Small things make a big difference
In Russia, your support is helping children at risk experience a safe place – adults who support them, care for them and share God’s love with them. Recently the team ran a winter camp for nine children. Here one of the team members shares how the simple things that we take for granted are giving these children a sense of their worth and value
‘It's so important to give these children a place where they can spend time together without pressure from their parents or guardians. A place where they could have fun, go sliding down ice slides, go bowling, do craft and be free to be a child again.
So excited
One of the girls, Olga* (10) had a dream come true while she was at the camp; eating lunch at KFC. KFC is the most popular fast food restaurant in the city. Olga said she was so excited about eating there because she had never been before. She had seen the TV ad many times, and every time she saw it she wanted to go there. It seemed cool. Many of the other kids in her school have been. Now she is so happy that she can tell her friends that she has also tried it.
We also had a visit from Father Frost and his helper ‘Snow girl’, who gave the children presents. We will never forget the reaction from Anna* (5) when she opened her present. “Wow! It’s just what I wanted! Wow! Toothpaste! I will brush my teeth every day now!”
She was also given shower gel that smells like bananas. During the movie she wanted everyone to smell it. If someone didn’t want to smell it she just shoved it in the person’s face anyway!
Tough lives
But it says a lot about how tough the children’s home situation must be that they feel so happy about things that are so small and part of most people’s daily life.
It meant so much to Anna to receive something that was her own; her own toothbrush, her own soap, her own candy that she could share with whoever she wanted (which, in this case, was everyone!). But the thing that amazed us most was that as soon as Anna received her gift she said that we needed to pray and thank God for it.
As we get to know these children and teenagers through the camps and the weekly day care sessions, they are becoming more open about what’s going on in their lives and are interested in our lives too. Most importantly they are interested in hearing about our faith and about God. Please pray with us as we continue working with these precious children!'