Pishana 5-17

Imagine if you were little and you had a few people in your life that truly loved you and loved spending time with you. Then imagine that you could only see those few people once a month. As an adult, maybe that isn't so hard, but you are a child and it's really hard. And when those people come, you go CRAZY! You are so overwhelmed with joy that your special people are with you showering you with love, teaching you good things, and relishing in the time they are with you. This is how one team member shares about what they see in the children in Pishana. These children are far off in a village and most likely the only time they feel loved and cared for is when our team is with them. This explains why they are pulling each volunteer out of the van screaming their name and hugging them. And leaving...well, let's just be thankful that all team members end up in the van, the door gets closed, and no one gets hurt while the van driver tries to drive away from a sea of children that cling to the van.

The team visited this past weekend and had another great time with the children. These children have a difficult time listening to the story and paying attention, but the team has found the best way to present the stories to the children is through little skits. They love seeing the volunteers dressed up and pay close attention to the Bible story as they see it acted out. They also enjoy singing songs with actions. In small groups, there were games, treats, and crafts.

The kids also enjoy celebrating their Birthdays by eating a small cake and opening presents. Every child remembers to tell us when it is their Birthday! Kostya received a cool pair of sunglasses and now every child wants those for their Birthday!

The best part is playing outside. It's so nice for the kids to be able to jump from one activity to another and spend time with the volunteers. It's also nice for the volunteers to be outside where there is not so much noise and they can talk closely with the children.

Praise God for this team that gives 12 hours on a Saturday once a month to travel 4 hours to the orphanage, dump out all their stored up love and energy for 4 hours, and then travel back 4 hours.