Teen Halloween Party

The teens and college age party was a blast. Everyone had to wear a costume (we provided some costumes for those who came without one). We played games, had a meal, busted a pinata, bobbed for apples, and had a rousing meeting of the Mau Mau Club (if you have to ask, we cannot tell you what it is). Enjoy the photos.

Kid's Halloween Party

We had a great day of parties yesterday. The weather forcast warned of freezing cold, so we decided to split our party into two parties. The first was for the young children. There were more than 30 kids plus helpers and parents. We played games, ate hot dogs and other snacks, had a scary room, busted a pinata, and had a lot of fun. As always, the kids were grateful for the party and especially all the great prizes at the games. Enjoy the pictures.

ABC Kids...

Today was Pampers and Supplies day for the Baby Hospital. Leanna and Dasha shopped for the supplies then delivered them. They also got to take pictures of the babies and play with them a little bit. Thanks to all our sponsors who provide for these precious children.

Baby Blessing...

Sunday we had a Baby Blessing for the Farkovets family. On September 9, 2010 Kostya and Olga had twin boys, Daniel and Max. Our church family was excited and honored to host the Baby Blessing for Daniel and Max. We shared a meal, prayed for the babies and their family, gave presents to the babies, and had a wonderful time of fellowship together. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Hope Orphanage Events

Last weekend we took three groups of kids from Hope Orphanage shopping at the Andreski market in Gorlovka. The kids were shopping for jeans, jackets, sweat suits, socks, shoes, and other items they were interested in purchasing. It is humbling and rewarding to go shopping with these kids. The way they help each other, share their money with one another, and offer advice to each other is amazing to watch.

This week we shopped for items for the youngest nine children who did not go shopping over the weekend (it is much easier to shop for, as opposed to shopping with, these young children). We also bought lots of good things to be placed in the Sparrow's Hope store. While shopping, several of the kids talked to me about how much they like having the priviliege of shopping at the store and also how they have been doing extra jobs to increase their account for shopping!

Thanks to all those who sponsor a child through the Sparrow's Hope program, you generosity is changing lives at Hope Orphanage. If you are interested in sponsoring a child, please follow the Sparrow's Hope link at the bottom of this blog page.

New Kid's Class

We began a new class today for ages 9 through 12. Olga Farkovets, one of the ladies at our church who just had twin boys, taught the class last year until it took a summer break. Now Dasha teaches the class with Kenny as her assistant. (The last photo is of Nikita Farkovets, the happy big brother to the twins).

End of Summer Picnic

We had such a great summer in Ukraine that we did not want to see it end. We had an "end of summer" picnic last Sunday afternoon with the college kids at the ponds. We played, had a cookout and had smores for dessert (with real marsh mellows from America that were quite a hit!). It was a great evening of fun and the weather since Sunday proves that it truly was the end of summer. It went from sunny and warm to raining and cold. While we are already having a good beginning to fall, we will miss the summer.

Geared Up for Fall

School starts tomorrow in Ukraine. We had a great summer of ministry with teens and college age students, as well as the church family. We spent the summer studying the beatitudes of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount.

We are excited about our college age ministry and the possibilities of encouraging more students to live as disciples of Jesus. We have been hosting activities on Friday nights throughout the summer that were well attended. Tomorrow we will put up posters at all the Institutes in the city inviting students to attend each Friday evening. We are hoping that some of the kids who moved this week from Hope Orphanage to the technical schools they will be attending will decide to participate each week.

We recently purchased rugs, curtain rods and material for curtains to remodel ten rooms at Hope Orphanage. Hopefully the rooms will be completed soon and we can get some pictures to post. Thanks to all of you who sponsor our ministry in any way, your generosity is changing lives in Gorlovka.

The photos are from the last Friday Fun Day for the youth group. They completed the last beatitude lesson and then went bowling.

Primitive Camping and Music Festival

Our family and about 10 kids involved in our college age ministry spent last week at the beach in Crimea, Ukraine camping and attending a Christian Music Festival called "White Nights." The camping was quite primitive and the mosquitoes were terrible, but we all had a great time despite the things that we did not like so much. Our favorite band was "Unbelievable" and the three band members are active in our campus ministry. The music was good and our group spent a lot of time together, encouraging each other and getting to know one another better. Many of the students also attended the teen retreat in Berdyansk a few weeks ago. Hope you enjoy the pictures.