I am currently in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine with Jerry Morgan (Piggott, AR). We have come on this brief and unexpected trip to address some vital matters in our efforts. July 2015 in Ukraine has been HOT! We arrived in Kyiv with a temperature of 36C (which is 97F-98F). We were suffocating and melting on the train ride from Kyiv to Ivano-Frankivsk. That was 14 hours of misery I do not want to recall. But all of the misery was replaced Sunday with the wonderful joy that comes when brethren come together to worship the Lord. Several of the regular members were out due to summertime travels but we had several visitors present in the assembly.
A number of tasks faced us upon our arrival and we began checking off “done” on the to-do list. We will be returning to the USA on Sunday and in follow up reports I will give more details to our successful trip.
One of the to-dos was to check on locations where the fatherless are housed and see what needs they have and how we might possibly assist in the Lord’s Name.
Volodya took us to a village in his home district that has an orphanage for children ages 3 years-18 years. The orphanage houses 40 children. Most of these children have come into the home because their parents were convicted criminals and incarcerated or they are drug addicts or they were abusive and neglectful parents.
Anyway you look at the places from which these children come, it is bad.
The tragedy of “throw away” children throughout the world (regardless of whatever nation you select) is heartbreaking. Countless numbers are forced into the horrors of human trafficking that results in a hellish nightmare existence beyond the imagination of people of decency. Some are forced into wars and taught at a very early age that human life is nothing. The emotional scars of the “children soldiers” never heal.
Childhood ought to be a time when the wonders of a butterfly’s effortless gliding is to be chased and the frog’s squishy body is to be gently poked while lingering worries of warts are remembered.
Childhood is to be a time of smiles, playgrounds, and lightening bugs.
But childhood in our “modern, civilized” world is often lost.
Especially is this the situation in the orphanage in village Medynya of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine.
The staff at the orphanage is wonderful. They see the children as valued treasures with which they are entrusted. The staff bring things from their homes for the children. The staff use what meager money they are paid to buy necessities for the children. And there are many necessities for 40 children from 3 years to 18 years.
The State pays a daily stipend for each child in the orphanage. This is to cover three meals, clothing, shoes, medical costs, school supplies, and toys. I asked how much each child received and was told it was 38 grievnas (equivalent to about $1.64 USD). This is the total amount that is provided to supply all foods, medical, social and educational needs of the children.
When we arrived the children were outside playing. I looked to see one little fellow as the last to leave the building and being led by a staffer. He had a faded pink bucket hat on to protect his blond, blue-eyed complexion against the hot Ukrainian July sun. He carried an old, scarred, red fire truck with three wheels. As we passed each other he looked up and smiled as he was led to the other children. I later learned this was a four year old named “Stas” (that is the short name of “Stanislav”).
We were taken on a tour of the facility. We saw the neatly made beds, the community bathtub, toilet and the playroom. Old, ragged toys were kept in a crumbling cardboard box and would be taken out and played with when outside play was impossible.
Eventually we came to the dining room and the children were eating lunch. Their noon meal was pieces of boiled potatoes in a watery broth and white bread. Stas was sitting at a table with three other children. As each child would finish they would excuse themselves from the table, take their bowl and spoon and put it at the serving counter window. Some of the older girls collected various items and placed them at the serving counter.
We left after discussing the children’s needs. School is about to begin and they need basic school supplies and winter is coming and there is always a need for shoes. But as we left the lingering memory was that of Stas—his sweet smile and his tightly clutched grasp of that 3-wheeled fire truck.
Softly spoken in our group was a prayer for Stas and the other children in Medynya’s orphanage as well as children all over the world….may their plight be realized by those able to assist and may their lives be touched with loving compassion from those who realize the urgency of self-sacrifice and who honor that realization in word and deed by practicing “pure and undefiled religion by caring for the fatherless and widows in their time of need.”
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