly loved. And I thank God that He was able to use me in this way.
"We are not here to imitate the Holy Spirit, but to live a life that gives off God's fluorescence."
Truth is, once there, I loved them. These kids are more full of life and love than any other group of kids I've ever worked with. I saw God work in Ukraine. I saw Him turn the
lives of 5 kids toward Him. I saw Him give these kids hope, so that even if they become part of those statistics, that they will continue to have life.It dawned on me while I was there, that maybe, for some of these kids, the best time of there lives maybe during these camps. And maybe for the first time, these kids would feel truly loved. And I thank God that He was able to use me in this way.
"We are not here to imitate the Holy Spirit, but to live a life that gives off God's fluorescence."
-Tony Ruiz
Thank You
Thank you again for all who have been apart of supporting us. We are so thankful for you. We know we could not be here without you. God truly blessed our summer camp.
Upcoming Events
Though this may be the first time we have talked about it in a newsletter, we have been in the process of trying to get everything together to bring one of our graduates to the states this summer. His name is Roman Yeremenko and we have worked closely with him for the past 3 years. On July 28th, Roman has an appointment with the U.S. Embassy for an interview to see whether or not they will grant him a visa. Even though the time seems short, we have spent much time in prayer and believe that God will work it out according to His plan. Please check our blog for more details - www.openarmsukraine.blogspot.com. Open Arms has been blessed by a matching donation for this project! Please help us make this trip a reality for Roman. If you would like to donate specifically for Roman's trip to America, please make sure to write America or Roman in the memo line.
Prayer Needs
- Future ministry with the 5 kids who just recently accepted the Lord at camp. That God would put it on the hearts of Ukrainian Christians who would want to disciple them.
- Open doors at the juvenile colony we have been visiting and favor in the department that grants permission to continue visiting Sasha Pevniv.
- Roman's visa appointment. That he would really see God through all this process. And that we would be able to raise the financial support that we need in such a short time.
- There will be 12 new graduates coming to Sumy next year. That God would guide us specifically in our graduate ministry with this new group of kids.
Thank you again for your support! None of this is possible without you.
OpenArmsMinistry@gmail.com * PO Box 277, San Lorenzo, CA 94580-0277 * (510) 435 – 3625 * www.openarmsukraine.org
