Books!

The Rehabilitation Center has a school room where children can work with tutors in groups or individually to catch up on their school work until they can be placed in a local day school.

The Center is slowly building a small library for the children to use so they can be encouraged to read for enjoyment as well as study subjects that will compliment their school work.

One of the benefits of our"Strokes Against Hopelessness" fundraiser was that we were able to donate books to this library. Each sponsor of the Tournament had a book donated in their name.

David poses with some of the children who will be able to check out these books and start reading! (The little one will need to learn to read first!)

Blog Updates!

I've added a couple of features to this blog. The first one is a small widget which you will see below each post with the word, "bookmark" on it. If you are an ardent blogger and internet user, you will know what to do with this. For those of you who stumble along like myself, (Truly, I appreciate compliments, but I actually have very little technical knowledge computer wise so if I can blog, anyone can!) it's an easy way for readers to bookmark the post.

Also I added a "subscribe" widget to the sidebar and anyone can now subscribe to the blog.

If you want to know what bookmarking and subscribing is all about.......I suggest you go to Wikipedia and start studying.......If you know how to use these widgets already, then I hope these tools will help you to share our blog with others!

Christmas Party Number Four!

Parties for the Independent Living Centers were combined so the older boys and girls could fellowship and share in the party fun together. The party was held at the boys home.

The boys were great hosts and cooked dinner for us.

Afterwards the games started and the most popular game was the one in which each team member sat with a "place" written on a card and held over their heads. They did not know what this "place" was and they were interviewed and asked questions about it. Examples of "places" were, the morgue, a farm, a toilet.....you get the idea. It produced some funny answers and lots of laughs!

The most requested gift by the older girls were boots and after the presents were opened, they were shown off for others to admire.

Another great party!

Party Number Three!

The Day Center is where street children can come to get a hot meal or shower and have a safe place to rest. Our team hosted a party for the children and everyone who came was ready to have a good time and receive their own gift!

There was party food......

Games.....

More games.......

General Christmas mayhem........

And lots of fun!

Prayer Walk Down Kreshatik

Kreshatik is the main street of Kyiv. Our team took some time to pray for Kyiv and then walk down Kreshatik.

The idea is not to talk and to spend the time praying while you are walking.


We walked right through a demonstration which was being held in front of Kyiv's City Hall.

A typical scenes these days.

There's a lot to see when you take the time to really look around you.

On The Streets

Part of the team was able to go "on the street" and see where street children live.

Pipes, cracks and crevices in the city where street children camp out for shelter.

Christmas Party Number Two!

Our team visited the Medical Center and we found some angels waiting for us.

The children and staff put on a puppet show and skit.

The little ones enjoyed the show.

Then we passed out the presents!

The new trucks were tested out on the floor.

And a little doll received her very own baby doll!

Christmas Party Number One!

Our first party was at the Rehabilitation Center. I have too many great photos and can't post them all but here are some of the highlights of what happened..........

Our team put on a skit for the kids.

ChildRescue Staff put on a skit for the kids!

The kids put on a puppet show and then "rapped" a story about the party.

And then the best part! The opening of gifts! Each child received a gift!

Some are still learning the fine art of posing for the paparazzi!

A Merry Christmas party was had by all!

Shopping for 91 Children!!!

When a team comes to visit, sometimes you get so caught up in what you are doing that you have no time to process exactly how improbable your goals are! Our team split into two groups and went shopping for ninety one children. Each child had given a caretaker a specific Christmas gift request and we endeavored to find it. For anyone who's had any experience shopping Ukraine, you know that it is an art in itself. Finding things in bazaars where everything is mashed together and your eye catches every object makes shopping a bit crazy for me. But our team were champions and we actually bought everything in one day! This photo shows Graziella, Sandi, Sveta (director of the Rehabilitation Center) and a woman working in the bazaar.

After the trip to the market, gifts need to be wrapped. The team brought bags and wrapping from the States and spent time wrapping each gift individually.

Not only did the children receive gifts, but the team also prepared handmade cards which were presented to the staff and caretakers with a special Christmas monetary gift inside them.

Our Team From Tennessee and Washington!

This past week we have been hosting a team from Tennessee and Washington. Graziella, Evie, Marie, Nicole (from Washington), Sandi and Alison (David is also in the photo) spent the week first shopping for gifts and then hosting Christmas parties for each of our ministry centers. We all shared a lot of laughter and it was a blessing to spend time with them and watch them experience first hand what it is like ministering to the children.

I will be posting more photos of their trip in the days to come........

Live Blog!

This is a "live blog!" I am writing this from an internet cafe in downtown Kyiv. Our team from Memphis, TN is taking a minute to check emails from home and since I have been with them pretty much non-stop, I've gotten online to check mine too........And of course I want to share a quick post about the team!

We finished all our Christmas shopping for the children in ONE DAY and today is the first of four parties at the different centers........We took some time to pray walk across the center of Kyiv and will be eating lunch shortly.

I will post photos as I can and of course writing more details about our team as I have time.

I think my time is almost up so check back in the next couple of days for another post!