Meet the Team: Lori Martin

Here on our team's blog, we will be posting each team member's "WHY" regarding the trip in January. All of us fell in love with the kids and each of us express that in a beautifully different way. First up...Lori!

I am returning to Kharkov, Ukraine in January because my life was completely turned upside down by meeting these beautiful kids. I saw myself in them, but I'm quite sure they've suffered much more than I can even imagine. I feel God pulling me toward them. I feel the need to show them that they are very important and that they are loveable. Even if it's just a fleeting memory to them when they are sitting on a street corner someday, I want them to know that at least one person loved them. Sometimes, it's enough to change a life.

- Lori Martin

Ukraine featured on NPR

NPR did a story on the current deterioration of democracy in Ukraine during yesterday's Morning Edition program.  It's worth a listen if you want a quick understanding on why working there right now is so crucial...

Pray for their identity (Week 2)

Pray for this child's personal identity

Middle school and High school can be difficult times for anyone, but imagine what it must be like living without loving parents, or having been abandoned by them.  Their existence is one of constant competition with the other children, and they are continually searching for how to identify themselves.  Like most kids they are trying to be the strongest, toughest, prettiest, or coolest, but unlike most kids they don't have anyone telling them at the end of the day that they are special just the way they are.

Some of them who have been in the orphanage for several years have seen other children get adopted before them.  How devastating that must be.  They have all dealt with so much abandonment, and they often pin the blame for it squarely on themselves.

This is one of the reasons why the message of Christ is so important for them to hear (and to understand).  The truth is that they do have a Father who loves them, and loves them without them having to change a thing about themselves - they don't have to be anybody else or define themselves any other way.  Pray that they would believe they are VALUABLE!

Thank you in advance for praying this week. 

Also, please mark your calendars for Sunday, December 5.  We will have our first prayer meeting before church at 9:30 am.

Yard Sale/Bake Sale to support the team in January

The team in January is putting on a Yard Sale and Bake Sale this Saturday November 13, from 7am - 12 pm at the Hope Center in 12th South.

Please come for a bargain on something retro and help get us back over to Ukraine to visit these kids during one of the most lonely times of year for them!

How to begin to pray for these kids

Many people want a way to get involved with Midtown's ministry in Ukraine, but for whatever reason are not able to physically go on a trip to be with these children one on one.  So we are inviting our community to get involved by committing to seriously pray for these children.

All of us who have been to Ukraine will testify as to how important your role as a prayer warrior for this child could be.  James tells us that our prayers are powerful and effective (James 5:16).  It's one of the primary ways that God calls us into participating in the work He is doing in the world.  I'd encourage you to view this not as an obligation but as an opportunity to partake in God's plan for this child.

So, how do you pray for them?  Every week, we'll make a post just like this from me or from another member of our most recent team with a specific way to pray for your child that week.  This week:

Pray that this child would have a relationship with Christ

Okay, this seems kind of obvious, but I am serious.  Many of these children know a lot of Bible stories.  They have heard the gospel preached to them several times (most recently by us).  Many of them have even "accepted" Jesus.  But they don't go to church.  It's likely they are not even allowed to.  So for those who believe in Jesus and for those who have not yet come to know him, we must pray that the Lord will supernaturally sustain them through this period of life until they can become part of a Christian community. Pray that whatever seeds have been planted the Lord would see bear fruit, even if it's not right now.

Thank you again for joining us in our ministry to these children. Over the next few months there will be even more ways to get involved, from sending letters to your child, to buying them a Christmas gift, to going with us and meeting them yourself.  Keep checking for some more things happening.

About the kids we serve

Russ has given some basic information about Ukraine and the issues facing orphans there. But what about our kids?

The orphaned children we visit live in (or in suburbs of) Kharkiv, Ukraine. Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine with a population of around 1.75 million. It is in extreme Eastern Ukraine so it is much more Russian-influenced than Kiev, the country's capital. The children we visit primarily speak Russian as a first language rather than Ukrainian which is more widely spoken in central and Western Ukraine.

Our kids come from three different orphanages that are located around Kharkiv. They range in age from 8-19. In the summer of 2010, there were around 175 children at camp most of which were boys. Many of the children suffer from physical issues due to institutionalized rearing. Many are extremely small for their age and are shorter in stature. Some have mental or social delays that often go undiagnosed. But these children are also incredibly talented and gifted in many ways. So many of them are amazing artists. There are great singers, dancers, rappers, gymnasts. Many of the boys are incredible soccer players and can beat ANY of the Americans in ping-pong.

But one of the most important things to remember about these children is they each have a life story that is unique to them. Many of the children are at the orphanage because they were removed from their homes by the government due to abuse or neglect. Others are there because their parents were put in jail or died. Some of the children lived on the street for a period of time before coming to the orphanage. There are some children that appear to have been simply "given" to the orphanage by a parent that could not handle raising a child. This further reminds our team how important relationships with the kids become. It is so important to know each one of the kids and their specific story in order for us to build lasting bonds with them. Often, though, the kids are very reluctant to discuss the past and sometimes instead weave inconsistent stories instead of sharing the painful details.

After spending the past two summers with the same group of children, it is apparent to our team that these children simply want to be known. They want to be heard and loved and encouraged. It's often difficult for them to accept this affection, but it is obvious to our team and those that work with them that this is their true desire...as it is for all of us.

Thanks to those who are stepping into the journey of knowing these kids. A member of our team recently told me that our work with these kids is "eternal." Might be a hard concept to understand when there is a picture of an unfamiliar child on your fridge, but praise God He gives us the opportunity to show His Love to these kids. Thank you for your prayers!

-Heather

All about the Orphans of Ukraine

The situation facing orphan children in Ukraine, and their need for the love of Christ is overwhelmingly desperate. According to UNICEF, there were some 65,000 children living in state-run orphanages in 2005, with the number doubling every ten years (http://www.unicef.org/ukraine/children.html). Add to that factor the large number of orphans now living on the street, and most estimate the actual figure in 2009 as being between 100,000 and 120,000 orphans in the country.

The vast majority of the children in these state-run institutions have been abandoned by their mothers and fathers, or taken away from them because they were no longer fit to parent. Many of these children have been abused physically and/or verbally, and suffer from detachment disorders or other mental illness. However, the real crisis for these children begins when they are turned away from these facilities in their mid to late teens. It is then that any and all support is taken away from them. Many of these children end up homeless, living on the streets having to fend for themselves. Drug use is rampant. Orphan boys living on the street most often lead lives of crime. Many of the orphan girls will resort to prostitution or become victims of human sex trafficking, a problem greatly on the rise in Ukraine. Perhaps saddest of all, many of these children will turn to suicide before their 18th birthday.

These children, before they are left alone, need something bigger than themselves to live for. They need to learn that they are a part of a family; that if they receive Jesus Christ they have been given “the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). They need to be told that their lives have value; that ultimately they are loved by God through Christ, even if everyone else in their life has abandoned them. These children know rejection and pain so well. They need to know that Jesus 8 is not some character in a book, but a living savior who has come to rescue them from their sinful nature, and the broken world they inhabit because of it. This is the precise message Midtown wants these kids to learn in the crucial years before it is too late. By working with Radooga, this is the message that we can bring.

Why Ukraine?

Ukraine may not seem like the most obvious place for a church to get involved.  You may not have even known until now where to find Ukraine on a map.  But in fact, Ukraine is a very needy country indeed, but is also a country that has seen great fruit from the involvement of missionaries from the west since communism fell in 1991.

Ukraine has 46 million people.  That's more than countries such as Canada and Australia, by quite a bit.  It used to be part of the Soviet Union, and ever since it has been struggling to find its identity as an independent nation.  The people have been struggling, too.  Here are some not so impressive statistics about Ukraine:

• Fastest spreading HIV/AIDS epidemic outside of the African continent
• Suicide rates double the European average
• Life expectancy 10+ years less than European average
• Alcoholism responsible for 12% or all disease
• Preventable accidents are the leading cause of death among men (usually caused by alcohol)
• 100,000+ orphans in the country, countless others living on the streets

But where there are great challenges, the greater a community can see the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

For our community, we've been drawn into Ukraine by the relationship and invitation of Oleg Vasilevsky, President of Radooga Ministries.  Our community also has a background there, as two of our founding elders have been deeply connected to the nation from before our church even existed.

Midtown took its first team in 2008 to work with Radooga at an English language camp.  Recently, the ministry has focused around a particular group of orphans in Kharkov, Ukraine, in conjunction with Radooga.