Our team in Ukraine is doing something new. We are using Doug’s Ukrainian organization, Children’s Hope and the Stoddards, the Ross's, and Meisha Dean are going to work on providing resources for Christians in Ukraine who want to provide homes for orphans. And so we are starting to raise money through Children’s Hope Ukraine (check out our new website, but note that you can’t donate there yet).
We know couples who want to or have already started transition homes. Couples like Slavic and Tanya. Our team met them last summer when we were looking for a couple to be house parents at Smile House. We unanimously agreed that they would be the ideal couple for the ministry. But someone in social services threatened to take their children away if they moved from Western Ukraine to Smile House. For a while, we were very disappointed by this turn of events. But slowly we came to realize that maybe it was for the best. No matter what we wanted to help them in their ministry
The idea for how Children’s Hope Ukraine will operate was born out of us asking, “How can we help Slavic and Tanya, and people like them, where they are?”
Slavic and Tanya’s family. They have been foster parents for three years.
Advantages of helping smaller families
Slavic and Tanya are already doing orphan ministry.They regularly visit an orphanage near their village. They are already plugged into their church and have people who support and help them in their work (they have a team of about 10 people who visit the orphanage regularly with them). They have opened their home up to two kids already, and want to invite more kids in. Their plan is to make an addition to their house and then foster more kids. They have already started the addition, they just need help.
Small transition and foster homes have definite advantages. While their home may never be able to hold large numbers of kids, the kids they do have will be able to receive more individual attention. Their home will be 100% Ukrainian. It is a lot more economical. It is a lot easier to reproduce because we don’t have to build a new building, just an addition occasionally. The more homes we have, the easier it is to form a solid support network for transition and foster homes throughout Ukraine. Other Christians are more likely to see these families doing this ministry in their own homes and be inspired to get involved.
We are looking at more ministries to partner with. Kolya and Halya are ready to start a home in Kiev for kids from Komarivka, and God seems to be opening all the doors for this to happen quickly, but in a very organic way. The kids have really connected with Halya. A house has come available that is perfect in size and location. Kolya and Halya have plenty of experience with orphanage kids, they lived there themselves. They also are part of the leadership team of Safe Haven, another transition home.
Halya with two of the girls who want to come and study in Kiev next year.
We may also be able to start a home for girls north of Kiev with Yulia, our friend who worked in the orphanage as a psychologist and continues to keep up with kids who have graduated because she wants them to know Christ. To begin, we will only need to rent a decent sized apartment for her and a few girls. We know members of a church in the area who are interested in helping with this type of ministry. All the pieces are there, someone just needs to put them together. If, after a few years, her ministry is successful and we need to buy or rent a home, we can do that for a fraction of the money we would need in or near Kiev. The kids who live there would be able to live in their own region instead of being transplanted to the big and sometimes overwhelming city.
One of the things I love about the idea of Children’s Hope Ukraine is that its Christians helping Christians share the love of Christ. It shows how much we need each other and how much God can do through us if we choose to follow Him and help each other. Its the Church, the body of Christ throughout the world.
I’ve learned a lot since moving to Ukraine, and one of the things I know is that I don’t really understand Ukraine. So, while we’ve been coming up with this plan, we’ve bounced our ideas off of Anya and Bogdon, because they have been running a transition home for over 8 years and have been involved for longer. When I originally told them our idea, Anya smiled and told me, “This will work. It is Ukrainian idea.” I was flattered, and more excited than ever.
In the next year we have 3-5 ministries that we will be partnering with. Each of those homes will take in between 2-5 kids. Meaning in our first we could be providing a home for 6-25 kids who have never lived in a healthy home environment. And because our model is small not large those kids will all receive quality individual attention. I can’t wait to share what God does through this ministry in the years ahead.
Our job is to ensure that the funds to be in place to ensure these families can take care of the kids they have. You can help with that by donating at First Love International. Children’s Hope is a part ministry of First Love. 100% of monies given to widows and orphan ministries through First Love will go to those ministries, and its a tax deductible donation. Be sure to designate your funds to Children’s Hope Ukraine.
We know couples who want to or have already started transition homes. Couples like Slavic and Tanya. Our team met them last summer when we were looking for a couple to be house parents at Smile House. We unanimously agreed that they would be the ideal couple for the ministry. But someone in social services threatened to take their children away if they moved from Western Ukraine to Smile House. For a while, we were very disappointed by this turn of events. But slowly we came to realize that maybe it was for the best. No matter what we wanted to help them in their ministry
The idea for how Children’s Hope Ukraine will operate was born out of us asking, “How can we help Slavic and Tanya, and people like them, where they are?”
Slavic and Tanya’s family. They have been foster parents for three years.Slavic and Tanya are already doing orphan ministry.They regularly visit an orphanage near their village. They are already plugged into their church and have people who support and help them in their work (they have a team of about 10 people who visit the orphanage regularly with them). They have opened their home up to two kids already, and want to invite more kids in. Their plan is to make an addition to their house and then foster more kids. They have already started the addition, they just need help.
Small transition and foster homes have definite advantages. While their home may never be able to hold large numbers of kids, the kids they do have will be able to receive more individual attention. Their home will be 100% Ukrainian. It is a lot more economical. It is a lot easier to reproduce because we don’t have to build a new building, just an addition occasionally. The more homes we have, the easier it is to form a solid support network for transition and foster homes throughout Ukraine. Other Christians are more likely to see these families doing this ministry in their own homes and be inspired to get involved.
We are looking at more ministries to partner with. Kolya and Halya are ready to start a home in Kiev for kids from Komarivka, and God seems to be opening all the doors for this to happen quickly, but in a very organic way. The kids have really connected with Halya. A house has come available that is perfect in size and location. Kolya and Halya have plenty of experience with orphanage kids, they lived there themselves. They also are part of the leadership team of Safe Haven, another transition home.
Halya with two of the girls who want to come and study in Kiev next year.
One of the things I love about the idea of Children’s Hope Ukraine is that its Christians helping Christians share the love of Christ. It shows how much we need each other and how much God can do through us if we choose to follow Him and help each other. Its the Church, the body of Christ throughout the world.
I’ve learned a lot since moving to Ukraine, and one of the things I know is that I don’t really understand Ukraine. So, while we’ve been coming up with this plan, we’ve bounced our ideas off of Anya and Bogdon, because they have been running a transition home for over 8 years and have been involved for longer. When I originally told them our idea, Anya smiled and told me, “This will work. It is Ukrainian idea.” I was flattered, and more excited than ever.
In the next year we have 3-5 ministries that we will be partnering with. Each of those homes will take in between 2-5 kids. Meaning in our first we could be providing a home for 6-25 kids who have never lived in a healthy home environment. And because our model is small not large those kids will all receive quality individual attention. I can’t wait to share what God does through this ministry in the years ahead.
Our job is to ensure that the funds to be in place to ensure these families can take care of the kids they have. You can help with that by donating at First Love International. Children’s Hope is a part ministry of First Love. 100% of monies given to widows and orphan ministries through First Love will go to those ministries, and its a tax deductible donation. Be sure to designate your funds to Children’s Hope Ukraine.
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