An orphan's life

 Orphan ministry is never pointless!

I thank the Lord for each and every opportunity I have to visit the orphanage. This fall has been no exception. The start of a new school year is such an interesting time. The kids are always overjoyed to see me again, looking forward to something new or different – and maybe most of all – expecting presents!

 Our first lessons together after summer break seemed like one never-ending chain of stories about how the kids had spent their (much-too-short, naturally) summer break. However, what I was really interested in was finding out the following: were there times over their summer break when they felt that God had come to their aid, answering their prayers, supplying their needs?

 I didn’t have to wait very long before I began hearing answers affirming: “Yes, God heard my prayers! Yes, he answered! Yes, he provided!” Many of the events they told me about might seem to be almost meaningless to an adult. They might seem coincidental to someone older and more skeptical, someone life has turned into a consummate cynic. For these children, in their uncomplicated way of looking at things, it was quite simple. God had answered their prayers, and those answers to prayer were special events that really stood out as they reflected back over the summer. 

Here are a few of the stories they shared:

“My papa is drunk a lot of the time. That’s not too bad, in and of itself. What’s scary is that when he’s drunk, it’s just not safe to be around him, there’s non-stop yelling, cursing, beatings and fights. I started praying; I started asking God to change my father, even a little. A miracle happened – a real miracle, as far as I’m concerned! My father began coming home from work calm and sober. He would come in and just quietly get ready for bed and go to sleep. Thank you, Lord Jesus!” (Olya, 8th grade)

 “I was climbing a tree and over reached, lost my balance and fell. Hard. Man, it really hurt, too! My first thought was ‘I probably just broke my arm… what’s going to happen now? It’ll take money to get it put right again, and my parents just don’t have any to spare. None! Lord, let it not be broken – and if it is, please just heal it right away… please! I know that you can!” Mama wanted to take me to the hospital, to get it checked out, just to be on the safe side. I told her (quite firmly) that, no, we didn’t need to go to the hospital, because God was quite powerful enough to heal my arm. Thank you, Lord, for answering my prayer!” (Sergei, 7th grade)

“Can you believe it – my phone was stolen! I was so upset. I was really ticked off and really sad at the same time. I had no money to buy a new one, and not having any way to contact people is really hard. The guys from the orphanage were supposed to call me, too. As I was trying to figure out what to do, I started thinking: “During the Bible lessons, they’ve told us so many times how God can work miracles… why don’t I try asking him?”  So I prayed and asked God to help me out, somehow. And a miracle happened! The next day, my phone was returned to me, in working order – praise God! (Igor, 7th grade)

As I listened to these stories and many more, I was just overcome with joy and gratitude. These weren’t naïve little kids here; they were teens, praising God for answering their prayers. It was a real burst of encouragement for me, giving me renewed motivation and strength. I found myself rejoicing in prayer: “Lord, you are my God. You are All-Powerful and able of doing anything! Thank you, Lord. You are able to work miracles today, to change people’s hearts and strengthen their faith. How wonderful it is to be your child… thank you for reminding me that my ministry here is never pointless, my labor is not in vain. Thank you for showing me a little of how you are working in these children’s hearts and lives through my ministry to them. I love you, Lord! May you be praised and glorified, my King of Kings and Lord of Lords!”

Tatiana Mozharovskaya,

Agape teacher

*Note: Over the summer break, the children who live at the orphanage-boarding school are sent ‘home.’ That is, wherever their parent(s) or relatives live – family that has often abandoned or rejected their own children and have been deprived of all parental rights or guardian ship…except for the holidays.