We support Ukrainian orphans to adulthood and encourage their faith in Christ.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

I know the plans I have for you...

declares the Lord...plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Seeds of Hope

Saturday, October 16th


As a first time visitor to Ukraine, I can certainly attest to the wonderful work that Heart for Orphans is doing here. In a land that appears grey and somber to the eyes and in which a spirit of oppression and anxiety hangs heavily, I see seeds of hope being planted. Yesterday, after we visited the Berdyansk orphanage, we then took a trip to the village of Osepienko to visit with Andre and Alyona and the boys and girls at Mel’s House. (By the way, traveling in Ukraine is quite an experience- I thought I was in some type of off road race as Dima swerved the car from side to side to avoid potholes driving us to the village. Any side of the road is apparently the right side of the road- the trick is not to drive the car into a hole).

The Spirit of Lord truly abides in Mel's House. In the midst of a land covered with oppression, anxiety and fear, we walked into a home where the Lord reigns and he has turned 14 boys, 5 girls, and a wonderful husband and wife into a family that serves the Lord. As we sat at the kitchen table, the huge language barrier melted as the Holy Spirit knit our hearts to one another. As I prayed about what the Lord is doing in Mel’s House with these boys and girls who have become a family in Christ, he took me to Isaiah 61:1, and reminded me that Jesus spoke these words as recorded in Luke 4:18-19 when he began his ministry, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Jesus has now commissioned us by and through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, to bring the good news of the gospel and a spirit of hope to this land of oppression. The Lord, however, has clearly shown Nancy and me that we need Him abiding with us and in us. We ask you all to pray for us as we continue on this journey. We are in a battle. Right now Nancy and I have infiltrated territory that the enemy thinks that he has conquered, but we know that Our God reigns. Continue to pray for the Lord to guide and direct our steps. Pray that we have ears to hear, eyes to see, and heart to know the call of the Lord, and the courage to follow his directions.

God Bless you all,
Robyn

Friday, October 15, 2010

On the road again.....

Robyn and I arrived safely in Ukraine on Wednesday. Robyn Hansen is on our board and is also an attorney. She is really excited about her first trip to Ukraine. We have weathered the airports, security checks, all-night plane ride, traffic in Kiev and the infamous all-night train ride from Kiev to Zaporizhzhia, and then on to Berdyansk. We are a little exhausted, but ready to get to work. We are meeting with Dima (our attorney in Ukraine) today and will head out to Mel’s House this afternoon. Please keep us in your prayers and we will update you with more information soon.
God Bless,
Nancy

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Changed Lives!

Hi everyone! I’m so excited about the little facelift our website has been given! God has been doing amazing things through this ministry and in the past we’ve been so busy that we’ve neglected to keep you informed  I promise to do better!! So much is happening. Where do I begin… ?


Over the past several years I’ve taken many people over to Ukraine to meet our kids and see the work we are doing. When I see the effect it has had on them, I am in awe. Many of them have said things like, “this has changed my life.” Some went back and adopted a child. Some even went back several times and adopted a few children! Others have volunteered, or supported our ministry financially. Everyone was affected in some way. Well, it has made me determined to tell the stories of these kids. Many people cannot come to Ukraine, so the next best thing is video. So please check out our brand new video! I hope it will touch your heart.

In three weeks I head back to Ukraine. We’ve got a lot going on over there! We now have 14 boys in Mel’s House! When I asked where we were putting the new boys, because the house is full, here’s what I learned. The four new boys were classmates of the others. When they graduated from the orphanage they went on to the trade school and it was a horrible experience. They asked if they could please, please live in Mel’s House. Our boys said they would gladly give up their beds so their friends could have them! So now four of our boys are sleeping on the floor. What an example of Christ-like compassion! How many of us would give up our beds and sleep on the floor?

Also at Mel’s House, we have three girls who attend the bible study sleeping on our house parents’ couch, in hopes that we’ll open a girl’s home soon. Pray with us that God will provide the funds!!

God bless you all!

Nancy

Monday, April 12, 2010

We're home!

Hello all!  Just a quick note to let everyone know we made it home last evening with our flight coming in at 7:20 pm, 10 minutes early, at Washington Dulles.  Customs went smoothly and Ted from Williamsburg Community Chapel was right there waiting to drive us the 3 hours home. Thanks Ted! We got in at around 11:30 pm and  headed straight for our homes and our beds with memories and prayers for our families in Ukraine.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and support.

More info and pictures to follow soon.

Sincerely,

H4O & WCC Ukraine Missions Team

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Dedication of Mel's House

Gary online...

God is good!!!
After our typical breakfast that may remind people of lunch or even dinner, we headed back to Mel's house to help the house parents and boys prepare for the dedication. What an amazing factory at work. Our house parents, Andrei and Alyona, and all the boys were working feverishly preparing lunch, setting up seats, and making general preperations for the dedication. We did our best to help but probably worked hardest on trying to stay out of their way. As we neared 11:00 am the guest arrived including many of the ministers from the local area and the regional bishop. It was amazing to see 55 people crammed into that small house. But throughout, there was a calming spirit even before the ceremony started.

The ceremony got started with Andrei welcoming everyone and introducing each speaker as they blessed the house, the parents, and the boys. Alex gave an inspiring talk and Nancy told of the story of how this all got started and of the people around the globe that helped to make it happen. She also included a touching story about the house's namesake, Mel. I wish Mel could have been there. I can see his tears streaming from his eyes as he saw the blessings that he helped bestow on this wonderful home. Mel, Thank you for the blessing of God's work through you. You can be extremely proud of your home and the boys that live there.

The dedication closed with a blessing and laying on of hands on Andrei and Alyona. The bishop's prayer was powerful with God's words flowing through him. My own words cannot describe the feeling everyone had as God's spirit filled the room. Many of us were in tears just from God's presence in that tiny room full of people. I will remember it for the rest of my days here on earth. Thank you Lord!

Following the dedication we helped set up tables and chairs in every corner of the house and enjoyed an amazing meal prepared primarily by our 22 year old house mother Alyona. She is truly an incredible young lady. We fellowshipped for over an hour and then all helped clean up as the guest began to leave (Thanks to Beverly and the girls for helping with the dish washing!).

At around 2:30 pm we had to say our goodbyes to this wonderful family. With big hungs all around, we headed back to the hotel. Unfortunately, later that afternoon we found out that the orphanage director did not want us to come as she stated they we too busy preparing for tests. This was sad news but we will trust in God's will.

We're getting close to the end of our journey and will start heading toward the train station at 1:30 pm tomorrw afternoon so I'm not sure how many more updates we'll have.

Thank you all for you blog comments, thoughts and prayers. We can't wait to share all the details when we gt home.

Sincerely, Gary and the H4O/WCC Missions Team.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Hi all! This is Nancy. The trip is going great and we can see the Lord going before us. Today started out with us all laughing. Some of the breakfast choices can be interesting. Today our choices were fish, "cutlet" or sausage (otherwise known as a hot dog). I just couldn't face all that first thing in the morning, so in my best Russian (with the aid of a Russian/English dictionary) I asked if they had oatmeal, or so I thought. The waiter looked at me strangely and walked away. When Alex arrived he fell apart laughing. He told me I asked if they had oats for horses. Well, needless to say, I have not heard the end of it. The horse analogies keep on coming :)

After our team devotions, Dima met us and we all drove out to Mel's House in the village about a half an hour away. It was so great to see the house completed - at long last! House parents Andrei and Alyona and all the boys have worked hard to clean up the grounds also. The house is on a hectare of land and it was all overgrown with lots of trash everywhere when we bought it last summer. In October when our family was here, it wasn't much better. It was under construction and a mess! But now the garden was neat and plowed, and the house was beautiful and homey. There is a grape arbor, a number of fruit trees and lots of flowers and vegetables starting to sprout. They have three pot-bellied pigs, a pet chicken, dog and several kittens. We helped with cooking, cleaning windows and general preparations for the dedication of Mel's House tomorrow. The boys had a great time playing UNO and soccer with our teenagers (and several of the adults!). Several of the villagers joined in also.

Tomorrow is a big day. We are expecting about 60-70 people at the dedication! Many are pastors from the area, friends from all over Ukraine and some of the local missionary community. It's supposed to be chilly, so I'm not sure where everyone will fit in the small house! But it should be fun!

After the dedication we plan to go to the orphanage and play games with the kids, and maybe do manicures with the girls. The Agape puppet ministry yesterday was GREAT!! It presents the gospel in such a fun way with music and lots of energy! The kids were all captivated. The orphanage teachers and staff loved it also.

So far, one of the highlights of the trip for me has been seeing two of the boys that we brought to the USA back in 2007 with the Old Russian Shoemaker. I was chopping vegetables at Joshua's House and looked up to see a familiar face. "Igor??" He said, "Miss Nancy??" He and his friend Sergei are living there now. We prayed for them back in 2007, and I wasn't sure what had happened to them. They came from an orphanage two hours away, and now here they were living in Joshua's House! Not only that, but last Sunday they committed their lives to Christ! Hallelujah!

Well, gotta go. It's late... blessings to all, and love from the H4O/WCC team!