At one orphanage, they celebrated St. Valentine’s Day. The students organized a great holiday for everyone. They prepared dances, songs, poems and invited the whole team of “School of Life” teachers to be the guests of this event. The party was very lovely and all were thankful to these talented and gifted kids. What a joy to see them so filled with a life worth living.

“Love is…” party took place on the 15th of February. There were a lot of positive moments, songs and music. The social topic was discussed about the meaning of love for modern teenagers. This was an important lesson for these youngsters who have heard very little, if anything, positive about this topic.

Friends of the orphanage gave fresh fruit and clothes to the orphans of Vyshevychi boarding school on the 21 of February. All the kids were happy and expressed their sincere gratitude. We are thankful to our friends and to everybody who has open heart towards the lives of these children and contributes into the next generation.

“Narnia” step-show-ballet visited Vyshevychi orphanage on the 28th of February and introduced their wonderful concert program and involved not only the students of this school but also the teachers. Master-class and communication with the kids were provided in the end of the program.

Some of our students attending vocal classes; Taras, Anya and Anzhelika, recorded a song for participation in the contest at “Teen TV” channel in Russia! If chosen as winners, these students will go to St. Petersburg for the participation in shooting the video clip.  It lifts self-esteem of the students greatly and gives them a possibility to believe in their abilities. We are praying and voting for their victory. Taras, Anya and Anzhelika have been attending young meetings of “Hillsong” church since December and already prayed the prayer of repentance.

Anya wrote the following comment at her page in facebook: “We recorded audio track in the best and coolest audio studio of Ukraine for the contest at “Teen TV” channel in Russia!!! Yes, yes, yes! It was super! We dream about victory now to visit the great city of St. Petersburg and shoot our own professional video clip! I and Taras would like to express gratitude to Orphan’s Promise’s “School of Life” charitable project for providing us with such incredible possibility to develop our talents! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Praise the Lord for such a nice gift! We are proud to have you as the people that are always ready to support us, provide with useful piece of advice and direct us to the right way towards our dreams. The dreams come true! I can tell you that for sure. You need to just want it.”

Such a positive result from a little investment into the lives of these children who have come from so little and are learning so much!

But all that seemed to be a thing of the past as I took part in a very special event last month.  I witnessed first hand as Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox, Catholics and multiple denominations of Protestant Christians came together on one stage in Kyiv on behalf of orphans and vulnerable children. There is no doubt that this was a historical moment in this land!

  Many faiths were representated.

556 delegates from across Eastern Europe gathered in Kyiv, Ukraine for the Eastern European Pastors Summit: Defending the Orphan, Changing the Future.  With an interdenominational reach the summit brought together clergy and key leaders in the orphan care movement from across Eastern Europe.

The goal of the Summit was to inform and mobilize leaders and unify the strengths of the Church as a whole, so that together effective solutions for working with orphans and children at risk can be found.

Orphan’s Promise had the privilege to be one of the sponsoring organizations of this groundbreaking event, which was organized at the initiative of the Alliance for Ukraine Without Orphans and several other influential Christian organizations, including Compassion International and Christian Vision.

Many of the 556 delegates who attended the summit are already active in caring for orphans, and together they represented a total of 816 children that have been taken into families!

  What a great turnout!

“If we want to see a Ukraine without orphans, Christians have to be a part of the solution,” said Sveta Isaev, an adoption advocate who is also an adoptive mother to 7 HIV+ children.

A radical change has taken place in recent years in the Christian response to dealing with orphan care.  Steve Weber, director of CBN’s activity in Ukraine has seen a dramatic shift over of the 20 years that he has been working in Ukraine.  “20 years ago there was such a stigma against orphans that Christians would fake pregnancies by carrying a pillow before they’d adopt. Today we’re preaching about taking the orphans home in our churches!  This is a new era of orphan care and it is very exciting to see God at work.”

There is no doubt that the 2-day summit held in Kyiv was a success on many fronts.  Pastors, priests, and other leaders returned to their cities and nations inspired, equipped, and determined to do all they can to reach children in need. Strategic partnerships have been formed or advanced. Hundreds of decisions were made by the summit’s participants that will eventually result in the transformation of many children’s lives in Ukraine and around Eastern Europe.

“Veronica (4 years old) came to us in September, 2012. We noticed a lot of problems at once in her psycho-emotional condition, state of health and intellectual development. The reason was apparent; she was brought up by alcohol addicted parents.

Veronica spoke as though she were a child of two years rather than four. She was afraid of everything, kept silence almost all the time, couldn’t pronounce many letters, wasn’t able to dress herself, didn’t know colors and many other basic things. She didn’t want to play with other kids at all, but used to take their toys. Veronica was afraid to walk up and down the stairs and did her best to hide when adults talked to her, especially men.  The girl was physically exhausted, with lice in her hair, low weight, level of hemoglobulin of 88 and she had deep rhinitis. She couldn’t sleep well at nights, used to wake up all the time, cried and wet her bed.

After six months in Father’s Home, Veronica began to blossom thanks to the excellent help she has received here! She talks a lot, rejoices, has fun, laughs and runs. She is learning to count, knows almost all the colors, makes puzzles, enjoys books, knows the names of various animals. She likes to play with other kids and study with them in one group. She stopped fighting and enjoys singing. She doesn’t cry at nights anymore, the level of hemoglobulin increased. The girl eats very well and already ggained 2.5 kg. And, she no longer wets her bed at night.”

This is why we do what we do! When you can see results like this – children’s lives literally being changed in a matter of months, it is a joy to all involved. I hope you feel as blessed as we do when we see results like this!

A young boy named Asher found a way to give that involved his cub scout troop. They provided a special occasion and many people had the blessing of giving. Asher’s mom writes. . . .

Asher’s party was a great success.  All of his fellow Scouts & their families came out to support him. However one Scout, Conner, had to have an emergency appendectomy the morning of the party.

God blessed us with favor from three local businesses that donated food & refreshments for the Donation party. It was such a bountiful blessing! Additionally the YMCA supplied all the decorations & paper products. It truly was a day of giving.

Asher greeted everyone & pretty much hosted the event on his own. This has been such a memorable & impacting experience for him & his Scout friends.  Asher’s name means “he is blessed” and that certainly rang true throughout the course of this endeavor.

 We asked some of the parents & Scouts to share how this joint effort had impacted their family & I’ll forward those to you soon. It’s been a pleasure working with you. You have been very generous & accommodating. Thank you so much for everything! 

I would like to thank Asher,  his Cub Scout troop, and all those who participated  for raising over $300 to help needy children! God bless you!

Located at the edge of Siberia, it is estimated that in this cold and snowy district there are over 90 prisons, and many former orphans are among those living there.   There are almost 40 orphanages located in the Perm region alone.  This was eye-opening for our Ukrainian team, as they were made aware of the great need for education and resources in this part of Russia.

Numerous participants came up to our team expressing gratitude for bringing such important training.  ”This material is so valuable and needed,” said one woman, “thank you for coming, we really needed something like this material: practical, important and yet easy to teach!”  Through this unique training brought to Perm and the resources the people now have in their hands, we know that a great work to vulnerable youth in this region is only beginning.  We are grateful for the opportunity OP had to provide resources and training needed for this work to be effective.

My own family wasn’t always perfect (I don’t know one that is), but I always knew I was loved and valued and you can’t put a price tag on that.  I’ve never been able to imagine the abandonment and trauma that must penetrate the heart of a child who is alone or mistreated.  That’s why adoption is near and dear to me.  I am blessed to be the mother of seven beautiful and incredible children.  Two of our children are biological and five are adopted.  Each of them is very specifically unique and individually gifted and talented.  I can’t imagine life without any one of them.

My wonderful family.

Each of our adoptions was also unique.  Our son, JP, is Korean and arrived by plane when he was four months old.  Tyler is bi-racial and was a domestic adoption.  We were in the delivery room with his birth mom when he was born.  Alysa, Zoya, and Sophia are biological siblings from Ukraine.  We adopted them when they were 9, 11, and 13.  So, we have experienced international and domestic adoption.  We have experienced infant adoption and also integrating older children into existing family.  We have had closed adoptions and a semi-open adoption.  Along the way we’ve learned a lot.  We’ve also made more mistakes than can be counted.  Fortunately for us, love really DOES seem to cover a multitude of sins!!

My husband and I knew we wanted to adopt before we married.  We had a heart for children and room in our home.  We assumed that love and good intentions would be enough.  For awhile it was.  When our youngest two boys were 13 and 15, we adopted our daughters from Ukraine.  Adopting kids who were 9, 11, and 13, who had come from tragedy and been institutionalized for four and a half years created need for a whole new learning curve.  Did I mention that our new daughters did not speak one word of English?  That was just the tip of the iceberg.  They were on a learning curve of their own.

Once our daughters could communicate, they asked us to help their friends who were left behind.  Only 1% of the children who are orphaned worldwide will find families.  What happens to the rest?  Out of concern for the children left behind, a friend and I started Orphan’s Promise.  Our goal was to work with kids “aging out” at 16 who had no skills or preparation for life.  We began by creating Training Centers where kids could come together and we offered classes in English, computers, and the School of Life, which taught everything from how to do your own laundry to exploring issues of faith.  Today we have opened numerous Training Centers, provided food, shelter, and clothing for thousands, undergirded schools, and worked to eradicate trafficking.  Orphan’s Promise is seven years old and has been involved with projects in over 50 countries.  CBN saw the need and embraced our efforts immediately.  Working with our CBN International offices allows us important connection with and regular reporting on our projects.

Here at home, as time passed, we watched other families struggle with many of the same challenges we were facing.  Some survived, some did not.  We saw marriages fall apart and adoptions interrupted.  It wasn’t because the parents weren’t sincere or because the children were bad kids.  It was a lack of understanding of the issues involved, the behavior those issues produce, and the input and response needed to work through it all.

One of the orphanages Orphan’s Promise helped build and support.

We began to visualize a DVD project that would compile information and advice from experts on the root causes and behaviors that impacted many of our children, and left parents feeling exhausted and defeated.  In 2012 that DVD series become a reality.  It’s called Adoption & Foster RX:  Solutions for Wounded Families.  God never calls us to anything He doesn’t equip us for, and that’s what we want this series to do – equip parents to be fully prepared as they consider or embark on the journey of adoption or foster care.  Understanding the “why” behind behavior can help us respond effectively and appropriately.

What can we do?  Where do we start?  We need to let the ache of their need penetrate our own hearts and minds.  We can step into the empty and broken places in their hearts and love them unconditionally.  We can pray, and hold, and teach, and wait – and pray some more.  We can refuse to turn away, let go, or give up.  I love Edwin Markham’s poem, “He drew a circle that shut me out… but love and I had the wit to win.  We drew a circle and took him in.”

Today, our children range in age from 19-29.  We are still a work in progress.  We are daily challenged to extend mercy and grace to each other – looking beyond our faults to see our needs.  I’d like to think that at some point we would arrive and finally reach the finish line.  But maybe we’re not supposed to.  Maybe the journey is the destination.  Wow!  There’s a thought!  Maybe creating a safe, loving place to nurture and grow while at the same time, we all learn to love each other, is the ultimate goal.  Out of the treasures of that circle flow the ripples that impact the world around us.  Easy concept to contemplate – difficult to do!  Building a family takes work – hard work!  It takes sacrifice, commitments, patience, faith, buckets of time, and truckloads of love.   Not for the faint-hearted, to be sure.  Yet, how do you put a price tag on the value of a  “forever family,”  or the deep healing that comes from knowing you are loved… from finding… a place called home!

Ryan Bomberger, co-founder of The Radiance Foundation (Visit them at TheRadianceFoundation.org)

Last week Orphan’s Promise was asked to be part of a wonderful event hosted by The Radiance Foundation. The event, Justice For All: A Conversation about Abortion, Poverty, Family & Faith, brought together some key people fighting on behalf of those that have no voice of their own – the orphaned and the unborn children that may face abortion. It was a night of inspiration and a night of encouragement.

One thing that really struck me was the diversity I saw in the crowd. There were different generations and ages and even the panel of speakers were diverse not only in gender, race, and age but in their background as well – non-profit directors, pastors, an adoption caseworker, and civil rights legacy, Dr. Alveda King. It reminded me that we ALL have a part to play in caring for the voiceless.

The verse that was chosen for this event was Proverbs 31:8-9 which says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and the helpless, and see that they get justice”. I don’t think that verse could be any clearer about what we – you and me – are being asked to do. Every child deserves to know that they are valued, that they were created for a purpose, and that they have meaning and significance in this world.

The panel for the event (from L to R): Dr. Alveda King – Founder of King for America, Dr. Carlton McLeod – Pastor of Calvary Revival Church, Emily Ruppert – Director of Bethany Christian Services Virginia Beach, Me – representing Orphan’s Promise, Toby DeBause – President of Crisis Pregnancy Center Virginia Beach, and Ryan Bomberger

This was a wonderful way to start off National Adoption month! I don’t believe that every person and every home is called to adopt a child but I do believe that every person is called, and is able, to do something on behalf of those who have no home. What can you do? Maybe you enjoy working outdoors and can cut the grass of a family you know that has adopted or is fostering a child in their home? Do you have a heart to support those that are struggling – perhaps you can start a care group of some kind. The possibilities for how you can use your own unique gifting are endless! Begin to look for creative ways to use your talents and I guarantee you, the ideas will come.