When we first started supporting grace Church Odessa and their ministry to give children in need a loving home, one question was always asked...
Why are there so many Children needing a home,
on the streets or needing to be re-homed from the state system ?
There were many reasons for this...
- A culture of adults who did not take responsibility for being parents.
- Adictive behaviour (Alcohol, drugs, sex) which either destroy the family or make the home unsuitable for young children to grow up in.
- Violence and Crime: When adults make bad life choices they should not be emulated by children and young people.
- Adults misusing and abusing children: for financial gain or even worse.
- A creaking state-system, not always agile are able to respond to specific situations and crisis.
In this cultural malaise of sociological, emotional, psychological and spiritual issues, the next generation pay the highest price. Some children are left without parents, some ...without ones who can care for them (prison, fatality, neglect, inability.)
When we first visited Odessa, and met some of the children who congregated in their own Ghetto (basements, water tanks, building sites and the like) the sight was too much to bare. In this sitaution we thanked God for those who are doing something about it, even moreso with the kindness and selflessness of Jesus Christ.
The shelter work based at Grace Church has grown. Initially under the supervision of Pieter and Lydia Dovbya, foundations were laid for this model "house of grace", where many children were welcomed whatever their situation and circumstance.
The situation today:
GROWING NEED: I would love to say that the need is diminished, but in many ways there is a greater need for this ministry than ever before. Now that the ministry is established, more and more people request help for children, all of whom are undoubtedly in genuine and great need. The statistics can be re-defined and massaged. Maybe the system has made the problem/ issue less visable to the outsider, but you don't need to scratch the veneer of stats very long before you see there is an increasing issue for children of the next generation.
In reality there are those children who are not benefitting from other, or even state care, and for those who are "in the system", things are not always straightfoward, transparent, or working. We need to be honest and realistic...money allotted for childcare does not always fully go to children. Children also need more than money, or even food. They need to be treasured, valued, invested in, nurtured, hugged, cried with, healed of trauma, shown a way forward, given a foundation and model of faithfulness.
Grace homes team.
(looking so good as they stand in the function room at transition house).
A GROWING TEAM AT GRACE: We thank God that as the need has grown, HE has grown the ministry and ministry team. We thank GOD for the transparent and obviously benificial care grace families offer through grace homes. Each child is placed in a family, but it is not just with a roof over their heads. "Homes" are more than a building. Home is where we belong, where we are accepted, understood. Home is where there is a promise of faithfullness for the future. Grace homes deliver this and much, much more as they nurture each unique indiviudal in the grace, love and certainty of those transformed by Jesus Christ. The undeniable proof is in the quality progress of the wonderful children there.
Today we pray for 2 things
1) Pray for this wonderful team who lead this ministry (above).
There are 3 strands.
A) The church shelter, home to 62 children
Our great friends at SGA produced a great video for session 3 of their conference.
The shelter is highlighted at (48:05-53:08) and is 5 minutes well spent.
The link is here to copy and paste...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pokmQt2H48c&fbclid=IwAR0ZnHwlONSbHtZ2UBcaMlMEWCAumjjlrFcRVvlhljcyAd2DKZO6PeLpkZo
(thank you SGA for making this and your conference available so helpfully. Congratulations on 70 years of great work, we look forward to the future together.)
B) A number of FAMILY HOMES specifically purchased in the area for this reason (at present 4 homes with provision for around 10-15 children)
C) Transition House / Hostel for those typically aged 16+ who need space to bridge the gap between supervision of parents and learning to look after themselves. (The capacity of this building is between 50-60 people). You can see from the video that is increasingly full of life, for which we are praising God so much.
Our commitment is to this whole ministry and to be ongoingly faithful in prayer. Our greatest involvement (privilege) was through the long process of building "transition house". Over the years and frequent trips we feel attached to all in this work. So Our attachment...is to these people, children and young people, not a building. And we pray that we will be helpful in the future as we support the wonderful work they continue to do.
- There are many who would benifit from care at Transition House. Pray for wisdom in this team to know future steps as they seek to look after more and more young people.
- There is a wonderful partnership developing wherby Grace ministries can take more and more strain off a creaking state system. Pray that this will work well and that many more children and young people will recieve the help and love they need.
- Pray that the ministry will be provided for in growth. That all needs will be met during this covid season so that the ministry continues to develop not just exist. (Also pray about what we could do in this situation in the UK).
2) PRAY FOR
THE FAMILY UNDER THE CARE OF SERGEY AND MARSHA SHIKIN:
In many ways what this family asks us to
pray for is helpful for all shelter families and children.
A) PRAY FOR THE CHILDREN's EMOTIONAL WELLBEING AT THIS TIME:
When children have previously been through times of crisis and extraordinary unsettling, a season like covid - where there is change, unsettling, panic, distance can be very diffifult.
- Pray especially for the younger children who do not understand these things but feel them, Help all to communicate and help at this time.
- Pray for the older children, yes they understand more and can communicate more, but the situation is not easier for them... not least in their helping of the younger children.
B) Pray for the Schooling of the children. (You saw someting of this on the video). Each child has specific needs. Pray especially for those with special educational needs and those who are studying with special tuiton for their development. (This is made all the more difficult during this time).
C) Pray for the health of all children. (Clearly from the pictures they are happy and healthy). May God's hand continue to be upon them in these important years and precious times of development.
Thank you Sergey and Marsha on behalf of all your team for the amazing job you are doing in the name of Jesus Christ.
As an army of brothers and sisters we are wanting to stand with you and will continue to pray for all of these things, and for you precious brothers and sisters, especially during this season.
No comments:
Post a Comment