is your love in action, inside the former Soviet Union

A report from Doug Brendel to all who support or follow our New Thing ministry in Belarus...

Plenty of pain, but you

CAN’T STOP LOVE

Papa, don’t hit me.

Mama, don’t leave me.

These are the memories of the children in this shelter, in the town of Zhodino, north of Minsk.

Abused, abandoned, they’re brought here by the authorities.

They’ve been through hell, but the shelter is a place of safety, of care and love.

We have the joy of bringing a day of wonderful memories to these children.

Every time we come to Zhodino, we fall in love. At right: Kristina hugs Kristina!

The deeply dedicated professional staff (on meager state wages) have 6 months to make the household safe for the child’s return.

After that, it’s transfer to a relative ... or adoption ... or an orphanage.

Zhodino is where our ministry to the needy ones of Belarus began.

“The Great Kozovaya,” who heads our “Response of the Heart” team, introduced us to the Zhodino shelter years ago.

You wouldn’t recognize these buildings. They were dreary.

Since then, with the strong support of friends like you, we’ve renovated most of the campus.

Today this is widely regarded as the finest shelter in Belarus.

The playground equipment gets a lot of use! Who provided such good stuff for these kids? Friends like you. Hooray!

It was a day of mixed emotions. One little girl was being returned to her home this day. One little boy was being visited by a woman who might adopt him.

Another child was officially taken from her parents in a court hearing this morning.

I get a lump in my throat looking at these pictures. We found the ever-smiling Alena, a few days from her 16th birthday, back in the shelter.

We first met her in the summer of 2005. In 2008, she was back, and she befriended our daughter Lydia Charlotte.

To see a child return here is heartbreaking. It means they’ve been abused or abandoned again. Or in Alena’s case, again and again.

And yet somehow, by God’s grace, love prevails ... and Alena has maintained the same sweet spirit she had as a little girl.

It was one of the first days warm enough to play outside. Bubble-blowing is a great way to celebrate spring!

If you’re not tall enough to reach the basket, you get a little help from your friends.

These children, so damaged by their parents, seem to take good care of each other.

The boys were dressed up for the American visitors, but costuming didn’t keep them from soccer.

The girls beat the boys, 3-2. It wasn’t as close as the score suggests. I think I held my team back.

Everyone adored little Anastasia. Including Kozovaya.

We brought toys from America, as always, and sweets.

Our daughter Lydia Charlotte (on her 15th visit to Belarus) helped the little ones get started.

Kristina was not a great yoyo teacher.

But she really excelled at Slinky!

It seems these children had never encountered a Slinky before.

Put it up to your ear, stretch it out, and you can hear it boing!

Director Liudmila Mikhaelevna is a strongly committed professional ... and a loving mother to the motherless.

Two years ago, we had the privilege of building a “Domik,” or “little house,” on one end of the shelter.

It’s an after-school center for at-risk children — the first of its kind in all of Belarus — a safe place to get help with your homework in the care of loving grown-ups.

Workers connect with the children, and eventually their families. The goal: catch and fix problems before they lead to abuse or abandonment.

Under the direction of camera-shy Alla, the Domik has been hugely successful.

The numbers of children entering the center itself are way down.

For which we thank God — and all who gave so generously to make the Domik dream come true!

More photos to come.

Thanks for journeying with us!

Much love,

Doug Brendel

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