March 23, 2009 – Trip to Donetsk & Kharkov
Dear friends,
My flight and connections were as smooth as could be. I write to you now at the end of a 3-day conference sponsored by the Co-Mission for Children at Risk on orphan problems and solutions in Ukraine. I was dazzled with statistics, i.e. how many orphans there are, how many street kids, and are these numbers increasing or not. There are some good news and some not so good, however I come away with tremendous encouragement overall.
Some churches and organizations here in Ukraine have done and are doing so much that the government is in some cases taking a hands-off approach and letting good things happen. One very encouraging story was how a team visiting an orphanage about 2 years ago, not only brought the hope of the Gospel to the orphans there but shared Jesus with the Director who accepted him as Savior and Lord. This orphanage was very run down at the time and facilities neglected. About a year later the same team returned and found that all the teachers were now Christians and the building had been renovated and there was an all-around much more pleasant environment. Of course we want orphans to be as comfortable and as well cared for as possible, but this is not the ultimate end. The goal to strive for is adoption for all children.
And what amazing news I have heard on this front. Adoption and foster homes by Ukrainian families is rapidly increasing. Today I visited a wonderful ministry in Mariupol where one man and his team are cleaning up the city of street children by rescuing them and giving them rehabilitation, then placing them in foster homes. He and his wife have adopted many children themselves and places hundreds in foster homes and families.
This is just one of many stories of the encouraging work of many people and organizations committed to freeing orphans and street children. There was a “word” that someone received recently (for those unfamiliar with this term in this context, it is a revelation from God one gets by praying and then listening for God’s voice.) It was that within 5 years there will be no orphans left in Ukraine who do not have a Christian person caring for them. This does not mean necessarily that by 2014 that all the orphanages in Ukraine will be closed, but it does mean that the ones remaining in them if not yet fostered or adopted will be visited regularly and supported by a Christian. Certainly, we pray that this is God’s will; however such prophecies thru words of knowledge do not always come true, although many do. But it does give us all a goal and direction in which to pray for earnestly and without ceasing until it comes to pass.
I urge everyone to remember these orphans in your prayers. There are 10’s of thousands of orphans here in Ukraine, but there are also almost 30,000 Bible believing churches here. So it is quite plausible, that this goal can and will be achieved. Tomorrow I will begin 5 days of orphan ministry here in Donetsk Region with my friends Pastor Peter and Natasha. I will certainly write again soon.
Sincerely yours with God’s hope for the children,
Al Scoglio
Hearts for Ukraine