I’m tired and jet lagged, but I’m happy to be home. It was a wonderful trip to Kompas Park. Thank you to everyone who prayed for our USA Cottage Homes Team. I truly believe the Lord was with us, helping, guiding and blessing us the whole time we were in Ukraine.
I’ve talked to many people who come back from mission trips with new perspective, but I still did not anticipate the decree of impact this experience would have on me. I’m still digesting all that happened and asking God to show me how I should respond. I feel like a blind person who has been healed, saying “Now I see!” It’s one thing to hear about the bad things happening in the world, but it’s quite another when you see these little ones face to face.
Our mission was to serve at a kid’s camp for ages 6-13 in a village near the city of Cherkassy, Ukraine. Some of the kids came from orphanages, some from foster homes and a couple from regular families. It took a little time to get their stories, especially with the language barrier, but it didn’t take long to see their suffering. Each of us (American volunteers) were assigned a small group of 6-7 kids and a Ukrainian leader. I had the 9-10 year old girls. We stayed at camp from Saturday to Saturday and worked from 7:40am to 11:00pm every day. We played games, acted out skits, taught Bible lessons, sang songs, etc... just like a typical kids camp.
The kids were so precious and so grateful for everything. They long for love and a place to belong. My girls wanted me to be their mother. They clung to me every minute and treated me like their hero. I just gave them as much love and attention as possible and there was hardly a minute I didn’t have one in my lap, holding my hand, rubbing my back... They fixed the games so I would win, they raved about my Ukrainian words even when I butchered them, they told me I was beautiful every little while. They just wanted to make sure I would love them. Their stories would break your heart.
One little girl, Sasha, lives in a tiny village with an old lady who may or may not be related to her. Her mother deserted her and the old lady took her in. They are in poverty and barely survive. The little girl brought all the clothes she owns to camp: 2 mismatched outfits and 2 pairs of underwear -- no pajamas and no swimsuit. She washed her underwear in the bathroom sink after she used them to go swimming. She had never received a wrapped gift in her life until she came to camp. I gave each girl a little bottle of nail polish that I wrapped with streamers and yarn that I found in the craft supply closet. They looked rough. When Sasha saw it she squealed! She opened it, loved it, then carefully wrapped it back up. She has never been acknowledged, let alone received a gift, for a birthday, Christmas or any holiday her whole life. Each of the other girls has their own heart breaking story.
Please pray for the people of Ukraine and especially the children. Ukraine has only been free from Russia and communist rule for 17 years. The people still don’t know how to live in freedom. There is such a spirit of hopelessness and despair that you can see the minute you step foot in the country. There is a huge problem with drugs, alcoholism, child abuse, sex trafficking, etc... The cycle can only be broken through understanding freedom and hope in Christ.
I know that was a depressing account, but you’ll be happy to know there was a HUGE bright spot in the experience. On Thursday in our small group time, I helped the girls make salvation bracelets. It’s a little bracelet made of colored beads that each represent an element of the salvation message. Black=sin, red=blood of Jesus, white=Jesus washes us clean, blue=baptism, green=daily growth as a Christian, and gold=eternity in heaven. I explained the bracelet and basically presented the gospel message of Jesus and then invited any who wanted to pray with me. Four out of seven girls accepted the invitation and prayed to invite Jesus to be their Lord. It was so precious and sincere. They were all crying. So...sadly I may never see these little ones at Kompas Park or on earth again, but I know I’ll see them again in heaven.
Debbie Price Cottage Homes Kids USA Team Atlanta, GA
Until recently I have had the pleasure of serving on the Missions Team
at church with Cyndee Knight, Hope Now’s USA Director. While we served
on the same small missions team, Cyndee and I tended to work on
different projects and the work that we did was independent and
successful.
Dealing with disappointment, while never easy, says something about who
we are. Now there are a group of Ukrainian musicians who are having to
do this as they come to terms with the decision of the British Border
Agency to refuse them visas for entry to the UK in October to help us
with the Silver Jubilee tour.
