How to get the Good News across to the orphans steadily increasing in number in our country? We often pray about it, and the loving Lord helps us to come into contact with the devoted Christians ministering to the little inmates of the children's homes.


Serving the children in the settlement of Doobrowka

There is a Christian community in the village of Druzhny located some 60 km from Minsk. The members of this community carry out the ministry of preaching the Gospel to the residents of Druzhny as well the adjacent villages. Twenty years ago there had been decided to build a nuclear power station at that site, but after the Chernobyl disaster the inhabitants of the village lifted up their voices against that scheme. The construction had been quitted, and now the residents having been granted quarters have to go to work to distant places. Knowing that the social asylum situated in the adjacent village of Doobrowka is among the targets of their ministry, we had taken a trip to Druzhny in order to make acquaintance with the members of the community and help them with their ministry among the little ones the orphanage in Dubrowka has housed.

Accompanied by Anna, a local Christian, we visited the orphanage. There are 14 kids ranging in age from 3 to 16 years there. Natasha and Nastya, 15 years old each, are the oldest girls. Their life stories are similar: fatherless families, mothers boozing frequently and giving neither care nor love to their own kids. We met also Inna, 4, and Christina, 5. Christina’s parents are alcoholics; her mother, despite living nearby, visits her just once in a month, arriving on a bicycle for ten minutes meeting. Anna disguised herself as a clown and played absorbing games with the kids, and we together presented them with the colorful books from the Bible Society. Christine got at once at reading the Christian ABC published by the Bible Society. All the kids had been excited at the performance and the richly illustrated wonderful books.

Ministering to the little inmates in the hospital

A girl named Lena serves the patients of the regional hospital located in Pukhovichi, 20 km from Druzhny. A devoted Christian, Lena works with the children having been abandoned by their parents. These poor kids are very little, their age varying from 2 weeks through 2 years, and Lena puts her heart in the ministry so that the children might feel care and love their parents have robbed them of. Andrey is one of these little ones. The kids are yet unable to read, but we believe that Lena’s loving attitude will help them toward learning God’s truths in the future. The older children got together in the hall of the hospital, and Anna told them about Jesus. All the children were very pleased to receive Christian books, and we hope that they will see God’s love through these books. They all need it so much, especially Sasha and Nadya, whose father killed their mother with an axe, and hanged himself afterward. The kids, doctors and nurses asked us to come again.

Talking to the children in the street

On the way back we drew up, and Anna, arrayed for a clown, went out and talked about Jesus to the group of the kids playing in the yard. They listened to the story of God's love attentively, their eyes sparkling with vivid interest. They all were very pleased to have received the Children’s Bible.