Join the heart of God by serving orphans
At Orphan’s Tree, we believe everyone has something to give. Orphans or families. Americans or Russians. Travel or financial support. Prayer or time. All are welcome to get involved.
Travel with us
Every year, roughly 100 Americans travel to Russia with Orphan’s Tree in more than a dozen groups. Most are groups are less than 10 people coordinated by churches, universities, family and friend groups. Our staff supports the logistics for what is a challenging place to visit on your own—from visas and professional interpreters, to transportation and accommodations.
From there, we’ll help you customize your trip based on the needs of the orphans you’ll be serving and the expertise intrinsic to your team.
Previous trips have included:
- Athletes developing training curriculum and running a 10k with orphans
- Artists hosting workshops in oils and watercolors and touring Russian museums
- Gardeners establishing greenhouses with orphans to produce sustainable living
- Mothers hosting a seminar to educate and encourage young mothers
While there’s not an expectation that you will travel year-after-year, orphans have abandonment issues, so staying in communication is highly encouraged! The Orphan’s Tree staff will remain in-country, working day-in and day-out with the orphans you meet. And after you return, we can help facilitate ongoing communication. And we strongly encourage ongoing relationships and communication between your team and the orphans after you fly out.
Pray with us
At Orphan’s Tree, we believe in the importance and power of prayer in the lives of orphans. Those of us who grew up in Christian homes were prayed for on a regular basis, but most orphans haven’t experienced this same blessing. We want to extend the cover of prayer to the orphans we work with while still protecting their privacy.
We invite you to join our email list for special prayer updates, as well as praying generally for the orphans we serve:
- Physical safety and well-being: Dental and medical issues are major challenges in the lives of orphans. Many orphans have experienced poor nutrition, limited medical attention, and the climate of Russia is extreme. Additionally, many live in challenging neighborhoods. Pray for protection, strength, immunity, and healing.
- Enabling maturity and productivity: Few orphans gain the wisdom and experience that the average 16-year-old raised in a home would have. This leaves them susceptible to anything and everything bad decision-making leads to, and it makes it very challenging to hold down a job or maintain relationships with healthy people. Pray for wisdom, impulse control, healthy community—including friends, mentors, romantic interests, and employers.
- Preventing future generations from becoming orphans: Many orphans are the grandchildren of orphans, so few have healthy role models for even the basics of life skills. Additionally, there is a cultural stigma towards orphans that keeps them separate from their communities. Pray for favor within the community, to break the spirit of poverty, and for an uncommon ability to accept love.
- Saving lives: Suicide is a major challenge working with orphans. Pray for a spirit of hope, for God to bring the things of darkness into the light, open doors, and a feeling of safety to ask for help.
And if you forget all of this, pray for love to be seen, felt, and real in the lives of orphans. Love never fails.