MUCH Newsletter April 2011

Hello family and friends,

I wish for each of you a blessed Easter, Passover, or holy day in which you participate. As we celebrate hope, we see how God is blessing the children.

In my last Newsletter, I wrote that spring was here but I was expecting one last, late snow. It has been quite cold lately, although, I had to go to Dobromel, NW Ukraine to experience that last snow of the season. In the low 40’s F here in Illichevsk, people are still wearing their scarves and winter coats. Even so, they are all out in their gardens getting the soil turned and ready to plant.

Nestled in the Carpathian Mountains, the quiet little town of Dobromel is located only five miles from the border of Poland, it is surrounded by farmland, true to the Ukrainian agricultural way of life. Dobromel is quite a distance from Illichevsk, where I live, requiring a forty-minute bus to Odessa, a twelve-hour train to L’vov, a two-hour bus to Truskavyets, a fifteen-minute bus to Borislav, where I stay with Pastor Volodya, and on Saturday, a two-hour car ride to Dobromel Orphanage. That is a lot of travel time to spend only a few hours with the children and to have a meeting with the director. It is well worth the time; if I could not hear and see it all first -hand when I visit the children, view the improvements, talk with the director, and experience life at this orphanage, I could not fully understand their situation. It is really all about building relationships.

I have been writing about the future massage program for the children at Dobromel Orphanage in the last two newsletters. To my surprise, the director, Mikola, has been busy preparing for a massage program, so much so, that he now has an exercise specialist, trained in massage, on his staff in a limited capacity. After our meeting, there was no question in my mind that Mikola wants MUCH to begin the massage demonstration project in September, with my fiancée, Sveta, providing massage for four of the children. He is very anxious to see results, anxious enough to send Natasha, the exercise specialist, to Illichevsk to observe our two masseuses at the clinic. Natasha will observe massage treatment at our clinic here in Illichevsk in August, with children similar to the children at the orphanage. She will observe massage treatment by Sveta in September with the children at the Dobromel Orphanage. When God opens a door, He opens a door!

Ira's Insight
Someone has said, “Our lives are filled with challenges and obstacles, but everyone's life is also filled with abundant blessings. There is only one very important thing – it is to see those blessings.” Working for some years for MUCH, I have come across many people whose children are seriously disabled. For me, most of those parents are great examples of courage and real love that shows despair in none of their life situations.

Last Saturday, there was a meeting of such mothers and Mark. We talked about expanding the massage program in a second location in Illichevsk.

Last year MUCH tried this program, but for management reasons, MUCH stopped it in autumn 2010. I remember how many calls with different questions I got from the mothers at that time: “Why? When will it be started again? Do we have any hope?” All of those questions touched me very much because every mother or grandmother tried to tell me, in detail, stories about the progress that their children had with this masseuse. Some weeks later, this group of mothers arranged the meeting with Mark as a representative of MUCH, and then they wrote a letter of their hope to the MUCH Board of Directors, asking to start that massage program again.

A couple of months passed and last Saturday the meeting with this group of mothers happened again. The mothers read a letter-agreement written by MUCH to them. The letter gives only one condition for the parents whose children will benefit from the massage therapy – to supervise the schedule of massage. MUCH wants to see regular massage treatments for these children with serious disabilities.

For me it was a great delight to see mothers whose dream had come true. The expression of their faces told everything – their eyes shone with happiness. It was a real answer, a real blessing, because they had been waiting for the renewing of this program for many months. The third masseuse, Natalya Borisovna, was the first masseuse in the MUCH Massage Clinic in Illichevsk. Very often, I call her the pioneer of this program.

For reasons of her own, she gave up the original job of masseuse at the MUCH Massage Clinic. When she chose to leave, she continued to work in different cities and places with children suffering with serious illness or disabilities.

My hope has always been and is for Natalya Borisovna to work on the team of MUCH. This woman has an open heart, wonderful hands, and great experience in massage work. I have a great hope to see great results of her work soon.

Until next time,
Ira

I never imagined that my life would be focused on helping children with disabilities, particularly in a foreign country. Although this country becomes less foreign to me every day, it may remain foreign to you. We want to help you understand the culture, the people, and the children of Ukraine. To help you do this, visit the MUCH website. As always, thank you for your interest in our children, God’s secret gifts from above.

Blessings of love and healing
Mark

March 2011 MUCH Newsletter

Hello family and friends,

It looks as if spring has sprung here in Ukraine. The temperatures are in the low 50s F. I am still anticipating a late snow that may be heavy but will only last a few days. The weather here by the Black Sea is unpredictable.

I will begin by telling you some good news. The MUCH Board of Directors has approved a 20-day demonstration massage program at the Dobromel Orphanage. While I am in America, Svetlana, my fiancée, who is a certified massage therapist, will live in Dobromel during the month of October with a family from Pastor Volodya’s church. She will provide massage for three or four of the children, documenting with video their before-and-after conditions. If, after viewing the results, the administration approves a regular program, this will open a new door for these children, changing their lives in ways that no one has even imagined.

While we are on the topic of massage, amazing results are pouring out of Froonza. In October of 2010, MUCH launched the massage program in this village of 3,000 people on the peninsula of Crimea, Ukraine. The inspiration for this program developed in September of 2009, while I visited a family of thirteen children; seven of them are foster children. One of them, twelve-year-old Kolya, was born with cerebral palsy.

Kolya

For fourteen days, Kolya and I walked to the school; it was only a dream that he would ever be a student there. Teachers come to his home to teach him because he must be able to walk independently to attend the school. Kolya has been receiving massage for 20 days every month for the last five months. In five months time, his progress has been amazing. As of the beginning of March, Kolya’s legs are much straighter, top to bottom, and his legs are not twisted to either side. Most of all, he is now using two canes to assist his walking, instead of the forearm crutches that you see in the picture above.

Kolya's receives his first massage

I projected that Kolya would be walking normally within two years. With continued massage treatment, he may beat my expectations by one year.

It seems that good news travels fast! Children with disabilities from other villages have begun to participate in the Froonza program. When God opens a door, look out!

The month of May will mark the end of my ninth year living in Ukraine. In that time, God has brought more that 500 children into my life. Sasha and Kolya are only two of the many children who are helped by your support. It is my desire to share more personal success stories and stories of their needs with you. I want you to understand the great personal impact that you are having on so many lives. Thank you for helping me change the world one life at a time. Please continue to pray for all of the MUCH team as we continue to answer His call.

Blessings of love and healing,
Mark

Ira's Insight

Dear friends,

The girl about whom I am going to tell you this time is a well known to you. She is seven-year-old Sasha, and I have written about her in some of the previous newsletters of MUCH. Sasha has a rare disorder - arthrogryposis. This congenital disorder causes 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.

Sasha has become very close to my heart. Today Mark and Sasha are very good friends. It is funny to watch when Mark tries to speak to Sasha in Russian. Not understanding him, sometimes Sasha asks me, “Chto on skazal?” That is for “What has he said?” Every time when we visit Sasha, she demonstrates her new skills in Math, Russian and in English. Her eyes sparkle every time she shares her dreams with Mark about her future. This little girl has become very popular in many countries of the world thanks to activities of MUCH. Sasha’s days have changed a lot since MUCH touched her life. After my previous stories about Sasha, many people are waiting to hear about the decisions of the doctors. I hope my article will answer all of your questions.

It was in a hall of the policlinic where Mark and I met Sasha and her mother Natasha for the first time. They were waiting for the masseuse to give Sasha a massage. I was struck by Sasha’s disability because I had never met such a person. I was very sorry for this girl and especially her mother, who looked very sad. After Sasha’s massage, the masseuse told us about her disorder. She told us that there is hope for children with such rare genetic disorder – this hope is a set of operations on bone joints. The masseuse told us that the cost of the operations is very high. I remember that at that moment there was distress in my heart, “Why can’t the government help Sasha and other children with this disorder? There should be a solution for this situation.” These questions had been in my mind until we visited Sasha and her mother at their home, in the end of last summer. Looking at the girl, it was difficult emotionally for me to translate the conversation for Mark and Sasha’s mother. It was at this time that God moved my heart to ask Mark if MUCH could help Sasha beyond the massage program.

Some months later, in October 2010, Sasha and her mother flew to Israel where she was examined by specially qualified doctors. This examination happened only thanks to people who helped this family with finances. The total cost of tickets, boarding, and examination in the Israel clinic was $3000. It was a very important assessment for Sasha. This was the first time that doctors who specialize in arthrogryposis examined her. Sasha and her mother came back from Israel very encouraged. The doctors said that they had successfully operated on people with the same disorder as Sasha’s, and they promised to send the mother results of their decision about the time for Sasha to be operated on and the cost of the operation. Their results came a number of months later. It was a big task for the doctors to come to one decision about the scheduling of the first operation for Sasha. They say that the best time for Sasha to be operated on will be in two years because of her bone growth process. The first operation should be done on her chest because there is a danger for her life. The concave bones of her chest press on her lungs and heart. The cost of the operation is $65,000. Sasha’s mother is investigating the prices in other clinics in Germany and Russia where doctors perform this operation. Natasha is going to connect with these doctors using internet Skype communication system, E-mail, and the phone. She wants to get as much information as she can about the possibilities for her daughter’s treatment.

Thinking of Sasha’s life and of the changes that have happened to her in less than a year, I am sure that for this little girl our meeting in summer was the turning point. She is the same physically, with the same disorder, but her heart is different – it smiles because in it there is a big hope for physical changes through operations. Sasha seems not to be afraid of operations and all kind of difficulties that may be connected with the operations. She lives only with one dream, to be like other children who can walk to school by themselves. Everyone who sees Sasha wants to help her. You can meet Sasha at the MUCH website. Click on ‘Meet Sasha’ at the bottom of the home page to view the video clip. If God has put it on your heart to help Sasha, click on ‘Help Sasha,’ also at the bottom of the home page. MUCH has started an account in Sasha’s name for future expenses associated with her surgery.

Until next time,
Ira

February 2011 MUCH Newsletter

Hello family and friends,

February is blasting us with bitter cold sea winds accompanied by bright sunshine. Common to Ukrainian culture, people are out and about, breathing in the fresh air, walking and talking, all bundled up in their fur coats and hats, boots and gloves. As for me, a much-needed ten-day massage has directed my thoughts to the children of the Dobromel Orphanage.

Four years ago, I was introduced to the children of the Dobromel Orphanage. These children, having more severe mental disabilities than most of the children at the Marganets Orphanage, took hold of my heart. I knew that massage was changing the lives of the children at our clinic in Illichevsk, children ranging from mild physical disability to extreme physical and mental disability, and I was seeing results of massage at the Marganets Orphanage as well. I had begun to discuss the needs of the children at the Dobromel Orphanage with the director, Mikhail. He seemed open to the idea of massage; there was no question of the need; even so, like all people in a depressed economy, he had his doubts that this could become a reality for his children. We discussed massage again during my last visit.

Pastor Volodya has brought spiritual support to these children for more than ten years. He does a great job helping the children learn about God and prayer. In addition, he provides fruit and fruit juice for the children. The children are hearing the Word and they are being fed, although, they have a need to experience change in their physical lives. They need to feel good about themselves and about their bodies; they need to be healthier than they are. Massage can make these changes become a reality, and Pastor Volodya is ready to help encourage massage treatment for the children as a valuable health factor. He has close interaction and good influence with the director. We are each part of the team that will help these children prepare for the rest of their lives.

Therefore, what is the first step? The first step is always to seek God’s timing and provision. Second, I have sent a proposal to the MUCH Board of Directors to send a massage therapist to Dobromel Orphanage to demonstrate massage with a twenty-day treatment program for three or four of the children. I want the results to ignite a big interest in the Dobromel Orphanage administration in finding a massage therapist to work with the children there. If approved, MUCH would support such a program financially.

Read the different perspective of life that Ira wants to share with you in the following post.

Blessings of love and healing,
Mark

Ira's Insight

In every country there are big and small cities, big and little towns and of course villages. In each of these places, there are advantages and disadvantages of living there. If you live in a big city, you can choose: a school for your children to go to, work to earn money, a shop to buy food, a cinema and a club to have fun, a hospital and a doctor to be treated. Having such advantages are good. But, there are some disadvantages, and the biggest ones are pollution, smoggy streets and much traffic. Most people dislike it and enjoy going to the country on weekends to have rest. That is a story of living in a big city.

Small cities, towns and villages have a different life. Most people who live there know each other well; usually we say, “I know who and how they breathe”. There are a lot of advantages to living in such small places, such as fresh air, comfort about your children playing in the yard, etc. But – in a small community there is no big variety of food products in the shops. To get to a big city it is also a big problem – not everyone in a small place of post-Soviet countries has a car, so people have to use public transportation. If you are sick you can’t choose a hospital or a doctor to go to because in the place where you live there is only one small medical center where you can go to get help. Recently I read in the news that in one of the villages a young man died. He had been waiting for help, for an ambulance for a couple of hours! In the village where he lived, there is not any medical place for people to address for help. If their children are sick, not doctors, but their parents treat them. When I read that news I thought, “How do people with serious disabilities live there?”

In Illichevsk, the Massage Clinic is attended by many children who live, not in the city, but in little towns and villages that are near the city. In these places, there is not medical help for children with disabilities. From my own experience, I know how difficult it is to get to Illichevsk without my own transportation. I live in a town that is situated close to Illichevsk (approximately 15 minutes of driving); my house is not far from the bus stop but it took me about 1 hour and 30 minutes to get to where I had to go using public transportation. And that was only one way. There are many small towns and villages throughout Ukraine that do not have easy access, if they have any access at all, to rehabilitation facilities. I think Illichevsk is one of the small cities that is blessed by God because there is a Massage Clinic and Rehabilitation Centre for the disabled children there. The same is true with the small town, Froonza, in Crimea, where there are about 15 special children. The Massage Clinic that is run with the help of MUCH gives hope, both to the children and their mothers.

I think that eight to ten years ago, parents of children with disabilities, either in or near Illichevsk or in Froonza, never thought that in the future they would have so many advantages for their children. I am sure that this is just the beginning of what will happen, thanks to the work of many people who have opened their hearts for the sake of special children in Ukraine.

Until next time,
Ira

January 2011 MUCH Newsletter

Hello family and friends,

Happy New Year to one and to all. I wish each of you a prosperous and a blessed 2011. We begin this new year with one disappointment. As mentioned in the October Newsletter, the Emmaus Food Program has closed its doors for an undetermined time. We are sad for the twenty children who attended this program, but we realize that they are in God’s hands. He loves them more than we ever could. The Transportation Scholarship Program will continue for the students from the Emmaus Program, so they can continue their university studies.

On the other hand, God has opened the door in Marganets to help the children at another  orphanage/boarding school, Marganets #2. The Board of MUCH has approved a pilot program to provide funds for clothing, shoes, socks, and winter wear for these 130 children, ten of whom are without any family. We will consider additional needs as funds are available. The conditions at this facility are similar to the first Marganets orphanage/boarding school when we first began to help those children eight years ago. There is plenty to do to improve the living conditions for the children in Marganets #2. We welcome these children to the family of MUCH that now totals a minimum of 512 children.

Thanks to the success of the Christmas Fund Raiser, we are able to bless so many children. MUCH is very grateful to all who made the fundraiser a winner, in spite of the difficult financial times. God continues to touch hearts and provide funds to change the lives of His children--six groups of children in three cities and a village. We are moving forward, one step at a time. As God continues to prepare workers for our future steps, MUCH continues to help the children, little by little. We are seeing progress; the children are changing, struggling with the lives they live, but reaching up for our hand to hold as we walk together with them through their lives.

We are very happy to announce that the much-awaited video of Sasha is now on the MUCH website! On the homepage is an introduction to Sasha. You can open her video by clicking on Meet Sasha.

Before I tell you about our visit with Sasha, I must introduce you to Svetlana, my fiancé as of January 1. Svetlana has a great love for God. In addition, she has a big heart, full of love for children and a passion to work with them. She has two grandchildren of her own and has MUCH love for our children. She has a background in massage therapy and wants to improve her skills. Svetlana sees in me many good things that I never could. She has touched my life in many healing ways. Svetlana is one of the workers that God has been preparing to further the work of MUCH. She will be a wonderful addition to the MUCH team.

While visiting me December 25, Svetlana brought some gifts for Sasha. Svetlana and I visited Sasha that evening, taking gifts that Ira had also bought for Sasha. We surprised Sasha with an unexpected Christmas. She opened the gifts with great joy, sharing them with her younger cousin. We visited and chatted with Natasha, her mother, for about two hours. As you can see in these pictures, Svetlana and Sasha are becoming friends.

As Svetlana and I walk down the road toward married life, we will also be looking for what God will do in the future of MUCH. As a married couple, we will walk together through each door as God opens it. As a new part of the MUCH team, we will minister to children in ways that I could not as a single, limited speaker of the Russian language. Please join us in 2011 as the whole team of MUCH, here, in America, and other countries, follow God’s direction to help the disadvantaged children and children with disabilities in cities and villages of Ukraine.

Blessings of love and healing,

Mark

Ira's Insights

My best wishes to all in 2011! I am full of hope that God will bless each of us: our countries, our homes, and our ministries. The whole new 2011 year is ahead of us. It is like a clean sheet of paper in front of us. And each of us is an author. In the end of this year, I wish for everybody to see visible results of her or his work.

I pray God will bless MUCH ministries with His blessing in 2011 and I believe that God will bless you much more through these ministries. I heard a saying that in helping people in need we become more sympathetic, sensitive, God-fearing and morally upright.

One of the newest programs that MUCH has started is the Froonza Massage Clinic. This clinic is an unexpected realization of some mothers’ desire to have a local massage clinic for children with Cerebral Palsy. In spite of being situated close to the city of Saki, where there is a big rehabilitation center, not many mothers from Froonza could take their children to Saki for some professional massage help. The initiative of MUCH caused the Froonza Massage Clinic to begin. Of course, God was the designer of it. It was God Who opened hearts of many people: a masseur to work with special children, officials to share a room for massage and many other things.

For today, we have some good, visible results. Ann is the supervisor of the Froonza Massage Clinic. She lives in Froonza and very often communicates with parents whose children attend the clinic. The first result that was obvious for all mothers – children who were hyperactive before the massage became calmer and children who showed some indifference to the life around became more active. Ann says that the lives of all mothers and their children have changed. In the clinic, there is a three-and-a-half-year-old boy, Misha, who is suffering from Cerebral Palsy. He is a very active and lovely boy. Misha can walk but he doesn’t keep balance well when he walks. Massage at the clinic has helped him to have more stability when he walks. Misha’s results are so obvious and good that now his mother can work some hours a day leaving Misha with his grandmother. Misha’s mother hopes that, thanks to massage in Froonza, her child will have some even better results.

A new opportunity and a whole new future for the children in Froonza will help them to have a better self-image in their future, and it will give more comfort to their mothers’ hearts. I thank everybody who makes these children happier, who brings some stability to their families.

Until next time,
Ira