Help some amazing kids...

Here is some awesome kids that you can help...$5 isn't much, but it can do great things. Check out this video to see how much $5 a month can really do through Open Arms Ukraine and be a part of the change! www.openarmsukraine.blogspot.com

In Sumy Camp

We were supposed to have our Spring Grad Camp this weekend. But... finances are what they are so we changed things up a bit and are having a "in Sumy" camp. We have fun activities planned, boys will sleep at one apartment, girls will sleep at the other, and other goodness. This week has been a VERY long week already and we are exhausted. We have no idea how many kids will show up(although this is nothing new). I know God has good things planned for us and the kids that come. Please pray for us, that we have energy, that we can truly love on these kids with a love that only comes from God, that we will somehow get some more finances as we are really low, and that kids lives are changed.

Getting some salad ready for tonight.

Enjoying sunshine on our walk to the store.

Shoes for firewood

 Anika was talking to Dusya(one of grads who has the 2 little kids). Dusya's dad is a drunk and even though never took care of her when she was young now lives with her and she takes her of him.  He wanted to make a fire and needed something to burn so he went and took ALL of their shoes. They now have no shoes. She works so hard to provide for her kids and thinking of how he could just burn all of their shoes is so maddening. We are pretty strapped for money right now and have a whole grad program planned for this weekend too.  As we were talking about how we would go to the second hand store and try to find something for them we got a notification of someone sending us $100. This is the same donor that is giving us $1 for each like on facebook. Sometimes I am in awe of how cool God really is and how He always provides!

Vala

Andre

Dus and Andre

I really love them!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

We are very blessed by a donor who for his mom's 70th birthday wants to give us a $1 for every new like OAU gets on Facebook. So if you haven't liked us yet please give us a like. You can even like us straight here from my blog. I have a button. No money is required from you just a click of a button. If you would share this and ask your friends to like us too that would be really appreciated. Thanks!!!!

Lena

Lena is Sasha Pevniv's sister. She is 12 and is currently in an orphanage about 3 hours away. She came and stayed the weekend with us. This is her third time with us and we all adore her. Here are some pictures from her visit.

Beautiful Lena hanging out at our girl's night with the grads.

We have the same shoes :) She was pretty excited.

Brother and sister.

Back in Konotop, waiting for the bus to the orphanage.

Sasha Peevniv's Story

Sasha Pivnev has been one of the faces of Open Arms for years now. If you have followed his story you will be touched by this video. And if this is the first time you have heard about him I think you will still be touched :)

A God moment

I got to be apart of an awesome moment tonight. Tuesday nights we do a little Bible study with the 3 boys that live with us. We all pick verses and then we talk about why we picked them. Tonight was one of those nights where it seemed like everyone really got something out of it. I know I did. We were then just sitting around talking and Boyko was asking about how long I have had my Bible, when I became a Christian, and if we felt God. Boyko was saying how he doesn't feel God. Then he said something that I totally misunderstood and I hear Sasha ask him,  "Are you saying don't have God in your heart?" I had totally heard it the opposite. Praise the Lord for Sasha. So then this lead to us getting to talk about what it really means to be a Christian. That God said if you believe that Jesus died on the cross for you sins and you ask Him to forgive you, you are saved and will live in Heaven with Him for all eternity. God totally used Sasha as He explained all of this so Boyko really understood. Sasha asked him if he wanted him to pray out loud to ask God into his heart and Boyko could repeat after him. He said he did, so we all bowed our heads and prayed together. I then found Footprints in the Sand in Russian and asked Sash to read it out loud. I explained how sometimes when life is hard we can feel like God has left us but really He was just carrying us. It was truly and awesome moment and I am so very thankful God allowed me to be apart of it.

Следы на песке

Христианская притча

Как-то раз одному человеку приснился сон. Ему снилось, будто он идёт песчаным берегом, а рядом с ним — Господь. На небе мелькали картины из его жизни, и после каждой из них он замечал на песке две цепочки следов: одну — от его ног, другую — от ног Господа.

Когда перед ним промелькнула последняя картина из его жизни, он оглянулся на следы на песке. И увидел, что часто вдоль его жизненного пути тянулась лишь одна цепочка следов. Заметил он также, что это были самые тяжёлые и несчастные времена в его жизни.

Он сильно опечалился и стал спрашивать Господа:

— Не ты ли говорил мне: если последую путём твоим, ты не оставишь меня. Но я заметил, что в самые трудные времена моей жизни лишь одна цепочка следов тянулась по песку. Почему же ты покидал меня, когда я больше всего нуждался в тебе?

Господь отвечал:

— Моё милое, милое дитя. Я люблю тебя и никогда тебя не покину. Когда были в твоей жизни горе и испытания, лишь одна цепочка следов тянулась по дороге. Потому что в те времена я нёс тебя на руках.

Конкурсная работа 2012 г. в номинации "Рисунок". Ольга Козленко, 13 лет, г. Днепропетровск, Украина.

Притча "Следы на песке" рассказывает о том, что человек который искренне верит в Бога, постоянно находится под опекой свыше.

Oh the joys of money...

Fundraising is probably the thing I hate the most about working for a non-profit. I worked since I was 12(I had a paper route.. Yes, I was that cool). My family wasn't what you would call wealthy by any means so my parents taught us good work ethic and we worked. It is so hard for me to ask for money and always has been. But... God brought me to Ukraine, I met some awesome kids who need help, and now here I am asking for money. Open Arms has been growing and I am so grateful but with more needs to meet we need more finances. And the truth is, these days we are pretty low on money. The littlest amount helps. We are looking for people to sponsor monthly $5, $10, or any amount.  There is a link on the top of my blog that will take you straight to the donate page. We raise our personal support through a different organization called Shepherds Staff. If you want to support me personally just email me and I will let you know how to do that. I would much appreciate it. Just so you know all of the money given to Open Arms goes to Open Arms ministry. So don't fear, the orphans are getting your money :) Here are some of the things your money goes to.

-Grad Ministry:
   -Wednesday night youth meetings
        -Transportation
        -Refreshments for the kids

Some of the group at our grad meeting.

 -Village Ministry
        -Transportation to and from the village(we do this about once a week)
        -Food to help out a grad couple living in the village who now have family

Dusya and her beautiful kids.

    -Girls Ministry
        -Cookies, Tea, Coffee
        -Fun outings

A day out with some of our girls.

-Medical needs for Grads
       -Dr visits
       -Dentist visits
       -Medicine

Waiting at the hospital to get a boil lanced.

-Prison Ministry
        -Food(food needs to be provided to the prisoners
        -Clothes, Hygiene products, Towels, Sheets

A box we sent to prison.

-OAU Apartments
        -Rent for both apartments
        -Internet(we need this for the business side of OAU and for staying connected to family and friends)
        -Food, as we have 3 grads living with us
        -Birthdays

Family pic.

If you would like to give monthly or a one time donation for something specific please specify when making the donation. Thank you so much for all the support so many of you already give! I am truly thankful for you.
 

Goodness...

Just thought I would share some of the goodness that has been in the last week.

Andre representing for OAU

Love her 

 Celebrating Misha turning 16!!

Walking to Dusya's house

I kind of love him

Waiting for our train

Yes, we are that cool.

We found some cow gummies in the village.

So thankful for these 2.

We are pretty cool with our 3D glasses

Oh we are just crammed in the back of a little taxi.

Sash cooked us a delicious meal after a day in the village.

Tired

Today I am tired.... Not like I need to sleep tired just tired... Or maybe drained is a better word.  Tired of hearing a new young girl is pregnant and the father left her because it. Tired of hearing of another kid we love and have tried to help is in jail. Tired of being taken advantage of. Tired of seeing kids we love get taken advantage of. Tired of seeing we only have a little over $400 in our bank account when I feel like we just fundraised. Tired of having two worlds and feeling like I am missing out on one or the other. Tired of feeling spiritually attacked. Tired of having a language barrier. Tired of really bad, gloomy weather that makes me feel depressed. Tired of not knowing exactly where I should be or what I should be doing. Then I read this back to myself and realize that I sound like such a whiner. I have so many things to be thankful for and yet I am stuck in my den of gloom. Sadly, I can read this, know that I am a whiner and yet I still feel these same emotions. Please don't get me wrong, I know people are going through much worse things than me. I am not taking away from that  or even trying to compare. Just feeling down. Hopefully tomorrow will bring sunshine :)