HungryForLifeInternational

We traveled about 200 km to the Priazovye Orphanage for a 2 day visit. In 2007, the orphanage celebrated its 5th anniversary. This is a Christian orphanage that lives by faith. There are 34 workers and 38 children who range in age from 3 to 18 years. The government checks on them regularly and sets a high standard for them to attain but doesn't give them any funds. As our team arrived, the children ran towards use, grabbing our hands with excitement. It was overwhelming to see these beautiful children who greeted us by calling us "mama". There were so many heart-wrenching stories, such as 4 beautiful children from one family, taken from their home because of alcoholism and abuse - this story was repeated many times over.





One of the first things we did was view the workshop that had been renovated with the monies donated to the Mark Tiegen Memorial Fund. The building was a shell before they put on a new roof, insulated & stuccoed the exterior walls, redid the floor & interior walls.
We were impressed by their accountability in supplying receipts for every penny they spent. Its amazing how quickly they get things done. It was Mark's desire to see young people receiving training in a trade and this workshop will provide the opportunity for boys aged 16 - 18 to learn skills in repairing vehicles.




They will now be able to start purchasing some of the required equipment, however additional funds are still required to complete this project. The boys are looking forward to getting started with two old cars awaiting mechanical and body work. The Lord has already provided a qualified instructor who will donate his time. Praise be to God for this project!
We shared meals with the children & staff and slept there overnight. Mary and Janelle were doing English grammar homework with 2 of the children until 11 pm.
We had purchased shoes and socks for the children prior to coming, so we set up a "shoe store", brought them in 3 at a time with us clerks waiting on them to get the right size and supplying each of them with 2 pairs of socks. It was so much fun. For those whose sizes we didn't have, we told them we would go to the market and purchase a very special pair. We left a suitcase of candy, toys, clothes & toothbrushes for them. After supper, the children sang for us and then we made animal balloons for each of them. The older ones immediately got involved.



Ruthanne and Mary spent several hours helping to purchase food from wholesale outlets in the city - meat, fish, fruit, flour, sugar, dairy products and other supplies. The Rice Raiser initiative provided $1000 for this pre-campaign food distribution. It was especially exciting for Ruthanne as she is actively involved with this ministry.








Praise God for this Christian orphanage in Eastern Ukraine where the children are loved, taught the word of God, receiving an education and having their physical needs supplied. They live by faith when a need arises and the children are called to pray. Each of us had attached ourselves to the children and it was hard to leave them behind.

Fraser Valley Team