From the viewpoint of one of the team members:
What great joy to be on the recent trip to Russia. First it was great to have five of us who were on the first vision trip for Children’s HopeChest. We had a fine time catching up on each other’s lives and again realizing the great task of working with the Orphan Graduates.
The interaction with the grads at the Vladimir and Ivanovo ministry centers was fun. At the same time, it gave a good picture of the wide variety of needs that the graduates have. Visiting two apartments in Vladimir gave us an idea of families problems. Visiting Sveta ‘s apartment was an extra bonus for me.
I remember Sveta and her brother at the very first camp Children’s HopeChest sponsored in 1995. I also saw her in camp in 1996 and 1997. Their story of being left on a train by their mother was like many stories we heard of orphans then. It was heartwarming to know she and her brother have connected after a number of years being separated. Living in a one room apartment( 8×15, )sharing a bath and kitchen with 4 other families, she still proudly showed pictures of her children and husband. The family is going through a difficult time now with her husband losing his job. Hopefully they will soon be able to move into a larger apartment as they are on the waiting list.
In Ivanovo , the young mothers and children melted my heart. I just kept looking at these young mothers, realizing they had no mother, grandmother, or aunt to be there for them when they needed to ask questions or to have support. Fortunately they can get that at the centers. They have classes for the young mothers and families. Counseling is available. A dental office is ready to be used when the papers come through.
The young men enjoyed the weight room, ping pong and pool. It was fun to cook and eat with the young people at the center two evenings. The centers give them a chance to meet with friends and interact with each other.
To me, seeing the ministry centers in action, showed the need of Orphan Tree’s resources. I hope in the future more programs can be developed for the graduates.