We're leaving soon, so the supply drive is wrapping up! We're collecting the last few bits this week. We're still looking for a few wooden massagers, jars of nail polish, lip balms or lip glosses, small photo albums, gel pens, stationary sets, and-sugarless gum with xylitol. Any money collected at this point will go toward programming--super important.
AND we're collecting LETTERS!!!!! Don't forget, the letters are the best thing we can bring. Anything that gets to us by Sept 7 can go with us.
We're getting excited to see our kids again! Thanks to all of you, generous Sovietsk Supporters!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
What $20 Can Do
At Under the Sun cafe a few weeks back, a kind woman (with a pretty voice) contributed $20 towards the Sovietsk fund drive. She apologized, saying that was all she had. I responded, with gratitude, "Do you know what we can do with $20?" We can
-purchase gift bags for four children, OR
-purchase supplies for a fun (and therapeutic) activity, such as face painting, OR
-purchase items just for fun, like a movie or smores at the bonfire, OR
-supply a child with personal care products for the year, OR
-supply 2 children with cold weather gear, OR
-purchase much-needed school supplies, OR
-purchase a bus ticket for Seryozha to come back from his village to see us.
Any ideas what our top priority is?
In reality, we'll be able to do many of those things--possibly even all of those things--because of simple generosity of $5 here, $10 there. Every year, it seems we hit a point where we wonder if it will all come together. And every year, the small and large donations add up, and we are able to share generously with the children at Sovietsk.
We know things are tight financially for many people now--believe us, we know! But we also know that it feels good to give, and that small gifts make a big impact. Remember the woman who gave all she had?
Last year, in the emotional family talk that preceded this photo, Sergey shared one of his greatest fears about graduation was that he wouldn't be able to see us anymore. Thank you, kind donors, for helping to ease his fears.
-purchase gift bags for four children, OR
-purchase supplies for a fun (and therapeutic) activity, such as face painting, OR
-purchase items just for fun, like a movie or smores at the bonfire, OR
-supply a child with personal care products for the year, OR
-supply 2 children with cold weather gear, OR
-purchase much-needed school supplies, OR
-purchase a bus ticket for Seryozha to come back from his village to see us.
Any ideas what our top priority is?
In reality, we'll be able to do many of those things--possibly even all of those things--because of simple generosity of $5 here, $10 there. Every year, it seems we hit a point where we wonder if it will all come together. And every year, the small and large donations add up, and we are able to share generously with the children at Sovietsk.
We know things are tight financially for many people now--believe us, we know! But we also know that it feels good to give, and that small gifts make a big impact. Remember the woman who gave all she had?
Last year, in the emotional family talk that preceded this photo, Sergey shared one of his greatest fears about graduation was that he wouldn't be able to see us anymore. Thank you, kind donors, for helping to ease his fears.
Latest Supply Drive Update!
Had lunch with a lovely friend who writes to one of our kids, and now it's time to update the supply list! Gotta love good deals and dollar bins. :) THANK YOU!!!
Still need:
-30 stress balls (preferably with gel inside and faces are great)
-33 wooden massagers
-10 jars of nail polish
-25 lip balms or lip glosses
-27 small photo albums
-19 gel pens
-26 stationary sets
-toy fruits and vegetables
-sugarless gum with xylitol
And, of course, $$ and letters are always welcome. :)
Still need:
-30 stress balls (preferably with gel inside and faces are great)
-33 wooden massagers
-10 jars of nail polish
-25 lip balms or lip glosses
-27 small photo albums
-19 gel pens
-26 stationary sets
-toy fruits and vegetables
-sugarless gum with xylitol
And, of course, $$ and letters are always welcome. :)
Monday, August 23, 2010
Another Supply Drive Update
The trip is coming up very soon and we're getting pretty excited. The good news is that we've gotten some items donated recently. Some very nice people have purchased flashlights and batteries for all 33 kids! But we still have some work to do. So here's an update on what we still need for our supply drive:
-30 stress balls (preferably with gel inside and faces are great)
-33 wooden massagers
-16 jars of nail polish
-33 lip balms or lip glosses
-31 small photo albums
-31 gel pens
-28 stationary sets
-toy fruits and vegetables
-sugarless gum with xylitol
We're also looking for people to write letters to the kids for us to take with us. On the right side of the blog you'll find some tips and guidelines for writing letters. If you'd like to write a letter, simply comment on this post and we'll get in touch with you.
You can also of course donate money to the Sovietsk Fund at Children's HopeChest (hopechest.org). This money goes toward supplies and programming.
Thanks to everyone who has chipped in. It always comes together every year.
-30 stress balls (preferably with gel inside and faces are great)
-33 wooden massagers
-16 jars of nail polish
-33 lip balms or lip glosses
-31 small photo albums
-31 gel pens
-28 stationary sets
-toy fruits and vegetables
-sugarless gum with xylitol
We're also looking for people to write letters to the kids for us to take with us. On the right side of the blog you'll find some tips and guidelines for writing letters. If you'd like to write a letter, simply comment on this post and we'll get in touch with you.
You can also of course donate money to the Sovietsk Fund at Children's HopeChest (hopechest.org). This money goes toward supplies and programming.
Thanks to everyone who has chipped in. It always comes together every year.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
New Friends and Supply Update
This morning, Ben and I visited Whiteland UMC at their Under the Sun Cafe to share about our kids at Sovietsk. We had a great time meeting new people and left very encouraged. Thank you Dennis, Ginger, Pastor Joe, and everyone who welcomed us so warmly!
At the church, a lovely woman donated a huge amount of top quality scrapbooking supplies. After sorting through them, I am even more moved by her generosity. THANK YOU! We are so excited to share these with the kids and help them begin their lifebooks, a big help in their journey to understand their identities.
The supply drive is well underway! We are still hoping for:
-33 stress balls (preferably with gel inside, and faces are great!)
-33 wooden massagers
-17 mini flashlights + batteries (though this may be taken care of!)
-16 jars of nail polish
-33 lip balms/lip glosses
-31 small photo albums
-31 gel pens
-28 stationary sets
-toy fruits and vegetables
-sugarless gum with xylitol
$1 stores and bargain bins are great places to find these items.
Cash always works as well. :) Thanks to those of you who have sent funds for programs and travel, and for others who have contributed funds toward the supply drive (so we can purchase items to fill the gaps).
In other exciting news, we are expecting to bring 4 laptops with us to leave at the orphange. We are so grateful!!
Finally, don't forget, letters are the best thing we can bring. We can always bring more of those. Thanks to everyone who is sending their love.
At the church, a lovely woman donated a huge amount of top quality scrapbooking supplies. After sorting through them, I am even more moved by her generosity. THANK YOU! We are so excited to share these with the kids and help them begin their lifebooks, a big help in their journey to understand their identities.
The supply drive is well underway! We are still hoping for:
-33 stress balls (preferably with gel inside, and faces are great!)
-33 wooden massagers
-17 mini flashlights + batteries (though this may be taken care of!)
-16 jars of nail polish
-33 lip balms/lip glosses
-31 small photo albums
-31 gel pens
-28 stationary sets
-toy fruits and vegetables
-sugarless gum with xylitol
$1 stores and bargain bins are great places to find these items.
Cash always works as well. :) Thanks to those of you who have sent funds for programs and travel, and for others who have contributed funds toward the supply drive (so we can purchase items to fill the gaps).
In other exciting news, we are expecting to bring 4 laptops with us to leave at the orphange. We are so grateful!!
Finally, don't forget, letters are the best thing we can bring. We can always bring more of those. Thanks to everyone who is sending their love.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
It's Supply Drive Time Again!
We are heading back to Russia in just over a month. If you’d like to be a part of our trip, you can help us as we collect supplies to take to the orphanage.
Last year’s gift packs were a huge hit. The kids were so surprised and proud to receive special items just for them!
This year, we’re hoping for: 33 stress balls (preferably with gel inside, and faces are great!), 33 wooden massagers, 17 mini flashlights + batteries, 16 jars of nail polish, 33 lip balms/lip glosses , 33 small photo albums, 33 gel pens, toy fruits and vegetables, sugarless gum with xylitol, glow-in-the dark stickers, scrapbooking supplies (stickers and paper), and stationary.
$1 stores and bargain bins are great places to find these items.
If you'd like to donate items, please leave a comment and we will get in touch you.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Encouragement!
Just when we're starting to get discouraged by a few obstacles, we get these letters. We can't wait to get back and see our kids! Of course, these letters are for you too. Please write back and send letters with us--the children love to hear from you!
Kid’s Space…
Dear American Friends,
Thank you very much for your letters! We hope that this year Sarah, Ben, Jen, Katherine, Steve, Barb and maybe some other friends will visit us in our home. We are very busy now. We started to plant vegetables in our garden and shape up the flowerbeds near the orphanage. Soon the school year will be over. We all try to improve our results over previous years’ marks. Some of us will take the very difficult State Certificate Exam. We all are waiting for the summer break and hope to see you again! Love, Sasha I., Katya M., Yulya O.
Discipler’s Update…
Dear Friends,
May is a very busy month for the orphanage. The kids and the staff are busy gardening, building the greenhouse, and working hard. The children spend most of their time outdoors. The boys play basketball and football, and the girls enjoy swinging or playing hide and seek.
The children are happy because school will be over soon. Some of them will go to different camps while others will be taken to their families in Dolbilovo, and six children will enter various tech schools. Of course now they still have a lot to do. Some children, like Lida V. and Vova L. try to improve their results and finish school with good grades.
Almost all of the children are healthy. Arthur G. had the flu but was discharged from the hospital making Sonya, his sister, very happy. She visited him practically every day. Unfortunately Lena Z. was recently hospitalized with a high temperature. Katya M. and Nastya G. visit her and support her.
Not very long ago Oksana G. (last year graduate) visited the orphanage. It was a real event! The girls were so happy to see her. Lena M., Yulya O., and Nastya G. saw her off on the bus and then went home on foot. It’s nearly 3 km.
The children are waiting for the American group in summer or autumn. They are asking about the dates because even the graduates want to come and see Sarah and Ben.
From Ann Butorova
Caregiver’s Corner…
Dear Friends,
The staff and the caregiver send you best wishes from Sovietsk. We are having a nice time here. We are really busy! We are preparing for the summer period. As in previous years we work outdoors planting different vegetables and flowers. This year we held a competition in which each group drew a picture of the flowerbeds. Then we put them to a vote and choose the best one. Now we are completing this project. It’s beautiful! Last weekend we planted potatoes.
Our cultural life is also very rich. We had many events devoted to the celebration of the Victory in The Great Patriotic War. We made hand-made flowers, went to the parade, met with the veterans, gave them the cards and flowers, and had a great concert here.
We took part in two competitions: exhibition “May 9” for which we made origami tanks and planes, flowers, embroidered poppies and a wooden order) and exhibition “Together with the Master” for which we made hand-made dolls. We were awarded 2nd and 1st place prizes! We were very proud of our children.
We hope to meet with you again.
Thank you very much for everything you are doing for us.
From Angelika Nikolaevna
Director’s Notes…
Dear Friends,
These months were very rich in different events. We did a great job and were very pleased with our children. You know this generation of children does not understand the value and the price of victory because they didn’t see the difficulties of war. At least that’s what we thought. But our children were very attentive to the veterans. They said such warm words to them and were so thankful that we were thrilled to see their appreciation of the veterans and that they understood why we celebrate May 9 as a national holiday.
Now we are busy in the garden. We are trying to build a greenhouse. But we do not really have budget money for this. We really need it because we would like our children to eat fresh vegetables as long as possible. It is very healthy, you know.
Thanks to your sponsorship we are able to continue organizing box and football sections. We are also sending children to summer camps and resorts in different towns. Some of them will be taken by our volunteer families again. Our grads will take exams soon so please pray for their success. It is very sad to part with them, but life goes on. This month new children came to our orphanage: Nastyas and Stas. We will do everything for them as long as we can. Please pray for us. Together we’ll make life for these children better.
God bless you!
From Anisiya Pavlovna Vachreneva
Prayer Requests…
Please pray for our grads and the staff of Sovietsk orphanage and also for the children who are ill or in the hospital now.
From Ben & Sarah, please pray that we will continue to find the funds for just what the children need.
Blessings to each of you!
Kid’s Space…
Dear American Friends,
Thank you very much for your letters! We hope that this year Sarah, Ben, Jen, Katherine, Steve, Barb and maybe some other friends will visit us in our home. We are very busy now. We started to plant vegetables in our garden and shape up the flowerbeds near the orphanage. Soon the school year will be over. We all try to improve our results over previous years’ marks. Some of us will take the very difficult State Certificate Exam. We all are waiting for the summer break and hope to see you again! Love, Sasha I., Katya M., Yulya O.
Discipler’s Update…
Dear Friends,
May is a very busy month for the orphanage. The kids and the staff are busy gardening, building the greenhouse, and working hard. The children spend most of their time outdoors. The boys play basketball and football, and the girls enjoy swinging or playing hide and seek.
The children are happy because school will be over soon. Some of them will go to different camps while others will be taken to their families in Dolbilovo, and six children will enter various tech schools. Of course now they still have a lot to do. Some children, like Lida V. and Vova L. try to improve their results and finish school with good grades.
Almost all of the children are healthy. Arthur G. had the flu but was discharged from the hospital making Sonya, his sister, very happy. She visited him practically every day. Unfortunately Lena Z. was recently hospitalized with a high temperature. Katya M. and Nastya G. visit her and support her.
Not very long ago Oksana G. (last year graduate) visited the orphanage. It was a real event! The girls were so happy to see her. Lena M., Yulya O., and Nastya G. saw her off on the bus and then went home on foot. It’s nearly 3 km.
The children are waiting for the American group in summer or autumn. They are asking about the dates because even the graduates want to come and see Sarah and Ben.
From Ann Butorova
Caregiver’s Corner…
Dear Friends,
The staff and the caregiver send you best wishes from Sovietsk. We are having a nice time here. We are really busy! We are preparing for the summer period. As in previous years we work outdoors planting different vegetables and flowers. This year we held a competition in which each group drew a picture of the flowerbeds. Then we put them to a vote and choose the best one. Now we are completing this project. It’s beautiful! Last weekend we planted potatoes.
Our cultural life is also very rich. We had many events devoted to the celebration of the Victory in The Great Patriotic War. We made hand-made flowers, went to the parade, met with the veterans, gave them the cards and flowers, and had a great concert here.
We took part in two competitions: exhibition “May 9” for which we made origami tanks and planes, flowers, embroidered poppies and a wooden order) and exhibition “Together with the Master” for which we made hand-made dolls. We were awarded 2nd and 1st place prizes! We were very proud of our children.
We hope to meet with you again.
Thank you very much for everything you are doing for us.
From Angelika Nikolaevna
Director’s Notes…
Dear Friends,
These months were very rich in different events. We did a great job and were very pleased with our children. You know this generation of children does not understand the value and the price of victory because they didn’t see the difficulties of war. At least that’s what we thought. But our children were very attentive to the veterans. They said such warm words to them and were so thankful that we were thrilled to see their appreciation of the veterans and that they understood why we celebrate May 9 as a national holiday.
Now we are busy in the garden. We are trying to build a greenhouse. But we do not really have budget money for this. We really need it because we would like our children to eat fresh vegetables as long as possible. It is very healthy, you know.
Thanks to your sponsorship we are able to continue organizing box and football sections. We are also sending children to summer camps and resorts in different towns. Some of them will be taken by our volunteer families again. Our grads will take exams soon so please pray for their success. It is very sad to part with them, but life goes on. This month new children came to our orphanage: Nastyas and Stas. We will do everything for them as long as we can. Please pray for us. Together we’ll make life for these children better.
God bless you!
From Anisiya Pavlovna Vachreneva
Prayer Requests…
Please pray for our grads and the staff of Sovietsk orphanage and also for the children who are ill or in the hospital now.
From Ben & Sarah, please pray that we will continue to find the funds for just what the children need.
Blessings to each of you!
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