February 20th – 22nd
volunteers of Nasledie Heritage Foundation went to Mariupol in the Donetsk
region in Eastern Ukraine. The area is at risk for heavy fighting as troops are
amassing outside the city. However, the city is still under Ukrainian control.
The trip one way took 10 hours on difficult roads. We went through block posts
in every town and passport checks, but nothing could stop us from serving the
children. In the evening, the team from Odessa met with a team from Mariupol
and we planned 3 programs for the next day. In the morning, after we prayed we
were on the way to see the children from the Guardian Center. There were 95
children from 1 to 20 years old waiting for us. They even prepared for us some
performances wearing traditional Ukrainian outfits and even prepared for us
some tasty pancakes. The event went really well, everyone enjoyed the songs,
competitions, and some magic tricks. At the end, we sang the song, Prayer for
Ukraine and prayed The Lord’s prayer. Next we traveled to another place
where we had an amazing time with more than 100 children and their families.
They all were very happy to receive the gifts from Samaritan’s Purse. Later, we
had a program for the small group of children that our Mariupol friends are working
with. This was an unforgettable experience! The children were praying, singing,
and especially rejoicing about their presents. In all we the volunteers met
with 250 children and many adults. We were very tired but very happy. We are
grateful to all who were praying for the trip and supported us financially.
Please pray for these
children and the city of Mariupol. They are experiencing very difficult times.
They city will most likely be attacked soon and there is a lot of stress,
worry, and fear. Pray that God would protect these dear children and people
from evil. Pray that the time that we had with them encourages them to reach
out to the Lord.
