Easter Sunrise Service

Our church family met at the "Sea of Gorlovka" for our annual Easter Sunrise Service. It was cold, but clear and the sunrise was beautiful. As we shared the Lord's Supper together, sang and heard the sermon we were reminded that Jesus' death and resurrection gives meaning and purpose to our lives. We were challenged to continue following the One who claimed to be "the resurrection and the life!"
During the closing prayer we began to hear "baa" sounds. I assumed it was a couple of goats (not unusual to see)but the sounds became louder and obviously from more mouths! We finished the prayer in time to see a large flock of sheep. The kids (and a few of the adults) were in awe! We travelled back into town and shared breakfast together. Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed!

Egg Hunt 2011

Our annual Egg Hunt was a great success. Lora's class dyed and decorated eggs, told the story of Jesus using Resurrection Eggs, and then ended their class time with the egg hunt. The weather was sunny and a little warmer than the previous week and the kids all had a great time. Enjoy the pictures...

Neighborhood Work Day

On Wednesday evening we had 30 tons of gravel delivered for use in cleaning up the neighborhood. On Thursday we had a work party in the neighborhood and lots of people came out to help. It is always amazing to see people just stop by and work to make the neighborhood look better. Of course there were many people from the church who helped, but we also had several new people who came and worked all afternoon as well. It has been a long winter and everyone is ready for spring to finally arrive!

Shopping Day Two

On Sunday we took the second group of kids from Hope Orphanage shopping at the outdoor market. We drove through a little sleet to get to the market, but it cleared up once we were there. Although it was quite cold, the kids did a great job finding the things they needed and wanted. We even had the opportunity to eat hot dogs and pizza and have a cup of coffee at a little food stand at the market. Some of the kids had a little money left over and wanted to stop at a food store by the orphanage, so we did. Based on their purchases I am pretty sure they had a wonderful party at the orphanage that night! Thanks to all our donors who are sharing blessings with these children.

Shopping with Hope Orphanage Kids

Today we took 15 kids from Hope Orphanage shopping. The weather was cold and rainy, more like winter than the beginning of spring. But despite the weather the kids had a great time shopping. It is always humbling to take these kids shopping and see how they share with one another and seek to make their money go as far as possible. Thanks to all our sponsors for making it possible to provide help to these children.