I know the plans I have for you...

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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!

Berdyansk and more!!

OK, so we haven't been too faithful with our post. We had been staying in a wonderful little bible college on the outskirts of Kherson until Monday morning. They do not have internet and we never had the time to find a cafe. But being busy is a good thing!

So, how do we summeries all that we've done so far without writing a novel. I guess we'll have to fill you in on all the details when we get home but here are some of the highlights:

Upon arriving in Khearson on Friday, we met with Alex of Agape Ministries and his team who would be our host throughout our time in Ukraine. They loaded us up in two big vans and off we went straight to the Babe Orphanage (We hope to post some pictures soon). To say that it is heart breaking is a true understatement. Those children are so beautiful and precious. We spent time standing, rocking, bouncing until they told us to leave. Even though we were all exhausted from the flight and overnight train ride, the visit helped God to quickly reveal why we were here. After the visit, we checked into plan but very nice dorm rooms at the bible college on the outskirts of Khearson, cleaned up and got ready to head out again.

Friday afternoon and early evening, we spent time visiting the girls at Heart for Orphan's & Agape's small home called "Esther's House". There we met with the 3 wonderful and sweet young ladies and their house mother. The place is small but has all the conveniences that one can expect in a big city of Ukraine. It was very clean and full of joy. 2 of the 3 girls spoke relatively good english and were able to help the third tranlate. They also had a wonderful meal waiting for us where they sat the entire 9 person mission team as well as Alex and his 2 drivers. All three girls are attending school and two of them hope to be accepted into bible college this summer. Please keep Iryna, Natasha, and Oksana in your thoughts and prayers as they learn and grow to be adults.

After breakfast on Saturday morning, we headed out in multiple directions in 3 teams of 3. We each visted a different "Internot" (Orphanage) where we observed some of the young Agape teachers sharing Christ. What amazing talent that God has given this dedicated people. We all spent time visiting with the kids and sharing small gifts with them. One of our teams visited an orphanage for disabled children and were astonded when many could speak english. I think one of our team mentioned how "inspired" they were with these brave young diabled children. But there future is so bleak for many of them.

After a full morning visiting these locations we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with our 10 boys at "Joshua's House". This is our biggest house which many of us had only seen pictures of as a run down shell of a building. Well, it's not run down any more. The home is beautful even by American standards but a perfect place to house these boys in a loving Christ based home as they transition from the orphanages to adulthood. For all who have donated to Heart for Orphans, please know that God's gift through you have been a blessing that is without discription. Until you've been here to see what sadness is in front of these forgotten young people, you cannot imagine the gift you've given to them. All, guided by a live-in "house father" and a husband & wife team literally living just outside the front door.

The biggest event came that evening with the dedication of Joshua's House. Both the leading local ministers (Bishops) for the two primary denominations in the area were there to conduct the dedication along with the "Regional Manager" for the entire area (basically the boss for all the mayors). The ceremony was a touching blessing and dedication of the house, house parents and the boys.

Sunday found us attending church where we thought that Bill Warwick (Williamsburg Community Chapel Minister) was presiding. Again, we'll have to post picutres but we think we found Bill's lost brother in Ukraine. He didn't speak english but he provided a powerful God inspired Easter message for all of us. Nancy was able to speak about who we are and what we stand for, Gary, Beverly, Erin, and Abby stood to speak about their adoptions story (many Ukrainians want to know why an American would adopt from Ukraine), and Jay Schell presented a short talk completely in (shelf taught) Russian, AMAZING! What a blessing the morning was.

We had lunch that day back at Joshua's House and spent time with the boys ultimately bring them back with us to the Bible College where we met the girls from Esther's House. We played soccer ("Football") and a "form" of American Football with one of the donated footballs we brought over for the boys. We also played wiffle ball which was a load of fun teaching the art of goofy baseball. What great fun and time of sharing love with all these young folks! We played until it was pitch dark and they had to head back home. With sadness but warm hungs we said goodbye.

We hit the road Monday morning with two vans on our way to Berdyansk. It took the enitre day on torn-up post-winter roads. On the way we stopped at a local "technical school" at a farming village. By American standards, it was absolutely sad. But the local Agape minister has hope and has already established a small home for some of the kids and was able to show us some potential areas we may be able to help them expand. We'll pray for God's guidance there.

But what struck us all the most was this Agape minister Victor and his wife and 5 adopted children. All stair steps ranging from 3 to 7. Victor took all of us into his small but pleasant home and feed us all in two seperate servings while the others played with their 3 beautiful girls and 2 boys all adopted from Ukraine by this wonderful Ukrainian farm family. What a testimony to all of us. But Victor kept giving it all back to God's grace and power. It made us all reflect that if this family with very small means where willing to adopted 5 children (oh, and a 6th older orphan soon), how much more can we do with all that God has blessed us with in the USA.

After a long day on the road, we made it to the Hotel in Berdyansk Monday evening.

Today we spent time at the "First Stage Orphanage" visiting and playing with the kids and finishing up with watching the Agape puppet ministry perform. What a wonderful team and great message of the gift of Jesus to us all.

We spent the afternoon at the primary orphanage where Erin Bruce lived prior to her adoption. Erin got to see many of her teachers and old friends. We spent time with some of the kids but primarily helped set up the Agape puppet ministry where Gary Bruce helped to finish it up with a short testimony.

Well, it's time for us all to head to dinner. With about 21 of us in all counting the puppet team and Alex and his drivers, we will fill up the small hotel cafe.

Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and comments. Please continue to pray that God gives us the eye, ears, and hearts to do his will.

Sincerely,

Your Heart for Orphans and Williamsburg Community Chapel Mission Team

We made it to Kiev!

Just a quick note to let everyone know we made it to Kiev safe and sound. No bumps in the road other than being very tired. We're waiting for our train which is scheduled to leave at 9:45 pm tonight and arrive in Kherson tomorrow morning, 02 Apr, at 10:00 am. Of course all of this is in Ukraine time which is 7 hours ahead of U.S. east coast time.

We've been tackling hoisting around the extra 8 military dufflebags full of contributions to go to the kids and the orphanages. We've been bless with so many contributions to give but will be very happy, in numerous ways, to be able to give the items out.

We go straight to the Baby Orphanage from the train tomorrow morning so please pray for God to guard our hearts but give us the right things to do and say as we spend time with these little ones.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Heart for Orphans Mission Team.

Heading to Ukraine!!

The crew from Heart for Orphans have put together a small mission team of 9 that is heading out tomorrow, 31 March, for 10 days in Ukraine. We are excited about the possibilities as we go to visit our 3 group homes, meet and have fellowship with the kids there, and help with general maintenance and repair. We’ll also visit the local orphanages in Kherson and Berdyansk including the Baby House to simply...hold babies. Very heart breaking.

Please pray for safe traveling mercies as we make the drive to Washington Dulles Airport tomorrow morning then catch the Red-eye flight to Kyiv, Ukraine via Germany. We’ll be exhausted by then but will have some time to clean up and rest before grabbing the overnight train to Kherson Thursday evening.

We’ll keep you updated on our progress once we get settled in and find the nearest internet cafe.

Sincerely,

Heart for Orphans Mission Team

Getting Started

This marks the first posting for Heart for Orphans. God has already blessed us and the children in so many ways and we are excited for what God will provide for the future of this organization. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers as we mature and grow in His will.