A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of hosting two sisters here in Kiev, Tiffany and Natalie. When they came to Ukraine from America, they brought 280 blankets to give out to children in need! The blankets were awesome! Natalie and Tiffany go to Liberty College, and they had decided to do something for kids in Ukraine. They chose to make blankets. With the help of many prayer groups at Liberty, they came up with 280 beautiful, colorful, warm and fuzzy blankets, and each one had cards inside with Bible verses and notes from the people who made them. What a wonderful idea!
We spent three days going around to different places to hand out the blankets, and it was precious!
First we went to our orphanage, Komarivka. The majority of the kids had gone home for the holidays, but about 30 kids remained. You should have seen their faces! Such big smiles all around!
We spent three days going around to different places to hand out the blankets, and it was precious!
First we went to our orphanage, Komarivka. The majority of the kids had gone home for the holidays, but about 30 kids remained. You should have seen their faces! Such big smiles all around!
One of my favorite pictures ever of two giggling girls, Luda and Vita!
Some of the older girls, Larissa, Natasha, Janna (the Russian version of my name), and Marina!
A new arrival at the orphanage, a sweetie by the name of Luba.
The boy that is totally, completely all boy, Sasha
Next we went to a children's shelter in Nizhyn, a town about 30 minutes away from Komarivka. There were about 20 kids there, and apart from giving out blankets, we were able to spend some time playing with playdough and cutting out paper dolls!
The little girl that would not hold her new blanket. I kept saying "take it! It's yours now!" All she did was giggle!
Little Vika that cried when I told her to come and choose a blanket. A caretaker had to calm her down and help her choose! Am I that scary?
Vladik, the little boy that I love! Don't you?
Tiffany and Natalie with the whole group. What precious kids!
After the shelter we went to a hospital for disabled children. This was the first time Daniel and I had been there, and it was just beautiful. These kids were so happy to see us; we just had a great time hanging out!
We were there for a short time, and so we didn't learn very many names. All the more reason to go back, eh?
That's Sergei on the left, and he was flirting with me. All of them were flirting with me!
And I flirted back! This boy was so sweet! He grabbed my hands and put them on his cheeks! That's all it took. I love him forever!
Such a beautiful smile!
We enjoyed every minute of our visit, and hope to go back again soon!
On Christmas Day (January 7th, when Ukrainians celebrate Christmas), we visited a hospital for children who have kidney problems and are on dialasis. Quick story here. Our Ukrainian friend Helga arranged the visit for us, and before we went she said that no one could sneeze when we were there. We thought it was kinda funny, because sometimes you can't control a sneeze. It just happens. So we had that on our minds, and then we showed up and they had us put plastic bags over our shoes. Helga told us don't cough!
The new rage in fashion!
Then we went upstairs to a room where we left our coats, and after that they took us to the kids. What's the problem with this picture? They never had us wash our hands! We couldn't cough or sneeze and we had to wear bags on our shoes, but they seemed to have forgotten the biggest way germs are spread! We laughed about that one!
Once with the kids, we gave out the blankets, sang some songs, had the kids sing us some songs, and then Helga read a piece about the true meaning of Christmas. We also brought the card game Uno, which Ukrainians LOVE, and the kids had a great time playing it together.
It was a wonderful but heart-breaking visit, in other words, the best thing to do on Christmas Day in Ukraine!
Alas! Our time with Nat and Tiffy flew by, and before we knew it we had to say goodbye. I hope its not the last time! We are so grateful for their giving hearts, and are inspired by what they have done for some kids here in Ukraine. We hope their story inspires you, too. How can you help? What can you do to touch a few lives? Send us your answers!
We love you Natalie and Tiffany! God Bless!
pippi longstocking!!
ReplyDeleteWho are you anonymous?
ReplyDeleteThe Haverly's - I can't figure out how to respond on here except anonymous! Got any tips?
ReplyDeleteI got the same problem, i'll always be anonymous i guess, or smelly to Janna, Looks like you guys had a great time, take care.Philip Fulmer
ReplyDelete