Her Story

We have received an influx of letters in the last few weeks. There's nothing I love more! I love hearing how everyone is doing and knowing they are getting my letters. It's heartwarming to have a connection on the other side of the world--for me and for the children who write.

One of my friends writes to a lovely young woman who happens to be a very talented artist. Now we know she is a talented writer as well. She sent a letter that is quite unique. For children at the orphanage, letter-writing can be very challenging. Many of us struggle to find words to share with children we have never met on the other side of the world. Imagine how hard it must be for those children to write to adults, Americans, they have never met--especially after having experiences with adults that have been far less than positive. So when this lovely young woman (who has my favorite Russian name) shared her story and a piece of her heart, it moved me to tears.

I believe she will do well and be successful. I believe her future is bright. She has skills and tools her peers do not, thanks largely to her life before her time at the orphanage. But she has experienced loss beyond her years. My heart is with her.



Here is part of her letter.

I was born in Kirov. I lived with my mom and friends. I have lots of friends. I used to visit my aunt every summer when I was a small girl. I ran the house and worked hard there. We did many things together with my aunt: we prepared firewoods, made pickles, went in the forest to pick mushrooms and berries. So you see we didn't have a spare minute there. And the thing is that we managed to do everything in time.

But sometimes it happens that the life becomes darker than black. Now I live in the orphanage in Sovietsk. But still I want to return home.

PARTY! and other news

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up about our fundraising efforts and other activities coming up.

Our big fundraiser will be held on July 3rd. It's going to be a really fun and family-oriented party to celebrate Independence Day. Lots of fun activities and tasty food. More details later, but mark your calendars and plan to attend. We're trying to raise money to support the extracurricular programming at the orphanage: music lessons, arts lessons, sports activities. We'd also like to raise some support to cover the travel costs of some folks going with us.

Thanks to some very generous donors, we received the balance of the money we needed for the life skills training course for the orphanage graduates to be held in June. This course is a great opportunity for the kids to learn about what they'll face in real life once they leave the orphanage.

We're planning to visit Sovietsk early this coming fall. We have a few spots open and we'd love to have you come along.

There are still plenty of kids without sponsors or pen pals. And there are lots of other ways to get involved in making life better for these great kids. Just let us know what you'd like to do.

Labels

Once you label me, you negate me. --Soren Kierkegaard

Ok, I know I've been gone a long time. And we are getting really busy with the stuff of caring for Sovietsk--fundraising, trip planning, and the like. But this soon-to-be MSW who has studied philosophy since high school has been thinking a lot about the importance of language, especially concerning our children, and so it's time to post.

You may have noticed you won't find the word orphan on this blog--at least, not unless we are quoting someone else. That's quite on purpose. Why?

Because our children are hardly different than you or I, they just happen to not be living with parents at this time.
Because our children have experienced so many losses or traumas that you or I may be unable to comprehend, it seems ridiculous to boil that down into one word.
Because our children have big hearts, are strong and brave, and have entire lives ahead of them.
Because our children are more than orphans.

I get that labels are useful for simple organization. But we as Sovietsk Supporters are not census workers--we are family! We are here to love the children for who they are, each individually. We're so different from them, but we're also the same.

So, we might talk about children who have been orphaned. Or the kids who live at the orphanage. Or children who are particularly vulnerable to this or that predicament or who have experienced trauma or neglect.
But mostly, we will talk of this young woman, or that little boy. Or if it's not too private, we will just use their names. Because that is who they are.

The popular term for this kind of langage in service circles is 'people-first' langage. And it's so important! Think of all of the labels over time which have fallen from common use: Leper. Dumb. Idiot. One that starts with R-----. And countless racial labels. Why? Because they don't amount to a whole person! I am more than a wife, or a woman, or a White person, or my intelligence, or my failings,or my accomplishments. I am Sarah, Ben is Ben, and Katya is Katya.

So, if you see me cringe at the word orphan, I hope you understand.

Our friends in Russia

Russia and its neighbors have been in the headlines a lot lately for all the turmoil happening in the region. From the train bombings in Moscow, terrorist attacks in Chechnya, the uprising in Kyrgystan, and the tragic plane crash in Poland... And the most recent story about the 7-year-old whose adoption was interupted by his mother, leading Russia to suspend U.S. adoptions of Russian childen. In the aftermath of all this difficult stuff, we want to let our Russian friends know that our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Simple Ways to Raise Money

Sarah and I have decided that it's time to clean out our house and get rid of stuff we don't need. Need is, of course, a relative term I realize, nevertheless...

It turns out that some of the things we've decided to jettison are actually of some value. So far, we've made around $585 and we're not finished. Not bad. The money we raise is going to help fund our trip to Sovietsk Orphanage this year. We got this idea a couple of years ago from my brother, Dan, who was working at the time as the development director for Children's HopeChest. The campaign was pretty effective and it didn't really cost people anything other than some stuff they forgot they owned.

If you're interested in supporting the work of Children's HopeChest at Sovietsk Orphanage, then I would encourage you to take a look at doing the same thing in your house. You might be surprised. Let us know if you're planning to join us and we'll let you know how to make a tax-deductible donation.

Keep Current!

We had a great meeting today brainstorming ways we can support the children of Sovietsk. It's been challenging to find funds for Russia during these economic times, with so much going on around the world. Over the next few months, we'll have some fun opportunities to chip in and make a big difference with a little effort. Please visit often to keep current! And, we started a group on Facebook, called Sovietsk Supporters. There are so many of you who don't know each other, we thought it could be fun to put all of our heads together. Please join and invite your friends! As always, we are thankful for each of you!

Above are our Russian friends who mean the world to our kids, and to us.

Happy Women's Day!

Happy Women's Day to all of you! International Women's Day is celebrated every year on the 8th of March. Its origins date to the early 20th century with the Socialist Party in the United States. Before long, the holiday spread across the world, especially to the countries of the Soviet Union.

Women's Day is still celebrated to this day, in Russia and elsewhere. The holiday in Russia looks something like a cross between Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. But the point of Women's Day is to celebrate the many important contributions of women.

Beyond Russia, Women's Day is commemorated by organizations such as CARE, The Red Cross, and the United Nations as an opportunity to raise awareness and to uphold the rights of women. The meaning of International Women's Day is summarized well by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon:

"Gender equality and women’s empowerment are fundamental to the global mission of the United Nations to achieve equal rights and dignity for all... But equality for women and girls is also an economic and social imperative. Until women and girls are liberated from poverty and injustice, all our goals -- peace, security, sustainable development -- stand in jeopardy."

I'm thankful for all of the strong, intelligent women in my life. I want to especially extend my gratitude to Galina, the director of Sovietsk Orphanage. She is an exceptional woman who works very hard to help make a better life for the kids at the orphanage.