My Little Friend Grew Up

Each orphaned child has a unique way of dealing with their lack of family experience. I think that it is the individuality of the child, with or without family, which enables the child to cope with his/her life situation.



During the past six years, I have encountered many personalities of the children whom I serve. Yuri is one of those children whom I have dearly enjoyed. When we first met, this little boy was full of energy, animation, and hunger for attention. Most memorable was his smile, full of expression, with big dimples to accentuate his positive attitude.

During each visit, Yuri would make a special point to present himself to me. He would have a few questions for me and would always want to show me something that he had done. He was more upfront than most of the other boys. In 2003, the MUCH gift of a sound system brought about an opportunity for the children to have a dance on Sunday afternoons.

I happened to be at the orphanage on a Sunday afternoon in the course of one of my quarterly visits. The children were very anxious for me to join them at their discothèque experience. Of all of the children, Yuri had the most animated dance. His clothes didn’t fit well, he wasn’t very clean, but his heart was wide open and he was not the least bit inhibited in his expression through dance.

In March of 2008, I found a very different Yuri. As a teenage, he was dealing with a very different life. Cigarettes, alcohol, and possibly drugs were a part of the peer pressures that he had to make decisions about. When he would present himself to me he wanted me to approve of him, but he hid the part of him that he didn’t want me to know about. He was caught up in trying to be who and what he thought others wanted him to be. I wanted to know who Yuri had become.

In September of 2008, MUCH brought a Marganets resident onto the MUCH team to teach the children drug and alcohol prevention, morality, self image, and other positive reinforcement principles. Children like Yuri will now have a better opportunity to choose what is right for him and know that it is Ok to be an individual, to be Yuri.

See you next week!

Sisters of Poverty

I wish each of you a Happy New Year, that it may be filled with peace, financial recovery, and a new outlook on life. Ukraine will be celebrating Christmas on January 7^th.
I’ll write about my adventure with skin cancer when I have during and after pictures. For those who are concerned, I’m doing well.

This post, I want to tell about two of my children in Illichevsk. Four and a half years ago, I wrote about one child who fell out of her 5^th floor dormitory house window and broke her neck. She was 12 years old. She has a younger sister who was 9 years old at the time.

Life has continued to challenge each of these children in different ways during the past four and a half years. I’ll give them new names for this post to protect their identity. Kathy, the older of the two, insisted on continuing to live with her alcoholic mother in the one room that they call home. The mother is seldom their. Close to the 4 year anniversary of Kathy’s accident, she had a baby. The father of the baby married her. Now, 4 and sometimes 5 people live in the one room home.

Nina, now 13 years old, has physical problems of her own. Before age 8, she was hit by a car. Her leg that was broken was not set correctly and causes her difficulty in walking. Apparently, she had some brain trauma also. Her right hand is not contracted, but she does not use it. For some reason, it has not developed neurologically.

If these girls only had their physical problems to deal with, that would be enough for a lifetime. Here is what their home life is like, as I understand it.

They live on the 5^th floor. If Kathy wants to go outside, some one must carry her down 5 flights of steps, and bring her wheel chair. If she wants to use the bathroom, it is a public bathroom at the end of the hall for that floor of one or two room homes. She uses diapers, as she is a quadriplegic, so that is less of a factor. The kitchen is also a community facility. So, accessibility for her is probably not a future possibility. Because she now has a baby, (something that I thought was not possible), all of her difficulties are times two.

For Nina, it was a great experience to witness her sister’s pregnancy, giving birth, and the early novelty of life with her niece. Now, the other facts of life remind her of what is real in her personal world.

Imagine for a moment, a 16 ½ year old mother of a 6 month old, a husband of possibly 20 years of age, a 13 year old sister, and an alcoholic mother who is transient in their lives, all living in a 10’ x 10’ room. The room has a curtain that divides it into by 2/3s. So, privacy is a luxury, Nina’s innocence has long since vanished, and interpersonal relationships of these children living in the adult world are stressed to the max.

This is only a sample of the 25 children who visit the Emmaus Food Program in Illichevsk. The children eat a hearty meal five days a week during the school year. There are programs to teach them life skills such as sewing, cooking, and social interaction. Other activities include crafts, singing, and Bible study. Recently, I have begun a chat session with the children twice a month. My goal is to discuss problems common to our lives, though we are two generations apart.

I hope to touch Nina’s life with physical rehabilitation, but it will depend upon her. I learned a very difficult lesson with her sister. Just because I see the need and want to help, that doesn’t mean that they want my help. As with most children, it is difficult to get them to see very far beyond their immediate needs and wants. That is what parents are supposed to do. Sometimes, the best that I can do is only to be available.

I’ll surprise you with next weeks post!

December 2008 MUCH Newsletter

Hello family and friends,

As the world economy challenges each of us, may we look toward Christmas as the birth of our Savior. As the Christmas season approaches, may love fill our hearts that we may reach out toward each other in peace and compassion.

I have returned from my journey to Warsaw, Poland to get my Ukrainian visa for another year. I stopped in Borislav and Dobromel, Ukraine to visit two orphanages on my way back. It was quite an eventful trip. You can read more about it in The Insider Info, my first two weekly posts below. I intend to post a story or an article each Saturday. I want to better inform our readers about the realities of life in Ukraine and my life as a missionary. Also, I want to better inform our readers and supporters about the progress that we are seeing in the different outreach ministries. If you have questions, or want to know more, please click on comments, and add your thoughts. I will be more than happy to reply to you personally if you wish.

The Borislav orphanage is not one of the MUCH outreach ministries. I was introduced to this orphanage because it specializes in habilitation for children with cerebral palsy. More than 120 children live there during the school year and receive appropriate education and habilitation. They have a multi therapy program. I visited with the neurologist and we spoke for about an hour. He showed me the different equipment that they use, ranging from EEG to acupuncture. We discussed the value of electric muscle stimulators, which I am interested in adding to our massage therapy program. He explained in great detail how each therapy adds only a percentage of the full results desired. This was a new concept for me. My experience has been that a therapist will believe that his/her therapy is the most important. But Dr. Oleg made it clear that each is important for the full result. I invited him to Illichevsk to address our therapists and have a round table discussion about our children. This is a big step in building a network of specialist to improve the lives of our children in Illichevsk and the surrounding communities who have cerebral palsy.

And again, if you haven't already, please read about our Christmas Fundraiser - MUCH's Goal is $3,620.

Blessings of love and healing,
Mark

Ira's Insights (December 2008)

Today there is a difficult economic situation in the world. Almost everyone speaks about this everywhere; you can hear about these problems and they may depress you. In spite of all these problems, God continues to show His grace and wisdom through His people. He continues to change the lives and minds of people. We just need to look around us to notice this. It will bring joy to our hearts and remind us of God’s promises.

I’d like to share a story with you that I witnessed. As you know Emmaus is a club for children from difficult homes. When you speak with the children, or only see them, you can’t understand the situation of their lives. Only within a personal conversation can you realize what lives they live, what personal tragedy each of them has.

Mark has begun a tradition of speaking to the children at Emmaus every other Friday. Usually he tells them different situations from his life. Mark’s stories initiate a conversation between the children and him. They begin to ask him questions. Very often children stay after “Mark’s story” to speak about their lives. When I translated one such conversation, I was very surprised what problems this child has to cope with in her young life. I see that God himself speaks to these children through Mark.

Through Mark’s answers I see the children comprehend what God’s love is and what they need to do with the adult problems of their families in their child world. The answers are so clear for the children’s inquisitive minds that I am sure they have received understanding for their vital questions.

When I translate such conversations and see the children’s eyes, it again reminds me that God always is in time, He always acts in His wonderful ways. He always is ready to give comfort to the hearts of the people who are in need…

Until next time,
Ira

1st Annual Illichevsk Charity Ball

My assistant, Ira, called me to tell me that we were invited to an activity that the City of Illichevsk was putting on for people who helped the children throughout the year. I thought that it would be something similar to the event that they had last year. People from different organizations and businesses who made some type of contribution were recognized and given a very nice commemorative plate.
Ira didn’t have a lot of information, but she said something about a ball. She has learned so much about the English language, but situations that she has not experienced make it difficult to translate. This was one of those times. She knew that it was a formal affair, but the rest was a surprise.
I had to go to the massage clinic to take pictures of a sweet little child, and Ira would meet me there. Our evening adventure was on that side of Illichevsk. As we began to walk, I asked her were we were going. It was someplace that she hadn’t been before, so she couldn’t explain where it was.
After walking for five minutes, we crossed the last street that parallels the sea. We turned to the right and Ira pointed to a building in the distance. We walked some more. I saw the new soccer field as she pointed beyond it to a new group of buildings. It was dark, so nothing looked normal to me.
The group of buildings was behind a tall security fence with guards. We were directed to the second entrance. Passing through the gate, I was overwhelmed. The buildings towered three stories and were attached in an L shape. The courtyard was laid out in stylish stonework. It had a very European look.
We entered the building, not an impressive entrance, and found our way to the coat room. A very nice gentleman was hanging up coat behind an enclose counter. Across from this counter was the entrance to our evening adventure.
As you can see from the pictures above, the ball room was very beautiful. I never expected to see anything like this in Illichevsk. Moreover, I never dreamed that I would be invited to such an occasion.
As people continued to arrive, the wait staff made final table setting preparations. It was all very beautiful. And what was most wonderful was that it was all for charity, for the children and those in need.
We had a very nice evening of performances in dance, music, and song. There was an auction that raised some money for the cause. And finally there was a time for dancing and conversation and fancy food to snack on.
Ira had to run along to take care of her baby, Sofia. I stayed a while longer, chatted with one young woman who spoke good English, and then I, too, headed for home.
This first annual Charity Ball speaks volumes for the potential future of Illichevsk … of Ukraine.
Next Saturday I will write about my adventure with skin cancer, the physical, mental, and spiritual revelations that I experienced.

The Adventure Continues…

When the train was thirty minute west of my departure city of Ternopil, I was sound asleep. The porter woke me to alert me that my stop would be soon. As I looked at my watch, I wondered why he had woken me so soon. It was ninety minutes before my stop. As I sat there, beginning to wake up, I realized that I had not set my watch forward one hour to account for the time zone difference. As my three cabin mates continued to sleep soundly, I quickly took care of my bedding, gathered by backpack, coat and hat, and headed for the exit, just beyond the porter’s cabin.
As I stepped down from the train, memories from my many visits to Ternopil met me. Looking toward the station, the time now being 2:30 in the morning, I saw a tall dark figure walking toward me. As Andrew approached me, we shook hands. He explained that his car was last in the driveway, so he had the privilege to come get me.
Later that day, I caught up on news with Andrew’s parents while he and his wife Nadya went to work. Bogdan and Luda and I shared our activities of the previous year over meals and free time. The following morning, Bogdan put me on the morning train to Truskavyets.
In three hours, I was in Truskavyets, ready for my next adventure. Pastor Volodya met me with a hearty “Hello.” We drove ten kilometers to the city of Borislav, his home town. A nice meal was waiting for us as we arrived at his home. His daughter, Lena, would translate for us. Lena had finished University as and English teacher, and her mother spoke English pretty well.
Because of my change in travel plans, I now had only two days to meet with my contacts in Borislav and Dobromel. It was Friday afternoon, and my ticket to Odessa from L’vov was set for Sunday evening at 7:30. I had to make the most of my time.
Lena set up a meeting with the neurologist at the orphanage for children with cerebral palsy. We had to move quickly, though, because his day had finished and he was ready to go home. He said that he would meet with us. Volodya drove us to the orphanage. We found him still working. Once I had gathered my thoughts, we talked about the different therapies that they use with their children. I explained what we were doing at the massage clinic in Illichevsk, and we talked some more. After an hour or so, we walked to the bus stop. We waited about 20 minutes, and rode to our stop. Because a recent flood had destroyed a central bridge, the ride was a little longer than normal.
Early Saturday, we headed to the Dobromel orphanage, two hours away. We stopped in Sambir to pick up Maria, who also works with the children at Dobromel. The time passed quickly. The scenery is very beautiful, as we were in the Carpathian Mountains.
At the orphanage, Mikola, the director, greeted us and took us to see the school and the additional building, diagonally across the street from the orphanage. The additional building was in need of remodel, but it belonged to the orphanage. They had to figure out how to make it functional. They had almost completed remodeling an apartment in the first floor. It would be used as a transition home for the boys when they graduated and would enter the real world.
At the school, we visited the wood shop were the boys were refinishing door and window frames for the building that we had previously visited. Also, we stopped in the sewing classroom where some girls were sewing costumes for future performances.
We talked as we walked back to the dormitory building. We discussed other needs, and shared plans for future communication. One thought was to connect the Dobromel and the Marganets orphanages for a competition between the children. Being in different parts of the country, it would be geographically interesting for the children.
On the return trip, Volodya made his regular stop in Sambir to buy some sour cream, the best in the region. During Soviet times, milk products were a main industry in Sambir. After a number of other stops, we continued on to Borislav.
Sunday morning, we went to a mountain community church not far from Borislav. When this quaint little church was full on this snowy December morning, there were ten adults and a few children. I was to speak after the second sermon. It was a great opportunity to share with the people. My message was well received in their hearts. It was a warm ending to my week of travel.
At 3 PM, Volodya and Lena saw me to the commuter train in Truskavyets. This transport was interesting. It was filled with businessmen and college students. When I arrive in L’vov two hours later, my final challenge met me.
There are two train stations in L’vov. They are close to each other, but you can’t see one from the other. I had been there before, but, as is typical, things don’t look the same as I have remembered. I had an hour and twenty minutes to find my way, and my train. Everything worked out ok, and I had fifteen minutes to spare. I arrived in Odessa twelve hours later and took the bus to Illichevsk. All was well.
Stop by next week when I write about the first annual Charity Ball held in Illichevsk, that I attended.

Peace and Provision

Hello my friends,
It has been my dream to share more about my life in Ukraine with you. I am writing some books, but I want to share detail with you as they happen. Our MUCH web technician has created this blog to help me share more with you. So, I will begin my first post with my adventure to Warsaw.

The current Ukrainian laws pertaining to visas are different than when I first came to Ukraine. Tourists can now come for up to 90 day without a visa. They can get an extension beyond that, but then they must leave and can not return for 6 months, as I understand it.
Because I live in Ukraine, I need to be in the country without limitation. That requires a visa. Beginning last year, visas are required to be replaced each year. For me, that means that I must go to Warsaw, Poland each year. The Ukrainian Embassy in
Warsaw provides an express process of visas for $165. That means that if I am extremely organized, I can arrive in Warsaw Sunday evening, be at the Ukrainian Embassy Monday morning at 8 AM and have my new visa before they close at noon. Then get tickets and take a train back to Ukraine.
Here is my story, my 4th visit to Warsaw. After buying tickets from Odessa to Warsaw, I boarded the train in Odessa on Sunday at 6 PM or so. Twenty-nine hours later I was in Warsaw. What most people don’t know is that there is 4 hour wait at the border.
The border retains the blockade created to stop the German trains from entering Ukraine during WWII. At the border and in Ukraine, the RR tracks are wider. For a Ukrainian train to enter Poland, or visa versa, the undercarriage of the train is switched. Along with that, two other processes take place. The border patrol of each country checks passports of each passenger and records them. Second, special police and trained dogs come on the train to check for drugs and cigarettes. There is a big smuggling operation for cigarettes. They are manufactured so cheaply in Ukraine, but can bring a high price in Poland and the rest of Europe.
After obtaining my visa, my plan was to travel to L’vov, Ukraine and make my way down to Borislav where I would visit an orphanage. I needed to arrive in L’vov early enough to catch the bus to Borislav. I learned at the train station that was not a possibility. The only train to L’vov would arrive at 11:30 PM, much too late to catch a bus.
This began my next adventure. The clerk at the international ticket office gave me some options. I have friends from missionary school in Ternopil Ukraine, so he showed me what was available for that day. It was 10 AM. I could catch the 11:05 AM inter city (IC) train to Krakow, Poland. After a three hour ride to Krakow, I would have 5 minutes to find my next train to Przemyoel Glowny. Then, I would have 1 hour and 25 minutes to find my train to Ukraine at this border town. I would arrive in Ternopil at 2:20 AM.
I accepted the tickets, and my adventure began. These are the people whom I encounter on this portion of my trip. Waiting for their train at the Warsaw Station, a team from the Netherlands was heading south to give a Holy Spirit revival of sorts. They were very charismatic, if I say so myself.
On the IC train, it was a pleasure to meet Ludmila from Krakow. She is a university student studying public health with a keen interest in NGOs. She was my angel in disguise, as she helped me find my next train in the five minutes that I had between arrival and departure.
The next commuter train provided a cabin mate of 61 years. He had been a boxer for 14 years. We struggled through our conversation in Russian. He knew German very well, Polish was his native language, but he knew more Russian than I did.
On the sleeper train to Ternopil, my cabin mates were a Ukrainian business man who spoke some English, a Polish Catholic priest who didn’t, and his companion, a Ukrainian Catholic priest who spoke very good English. As the Polish priest was very tired, the other two and I had a great conversation about the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, the government and its influence on the church. It was a very pleasant way to end my long day of travel. This was a day filled with peace and provision.
Be watching for my next post to read the rest of my adventure.