Wednesday

Last Bell in Odessa

It was 11am on May, 31. The bright sun was hurting the eyes of about 200 children and teachers. The fluff from the poplar trees was circling in the air like snow making everybody sneeze, blow their noses and smile. Finally, the music started and a boy from the 11th grade picked up a little girl who was holding a huge copper bell with a red ribbon in her tiny hand. He sat her gently on his shoulder and marched inside the lines of students in the courtyard. The sound of the bell signified the end of a school year at the orphanage-internot #4 in Odessa. The ceremony of "The Last Bell" began.

The 4th and 8th grade children looked beautiful at the ceremony. They wore nice white shirts that Tania and I power bleached and the children ironed the day before. Twelve children were holding bouquets of roses that we bought for them to give to their teachers, supervisors and the director. In Ukraine flowers symbolize grateful hearts of the children. They love to give flowers and get a kiss in return!

The director of the orphanage made a nice speech encouraging the graduating class, the 11th graders, to be productive and grateful citizens. She said, "Never be afraid to thank someone too many times, be afraid to forget to thank!" Tania thought that the director was speaking from the bottom of her heart, the heart that the Lord has been changing for the last three years through our and your prayers. We remember the times when she tried to demand control over our finances and how we were very close to quitting. Now at the meetings that we have with the director of the orphanage, she never forgets to give thanks to our God and to many Christians for their love for the orphans in Odessa.

As I was watching the poplar fluff in the air, I was thinking about our Vadim, Laura, Katia and Nina. These four children are leaving us this summer and going to trade schools. Just as the poplar fluff that circles around you, touches your face and makes your eyes tear, these children have been a big part of our lives for 6 years. Where will they end up? What is going to happen to them when they "touch the ground"? Will the shower of life's challenges destroy them or will they find good soil in which to take root and grow?

Our dear friends, please continue to pray for our Vadim so that he would make wise choices and find good Christian friends at the trade school.















Please pray for Nina who, just like her mother, can be easily influenced by very wicked men. She is a very needy and abused girl who looks for a father's love and approval in everybody who is after her. Nina can quote a lot of Bible verses. Please pray that these verses would be her guidance and comfort. Please pray for Katia Suslova. Her mother killed herself when Katia was very little. Her father got out of prison and died from lung cancer recently. Katia has a good but sick grandmother. Please pray that the Lord would give Katia a new heart and grant her wisdom to build a nice loving family in the future.
















Please pray for Laura who learned to survive while living at the cemetery with her mother for two years as a child. Laura has a good heart but prone to mental instability. We pray she will be safe on her own.

We (Tania, I, our supervisors, psychologist and tutors) will always be a family for Vadim, Laura, Nina and Katia. We remember when these little kids were brought to our program (at the state orphanage) from the street. We are grateful that the Lord has enabled us over these 6 years to provide a nice family atmosphere at the orphanage and in our home for these children, to teach them good values and love which has helped to keep them away from the street and crime.

Please consider joining us in our post graduate program next year! Your monthly support is also greatly needed in order for our "Ministry to orphans in Ukraine" to continue.

Ukraine Children's Aid Fund, Inc.
P.O. Box 2047
Ellicott City, MD 21043-2047
attn: Becker- Odessa


or

Chapelgate Presbyterian Church
2600 Marriottsville Road
Marriottsville, MD 21104-1628
memo: Becker acct # 9284M




Sunday

Spring in Ukaraine


Two weeks ago we had an Easter night with the children at the orphanage-internot. The preparations took over a week. All of the 4th and 8th grade children (8-A and 8-B classes) were actively involved in a Resurrection mime skit, making Easter cards and cross-stitch work for adults, memorizing poems and painting Easter Pisanki eggs. The children spent time in our house making some of the decorations.

One Saturday afternoon we had Denis, Inna, Laura, Marika and Nastia Samoylenko to our house to make Easter cards and Pisanki eggs. Considering that these teenagers rarely leave the orphanage it was quite an event for them to ride a city bus to our house by themselves. I finally spotted a small figure of Denis behind the girls backs as they were entering the house and giving me and Tania a hug. I picked up this 15-year-old kid and said, "Denis, how come you are the only boy in this gang?" He looked up at the girls and answered, "Well, somebody had to bring them over".

It was exciting to observe the closeness and unity among the children during Easter time. The boys were not embarrassed to help the girls, the older kids had fun participating in a mime skit with younger ones. We really felt like resurrected Jesus was among us and His love warmed each heart. The skit turned out to be great! What a presentation of Creation, The Fall, The Death of Christ and His Resurrection! There were so many children involved in this skit that Inna had to ask, "Who would be the audience?" Vladik played Jesus part so well, that Vera Pavlovna, the Ukrainian language tutor, got emotional.

On Easter Sunday we took the forth grade children to church with us. Michelle and Lisa joined, too. Sasha did a great job singing hymns, Aliona and Olia followed the scripture during the sermon. Then we all walked downtown and had pizza at the Greek Mall. We all had a great time talking, playing with the baby and reflecting on what Jesus did for each of us.

Children's prayer needs and Praises


In a recent newsletter we asked you to pray for Marika, a 13-year-old girl who was once sold to the gypsies by her parents. We thank you for your prayers. Marika is doing better. She comes to our house almost every Sunday. Spending time in our family helps her to get away from her loneliness and bad influence of the orphanage teenagers. Marika has been less aggressive, spending more time doing school work and basketball. We bought Marika a few books as she likes reading. She read Harry Potter (part 4) in one week and cried over the last chapter. The Lord gave Marika a pen-pal friend from Nashville, TN. Marika was very touched to have a new friend. Please continue to pray for Marika and her problem with smoking.

Please continue to pray for Nastia S. (8th grade) and the family from Nebraska who want to adopt her. Nastia is a very, very sweet girl. She misses her friend Natasha who was adopted in December 2005. Natasha's family are friends with the family who want to adopt Nastia.

Praise God with us for the families who (since December) adopted Natasha (8th grade), Vera K. (4th grade) and Vika K.(4th grade). The children are doing fine. Please pray for Vera's health problems and Natasha's insecurity.

Please continue to pray for Seriozha Linkov. We brought him to our house and to visit his old friends at the orphanage. He is still very miserable at the other orphanage where he was moved in September. He really wants to come back.

Please pray for Alex S. (4th grade) and his emotional problems. Alex just spent over a month at a psychiatrical hospital. His anger attacks on the children and adults still bother us. We hope that the Lord will calm him down and show His love in a special way.

We thank you for your gracious donations this year which gave us the opportunity
° to buy glasses for Aliona, Vika and Tolik (4th grade)
° to finance the orthodontic care for Vladik (4th grade) and Kostia (8th grade)
° to buy school supplies, new underwear, clothes, brooms, laundry detergent and s hampoos, toilet paper, medications and food
° to take the children to church and bring them to our house
° to take the children to field trips (ice rink, Aqua park, picnics)
° to pay tutors and a psychologist
° to pay for a translator to assist Lisa's infant massage classes to 8th grade girls



To be continued .....

additional pictures http://www.flickr.com/photos/heritagehouseproject/

tax deductable donations can be sent to:
Chapelgate Presbyterian Church
2600 Marriottsville Rd
Marriottsville, MD 21104-1628
Paul Becker orphan account #9284M