Balta 4-2

Dima continues to focus on working with the 5th graders in the Balta orphanage. This month there was the opportunity to once again share the Gospel through poster evangelism and the caregivers stayed in the room for this part, too. Please pray their lives would also be impacted. The children had requested some books and we were able to bring them some. They were happy to receive the books and as soon as they got them they started looking through them. We hope the read them and enjoy them.  They sang a few songs with or newest volunteer, David, playing on the guitar. The lesson this time was about Easter and also about our dreams and goals. There was discussion about sharing our dreams, hopes, and goals with the Lord and that He can help us see those things come to fruition. The children all received notebooks and treats at the end of the meeting.

Dima has been using this poster evangelism method for almost a year. He shared this," I reminded them about the previous lesson and they remembered most of it. I can surely say that the posters through which we share with them biblical stories have great impact on them, as they almost always remember nearly everything I had shared with them in previous lessons."

Dima also reports that some of the children started coming to the youth meeting at the local church. This is great news. Please support us in prayer.

Balta 3-19

On the 19th of March, the team visited the orphanage in Balta. They played sports games, had small group discussions, did a physical experiment, played other games, and enjoyed a skit. After the program the team spent time praying for the children. Praise God for this team of volunteers!

Balta 2-27

On the 27th of February our team visited  the Balta orphanage. The theme of our event was learning about trust. We showed them some experiments and played some trust games. After we had discussion groups, we played volleyball, and spent time talking with the kids. We finished our meeting with a prayer together with children. Please pray for these children and for the team that visits these children.

Balta 2-13

God gave us another opportunity to visit the children from the orphanage in Balta. We are glad that God has the heart of the director in His hands and we are free to talk to children about God. This time we were given 5th graders, with whom we have been working with for a period of time and they have become strongly attached to us. During our lesson we were talking about judgment.  Although it is quite a complex topic for the child's perception, all (including teachers) listened attentively. We sang several Christian songs to cheer everybody up. The children sang to us and it was very encouraging. After the songs, we had an object lesson. Using Poster Evangelism, we were able to explain in detail the essence of the gospel and tell them about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, sin, and the future of every person. Thank God for this meeting! As we were sharing we could see how tears started rolling in their eyes, but we weren’t able to capture it in the photo. But after the story, many of them wanted to hear more. Unfortunately, our time with the children was limited. So at the end we offered to children some Christian books that were donated by a volunteer. It’s so amazing to see how the Gospel touches children’s hearts. Thanks to everyone who supports us with prayers and participates in this ministry.

Balta

After the holidays. God opened the door for us to meet with the children in the Balta orphanage. We spent a wonderful time together with the 5th grade class. The theme of our meeting was the idea that life is full of difficulties and they need to be prepared to them. We divided children into two teams and had fun competitions. Children like the challenges that were set out before them. Almost all of them like challenges and want to overcome obstacles. And it's really important for them to learn how to do it over come because in life when they leave the orphanage they will have many challenges.

We talked with them and at the same time watched their behavior and reactions. For some of them it was difficult to be in the team, and these children are in need of a serious and prolonged psychological correction. But it was nice to see that they were supporting those who have been involved in the game. There were no losers. At the end of each received games kids got some school supplies and sweets.

This time something unusual happened. Usually, when we finish the meeting and begin gathering our materieals the kids are busy showing their prizes to each other and forget about us. But this time a boy named Sergei came up to me and began to help, and then he said quietly, "May God keep you on your way home!"

Thank God for our time with these children. We want to thank everyone who lifts us up in your prayers!

Winter Camp in Balta

The team held a winter camp in the Balta orphanage during the holiday season. The theme we discussed with kids was the future. We had discussion groups, played sports, organized talent shows, performed different experiments, sang songs, and had skits. We praise God for giving  us strength to do all of that. The last day of the camp was the day when kids got the reward for participating in all the activities we have prepared for them. Like in other orphanages it was a great opportunity to share with the kids a warm holiday time. We hope it will be something they will remember and cherish throughout their life. We thank God for the camp and for your support. God Bless!

Balta December

On Christmas Eve we were able to spend a wonderful time with the children of the Balta orphanage. It was during the time of their winter holidays. When we arrived, we found out that many children were taken to their families for Christmas and New Years. It turned out that in the orphanage there were only orphans that don't have any parents or relatives. These children really needed encouragement and we were glad we could be there to show them that God cared for them and we did, too.

The theme of our meeting was - Christmas. It was a very fun and rewarding time. In the beginning, we had a few games to warm up. This was followed by a quiz with questions on how well they know Christmas story. A lot of guys knew even the smallest details. It was very nice to see that they had listened to our sharing of the Christmas story in the past. When the other children heard the correct answers, it motivated them to remember the story. All kids who answered, received prizes or candy. Then we sang few songs that they remembered by heart. The most popular: "Jesus, You're my best friend." It's nice to hear that kids love to sing songs about Jesus Christ. At the end of our meeting, using the poster images we told them the gospel, and finished it up with sharing the meaning of Christmas.

There was a feeling that they did not want to say goodbye to us. It was great opportunity to love these children! Thank God for the opportunities He gives us to serve Him!

Balta November Update

We visited the children in the Balta orphanage. We played a lot of games and laughed, but most importantly we learned how to build relationships. The purpose of our meeting was to help children get to know each other better and interact with each other without humiliating one another. It's very hard to do, but  our God  is a God of miracles.

It was a real breakthrough. Kids from the 5th grade became closer to each other  and were helping whenever someone on their team was behind.  And it was amazing to see how they were encouraging and  showing mercy to one another.

We also had few competitions where every child could get a gift and it really motivated them to participate in the activities.

All of the kids loved our meeting and said “ Thank you very much!. Please come again!”. It's a great motivation to keep on coming and serving!

We want to thank everyone who lifts us up in prayers to God!  May God bless you richly!

Balta 11-14 Prayer Day Marathon

On 14th of November, a team made a trip to the Balta orphanage for the Prayer Day Marathon. The topic of the program was,You are not alone. We had fun taking part in competitions, singing songs, and having discussions with teens. After time in small groups, we had sport games, and spent time praying for the children.

Balta October Report

God again gave us the opportunity to visit children in the Balta orphanage several times during October. One of our visits was during the fall break, but we had an opportunity to gather in a classroom with some kids. The topic of our meeting was, Sin – is the door that God prohibited us to go through. Dima continues to use poster Evangelism to explain to the children about the Gospel.

Dima had a chance to share with them how he came to Christ. One girl said : “What  you are saying is very interesting... I really liked your story!”. And I'm convinced that the seed has been sown in her heart.

Children were involved in the lesson, attentively listening to the story, and some even helped to explain what sin is and why there is such a big gap between people and God.  It was a great testimony to the caregivers, present at the lesson. The most active participants got stuffed animals and the rest got some candy. At the end all of the kids received warm scarves.

Thank you for supporting us and praying for these children and the ministry in Balta.

Balta 10-31

The 2nd Balta team also made it to the orphanage in October. The topic of the meeting was The Power of the Spirit. The skits that were performed and the games that were played all pointed the children towards the fact that are strength comes from the Lord. There was even a contest to find out how strong each child was on their own. In small groups, there was discussion about life after the orphanage.

Balta

Once again the Lord allowed us to visit the Balta orphanage. This time we met with children from the 5th and 6th grades. The theme of the meeting was “Be strong” and that to be strong and courageous doesn't mean to be rude and violent.

We had great time playing sports and fun games outside. The children split up into teams to take part in competitions. It was very hard for them to immediately apply the lesson which we had just discussed and to give up things for other's sake. However, the are learning and did a pretty good job.

The children are realizing what real strength is about. Pray that God will help them learn this lesson. At the end of the day, all of the children who participated in the games got small prizes – notebooks and pencils.

We praise God that He continues to open the doors to the orphanages to spend time with these children.

Balta 9-19

 On the 19th of September, we made a trip to the Balta orphanage.

The theme of our program was "Time" and that it is one of the most important life resources. We talked about how being a good steward of our time was not only wise, but it pleases the Lord. The children enjoyed the skits that we prepared. God blessed our time with children and helped us to lead the program.  Children enjoyed singing songs, playing games, taking part in sport competitions. Also, we had a practical lesson about humbleness. Praise God for giving us the opportunity to serve His children.

Balta update for August

We would like to share the news about the ministry in the Balta orphanage. In August, we visited the children, but some were still on vacations in government camps or on hosting trips in the States. With great joy we spent time with children from the 5th grade. They just have finished elementary school and many new things are awaiting them as a new school year will begin soon.

The theme of the meeting was, God made you special. We know that each child is beautiful in their own way. And we have been telling  kids that God has made each one of them beautiful and unique.

We had our meeting in the classroom we gave them a few riddles and taught them some interesting tricks. The time was full of joy and laughter. Children were very open. We were also very impressed with the kindness the children have been showed to us as well as to each other. It is quite unusual for them and we contribute some of this new behavior to the time that they had just spent with us at Camp LELA.

At the end we shared a Bible story from the program Poster Evangelism. Each story ends with the story about Jesus and about how much God loves them.

After the story, we gave some school supplies to the children. We enjoyed this day with kids they are waiting for us to come next time.

We want to thank everyone, who prays for us and supports us in this ministry.
 May God bless you!

Balta June

In June,  the older children in Balta had graduation. They were glad that the school year was over and are excited that a new life full of new experiences awaits them. We took a few pictures with kids from and made beautiful books with their photos. It will help them remember the warm memories they have from their school days.

We also had a meeting with the graduates. They came to our service one Sunday, listened to the sermon, sang songs, and spent with us this wonderful time worshipping the Lord. After the service, we had some nice food, time of fellowship, and prayer together. Praise God that the he opens their hearts.

We want to thank everyone who supports this ministry in the Balta orphanage and prays for these children. May God bless you richly!

Balta May Update

During our visit in May at the Balta orphanage, we met with the 5th graders. It was a fun way to start their summer holidays. Despite the rainy weather, we had great time together.
We started with a few icebreaker games and continued with some other games that helped us to learn about unity. Children were laughing so much and the atmosphere was amazing. Also, we had few competitions and all the children received a prize.

At the end of our visit was a talk about the Gospel, which we drew on the board. Children were listening attentively, answering the questions, and discussing the story. We praise God for the seed sown in the hearts of these kids.

Every child received a hygiene pack and a Gospel tract, written specially for children.
We praise God for these opportunities to visit children and want to thank everyone who takes part in this ministry.

Balta 5-23

On May 23rd, our team visited the Balta orphanage. Children were glad to see us. God blessed us with great weather, which gave us the opportunity to be outside playing sports and also making crafts out in the fresh air. We put all of the energy we had in playing and running around with children. Then we shifted to the important part of the program. The main topic that we talked about was “the choice”. We were teaching them about making important choices and that those choices will determine where they will spend eternity. After the lesson, we popped balloons filled with candy and said goodbye.  

We are thankful that God works through us in these children and thankful for everyone who supports us in making this ministry possible.
 

Balta 5-3

We once again want to share our joy with you. Praise God that He gives opportunities to meet with children in the Balta orphanage. Our visit showed us how much these children need love and care because they don't have this in their lives.

This time we meet with the 1st-3rd classes. These kids were very active and cheerful. We enjoyed playing games, eating sweets, and laughing with them. Their favorite part was playing with colorful parachute. It really captured their attention and older kids were interested, too. We had some logic puzzles for them to help them develop their mind and abstract thinking.

We had a fun game figuring out the topic of the lesson. They children needed to gather the letters and put them in the right order. The spelled out the phrase “I love Jesus.” Children completed the task very quickly. Then we read Bible with them and talked about Jesus. Orphans showed great interest and listened carefully to the Scripture.

At the end we distributed some toiletries. It was truly a day that brought us lots of blessings and joy. God has poured His love on us through this opportunity to serve.

We are very grateful for all people who pray for us and support us financially. We praise God that He allows us to serve these orphans with you.

Balta

And again we have an opportunity to share our news on how God allows us to work in the Balta orphanage. Praise God!
Last time we had wonderful time of fellowship. We are excited that a from Odessa joined us and served with us. The purpose of our event was to teach them about what true friendship and genuine relationships. This topic is very relevant because majority of the kids in the orphanages don’t have strong friendships and relationships.
Also, we learned new songs with movements, which children absolutely love. They kept on asking to sing with them one song again and again because they really liked it. Some of the songs they have learned by heart and sing them all the time.
Then we showed them two skits about how to keep good relationships with friends and make them last long and that only God can help in this. The children were watching with great interest and even teachers and supervisors enjoyed the skits. We shared with the children a message on friendship and what the Bible says about this.
After that, we split children by their age and had time of discussion.  Almost every child has opened up and shared the worries and thoughts. We were really surprise that they have become so open. Praise God!
It’s exciting for us to be a part of the ministry that can influence the lives of the children. We thank you for your support and your prayers. You are also influencing the lives of children.

Balta January Update

The team visited the children in Balta again at the end of January. The kids were happy to see us and were excited to participate in the program for the day. Dima continued with his Poster Evangelism Program. When the kids see the illustration as he explains it helps them remember in the future about what they learned. The children are more attentive because the illustration and the words together draw their attention. This time Dima shared about the truth. The question was, Are you sure? He shared with the kids about how many things seem to be the truth, but we can't always trust in them. He then shared with them the real truth that we can always trust and that is that Jesus is our Saviour and the only path to God.

The lesson this time had to do with learning to tie knots and also to do a few tricks with the rope. They really enjoyed it. There were also several other games and fun activities.

 

At the end, the children begged them to stay longer. It's always encouraging to know that they enjoyed the time. Most importantly the heard the Gospel and we demonstrated His love to them.

Praise God that the door to share the gospel freely is open to us in this orphanage. Pray with us as Dima and the team continue to minister to the children.

Thank you for your support and prayers for the children in Balta.