You may be weary of reading these emails but hang in there this story and the next one are the ones that touched my heart the most.
One of the things we pray every day on these trips is that we would be used as the hands and feet of Jesus. Wednesday, Feb 7Th will be etched in my heart forever as the day Jesus reached a child through my hands.
The Rozdil School for Boys is housed in an old Cloister where nuns lived for many, many years. There were a number of these kinds of buildings we visited where old palaces or monasteries had been converted to homes for children since they are large and have numerous bedrooms.
The Rozdil School was one of those "warehouse" schools for children who had severe handicaps. The first stop is always the restroom for our team since we usually ride for thirty or more minutes after a big breakfast. This was no exception. We were lined up at the bathroom door when a small boy with Downs syndrome appeared from around the corner. He was our unofficial greeter and without words, gave each of us a huge welcome with his big smile, handshakes and hugs. He could not speak but it didn't matter because we knew exactly what he was trying to say to us. "I'm so glad you came today, welcome!"
After the restroom stop, we were invited for a tour of the building. We climbed stairs up to the third floor where the bedrooms were. There were several long halls full of rooms with neatly made beds, each covered with a rug and huge fluffed up pillow. No personal belongings were any where in sight.
As we reached the end of a long hall, tucked way back in a corner was a room for "bed ridden" children. I was not prepared for what my eyes saw as I was one of the first to enter the room. It was a long narrow room with ten beds each containing a disabled or deformed child. From the front of the room I could see a child in the back whose head was three times the size of a normal adult. This boy had hydrocephalus and could not even lift his head from the pillow. His body was the size of a three year old. The child in the crib next to him was screaming and crying, with feet and arms flailing in every direction. He was about the height of a four year old but his limbs were the circumference of bones. His muscles could not even been seen. An attendant was standing next to him, trying to calm him down.
As I gazed across the room a tiny, shaved head swinging back and forth caught my eye. A small boy was sitting up in his crib, shaking his head back and forth. God lead me to that crib and I gently laid my hand on his bony little back. Immediately, his head stopped shaking and he looked up at me. The touch of a hand had let him know he was not alone. I began to rub his back and he came alive. He looked into my eyes and gave a small smile showing a full set of teeth through his distorted mouth and jaw. As I continued to rub his back he reached out and grabbed my hand, hungry for the touch of another human being. I stood there smiling and softly talking to him while I rubbed his bent little frame.
His name was Vitaly and he was six years old although he was the size of a three year old. He could not walk or talk and didn't even make noise other than the grinding of his teeth. But he did understand there was someone who cared about him, touching him and showing him love. His tiny fingers of porcelain skin clutched tightly to mine and we shared what every human being needs the most, love. He leaned in to my side as much as possible through the bars of the prison he will spend his life in soaking up the touch of the hand of Christ. It was absolutely painful to have to let go of him and leave after a short while.
Dr Jean's group was assigned to that room for the remainder of the visit and each child was given lots of special attention and love from 5 of our team members. Jean later told us of an 18 year old boy who was in the last bed at the end of the room who had been perfectly normal until he was 8. He was in a train wreck where he sustained severe head injuries and burns. He had been taken to the States for surgeries and cared for by a man named Michael. Jean' husband, John, sat down on his bed and he said "Michael" ? He was able to give a hand shake and communicate a little in English. His mother had cared for him all these years but had recently died and so he was placed in this home to live out the rest of his life. Michael was his American sponsor who paid for his medical treatment in the States and comes to visit him once a year in Ukraine.
My small group was then taken to a class room of eleven boys, one of which was the little Downs syndrome boy who greeted us as we came in. Only three boys could talk in that room and one was completely blind. We sang lots of fun songs with them, played games and did a very simple Gospel presentation for them. They had been to a camp in the summer where they learned one of the songs we sang to them. It goes like this.
"Who is the King of the jungle?
Who is the King of the sea?
Who is the King of the universe?
And who is the King of me?
I tell you J-E-S-U-S, Jesus!
He is the King of me,
He is the King of the Universe,
The jungle and the sea!"
With each line there is an action and the boys knew all of them! We did that song several times over and each time the boys laughed with glee. Each boy got a back pack and carepack (school supplies) and of course a big teddy bear! Oh, you should have seen them love on those teddy bears, it was so cute. The three boys who could talk recited poetry and sang for us. It was evident the caregivers and teachers here treated these special children with love. There was no aggression or anger displayed by any of the children, only smiles and joy showed on their faces.
You may wonder why I share all of these details with you. The reason is because God wants you to see how blessed we are. We are so incredibly blessed just living in America, having whole bodies and sound minds. We have SO MUCH to offer those in need. My question to you is what are you doing with the time, talents and treasures God has given you? Are you using them for His glory? Are you blessing others with the abundance you have? You may think you are not cut out to be a missionary even on a short term trip but you do have the ability to help others in need right in your own back yard. If these emails do nothing more than to inspire you to reach out of your comfort zone to show the love of Jesus Christ to someone else, then they have served their purpose.
Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
There will be one more story tomorrow of our visit to an adult prison built in 1611. I pray that God speaks to your heart and encourages you to serve Him today!
With Love,
Dasha
One of the things we pray every day on these trips is that we would be used as the hands and feet of Jesus. Wednesday, Feb 7Th will be etched in my heart forever as the day Jesus reached a child through my hands.
The Rozdil School for Boys is housed in an old Cloister where nuns lived for many, many years. There were a number of these kinds of buildings we visited where old palaces or monasteries had been converted to homes for children since they are large and have numerous bedrooms.
The Rozdil School was one of those "warehouse" schools for children who had severe handicaps. The first stop is always the restroom for our team since we usually ride for thirty or more minutes after a big breakfast. This was no exception. We were lined up at the bathroom door when a small boy with Downs syndrome appeared from around the corner. He was our unofficial greeter and without words, gave each of us a huge welcome with his big smile, handshakes and hugs. He could not speak but it didn't matter because we knew exactly what he was trying to say to us. "I'm so glad you came today, welcome!"
After the restroom stop, we were invited for a tour of the building. We climbed stairs up to the third floor where the bedrooms were. There were several long halls full of rooms with neatly made beds, each covered with a rug and huge fluffed up pillow. No personal belongings were any where in sight.
As we reached the end of a long hall, tucked way back in a corner was a room for "bed ridden" children. I was not prepared for what my eyes saw as I was one of the first to enter the room. It was a long narrow room with ten beds each containing a disabled or deformed child. From the front of the room I could see a child in the back whose head was three times the size of a normal adult. This boy had hydrocephalus and could not even lift his head from the pillow. His body was the size of a three year old. The child in the crib next to him was screaming and crying, with feet and arms flailing in every direction. He was about the height of a four year old but his limbs were the circumference of bones. His muscles could not even been seen. An attendant was standing next to him, trying to calm him down.
As I gazed across the room a tiny, shaved head swinging back and forth caught my eye. A small boy was sitting up in his crib, shaking his head back and forth. God lead me to that crib and I gently laid my hand on his bony little back. Immediately, his head stopped shaking and he looked up at me. The touch of a hand had let him know he was not alone. I began to rub his back and he came alive. He looked into my eyes and gave a small smile showing a full set of teeth through his distorted mouth and jaw. As I continued to rub his back he reached out and grabbed my hand, hungry for the touch of another human being. I stood there smiling and softly talking to him while I rubbed his bent little frame.
His name was Vitaly and he was six years old although he was the size of a three year old. He could not walk or talk and didn't even make noise other than the grinding of his teeth. But he did understand there was someone who cared about him, touching him and showing him love. His tiny fingers of porcelain skin clutched tightly to mine and we shared what every human being needs the most, love. He leaned in to my side as much as possible through the bars of the prison he will spend his life in soaking up the touch of the hand of Christ. It was absolutely painful to have to let go of him and leave after a short while.
Dr Jean's group was assigned to that room for the remainder of the visit and each child was given lots of special attention and love from 5 of our team members. Jean later told us of an 18 year old boy who was in the last bed at the end of the room who had been perfectly normal until he was 8. He was in a train wreck where he sustained severe head injuries and burns. He had been taken to the States for surgeries and cared for by a man named Michael. Jean' husband, John, sat down on his bed and he said "Michael" ? He was able to give a hand shake and communicate a little in English. His mother had cared for him all these years but had recently died and so he was placed in this home to live out the rest of his life. Michael was his American sponsor who paid for his medical treatment in the States and comes to visit him once a year in Ukraine.
My small group was then taken to a class room of eleven boys, one of which was the little Downs syndrome boy who greeted us as we came in. Only three boys could talk in that room and one was completely blind. We sang lots of fun songs with them, played games and did a very simple Gospel presentation for them. They had been to a camp in the summer where they learned one of the songs we sang to them. It goes like this.
"Who is the King of the jungle?
Who is the King of the sea?
Who is the King of the universe?
And who is the King of me?
I tell you J-E-S-U-S, Jesus!
He is the King of me,
He is the King of the Universe,
The jungle and the sea!"
With each line there is an action and the boys knew all of them! We did that song several times over and each time the boys laughed with glee. Each boy got a back pack and carepack (school supplies) and of course a big teddy bear! Oh, you should have seen them love on those teddy bears, it was so cute. The three boys who could talk recited poetry and sang for us. It was evident the caregivers and teachers here treated these special children with love. There was no aggression or anger displayed by any of the children, only smiles and joy showed on their faces.
You may wonder why I share all of these details with you. The reason is because God wants you to see how blessed we are. We are so incredibly blessed just living in America, having whole bodies and sound minds. We have SO MUCH to offer those in need. My question to you is what are you doing with the time, talents and treasures God has given you? Are you using them for His glory? Are you blessing others with the abundance you have? You may think you are not cut out to be a missionary even on a short term trip but you do have the ability to help others in need right in your own back yard. If these emails do nothing more than to inspire you to reach out of your comfort zone to show the love of Jesus Christ to someone else, then they have served their purpose.
Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
There will be one more story tomorrow of our visit to an adult prison built in 1611. I pray that God speaks to your heart and encourages you to serve Him today!
With Love,
Dasha
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2 comments:
my dear Dasha,
Inspirational! Life-giving! Life-receiving! Life!
Sacrifice! Love! Commitment! Dedication! Jesus Christ!
Brotherhood! Sisterhood! Communion!
the Almighty Father's eternal love!
Words of the heart, soul, mind, strength and body can only begin to be put in technicalities of our writing! How does one perceive, experience, live and love the deep state of human indignification? How does one continue? Please know that my heart shares what I am able to via the readings of these writings!
Dasha, please continue to know that wherever you are, whatever your about in Christ, and what wonders reach those on the outside from your faith testimony inside, I, too, as many in Him, are in one prayer and one spirit!
Yes, I have shared my ministry with you! I am honored to have had this sharing. Moreso, to be grateful in our Lord for this blessing of sharing and, then, because of it, you have become one heart, one prayer and one spirit in this ministry!
Please know that this message comes in the knowledge that all that you serve will be assured of prayer for health, safety, spiritual, emotion, physical and social strengths.
As Jesus tells us, "Even for one good work, my Father, who has sent me, will reward you one hundredfold. For you have done to the least of my brothers."
Thank you for sharing your ministry with me and the world! I pray for your safe return and in returning to have grown even more in the knowledge and servitude of our God of Life through Jesus Christ!
your loving brother in Him,
Philip +
my dear Dasha,
Inspirational! Life-giving! Life-receiving! Life!
Sacrifice! Love! Commitment! Dedication! Jesus Christ!
Brotherhood! Sisterhood! Communion!
the Almighty Father's eternal love!
Words of the heart, soul, mind, strength and body can only begin to be put in technicalities of our writing! How does one perceive, experience, live and love the deep state of human indignification? How does one continue? Please know that my heart shares what I am able to via the readings of these writings!
Dasha, please continue to know that wherever you are, whatever your about in Christ, and what wonders reach those on the outside from your faith testimony inside, I, too, as many in Him, are in one prayer and one spirit!
Yes, I have shared my ministry with you! I am honored to have had this sharing. Moreso, to be grateful in our Lord for this blessing of sharing and, then, because of it, you have become one heart, one prayer and one spirit in this ministry!
Please know that this message comes in the knowledge that all that you serve will be assured of prayer for health, safety, spiritual, emotion, physical and social strengths.
As Jesus tells us, "Even for one good work, my Father, who has sent me, will reward you one hundredfold. For you have done to the least of my brothers."
Thank you for sharing your ministry with me and the world! I pray for your safe return and in returning to have grown even more in the knowledge and servitude of our God of Life through Jesus Christ!
your loving brother in Him,
Philip +
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