Graduation Gifts

When people graduate in the US, it is usually a celebration. Accomplishment! Moving forward in the world, on to the next big thing. A day to celebrate with family and friends.

For young people graduating from school who are a part of the orphanage system in Russia, it can be a day of uncertainty, even fear. Of course, it is time to celebrate all the hard work that brought them to that point. But they will also leave everything they've known and venture into the world, on their own. Some tech schools provide opportunity, while others are all too familiar places of oppression and despair. The stigma of orphanhood can follow them, and they may or may not learn the skills they need to be successful in the world.

Part of our work in Russia is in hope of easing the anxiety of that graduation. We hope our youth stay connected with people who care about them, and we hope they plug in to other Fund Nadezhda programs, like the Ministry Center they are opening soon in Kirov to support these young graduates.

We also want to celebrate these young people and who they have become. We are sending the graduates a special note, and we hope to raise enough funds for each of them to have a high quality tea kettle. In Russia, tea is very important! They use electric kettles, and every proper adult in Russia knows to serve tea to important guests.

It will cost $695 to purchase quality tea kettles and sponsor a celebration for 8 wonderful grads at Sovietsk. Could you contribute? If 10 families gave $70, we would have it in no time! We are working quickly to raise the funds, as the children are leaving July 31. If you are interested in contributing, please comment below or send me an email. Or, log on to http://www.hopechest.org/, click give, and enter your amount into designated gifts. Please list Sovietsk Graduate Gifts in the notes to ensure the money gets to our grads.

And for your consideration, here are the young men and women we are celebrating this year, all leaving the 9th grade:

Ivan, age 16, Sergey, age 16, Tolya, age 16, and Maxim, age 17, will study to be electricians.

Lida, age 17, and Sasha, age 16, will study to become facing workers.
Nadya, age 18, will study to be a mail operator.

One young lady, 16-year-old Masha, will move on to 10th grade.

We wish these young people all the best. We know that Lida and Tolya had dreams of teaching PE or working in sports, and that Nadya dreamed of being a train attendant and traveling the country. Dreams change, and we know that reality often imposes itself on our hopes. We also know that no matter what profession these young people find, they are valuable and capable of the best humanity has to offer. Please join us in hoping and praying for the best for these young men and women.