Hello family and friends,
I am writing from Marganets. I will be visiting the children at the orphanage and taking some videos of my interaction with them. We will combine these with video from Emmaus Food Program and the Massage Clinic in Illichevsk. The children in the video clips will help show the results of your gifts over the past eight years. We intend to have it ready for viewing on our website in October.
During the past eight years, God has blessed me with wonderful provision through the many contributors who have shared their blessings with the children. We now help children in six different settings in three cities and one village.
Christmas Fundraiser 2010
This year, we will focus our Christmas Fundraiser on the original three outreach groups. The Marganets Orphanage, the Emmaus Food Program, and the Massage Clinic are in need of more funding during these difficult economic times. The exchange rate between the dollar and the Ukrainian currency has been our saving grace these past few years. The value of the dollar has been strong in Ukraine, but prices there have steadily increased, and the dollar buys less now. Your contributions to the Christmas Fundraiser will help to support existing programs in the following ways:
Marganets Orphanage: Every month we send money to provide clothing for the children, and at the end of the school year, graduates receive appropriate clothing to start their new lives. In the fall, we provide money for their seasonal cold prevention program. Anitoliy told me that, when the city is at epidemic status with the flu, our children remain healthy.
Over the years, we have initiated four programs to help the children better prepare for their lives after they leave the orphanage. The computer program provides skill training important to their futures. Six years ago, there were no computers. When the government provided some computers, there was no money for an instructor. The massage program, which we initiated as a normal part of their health program, is specifically for children who have cerebral palsy. The drug and alcohol prevention program, taught by a woman from a local church, instructs the children about morality, addictive behavior and spiritual development. The music program encourages the children to develop their talents to their maximum. Most of all, our continual support provides the children with better self-images and hope about their future. They feel loved!
The Emmaus Food Program for children from difficult homes, operated by the Illichevsk Baptist church, continues to be in financial straits. Aside from providing money to improve the quality of food each month and supporting the life skills program, the biggest opportunity that we have been providing for the past three years is the transportation scholarship program. We believe that higher education is the answer to breaking the cycle of poverty, and three students are now able to attend university in Odessa, with transportation costs provided by MUCH supporters.
The Massage Clinic continues to make huge differences in the lives of the children, particularly with our early-intervention efforts. The other day, one of our masseuses shared that she is seeing results that are better than she had expected. We serve ten children a day with a 20 day treatment program, with a maximum of about 65 children each year. Because of the clinic, the city and the region took notice and created a Center for Children with Disabilities. MUCH is causing the communities where we work to change their views and actions toward our children.
Last year at this time, I wrote that God has provided for the needs of the children through your giving hearts. It is not about me asking you, but it is about your responding to the gifts that God has given you to share with those less fortunate. A year has passed, and your support has continued to change children’s lives in so many ways. As our Christmas Fundraiser gets underway, the children and I are so grateful for all you have shared with us these last eight years. We thank you for being a part of our lives. If your gift is intended for the Christmas Fundraiser, please make a note of that on your check or your online gift.
Blessings of love and healing,
Mark
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Ira's Insight
In our life, there are some moments which turn into stories that we collect, remember, and share with our friends. Such moments become very prominent for us and remind us how it is sometimes important to reach out your hand of help to another person in need. One of such stories has happened with me recently. It was a very important moment about which I will remember and would like to share with you.
This is a story about a Ukrainian 7-year-old girl, Sasha, who is suffering from a rare disorder - arthrogryposis. This congenital disorder is characterized by multiple joint contractures. Sasha has one of the most severe cases of this disorder. It impairs her cardiac and respiratory function and causes pain in her chest and back. Physically, Sasha can’t do many things as children of her age. She can’t walk, she can’t manipulate with her hands well, but this little girl can dream. She dreams to be a princess, a bat-woman, an astronaut, and the biggest dream of hers is to be able to go to school as all children of her age.
Sasha has been a patient of MUCH Massage Clinic for a long time. Massage treatment that she has regularly at the clinic helps her to maintain her physical condition but it can’t improve joint alignment. Sasha’s mother has done much investigation about the disorder of her daughter and found out that it is treatable. In our country, doctors are not so experienced in such operations and can’t give any guarantee that the operations on Sasha’s joints will be successful. But, in Israel, there is a special clinic where doctors can help Sasha. It is specialized on such kind of disorder as Sasha has.
The first step for Sasha to be operated on her joints is to go to Israel and have an examination by council of doctors who can determine how many operations she should have. It is enough very expensive for a mother who has a disabled child to save some money to buy tickets to Israel, to pay for the staying at the hotel and the examination of her daughter. Sasha’s mother could borrow only part of the whole sum.
Last week, late in the evening when I was ready to go home, Mark called me and said that MUCH had approved to help Sasha’s mother with the rest of the sum for the trip to Israel. I was really overwhelmed. At once, I made a call to Sasha’s mother and shared this piece of wonderful news. After my words, I didn’t hear anything, just silence and then the mother said: “I don’t have any words to express what I feel now. Your words are a miracle for me because, before your call, I was ready to give up on any hope to collect enough money for the examination of my daughter.”
I think it was Mother Teresa who said: “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.”
My heart is full of praise to God that He has sent the right people in the right moment to help this little child make a first step toward her better future, and for her mother to see how dreams can become miracles.
Until next time,
Ira
This is a story about a Ukrainian 7-year-old girl, Sasha, who is suffering from a rare disorder - arthrogryposis. This congenital disorder is characterized by multiple joint contractures. Sasha has one of the most severe cases of this disorder. It impairs her cardiac and respiratory function and causes pain in her chest and back. Physically, Sasha can’t do many things as children of her age. She can’t walk, she can’t manipulate with her hands well, but this little girl can dream. She dreams to be a princess, a bat-woman, an astronaut, and the biggest dream of hers is to be able to go to school as all children of her age.
Sasha has been a patient of MUCH Massage Clinic for a long time. Massage treatment that she has regularly at the clinic helps her to maintain her physical condition but it can’t improve joint alignment. Sasha’s mother has done much investigation about the disorder of her daughter and found out that it is treatable. In our country, doctors are not so experienced in such operations and can’t give any guarantee that the operations on Sasha’s joints will be successful. But, in Israel, there is a special clinic where doctors can help Sasha. It is specialized on such kind of disorder as Sasha has.
The first step for Sasha to be operated on her joints is to go to Israel and have an examination by council of doctors who can determine how many operations she should have. It is enough very expensive for a mother who has a disabled child to save some money to buy tickets to Israel, to pay for the staying at the hotel and the examination of her daughter. Sasha’s mother could borrow only part of the whole sum.
Last week, late in the evening when I was ready to go home, Mark called me and said that MUCH had approved to help Sasha’s mother with the rest of the sum for the trip to Israel. I was really overwhelmed. At once, I made a call to Sasha’s mother and shared this piece of wonderful news. After my words, I didn’t hear anything, just silence and then the mother said: “I don’t have any words to express what I feel now. Your words are a miracle for me because, before your call, I was ready to give up on any hope to collect enough money for the examination of my daughter.”
I think it was Mother Teresa who said: “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.”
My heart is full of praise to God that He has sent the right people in the right moment to help this little child make a first step toward her better future, and for her mother to see how dreams can become miracles.
Until next time,
Ira
Monday, September 6, 2010
August 2010 MUCH Newsletter
Hello family and friends,
The last week in July and two weeks in August have been the hottest days that I remember since I moved here in 2002. Russia is having big problems because of the heat. Fields are burning and forests are being threatened by fires ignited by the extreme heat and dry grass. It seems that there is always someone who has bigger problems than I do. That helps me balance my attitude.
I had a very pleasant surprise last week. The children of the family of thirteen that I stay with when I visit Froonza, Crimea visited Ira’s church. They are a musical group, singing and playing Ukrainian folk instruments. It was wonderful to see them here in Illichevsk. I will see them again in September when I go to Froonza to check on our new massage program. We will begin treating thirteen disabled children in the village. This is the beginning. Only God knows how it will blossom.
Recently, I met a woman who is interested in my work with disadvantaged children. She lives in a city on the other side of Odessa. She and friends from her church had begun to visit orphanages in her city and nearby. After a short time, as I understand it, one of them wanted to adopt one of the children. It was not long before they were no longer allowed to come. You see, the income of the orphanage depends on the number of children. Doesn’t that break your heart?
In our communication, this woman told me about her desire to help the children. Her desire was great, but she had no direction. She didn’t know how to connect the love that God had put in her heart with the children whom she saw with such great needs. I will visit these children in the near future and learn what I can about the administration. This could open a new door in the future for MUCH to reach out to another group. So, I will ask that you pray with me about the possible new door that could open for MUCH to help these children.
I have been invited to visit the transition home ministry in Tiraspol, Moldova in October. They are supported by the church that I visited in Akron, Ohio. The goal is to help children transition from life in an orphanage to life in the real world. I look forward to learning how we can help our children become more successful in life. I will give you a report about my visit in the October newsletter.
Thank you for your interest, help, and prayers for what God is doing through MUCH here in Ukraine. Many lives are changing; many children are being given a second chance to succeed in life.
Blessings of love and healing,
Mark
The last week in July and two weeks in August have been the hottest days that I remember since I moved here in 2002. Russia is having big problems because of the heat. Fields are burning and forests are being threatened by fires ignited by the extreme heat and dry grass. It seems that there is always someone who has bigger problems than I do. That helps me balance my attitude.
I had a very pleasant surprise last week. The children of the family of thirteen that I stay with when I visit Froonza, Crimea visited Ira’s church. They are a musical group, singing and playing Ukrainian folk instruments. It was wonderful to see them here in Illichevsk. I will see them again in September when I go to Froonza to check on our new massage program. We will begin treating thirteen disabled children in the village. This is the beginning. Only God knows how it will blossom.
Recently, I met a woman who is interested in my work with disadvantaged children. She lives in a city on the other side of Odessa. She and friends from her church had begun to visit orphanages in her city and nearby. After a short time, as I understand it, one of them wanted to adopt one of the children. It was not long before they were no longer allowed to come. You see, the income of the orphanage depends on the number of children. Doesn’t that break your heart?
In our communication, this woman told me about her desire to help the children. Her desire was great, but she had no direction. She didn’t know how to connect the love that God had put in her heart with the children whom she saw with such great needs. I will visit these children in the near future and learn what I can about the administration. This could open a new door in the future for MUCH to reach out to another group. So, I will ask that you pray with me about the possible new door that could open for MUCH to help these children.
I have been invited to visit the transition home ministry in Tiraspol, Moldova in October. They are supported by the church that I visited in Akron, Ohio. The goal is to help children transition from life in an orphanage to life in the real world. I look forward to learning how we can help our children become more successful in life. I will give you a report about my visit in the October newsletter.
Thank you for your interest, help, and prayers for what God is doing through MUCH here in Ukraine. Many lives are changing; many children are being given a second chance to succeed in life.
Blessings of love and healing,
Mark
Ira's Insight
What fills us with warm memories when we think about our early days? People can think about their warm houses with many toys, big trees in their yards and delicious pies that their mothers or grandmothers baked. And I even heard that in the world there are museums of childhood where both adults and children like to go. When I look back to my childhood I remember my favorite doll, books that I liked to look through and read and the time at my grandmother’s house. A hundred pleasant memories from our childhood can make us happy! We can remember them looking through old pictures or when we come across some things that are dearest to our hearts.
Recently Mark introduced me to something that is not common in our country. It is a colorful quilt that many children in America have from their birth. Mark told me that children carry their "banky" with them until it is in shreds.
That was new for me. I remember my first impression when I saw a stack of bright quilts brought by Mark from America. They were amazing! Bears, flowers and dolls of lively colors can make any person happy! The quilts were donated to Mark’s children in Ukraine by a quilting club in America.
The most pleasant time was when we brought the quilts to the rehabilitation center to give them to children. The director of the center invited the youngest children to her office. We spread some quilts on the floor for each child and let children sit on them. The children were numb, they could only say: "yes, I like it." I think they had never seen such beautiful quilts before. Next time when we came to the center with some quilts, two mothers were waiting for us. I saw how excited they were when they saw the quilts.
I can imagine how much joy those blankets have brought to the children and their parents. One of the mothers told me that her child likes to sit on the blanket and very often in the evening he falls asleep on it.
I am really glad that some children from the center now have bright quilts that can bring them peace and comfort. I am sure that they will remember them all of their lives.
Until next time,
Ira
Recently Mark introduced me to something that is not common in our country. It is a colorful quilt that many children in America have from their birth. Mark told me that children carry their "banky" with them until it is in shreds.
That was new for me. I remember my first impression when I saw a stack of bright quilts brought by Mark from America. They were amazing! Bears, flowers and dolls of lively colors can make any person happy! The quilts were donated to Mark’s children in Ukraine by a quilting club in America.
The most pleasant time was when we brought the quilts to the rehabilitation center to give them to children. The director of the center invited the youngest children to her office. We spread some quilts on the floor for each child and let children sit on them. The children were numb, they could only say: "yes, I like it." I think they had never seen such beautiful quilts before. Next time when we came to the center with some quilts, two mothers were waiting for us. I saw how excited they were when they saw the quilts.
I can imagine how much joy those blankets have brought to the children and their parents. One of the mothers told me that her child likes to sit on the blanket and very often in the evening he falls asleep on it.
I am really glad that some children from the center now have bright quilts that can bring them peace and comfort. I am sure that they will remember them all of their lives.
Until next time,
Ira
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