Ivan and Ilya

Last August, I met a couple of interesting young guys who were living at Sovietsk Orphanage and I thought I'd share with you a little bit about them. They're a pair of brothers called Ivan and Ilya. They were shy around us just like most of the kids, so we didn't get to spend as much time getting to know them as we would have liked. But I know a little bit about them. They're energetic, full of life, and they have lots of personality. But they've not had an easy life--I think that much is probably obvious given that they live in an orphanage--but things are looking up for them. Through the generous support of the KidsFirst Foundation, Ivan and Ilya and several other of the young men there were able to take driving lessons and obtain their drivers license. Galina, the kind director of the orphanage, told us that she didn't have to worry about these guys now because they can earn a living on their own. (That's a big deal, because Galina worries constantly about all of the children there.) Having the ability to drive opens up many opportunities for jobs. In addition, the boys had to prove that they could behave responsibly in order to take the lessons in the first place. Galina treated the driving lessons as a privilege that the guys had to earn. She was proud to tell us that they had lived up to her expectations. Another thing I know about Ivan and Ilya is that they're still very young and even though they can now earn a decent living, it doesn't mean that they don't need the emotional and moral support that comes from friendship. These young men don't have anyone to write to them. A great way to build a relationship with these guys and to offer them support is through exchanging letters. I can't emphasize enough how dearly these kids treat the correspondences that they receive. They're read and re-read them a thousand times. How would you feel if you knew that someone an ocean away thought enough of you to sit down and write a note to tell you that they were thinking about you. Pretty good, I'll wager.