Izmael 11-14 Prayer Day Marathon

The team in Izmael also joined the Prayer Day Marathon by visiting the orphanage in Izmael. They made the doves and the children wrote their prayer requests on them. The team taught them a simple way to pray using the hand where each finger represented what or who we should pray for : family, friends, authorities, the sick, and yourself. They played games, ate sweets, sang songs, and every child received a toy. 
The most important part of the day was spending time in prayer together.    

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.

Pishana 11-14 Prayer Day Marathon

This weekend a small team went to Pishana for the weekend as part of the Prayer Day Marathon and as a regular visit.  On Saturday, we were able to spend the whole day in the orphanage.   We got to spend about an hour with each class and it was amazing to see how content they were with just a few simple crafts and games.  For these kids, the most important thing is spending time with them and we are so thankful for the opportunity we had to be with them.
​On Sunday we visited some of the kids who have graduated from the Pishana orphanage that now live in Balta. We invited them to church and then we played games and had lunch together.  They were also very happy to see us and content just to be with us.  Later in the afternoon we traveled to a tiny village called Isaevo where some other orphanage graduates live.  We hope to be able to continue to visit the kids in Pishana more often and also begin regularly visiting the graduates. Praise God for the commitment of this team.

Troitskaya 11-14 Prayer Day Marathon

On the 14th of November, we visited orphanage in Troitskaya as part of the Prayer Day Marathon. We played games, sang songs, made crafts, and also shared the story about Abraham. We shared that he was obedient to God and trusted Him. We shared that God takes care of us and fulfills His promises. During the craft time, we made a prayer dove and on it the children wrote their prayer requests to God. It was a great time together! We become closer to each other.

Utkonosovka 11-15 Prayer Day Marathon

On the 15th of November, we visited the orphanage in Utkonosovka for the Prayer Day Marathon. The topic of our meeting was, you reap what you sow. After the meeting, we made bracelets using ribbon, sang songs, and spent time praying. The caregivers were surprised at the kids' willingness to participate in all of the activities. Praise God that in just a few months God has helped us build relationships with these children!

Evening of Friends

On Saturday night, we once again gathered our team for Evening of Friends. The purpose was to pray for the orphans in the Odessa region that we work with. It was a great evening of prayer and worship.

Karolina Bugaz 11-13 Prayer Day Marathon

The Prayer Day Marathon stops off in Karolina Bugaz. It was the biggest team that went out this week and the kids were excited to see us. The program remained the same with singing, crafts,  games, and a skit. It was a special time praying for the children, too. Praise God for these kids and the open door to minister to them.

Prayer Day Marathon in Andreevo-Ivanovko

The second trip as a part of the prayer marathon was to the orphanage in Andreevo-Ivanovko. During our meeting with the children we played games, sang songs, made a craft, and performed a skit. We shared with them about the power of prayer. At the end, volunteers prayed for the children and gave them treats. After program, we had time to talk with kids personally. Some of these kids we have know for a long time and it was nice to talk with them about what is going on in their lives right now.

Prayer Day Marathon in Kilia

Our prayer marathon has successfully started! Today we took the longest trip on the worst roads and visited the orphanage in Kilia.The trip was long, but it was worth it because we had a chance to spend time with the kids. We reminded the children about our time together in the summer camps. We all enjoyed memories of the Alice in Wonderland camp.

We were playing, singing, and making crafts together. We made a dove on which we wrote our prayers to God.  It's fascinating to hear what children are dreaming about and what their prayers are for. Some of the children were praying for health, good family, for their family and  people they love. Some were praying for reconciliation with their sister and friend, some were asking for the team to come more often and for wellbeing of all people, and of course they were asking for some toys, sweets, trips.
 It reminded us that these kids are just like any other children, which means that they also need to be loved and cared for.  They live with the hope that things will get better. We need to learn from them how to have faith like children. If we look into the eyes of the orphans, we can see God in them.

They need our love and care!  Let us be the instruments of God to share with them His love and attention.

National Day of Prayer for Orphans

The National Day of Prayer for Orphans was recognized on November 7th in the center of Odessa. We held a community awareness event in the center of the city and invited citizens to join us in praying for orphans. Many clergy members came to pray and children from the Balta orphanage and the Karolina Bugaz orphanage performed songs and dances. It was a very cold day, but many still joined with us to remember the orphans in our area.

Prayer Day Marathon Video

We want to again thank our sponsors for helping with the Prayer Day Marathon.

Andreevo-Ivanovko 11-29

On the 29th of November, early in the morning the team headed out to visit the children in Andreevo-Ivanovko.

They started the program with a prayer and a short message about the love. Specifically, about how God shows His love to us and how we should appropriately show that to others. After this there was  a time for playing games and then time for fellowship.

We are excited to return to them in December because we have challenged them to prepare something special for us for a Holiday Talent show! 

National Day of Prayer for orphans

Sunday was the National Day of Prayer for orphans here in Ukraine. Across the country, many people gathered in homes and churches and prayed for the children. We could suggest many ways to pray for orphans, but we think it is best to note just a few requests from the children.


Pray that my Mom will come and take me home.
Pray that I will see my sister.
Pray that I will have a family and nothing more is needed.
Pray that I will be safe.
Pray that the war will end in our country.
Pray that I will go home.
Pray that my Mom and Dad will stop drinking.
Pray that I will have friends.

Please continue to pray for children in Ukraine that live in orphanages.

We did it! Day #6 Krasnosyolka, Limonskaya, Mikalaievka, Flash mob, and Prayer Service!

Saturday was the final day for the Prayer Day Marathon. We visited the girls in Krasnosyolka. They had a great time singing, dancing, doing crafts, and spending time with us. (Photos are not permitted.) We also sent small teams to Limonskaya and Mikalaievka.

In the afternoon, we performed a flash mob 4 different times in the city center in order to help create awareness for orphans. The clowns gathered brave adults and very willing children to learn a fun hand jive. When they had learned it, they turned to perform and 30 volunteers rose up from the crowds and joined them.

All week long we gathered prayer requests hand written by the children. We gathered on the final day of the Marathon to pray for their prayer requests. Each group was also given a tree that had fingerprints of the kids on it and they prayed for that specific orphanage and our program there.

Day #5 Zhovten, Pishana, and Ananiev

Day 5 was 3 teams, 3 orphanages, and 100's of happy kids. The teams headed out at 9 AM sharp and were excited for the last day on the road.

Zhovten - The kids had a great time doing several crafts, adding their fingerprint to the tree, and performing songs and skits. The team was able to share several stories about how God had answered their prayers. They also spent time praying over the children. Over 30 volunteers came to love this children! Praise God for a great team of volunteers.

Pishana - A long trip to Pishana, but the team was greeted with lots of joy and hugs! The kids were excited to be reunited with volunteers from camp and were ready for a fun afternoon. The kids enjoyed the skits, crafts and games.

Ananiev - This team that has traveled the road everyday is a collection of many people that aren't from Odessa. They have lived in the office all week, sleeping on air mattresses, sharing one shower, and traveling everyday. The spent the last day in Ananiev and enjoyed their last day together as a team. Praise God for these people that are willing to go the extra mile to love His children.

 

Day #3 Izmael, Borshi, and Kotovsk

The team gathers around 8:00 AM every morning and prepares to head out by 9:00.

One team headed to Izmael...orphanage is the furthest away from Odessa and required a little trip through the neighboring country of Muldova.

The other team visited the children in Borshi and Kotovsk.

All week long the team has spent time with the kids writing down their prayer requests. We will gather on Saturday night as a team and spend time praying for their needs. One child writes that he wants the war to stop in Ukraine.

Please pray for our teams as they are out on the road on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Marathon Prayer night

Last night we gathered our team for a time of prayer for the children and our trips this week.

The teams headed out to 3 different orphanages today. Please pray for their trips.

Day #1 Marathon Started in Karolina Bugaz and Nickolaevka

Yesterday the Marathon got started in Karolina Bugaz and Nickolaevka. Two programs, two teams, and two orphanages.

Karolina Bugaz

Fun Games - Grab the pencil

Lord's Prayer bookmark craft

We are asking the kids to write down their prayer needs. We will gather the team on Saturday night to have a time of prayer for the children.

Nickolaevka

Fun Skit

Praying for the kids

Marathon Begins

Today is the first day of the Marathon. We will visit two or three orphanages everyday this week. This morning the team gathered bright and early and finished their final preparations for the day.

Why are we on this venture? The National Day of Prayer for Orphans in Ukraine is on Sunday, November 9th. As we have in the past, we have decided to visit the children, have a fun program for them, and to spend time praying over them.

Today we travel to Karolina Bugaz and Nickolaevka. Thank you for praying with us.

National Day of Prayer for Orphans in America

The National Day of Prayer for Orphans in America is this Sunday, November 2. Please join us in praying for orphans all over the world, in Ukraine, and in the Odessa region where we work.

The following video pertains to the orphan situation in the Odessa region.

As we noted on the blog, earlier in October we visited many different orphanages and specifically asked the children about their goals and dreams. We didn't prompt them in anyway because we truly wanted to hear what was on their hearts. Katya freely shared her heart about wanting a family. The video is in Russian, but we have given the translation below.

Yes, I have a dream. I dream about a family. I see a good family...caring. I would help them wash the dishes, cook food, clean up, and watch after my brothers. I need for my brothers to grow up in a good way. When I grow up, I want to be the president. I would create a law that parents should have to look after their children and that all would be good. They would have to devote their time to them. To be alone is scary. I really want to ask, if there is a possibility, that someone would take us three. I believe that this will happen.