Sasha's Home

For a couple of years we have used the working title - Family Care Center - for the home we are building for the abandoned children. We recently decided upon the real name for the facility - Sasha's Home. Sasha is the "loving" nickname for either Alexander or Alexandra, making Sasha's Home a great name for both boys and girls.

The logo for Sasha's Home is fully Ukrainian with rich cultural and religious symbols - especially the egg - a recognizable symbol of new life (think Easter and resurrection). The words of Jesus serve as our motto - "Let the Little Children Come to Me." We want to welcome these precious children and let them know that though their parents may have abandoned them, they are loved and accepted by Jesus and his people.

We are still looking for people to provide financial support to complete the construction of Sasha's Home. If you have not purchased a tile in the Garden of Friends please consider doing so soon. See the post from February 2007 entitled Garden of Friends for more information.

Family Care Center Update

The work is continuing at the Family Care Center site. Allan Wood, the brother of Patricia "Sister Schubert" Barnes is presently in Gorlovka and working at the site. We are almost finished with the sheetrock. The bathrooms are being tiled and will begin installing toilets, sinks, and other fixtures soon. Here are some pictures of the work being done outside on the solarium and some balconies. There is also a picture of Allan. Please keep the workers and the work in your prayers.

Ukrainian Friends

This Summer two of our friends from Gorlovka, Ukraine came to the United States with us. Dasha Sverdlova was a patient of Dr. Joe Keller in Panama City, Florida while Ira Grabko was a patient of Dr. Jane Lamb in Luverne, Alabama. We thought Ira might need eye surgery, but thankfully she was fitted with new glasses and was able to get back to Ukraine at the end of July. Dasha had several appointments with Dr. Keller and last week had her braces removed. She flew back to Ukraine on Monday, August 20.

Many thanks to Dr. Lamb, Dr. Keller, Benji and Kim Nall, Howard and Carol Gray, George and Patricia Barnes, Tim and Tammala Spencer, Jerry and June Harrison and others who helped provide for Ira and Dasha while they were visiting in the States.

The pictures are of Dasha with Joe and Jane Keller. and then Dasha "all smiles" with Granny at the piano. (Dasha also got glasses while she was here!)

Children's Bible School (ages 5-12)

We had about eighty 5-12 year old students each night. We had centers that included puppets, games, crafts and snacks. Then we all watched "The Prince of Egypt" together to close out the night. Each day we learned memory verses from the life of Moses.

Children's Bible School Photos

Children's Bible School (Ages 2-4)

This year for Children's Bible School we decided to have two sessions, one for ages two to four and the other for ages five through twelve. We had between 10 and 15 each day for the two to four class. (We thought we would have more four's than two's but we were wrong!) Our theme was "The Life of Moses" and the kids were great. As always we had a lot of help from the teens and adults at our church. It is so much fun working with these young children and teaching them to have faith.

Yalta Retreat 2007

We had a great retreat last week in Yalta with the teens. Our theme was "Life on the Vine: Exploring Our Unity in Christ." In addition to daily Bible classes, we also had activities designed to promote unity and greater friendship among the teens, and, of course, we had a lot of time to play at the pool and the Black Sea. For me the highlight of the retreat was getting to baptize my daughter, Leanna. As always everyone had a wonderful time and came home to Gorlovka tired, but spiritually recharged. This is a good thing because we arrived in Gorlovka late Saturday night and began our marathon preparations for Children's Bible School on Sunday immediately following morning worship. I will post about Bible School soon.

Family Care Center Update

The work is progressing at the Family Care Center. We are completing the balconies, putting up the stud walls in the final family apartment, and tiling the bathrooms and entryways. The walls in the apartments where the Sheetrock is hung are being smoothed and prepared for painting. The interior of the complex no longer looks like an old building, but rather like a nice apartment complex. This is the look we are working towards. Please keep this good work in your prayers. Don't forget about our Garden of Friends program - it is a great way for you to partner with us in making a difference in the lives of the children. (See the post "Garden of Friends" in the archives).

More Playground Photos

Playground Improvments

We spent the last few weeks renovating the playground. We added more attractions - a larger deck for the sandbox with a white picket fence, a cargo rope, a wooden incline with rope, a snake balance beam, a set of tires to climb (painted like a giant butterfly), a hop-scotch board, and a small picnic table. In addition we also painted the entire playground in a garden theme.

The neighbors are really helping with the playground and garden area. We had a lot of volunteer labor to help with the renovations. There are also people willing to help everyday watering and weeding the garden and watching out for the playground. It is great to see the growth of community spirit and pride that is occurring in our little neighborhood.

Easter Egg Hunt and Party

Saturday, April 8th, we had our annual Easter Egg Hunt. Nearly 40 kids attended and quite a few parents. As usual the kids had a great time hunting eggs and playing games. This year Lora had a craft for the kids, a bag/backpack to decorate then use to collect the eggs. We also had a great meal following the egg hunt.

We hope that you have a great Easter wherever you are. Because of the resurrection of Jesus we are all full of new life - kingdom life!

Baby Hospital and Family Care Center

Here are some recent photos from the Baby Hospital and the Family Care Center. Please keep both of these good works in your constant prayers. Thanks.

Weekend in Gorlovka

Greetings Cross Culture family and friends. We had a great weekend with all our classes and worship on Sunday. The weather warmed up a bit (but then we awoke to snow on Monday morning!). Oh, well, you can't have everything. I thought you might enjoy some pictures of the kid's class, teen class, and Sunday worship service. Enjoy.