Summer Trip

I am very excited to be sending out this update. Our American team will be traveling to Ukraine at the end of May for a two week trip that will be jam packed with goodness. We will be opening our cafe (YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As long as we don’t hit any roadblocks) and doing village outreach for the kids. We are over the moon excited to be finally opening our cafe, which has been a dream for years. We know this will not only provide jobs in the village, which is so necessary, but also community. As much as I am excited for all that we will be doing, I am even more excited to see Sasha, it will be 3 months that we haven’t seen each other. I am so thankful for all of you who have faithfully supported, whether that be financially, emotionally, or in prayer. That being said, we need your help. We are hoping to do a carnival for our village outreach. If you would like to be involved by helping us, here are some of our needs: (you can donate the items or give money towards them)

-Candy
-Small toys for prizes
-Coffee and tea for the cafe
-Hygiene products
-School supplies (pens, pencils, folders, notebooks, backpacks, etc.)

If you would like to donate physical items, we will need them by May 23rd to pack them.  If you would like to donate monetarily, you can use the link below. Thank you so much!

 Here are some of the people I CANNOT wait to see!

Sasha and Andre being their normal silly selves :)

Dusya painting the cafe

Some of the beautiful village girls celebrating Vala's birthday

Vala's 10th birthday

Village adventure...

Life has had some serious changes this year for us here at Open Arms. There have been many ups and downs, sometimes the downs seemed to outweigh the ups. But I am so excited to get back to Ukraine next month! Four of us friends/team members (Anika, Chelsea, Sasha and I) bought a house in Ukraine last year and will be moving into it next month! We will be living in the village this time around which will be a new challenge for us. We've always lived in the city and just visited the village, but for the time we'll be there this summer we will be village people. Our house (which is almost 100 years old) has no running water other than a hose hooked up to an electric pump outside, no toilet, no shower, no kitchen... It'll be interesting. We do have electricity(most of the time), and an outhouse that has a soup pot used for the toilet.  And a little less than 2 acres of land. We might be crazy, but we're excited. The village where we'll be living is called Ivanivka, and it's the same village where the orphanage is and Dusya and her family. We have a huge heart for this village. As always, we have big ideas for how to best serve.

I am about to book my ticket back to Ukraine for a little less than a month from now and I am suddenly overwhelmed by the need for support and prayer. I'm just going to get the money part out of the way because I hate talking about it. If you would like to  supporting me through Open Arms, I would very much appreciate it. Whether its 10 bucks or 500, one time or monthly, it all helps! To set an online donation through Open Arms, you can use the link below to get that going through our PayPal account. To make it an automatic monthly donation, select the box that says, "Make this recurring" for it to go automatically every month. Thank you so, so much for all you've done in the past, whether you are able to continue or not.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AHGXR79V5WMLY

If you prefer to send a check, you can mail it to us as Open Arms Ukraine, PO Box 1148, Oakley, CA 94561. Please make sure to note my name and/or account number (1216) on the memo line.

Please be praying for us as I'm sure there will be moments when we question our sanity in choosing this particular move. Let’s be honest, I am not as young as I once was... Pray for funding as our fundraising in the last year has been lower than normal. Pray for the people of Ivanivka's hearts to be open to God and to us being there. Pray for God to raise up Ukrainian leaders to lead a church in Ivanivka. Pray for our health as sanitation in the village is a bit of a struggle.

Thank you again for your support. I am so blessed to be able to do this and so very thankful for your part in allowing me to serve in Ukraine.

Spring Fundraiser Tea

$12 each to reserve your spot at the tea. Only $10 for kids.
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. 

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!