Work with orphanage graduates
Kherson Adaptation Center for Girls - June 2014
We have a wonderful God, you know. We have 5 girls living at the Center right now, and we can see the Lord working in their hearts, changing them before our very eyes. We see the complaining, impatient, rebellious girls we first knew becoming humble and kind. They are reading the Bible, taking an active part in church life, and coming to faith in Christ.
June was really a great month! The first thing that made it so was Katya's coming to faith in Christ. This expression of repentance and faith on her part came quite unexpectedly and was a great cause of rejoicing for us. Now she is attending the new believers classes with Vika and Sasha, preparing for baptism.
Our girls are have already started singing in the choir at church. It’s actually quite remarkable how quickly they have become good friends with the youth group at Living Springs Church. They go out ice-skating and roller-skating with them, and just really enjoy being with their church friends. This is something that we are extremely happy to see - the fact that the church youth group is not some ‘Christian clique’ to our girls, but the teens there are truly their friends, people they really care for.
The second thing that has made this a great month was moving to our new apartment. We’ve got a new address now – we’re living in a nice 3-bedroom apartment now, recently renovated and on the 1st floor. Of course, moving with a family is never easy. All the same, it’s all behind us now, praise the Lord, and we’re adjusting to our new home, making it our own. We even have a flowerbed right under our windows just like in our old apartment! The girls and I have already dug it all up and started planting flowers.
The girls are enjoying a bit of a break now from their studies. All the stress and anxiety of their exams has passed. They’re getting ready for a Christian Youth Camp in Malyn now – they’ll be at the camp for a week. Based on the experience of years past, we have every hope that this camp will be a time of serious spiritual encouragement and growth for them.
The third thing that made June a great month was that Oksana and Morris visited us with their baby boy, Joshua. (Oksana moved to India as a missionary. She met Morris, a local pastor, married him and now is a wife and mother!) For us, her visit was like an adult daughter coming home to visit her family. After all - we ARE her family. We had a good time visiting and helping take care of their baby. He’s really a very sweet and calm little guy. We also enjoyed the times of fellowship with Morris, and learned that he is a real prayer warrior. He shared a lot with us about his ministry and the church he is pastoring. Our time with them was so enjoyable; it seemed like their month her just flashed by. They’re already safely back home in India, their flights were good, and little Joshua took the travel well. It was so interesting to observe Oksana now as a mother. She was so attentive and caring as she took care of her baby… and I could see that she was taking care of Morris, too, as well as letting him be the leader in the family.
Right now, we have Natalya and her family with us temporarily. They may end up needing to permanently move to Kherson… or somewhere. They had to leave their home to keep their family safe. There are awful things going on in their hometown and in other parts of Eastern Ukraine – war, gunfire, and people getting killed. It’s all very scary and complicated. I am so glad for Natasha - she's also turned out to be a very good mother.
Thank you, Lord for the changes you've made in these girls! Thank you for giving me the strength and wisdom I needed to guide and care for them while they were with me. Thank you for helping them come to know you as their Saviour, protector, and friend.
And that's what our life is like in the Adaptation Center for girls here in Kherson. Praise God for the work he's done in these girls lives - changing their hearts, their outlook, their priorities and the principles they live by!
Thank you so very much for your prayers and support! Thank you for caring for these girls! Every evening, our girls pray for all of you who support us financially and spiritually. We pray that God, in the riches of His glory, would reward you for the help and care you provide us. May God richly bless you!
Nadezhda Shtefan,
Adaptation Center for Girls, Kherson
