Esther in Ukraine: January Update

Dear Friends and Family,

I hope this finds you well during the start of a new year. The last month has been incredibly busy with bringing in a New Year and all of the parties for the holiday season. In fact, I think I’ve attended more parties in the last month than I had for all of 2009. I’m not complaining – they were fun – it was just a crazy time of the year.

Christmas and Missionaries:
Tara and I celebrated our Christmas (December 24th and 25th) with one of our awesome Missionary friends, Shannon. We had lots of great food, games, laughs, and presents. We’ve were at other Christmas get togethers with the missionary community as well. Rachel has also joined us – finally! Tara and I left on the 27th to pick her up in Kiev. We made it back in time to celebrate New Years (on the actual day of) with Shannon and some close friends from church: Lena, Vadim, and Marina. As usual, we had lots of food, laughs, games, and presents. I just received most of my Christmas cards and packages in the mail over the last two weeks, and I want to say a HUGE thank you to those of you who thought about me during the holiday season (and for thinking of my need to eat junk food from the States).

Exodus 50 – Teens:
I had written in the last e-mail about Tara and I having to plan the Emo/Goth New Years Party with one another staff member, Olesya. It’s important to understand that N.Y. is a huge holiday in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. It’s the most celebrated, and it seems like the entire country shuts down for about a week a half. Parties here for New Years consist of an actual program of events, so we planned and performed Michael Jackson’s Thriller Dance, did skits with the teens, had some different team building games and activities, and had prizes to give away as well as a gift exchange for those who wanted to participate. (I walked away with a 6 inch Santa candle – don’t be jealous.) Though our party was on the 3rd, we had lots of food and fun, and I gave a devotion. We ended the night with about 30 minutes of Guitar Hero on Tara’s play station. Some of the teens were absolutely mesmerized. It was a 5 hour party, and we were busy the entire time. The teens really enjoyed themselves.

Christmas is also celebrated on the 7th of January (Orthodox Calendar), so we also had a Christmas party for the teens. This was a more serious, laid back atmosphere. The night consisted of cake and the Happy Birthday song to Jesus, different Christmas songs, a skit about Mary performed by one of our teens, a Bible trivia game about the birth of Jesus, and some short videos. Recently, there was a concert put on by a popular Christian band here that was free to the public. Though I didn’t really “feel like” going, I attended anyway because I knew many of our teens were going to be there. It resulted in a great time of fellowship with the teens, and we took about 10 of them for fries and ice cream afterwards. I really appreciated time outside of club to fellowship with the teens and spend time together without a specific schedule to follow. I was glad that I went despite my attitude beforehand.

Upcoming Events:
Please pray for our staff and the teens this weekend as we are having our annual Exodus 50 Conference. We are expecting around 50 teens, and the conference revolves around the theme of “Calling.” Staff members and outside speakers will give a variety of presentations (8 total) during Saturday and Sunday. There will also be team building games, small group sessions, worship, and prayer.

Our annual ski trip to the Carpathian Mountains is during the month of February. There will be two different weeks of skiing, and the teens choose which week they will go. Some staff go both weeks, and some only go for one. I will only be going for one. During both weeks, teens and staff are able to fellowship while skiing together, and in the evenings, we have dinner together and some type of Bible study. Please pray for safety and warmth as we travel by train and for this time where we get to spend entire weeks with each other. This time can be critical in relationship building with the teens as we get to see them for longer periods of time and outside of their comfort zones.

Orphanage Visits:
Our times at the orphanages have been a bit interrupted because of the holidays, but it is calming back down and seems to be getting back on schedule. I had been given a large amount of money for the kids, and our staff decided to use it for Christmas parties with kids and wanted to get them out of the orphanage. Our plan was to take all of the classes from two different orphanages out to eat for Christmas/New Years. We started this adventure the week after New Years. Because of quarantine, we were not permitted to take the kids yet from one orphanage, so we are planning to do it for Easter. However, we (the Orphan’s Hope Staff) were able to take about 100 kids from Gagarin out to lunch on different days. Tara, Rachel, Olesya, and I ended up taking three different classes: 4th, 5th, and 6th. We were in different restaurants with different groups. As we were eating with the 5th graders (ages 11-13), I observed that the kids did not know how to use a fork or a knife. I had made this observation a few weeks prior when Tara and I took two siblings out for their birthdays. I asked Olesya to do a quick demonstration on how to cut and eat with a fork and a knife. Many of the kids gave it their best shot, and it was only after a conversation with a caretaker that I understood why they didn’t know how. She has said that about 8 years ago during summer at a camp in a city nearby, one of the kids stabbed another kid. Since then, the orphanage hasn’t been able to use forks or knives, and they eat everything with just a spoon. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities to teach kids basic life skills like this.

We have started new curriculum for our 4th grade class at Gagarin Orphanage. So far, it is going well. The class is excited about it, and the material focuses a lot on making good decisions regarding smoking, alcohol, drugs, relationships, peer pressure, goals, the body and staying healthy, family, friends, etc. Keep in mind this group ages from 11 to 13, so it’s not the typical age for what we might consider to be in 4th grade classes. We have also been asked to talk about puberty and sex with this class, which we are planning on doing; we do not, however, know exactly when it will be. This past Saturday, the kids had to draw a picture in their notebooks of their “families” for one of the activities. We explained how families don’t always have to be relatives, so they could have drawn whoever they consider family – caretakers, teachers, friends, etc. Many of them actually did draw relatives even though it might have been of parents or siblings they haven’t seen in years. It is interesting to see who they consider to be their “family” although they may have been abandoned or forgotten long ago by those same people.

Other than the many parties, at Gvordeeskya, we had a Chronicles of Narnia series where we watched The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian during the holidays. We are back to crafts, games, and activities now. We’ve had some difficult days there recently, so we are learning the best way to handle the situation in order to improve their behavior and respect towards us. I’ve even built up the courage to yell in Russian a time or two. ☺ There was another eye opening experience this past week as we were doing an activity with the kids. Keep in mind this group of kids ranges from about 12 to 16 – all in 4th grade. For this activity, the kids had to write their name a few different times and in a few different places, and the end result is a symmetrical creature made out of the name that can be decorated and colored however each kid wants. It was mind boggling to see how many of them had trouble writing their names. One of the boys had to be told how to spell his name. We’ve often played games with this group that require the kids to add two sides of dice together. Many of them were not able to do simple addition such as 2 + 2 or 1 + 4. It makes me sad for the sake of the child, but it also makes me angry to think of the injustice happening in their classes. Where are their teachers? Just what are they doing all day long? Students here do not have the rights that students in the States have; there are no laws that protect students with disabilities, and I have yet to witness or hear about any kind of specific instruction for those with learning disabilities. (I’m trying not to use “teacher words” here.) They are very capable of learning, but I think most do not want to put the time or effort into making sure it happens. Then, at age sixteen or seventeen, they are left to fend for themselves. I just don’t know how someone who can’t do simple addition or know how to spell his name will function in a technical school that is going to expect him to cook, clean, show up for class, do homework, study, groom himself, communicate well… the list could go on. With a Special Education background, it’s difficult when I see what these kids need and have ideas on how to meet the need but have my hands tied in being able to help in that area. Please pray that we can be creative in having effective lessons/games that not only help these kids spiritually and emotionally, but that we would be able to help them academically as well.

Amidst everything happening in Ukraine, life in the United States does go on. My step mom and dad called me two weeks ago to tell me that my grandfather had passed away. He was 89 and very ill. I was not able to make it home and knew this might happen when I left the States in October. I understood that when I left, but it has been strange being completely removed from the situation though I know it is happening.

Prayer Requests: (not mentioned throughout the update)
• Please continue to pray for both sides of my family, me,and for others who are grieving.
• For my friend, Sheila, who just arrived in India for a three year stint working in Kolkata. (http://snyoder.blogspot.com)
• Continue to pray for our ongoing ministries. Please include the rest of the Orphan’s Hope staff and the groups of kids/teens they work with as well. Pray that we are effective in loving these kids and teaching them about Jesus’ love for them - continual prayer for their spiritual, emotional, and physical protection.
• Misha (Lena and Vadim’s son) made a trip to the hospital today because of an allergic reaction to something. Pray that they would be able to figure out what the reaction was from and how it can be avoided in the future. Pray for peace for Lena and Vadim as they have to deal with doctors and hospitals in Ukraine – not always the easiest thing to do.
• Continue to pray for Jason, his safety, and his ministry in Nepal. Also, pray for our relationship – that it would be strengthened despite the long distance – and also for wedding planning.

I am so thankful for all of you, your support, your prayers, your encouragement, your e-mails, your calls over Skype, and the role you play in this ministry. I am so grateful for the many ways God has shown himself through you and how he has used you to bless me and others in Ukraine. I look forward to what 2010 brings for us as we continue to partner together in this ministry. Stay healthy and optimistic!

In Him,
Esther

The Orphan’s Hope Staff

Tara, Shannon’s cats, and me on Christmas Eve

The Gang on New Year’s Eve

Teens building “towers” together at the New Years Party. The were divided into groups and had to work together using various materials.

The three Americans with Lady Liberty. This was one of the team’s towers. They won the category for most creative. I had taken off some of my “Emo Grandfather Frost” costume.