Hello family and friends,
I arrived in America safe and sound on February 17th. The journey included four separate flights within a 24 hour period. On two of those flights, I met people from two churches, one from Akron Ohio, and the second from Alpharetta, Georgia. It was very interesting to meet other people involved in mission work. I hope to visit both churches while I am in America.
On the plane from Vienna I talked to Lynda H. from Akron about a transition home that they run in Tiraspol (Moldova). A number of years ago, I proposed a transition home for the girls at the Marganets Orphanage, but the idea was not well received. After speaking with Lynda, a new vision came to me of how to do this through a local organization. I have read about transition homes for orphanage graduates in other areas of Ukraine. It seems to be the final opportunity to help a teen, not only to prepare for the work world, but a time to build spiritual community with others in the real world.
In January, I visited the children at the Marganets Orphanage. It was so nice to see the children playing in the snow, wearing warm coats and boots. This was a delight, compared to my first winter visit in December of 2002. Some of the 156 children had received coats and boots from MUCH, but not many. And playing outside in the snow was not so desirable. Staying warm in buildings that were heated only to forty-five degrees Fahrenheit was the main goal.
The children of the second grade that I met in 2002 will graduate this year. I will miss them very much. One in particular is Luba. She was traumatized when I met her. At seven years of age, she had witnessed a murder that completely disrupted her mind. She has family but could not attend a regular school, so she has lived at the orphanage for the last ten years. Each time that I would visit, I would look for her. In the early years, I would pray with her. Every time that I would leave her, she would burst into tears. This went on for a number of years. When I saw her in January, she was wearing a very nice coat and seemed happy. We chatted for a while, parting after long hugs. I most probably will not see her again. I am sad to say goodbye to this child. I fear for her future. She remains withdrawn and without much direction. I know that MUCH has improved her life during these years; and the school has helped prepare her for her future, but I see that she needs more. A transition home would have been a wonderful option for her.
In Marganets, I have connected two churches with the orphanage. Both are having significant effects on the children during their most influential years. The children are being taught to pray, and in turn they are praying for/with other children. It has been a long process to be able to include spiritual direction along with MUCH humanitarian efforts.
I will be visiting churches and other groups until the middle of May. Please pray for my travel, that I will continue to be safe as I go to different cities. I will be sharing my story of what God is doing through my teams and me in Ukraine.
Blessings of love and healing,
Mark
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Ira's Insights (February 2010)
More than three years ago Nastya G. became a patient of MUCH clinic. At that time she was three-and-a-half years old. Because of Cerebral palsy she couldn’t walk by herself. She walked on her tip-toes holding on her mother’s hand. She had much spasticity in her lower and upper extremities. The girl manipulated with her hands very badly. It was difficult for her to hold a ball or to hold a pencil to draw.
Time has passed and today she is a real beautiful young girl with big brown eyes and nice smile who can walk by herself. Nastya is a student of the first grade at the special school for children with mental and physical disabilities. She is a clever girl who studies well. She likes to draw; she likes to play with play-dough, a ball and the most of all she likes to walk.
Nastya’s mother wants her daughter to enter another school this year. That school is a regular secondary school that is situated very close to the place where they live. Nastya’s mother thinks that it will be easier for her daughter to go to the school that is close to her house. The current school is like a preparation for Nastya for the first grade of a secondary school.
Yes, the mother can choose a school for her daughter for one big reason – her daughter can walk by herself. To walk is a great privilege for any child with Cerebral Palsy diagnosis. A great input has been done by MUCH organization for Nastya to walk today. Nastya’s ability to play started with MUCH.
Nastya’s achievements are rewards for many people – her mother, masseuses and of course people who send their finances to help such as Nastya. For me Nastya is an obvious example of how God works through our hearts, how He changes not only lives of such children as Nastya but also changes hearts of adults.
Until next time,
Ira
Time has passed and today she is a real beautiful young girl with big brown eyes and nice smile who can walk by herself. Nastya is a student of the first grade at the special school for children with mental and physical disabilities. She is a clever girl who studies well. She likes to draw; she likes to play with play-dough, a ball and the most of all she likes to walk.
Nastya’s mother wants her daughter to enter another school this year. That school is a regular secondary school that is situated very close to the place where they live. Nastya’s mother thinks that it will be easier for her daughter to go to the school that is close to her house. The current school is like a preparation for Nastya for the first grade of a secondary school.
Yes, the mother can choose a school for her daughter for one big reason – her daughter can walk by herself. To walk is a great privilege for any child with Cerebral Palsy diagnosis. A great input has been done by MUCH organization for Nastya to walk today. Nastya’s ability to play started with MUCH.
Nastya’s achievements are rewards for many people – her mother, masseuses and of course people who send their finances to help such as Nastya. For me Nastya is an obvious example of how God works through our hearts, how He changes not only lives of such children as Nastya but also changes hearts of adults.
Until next time,
Ira
Saturday, February 20, 2010
January 2010 MUCH Newsletter
Hello family and friends,
Happy New Year 2010 to each of you! We have begun the new year in a positive frame of mind. We worked hard to make the Christmas Challenge a success, and we did meet our goal of $5270. It was close, but we made it over the top. The entire MUCH staff and the children who will benefit from these programs send you a very big THANK YOU!
In preparation for my visit to the states on February 17, I have been shooting some video and taking pictures of the children who are receiving massage this month. Of the five children who are receiving treatment from Tanya, one of our masseuses, four children are less than five years old. I wrote a few words about Sasha in the December newsletter. She is seven years old. She has the sweetest personality and it is clear that her mother loves her very much. Sasha has a good mind, but it will break your heart to see her body. She has a very noticeable curve in her spine. Between her right and left rib cage, her chest is sunken in. Her feet are twisted inward. If she could walk, and she is working toward that end, she would walk on the sides of her feet.
I met Sasha last year during her massage treatment. I see some progress this time, and will video her at the end of her treatment this month. She is one of the many children who have severe physical challenges that can be altered significantly. This year we will work with twelve children every month. The more often each child can receive a twenty day massage treatment, the better the chances are that the child will have new abilities that will last a lifetime. Thanks to the success of the Christmas Challenge, at least four additional children’s lives will be changed because of massage.
I visited the Dobromel Orphanage early in December on my return trip from Warsaw, Poland. Pastor Volodya continues his outreach work with the children of this orphanage. As a pastor, he works hard to touch their spiritual lives. As a humanitarian, he wants to help the children improve their quality of living. This may mean a new pair of shoes, clothing, or even a much needed pair of socks. This is where MUCH makes his work possible through the Christmas Challenge. Even though he lives in Borislav, two hours from the orphanage; his passion for these children continues. I saw and photographed the evidence of the relationships that he built with the children during the past eight years. I see it in the eyes of the children. One of the boys wants to go to the Borislav seminary and study to be a minister. He is always sharing with Volodya some scripture that he has been studying. I see hope in the eyes of the children; hope that they can have a life of purpose.
Let’s see what Ira has to share with us about another child named Sasha!
I do not have the gifts that each of my team members in three different cities has, but I do my part to make it possible for each of them to do what God has called them to do. That is what MUCH is all about. We are helping the people of Ukraine help themselves. What a joy it is to see the people of Ukraine receive the opportunity to do what they were created to do!
Happy New Year 2010 to each of you! We have begun the new year in a positive frame of mind. We worked hard to make the Christmas Challenge a success, and we did meet our goal of $5270. It was close, but we made it over the top. The entire MUCH staff and the children who will benefit from these programs send you a very big THANK YOU!
In preparation for my visit to the states on February 17, I have been shooting some video and taking pictures of the children who are receiving massage this month. Of the five children who are receiving treatment from Tanya, one of our masseuses, four children are less than five years old. I wrote a few words about Sasha in the December newsletter. She is seven years old. She has the sweetest personality and it is clear that her mother loves her very much. Sasha has a good mind, but it will break your heart to see her body. She has a very noticeable curve in her spine. Between her right and left rib cage, her chest is sunken in. Her feet are twisted inward. If she could walk, and she is working toward that end, she would walk on the sides of her feet.
I met Sasha last year during her massage treatment. I see some progress this time, and will video her at the end of her treatment this month. She is one of the many children who have severe physical challenges that can be altered significantly. This year we will work with twelve children every month. The more often each child can receive a twenty day massage treatment, the better the chances are that the child will have new abilities that will last a lifetime. Thanks to the success of the Christmas Challenge, at least four additional children’s lives will be changed because of massage.
I visited the Dobromel Orphanage early in December on my return trip from Warsaw, Poland. Pastor Volodya continues his outreach work with the children of this orphanage. As a pastor, he works hard to touch their spiritual lives. As a humanitarian, he wants to help the children improve their quality of living. This may mean a new pair of shoes, clothing, or even a much needed pair of socks. This is where MUCH makes his work possible through the Christmas Challenge. Even though he lives in Borislav, two hours from the orphanage; his passion for these children continues. I saw and photographed the evidence of the relationships that he built with the children during the past eight years. I see it in the eyes of the children. One of the boys wants to go to the Borislav seminary and study to be a minister. He is always sharing with Volodya some scripture that he has been studying. I see hope in the eyes of the children; hope that they can have a life of purpose.
Let’s see what Ira has to share with us about another child named Sasha!
I do not have the gifts that each of my team members in three different cities has, but I do my part to make it possible for each of them to do what God has called them to do. That is what MUCH is all about. We are helping the people of Ukraine help themselves. What a joy it is to see the people of Ukraine receive the opportunity to do what they were created to do!
Ira's Insights (January 2010)
Stories That Touch Your Heart
How often are you overwhelmed in your life? What can stop you from thinking about yourself, but cause you to think about others? All people have vital needs – they want to eat, drink, and they want to be happy. But I am sure that in your life you have met special people who want to be as “everyone else is.” Their needs are special. They want to be healthy and do what other people do without any limitations.
Last week Mark and I visited one family where there is a special girl. Her name is Sasha L. She will be 5 years old in the end of January. She is the second child in her family. When she was born, no doctor told her mother that this child had some problems. On the contrary, they assured her mother that everything was well with Sasha. The mother saw some strange things in the physical development of her daughter and she addressed the doctors not only one time, but they didn’t see any serious problems. In spite of the assurances of the doctors, Sasha’s mother continued to show her child to doctors. When Sasha was 2 years old, the doctors had to acknowledge that this girl had the special disease that is called Cerebral Palsy. In her second year, she couldn’t walk and jump as children of her age. At that time Sasha’s mother learned about the massage clinic of MUCH, and she joined it. Also they started to visit “Gold Angel” – the rehabilitation center in Odessa. It was the beginning of a new life for Sasha’s family. They knew with what they had to fight. In her small cozy flat where her family lives, there is some nice equipment for Sasha’s physical rehabilitation that her father made with his own hands.
Sasha has had much progress since she was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Today this girl is “a ball of fire”. She likes to dance, do crafts, learn poems, and walk. Although her balance is still developing, every new step is a great joy for her mother. Looking at this girl and her mother, I was overwhelmed with the progress that this girl has, with her desire to move forward to have better results.
Each little bit of progress, her new steps, are a great gratitude to those who support the massage clinic for such children as Sasha. I am sure that Sasha will have a nice future because in my city there is a massage clinic from MUCH!
Until next time,
Ira
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