Why Camp Matters

Throughout my time in Ukraine our ministry (Orphan's Promise) has been privileged to be involved in dozens of summer camps. When I stop and count them the number actually adds up to 16 camps that I've participated in.  Wow...now I'm starting to feel old. Probably because the kids stay in the same age range....its just us volunteers that get older!

Each summer brings with it new challenges and new faces (and some familiar ones too). Faces that then become names we learn and names that become stories of individual lives.  Individuals who have lived through an immense amount of pain and loss in their 14-18 years of living.

On the first day of the camp, kids from 3 different orphanages unloaded the bus and were instructed to divide into groups of 3 people so that we could then form teams (we figured if they were at least with 2 of their favorite friends they couldn't get mad at us for then mixing them with kids from the other orphanages).  As they began to divide into groups I began to have flash backs to my worst days of High School. The days when you saw the 'cool' kids picking one another and the not as cool kids shoved to the other side. (Repressed memories-- I know).

Cringe.
Some things are universal I guess.

As this popularity contest was happening and some kids were quickly grasping their bosom buddies, my eyes settled on one girl - the girl who looked lost among the mass of teens, the girl who clearly didn’t have friends to partner with. 

There she stood, all alone, wondering who would pick her and where she would end up.  My heart broke for her and I knew right then and there that we would become friends that week.

Later that day I would learn her name was Oksana and she was 16-years-old.  Throughout the week I learned pieces of her story. Orphaned at 12, abandoned by relatives, placed in a foster family and eventually in the orphanage.  It was clear that Oksana was a survivor. 



As the days of the camp went by Oksana came out of her shell and truly began to take in all she was learning.  Such a delightful girl! After a few days she was already on stage, helping lead the worship sessions.  Then in a prayer time with her leader, Oksana prayed to receive Jesus as her savior. (YEAH!) 
 
On the last day I asked Oksana if she’d mind sharing some of the things that were the most meaningful to her while at the camp ---things that I'd be able to share with others.  I was so touched by the eloquence of her own words, so I'll let her speak for herself:

“I can’t even express in words everything I want to say,” she said. “It felt like I was home here. Thanks to this camp I’ve gotten closer to God and I’ve gained information I know I’ll need for the future.  I think everyone has taken something away from this camp.  I’ve learned about gratitude and forgiveness here. In some ways I feel like God restored me to who I was before.”   

Sometimes I wonder if there is a point in continuing these summer out reaches, as many of the kids can seem so closed off to what we have to share.  But Oksana's words encourage me that God has us exactly where he needs us, and for that I'm grateful.

*This camp was made possible thanks to the ministries of CBN/Orphan's Promise, Emmanuel and Agape in Kherson.  Thanks to all who partner with these GREAT organizations! :)

Saying Goodbyes..

Well all of our Ukrainian kiddos made it safe and sound back to their home-land (And I lived to write about it!).  It was a bitter sweet day watching all the kids say goodbye in Seattle as they parted with their host families--there were not many dry eyes to be seen.  But I have no doubt that it was worth it.  These kids gained amazing experiences, heard about Jesus in their own language, were shown how a healthy family can operate and were shown unconditional love.  Some people question hosting programs and say it isn't right to let kids gain attachment- but I think the opposite is true--why not give them the chance to have these experiences and give them connections with loving adults? I know that each and everyone of these kids was grateful to have been given this opportunity. And for those who will not be adopted, we now get to be their strongest advocates. 

The night before we left we had a beautiful farewell dinner at our church, where the kids served up some yummy Ukrainian food for all our guests.  From donors, to host families to friends, we had a full house and a sweet evening sharing about the past month and what the hosting had meant for both the kids and the families. It truly took a community to make this hosting project happen and it was a wonderful night to celebrate what God has done.

 Here are a few more shots from the final week- where we spent the day at a park...

So I've just barely landed in Ukraine and now I'm packing my bags again!  Off to help put on a camp for 45 orphans in the Kherson region.  Should be a busy couple weeks ahead.  Please be praying for our team as we will be working with the youth in the coming days ahead-- namely for open doors and for open hearts!

3 weeks down- one to go!

I'm always amazed at how fast the summer goes by when these kiddos from Ukraine are here in the US.  The past 2 years the Window to Hope project only hosted the kids for 3 weeks, which felt a bit short- so we opted for a week longer program this year.- So now we are at the beginning of August- 3 weeks are down and one week remains!  Where did all the time go?  We've been busy though...no doubt. And the kids have been doing great.

Here is some of what we've been up to during our stay in the beautiful Pacific Northwest...

One week to go!

Homeward bound...with 9 little friends :)

This year marks the 3rd year of helping to organize a hosting trip in partnership with Window to Hope- a hosting program a friend of mine and I started at my home church in Washington.

This year we will be bringing 9 kids-- all of who arrived in Kiev today!  We head to Seattle tomorrow where we will be for the next 4 weeks staying in host families.  (My host family just happens to me named 'mom and dad' :))  It is truly a privileged to get to bring these kids home with me as it is not only a chance for the kids to experience another culture and the love of a family, but it exposes these families to the needs of orphans world wide.   God has done some amazing things through this program already and I can't wait to see what He will do this year.

From the moment the kids got off the train today they were a buzz with more questions about what America will be like. 

My favorite conversation of the morning was with our youngest traveler, Pasha:

Pasha:  So you'll be with us on the plane tomorrow, right?
Me:  Yes, Of course
Pasha:  So you know how to speak American?
Me:  Yes, Of course I do.
Pasha: Wow! So you know a lot of words then?
Me:  Yes...a lot of words....
Pasha:  Wow...

I found it very endearing that he was surprised that the American spoke 'American' :)  It seemed like I may have earned some points for being 'smart!' :)

We had fun exploring the city center, playing in the fountains and visiting a children's museum.  And then where better to finish the day???

McDonalds.

They're choice.

So I guess their first McDonald's experience won't have to be in America afterall! :)

Stay tuned for more news in the coming weeks! 

Special guests

3 weeks ago we had a special group of CBN donors descend on Ukraine.  I say descend, because when a group of 40 people arrive as your 'guests' it can feel like quite the entourage of people! :)

I was privileged to help coordinate this trip that was organized to show some of our top donors the projects they are helping to support in Ukraine.  This was my first experience organizing such a large event--and a traveling one at that!  The trip was a mixture of touring and service projects and a chance for our partners to learn more about the work of CBN and Orphan's Promise in Ukraine.

exploring the beauty of Kiev.

It was a FULL 10 days too! While our special guests were in Ukraine we were able to dedicate a water well at a Kiev Children's Home (Father's House), host a children's festival at our medical clinic that services the poor of Kiev, travel to Western Ukraine and help construct a children's play ground at one of the gypsy camps we work in, and meet and pray with numerous families. 

well dedication at Father's House

face-painting at the children's medical clinic

food distribution in one of the communities

The poverty in these gypsy camps never ceases to astound me.  Though this group of partners only spent one day doing physical labor and meeting with families, I am comforted in knowing that our team on the ground remains-- daily meeting needs in this community.   We have a school that is teaching 180 kids- who prior to attending these classes couldn't even read or write!  And the kids are getting lunch provided 5 days a week!!  This is HUGE for this community- where many struggle to feed their children each day.

Children's program in another gypsy community

Please continue to pray-- we still need funds to expand and grow--- one of the biggest needs being the building of a new school facility which will allow us to educate more kiddos.

Anticipation!

This weekend I traveled to the Eastern part of the country to visit the kids that I'll be bringing to the Seattle area for our summer hosting program Window to Hope. 

Nothing like spending 2 nights back to back on the Ukrainian train!  (Even if the visual of seeing the train tracks with the evening sunset give you the feeling of a romantic European adventure....the smells and heat of the inside of the train will convince you otherwise!)  Ahh the joy of sleeping in a moving room with 50 other people in the heat of the summer. It is something to be experienced. 

My friend Bekah joined me on this weekend getaway -- because if you are going to spend two 13 hour trips on the train-- you'd better do it with good company!

After arriving by train, we met up with my friend Natasha who drove us the hour and half (2 hours if you happen to get lost) to the orphanage where the kids live.  I briefly had met all these kids in the fall when the director selected the kids for travel- but I figured if I was going to be traveling across the ocean with these sweet ones then I had better spend a bit more time getting to know their personalities and see what challenges I might be up against.  I've dealt with few airport melt downs in the past....so it is good to be prepared.

After a geography lesson of playing 'let's find Washington on a map' we settled in to playing games involving the knowledge of random English words (of which they know quite a few I might add). Then the kids became comfortable asking dozens of questions about their host families and where they'd be staying.

Do they live in a house?
How old are they?
Do they speak Russian?
Do they have a dog?
Will we still see our friends?
Will we see the ocean?

I had the joy of being able to pass out letters from their host families, which answered some of these questions.   The kids were glued to their letters and then quickly comparing who would have cats and dogs and the most kids in their family for the summer!  It was very sweet.  The older girls probably read their letters 3 or 4 times-- asking how to pronounce the names and wanting to know all the details about everything!

They are counting down the days until we travel....34 to go! 

I'm very excited about this group of kids, they are a really sweet group and are so grateful for this opportunity to travel. They even promised they'd be working on their English over the next month.  We'll see if that happens!

If you are in the Seattle area this summer and want to join in the activities we will be doing with the kids, you can email me or visit our website at www.windowtohope.com