Christmas for our Grads...

You have all probably been to youth group, heard about youth group, or know someone that has gone. And these places are normally filled with fun activities for the kids. Well, our kids are no different than those kids and they want a place to go that is fun. We are very blessed to have a church who loves on our kids and allows them to come there once a week. And even though kids are coming to "church" it doesn't mean that they don't want to have fun. So I would like to ask you to help us fill our little room full of fun for the kids. I am hoping to fill the room with things such as a ping pong table, foos ball, a small pool table and maybe some darts. I want this because it will not only help our kids have a place that is safe, it will draw out other kids who are in need of a safe haven where they can let loose and have some fun while learning about how much Jesus loves them. I have dreamt of a community center for years. I want this because it would be a place that would allow kids to come and have the opportunity to stay out of trouble if they choose. I know we don't have the means to have a community center right now but even a room would be an amazing start. Please think and pray about how you can help with this. 

Here is about what each would cost:

Ping Pong table: $300

Foos ball: $150

Pool Table: $150

Darts: $65

Here is the room we have our meetings in.

Orphanage fun...

Today we got to go to the orphanage and do a little program there for the kids. We went on Tuesday and when we were leaving the kids all asked when we were coming back. It was obvious they needed some love. So we quickly put together a program and went today. We played some games, sang songs, and had a bible story on creation.  The kids had so much fun with the games, here are some pics to show how cute they all are.

Gummy bear game :)

She just can't get any cuter!

Singing some songs..

So thankful for these great people who all helped make this program great!

Joy

Life can sometimes be depressing or feel so overwhelming, but this little girl has brought some serious joy into our lives the past week. This pic was too cute to not share.

I honestly don't know what the future holds for Alina and baby Melissa but I am thankful I know who holds their future.
I was also thankful for a much needed night out. 

It's the small things...

The last few weeks have been some of the hardest that I can remember... Someone I dearly loved went to be with Jesus and watching the family lose their dad/husband/papa was maybe even harder. To be honest, I was looking forward to coming back to Ukraine to have a day's rest. Unfortunately, there has not even been a day of that since coming back. Some pretty bad stuff has happened that I can't write about. Let's just say we have new roommie with a baby for the time being. Then on top of that, things have not been great with some of the grads. The girl in me starts questioning everything we have ever done in Ukraine(Yes, I realize that is a bit dramatic, but these kids are so good at making you feel like complete crap). I have been a little depressed and feeling like we have done more damage then we have good. I am good at letting my mind run with all the faults I have ever done.

All that to say.... I met with one of our grads today and we had a good talk, both telling each other truths that aren't always easy to hear. Then walked home and was thankful that although it is cold it was warm enough still to walk and take some pretty pictures. I felt I got some clarity from my pity party... :) And even though life feels hard and I feel a little lost, I was reminded that this too shall pass. And sometimes, it is the small things, like a walk home by yourself to help you see some much needed perspective.

So thankful I get to enjoy fall if only for a few days. (the river is already starting to freeze)

I love this walk...

Our little giraffe :)

I am beyond thankful that I get to be in this little girl's life.

Fall Fundraiser Tea

$12 each to reserve your spot at the tea.
Contact Melissa for more information.

Click here to donate $12 to reserve your ticket for the tea. 

Click here to reserve more than one ticket or donate a different amount. Please specify your number of tickets. 

A Taste of Ukraine

Anika Bachle is having a fundraiser for Open Arms on September 20th. It is going to be a taste of Ukraine. Come and hear about what is going on with Open Arms and have some fun Ukrainian food. It is going to be a fun night! Please come join us if you are in the area. If you aren't, but still want to be apart of helping, feel free to buy a ticket. There is a link at the bottom to get your ticket! Come join us!!!

Orphanage Fun

Just like always it seems a lot of time has passed since I last wrote a blog... So here is a video of when we did camp at the orphanage. There were some pretty amazing kids who will absolutely bring a smile to your face.

4th of July

Some fun with our grads...

Crazy night....

So last night was a crazy night... Let me start from the beginning... We knew that Slavik was going to be on house arrest and wanted to go see him. In the afternoon was when we thought he was going home but we didn't hear from him. So around 9ish we heard he was home.... We called to see if we could go see him because we knew that on the 4th we have a grad program planned. We talked to his girlfriend and she said he would LOVE if we came. We asked if he needed anything, she told us he needed clothes because he only had the ones he was in when the police beat him. She also told us he really needed moral support. So we left to go find him. Now, he is not actually in Sumy but right outside the city limits and he is without a phone. His girlfriend(the one with the phone) had to go back home... So yes, we got a little lost. Google maps does not love Ukraine. We end up passing a cow farm by a bunch of sunflowers when we realize we are in the wrong place. So we try to back up... Well, what happens? We get stuck in the mud. And I mean like stuck stuck... Yes, that really happened. And this was right after we had all been talking about how this would be a perfect scene for a zombie movie. So we finally get unstuck, thanks to Mike, Sash, and Annie literally pushing us out of the mud. We get on the right road, after it's been probably an hour because holy moly the roads are super bad. We finally find Slavik, and are not there more than 10 minutes before his girlfriend calls(Remember that Slavik does not have a phone). She tells us that we need to get out of there RIGHT AWAY!!! Slavik's Aunt called her to tell her that his brother knew Slavik was out of jail and was coming to get him. PRAISE THE LORD that we got stuck in the mud and were so late. Because if we weren't there is no telling what would have happened to Slavik. If we had gotten there without getting lost we would have probably left before his girlfriend could have called and then Slavik would have had no idea what was coming. His girlfriend called the police when she knew and they told her to get Slavik out of there and to take him to her house.

I am not going to lie, it was super scary to just get to a place we had been searching for(and the apartment was not what you call livable) and then have to literally run out of. And every time a car came up behind us, Chelsea and I were a little scared. We have watched too many scary movies :)

This is his apartment.

We made it back to Sumy, and met up with his girlfriend and her mom to drop off Slavik. We were able to pray for him where he definitely teared up. This is all we know right now. We are going to help him with lawyer fees because his girlfriend has already paid as much as she can. And if you know anything about being an orphan in Ukraine, they don't exactly always get the fairest trials.  So we need prayers. I will keep you updated as much as I can. Thank you so much.

Our Gentle Giant

I realize that most people's first reaction to someone who had gone to jail is one of judgement. Our thoughts are probably that they are an idiot or how much better we are than them.  I will admit,  I have done this and sometimes we are even accurate in this assumption.  But then you know someone who has been to jail and they become a real person.  After living here in Ukraine,  it's sadly a normal thing for me to know many kids or young adults that go to prison.  The most recent one is Slavik.

He is the one by himself. This was from 2007

Let me tell about this kid I met in the orphanage and for the past nine years, have loved dearly. We call him the gentle giant and some of his friends call him giraffe :) He is super tall which is rare among these kids. He has such a gentle spirit. And sadly, more of a follower than a leader.  I think he has a very bad view of himself and has for as long as I have know him. Somewhere along the way, someone told him he wouldn't amount to anything and he believed them.

After the orphanage thanks to the system sending him back to where his family is,  he got connected with his brother.  He had been to prison 4 times and is what you think of when you think of someone who has been to prison.  Let's just say he not the kind of person you want to meet late at night by yourself.  So Slavik has been living with him for the past couple of years.  A couple of days ago we got a call from his frantic girlfriend that he had been arrested for stealing with his brother and his friends.  And that Slavik was the only one that didn't run.  The story is that Slavik didn't want to be involved with this but had been beat by his brother for saying no before.

He is all the way to the right. This was their orphanage graduation.

I know what you are thinking... "That's what they all say..." But I believe that this is true. I know Slavik. And well, we all make bad decisions. Some just have bigger consequences than others that are sometimes in your face. 

So we need some serious prayer for him.  He told the police the truth and has been very cooperative with them. He is on house arrest right now until his court date.  He needs prayer for protection and so much more.  He got beat pretty good by the police. We saw him tonight and is cut up on his face and his jaw has a bad goose egg. He hasn't eaten for two days because it hurts so bad.

This is a more recent picture. 

There is a crazy story to tell about seeing him tonight and literally fleeing because his brother knew where he was.  But this is long so come back tomorrow and I will continue the events of today...

Post Orphanage fun..

Summer camp is probably one of the most anticipated events of the year, for grads and leaders. Just this week, we had multiple kids ask us when camp would be. Sadly, we had to tell them that there would not be a camp. Ukraine has had and is still in much turmoil, which has caused there to be many families displaced all over the country. We searched for places to have camp but all were full with refugees who had to flee their homes.

Camps are such a huge part of our Post Orphanage Ministry. We may not be able to have camp but we plan to still get these kids together, have some fun, share about Jesus, and feed them some good food. We are going to have a lake day on the 4th of July. This will include games, swimming, a bonfire with s'mores, a bible lesson, fellowship, and fireworks. It may not be the camp we were planning for but we plan to pack a lot into this day. 

If you would like to help cover the cost so we can shower these kids with some great food and lots of memories, then click the donate button below. Any amount will help. Thank you so much!

Spring Grad Camp 2014

Spring Grad Camp... These kids are pretty amazing :)

The last 2 months

I am embarrassed to see that the last time I wrote a blog was in April :( I guess I wasn't kidding when I said I am terrible/hate writing blogs... So I will give no excuses... But since the last one, life has been full of craziness good and bad. Let me give a quick overview of what our life has been:

-Spring grad camp
-Chelsea came back
-Annie came back
-bought a van
-celebrated birthdays
-took the van to the shop
-Vala's pre-school graduation
-took the car to the shop
-Orphanage graduation
-took the car to the shop
-Orphanage camp
-took the van to the shop again
-went and hung out with refugees at a camp here in Sumy
-took the van to the shop again
-Helped at a camp for village kids with our local church
-starting to the think the van lives in the shop (you get the point, we bought a lemon)
-Have had many village days ministering to Dusya and her kids
-Went to a village to spend time with one of Losha, his girlfriend, and adorable son (he used to live in the Open Arms home)

I know I left out many things... quite honestly, not much has gone as we had planned but we have realized that God's plans are always better. So there is a quick update on the past 2 months :)

Celebrating Vala at her graduation

Orphanage graduates

A day in Krasnoply doing outreach with our church

Some of the cute kids at orphanage camp

Vika is TOO cute...

My amazing group at camp

Village camp

Some really awesome kids

Our lemon we call Dusty(he looks like a dust buster)

My heart is full!

I cannot believe that it has already been 3 weeks since Anika and I have been back in Ukraine. It seems the time always flies but this time I can't keep up. Life has been incredibly busy but full of so much goodness. Sometimes I think my heart is going to explode it is so full. In the mere 3 weeks since we have been back we have had fall camp, had one of our grad families who have an almost two month old stay with us, Dus and her kids have stayed with us, a baptism of little Melissa (I became a godmother, that is a whole other story lol), birthday celebrations,  a big Easter picnic, helping the church with an Easter celebration in the main square of the city, met with the department about our visas, and the list could go on. There have been many nights where I am seriously overwhelmed with how cool my life is.  I have the most incredible family here and in America... I am blessed beyond words. Now, do not get me wrong.... there have been so many good days and I am thankful but that does not mean there are not days where I am ready to pack up and leave. Just had one of those and as I write this, I feel drained and emotionally raw. But I know it is all part of the cycle of this life.  I have to go, as we are about to celebrate two more birthdays tonight. Just wanted to give a quick update and show some pics of life here. Thank you all for your support and prayers. Please continue to pray for Ukraine. Things are quiet here in Sumy and we feel very safe but, I know this is not the case in other parts of the country.

Fun times at camp. Love these girls!

Our amazing camp group.

Outside the church with Alina, Vova, and Melissa

Little Melissa... Love this little girl!

Celebrating Alina's birthday!

Leaving...

Well, it seems I have been in this place before... It feels a bit like deja vu. But Anika and myself are leaving on Wednesday to head back to Ukraine. That is the plan anyways. It seems we take life literally one day at a time. We heard that Lufthansa is having a strike starting tomorrow so that affected our flight getting into Ukraine. But Anika talked to the airlines and they were able to reroute us so that is good. Thank you all who have been praying and supporting me/OAU. We also moved the date of our Spring Camp to the following weekend of April 11th-13th. It would have just been a little too crazy for us to get in the 3rd and try to start camp the very next day. We are not as young as we once were ;) I will keep you all updated as I can. Please continue to pray for us as we head back and for Ukraine.

Fall Fundraiser Tea

$10 each to reserve your spot at the tea.
Contact Melissa for more information.

Click here to donate $10 to reserve your ticket for the tea. 

Click here to reserve more than one ticket or donate a different amount. Please specify your number of tickets. 

Uncertainty

It is so crazy how life can change in an instant. It seems as though my life has been in limbo for the past month. I was supposed to be going back to Ukraine March 5th. And it was not until I think, 2 days before that I knew that was not going to happen because the unrest there. It was such a hard process. To this day, I hold so much guilt about not being there. Ukraine has been my home for 6 six years.  We have worked hard to rid ourselves of the "American" stereotype and to build trust with the kids there. I feel as though we had finally gotten there and when things got hard or unsafe we left.  Now, I know there is so much more that went into it. It was with a lot of prayer and discernment from others that we came to the decision we did. But it doesn't make it any easier.  Okay, enough of my rambling. The plan right now is to fly back on April 2nd. This is of course if there is not a full blown war and we are still able to go. I know this makes many of my family and friends uneasy. But I have to believe that God will protect me in the way He sees fit. I still feel called to Ukraine for now and this includes when things are in chaos.  My time is not finished yet, at least I hope not. We have escape/evacuation plans we are working on if need be.  I do appreciate everyone's support and love. And please keep the prayers coming. I will try and keep the updates coming as I know what the plan is.

Open Arms Team

I know it has been a a very long time since I have wrote a blog. I am sorry for that. I am getting ready to go back to Ukraine next week. Please keep me, my team, and Ukraine in your prayers. I found this video that our team was asked to do for a church. I will say, it is pretty long. But it might give you a better understanding of who we are and why we do what we do. And I promise to try and be better about keeping this updated.