Let us not ever take for granted all that God has done in sending His Son as Savior of the world. His saving grace reaches to the ends of the earth and to all peoples, for those who believe in His name. This includes even the orphan children who often feel unworthy of love.
Thankfully, God’s love transcends the world’s love. It is through His love that hearts are changed, and lives are made new. It may not mean that circumstances are changed, but the responses to circumstances become full of hope and joy, which is the beautiful reason for this Christmas season. Please pray for the SGA-supported Orphans Reborn ministry and that many children will hear the good news of the Gospel.
From an Orphans Reborn report in Krasnoyarsk, Russia . . .
Greetings in the Lord, who is giving us the grace to see the good fruits of our work, and most importantly, is giving us the grace to see the need and not pass it by!
In Psalm 68:5, King David calls God the Father of the fatherless and protector of widows. And David did certainly know the character of the Lord like no one else. That is why ministry to such as these dates back thousands of years—to the time when, sadly, the first orphan and the first widow were found on earth. Since then, God has been caring for these persons and protecting them from being wronged.
And what a joy it is to belong to this great cause of God and to serve together with you, dear friends! A joy to be of one heart and one Spirit with you, to share our love for orphaned children, to help them in a joint effort, overcoming obstacles, and vast distances.
We can sense your care and your support so well that it feels as if you are very near to us. What has brought us so close together? The answer, of course, is Christ Jesus! He is truly among us and at the Head of our ministry. However, it is only through these stories of the orphaned children that you are about to read that we can truly meet each other and see far more than our eyes can see! After all, if you were reading with your eyes alone, nothing of this would ever happen.
Story of Murad
“He won’t appreciate it!” the teachers were saying about the boy. I believe it was six months ago. But their thoughts and words proved to be wrong. And I’m very happy for that.
Murad has been living in the orphanage for several years. While visiting the orphanage, I always go around from room to room and invite the kids to our training sessions and classes. But Murad would never come; he was laying on his bed, playing on his phone. He seemed like an introvert and I didn’t see any chance of getting him off his bed.
But this summer, an unfortunate event brought us together. A foster family came to the orphanage to take one boy. We were packing and getting him ready to leave, when it suddenly became known that Murad had spent a very large amount of money from this boy’s bank card. We were left with a dilemma: to file a complaint against Murad, which would imply a criminal liability, or to give him a chance to mend his ways. A chance that no one believed in, including myself. We decided to give him a chance and not to ruin his life, if he would pay back the money upon his graduation. Now, as I am writing this, I am thinking, how such a miracle is even possible. So here is what happened next.
Murad improved his grades and stopped skipping school. He stopped spending all his time on the couch and instead started doing sports. We are training together now. He attends classes regularly, trains as hard as he can, and absorbs every bit of a story.
When Murad arrived at the campsite, he surprised everyone with his dutiful and active behavior. All the staff noticed that Murad was like a changed person. After one of the races, Murad came up to me and said, ”You know, when I see you, I get a second wind, getting new strength!” Murad’s eyes have changed; now he looks confident, faces his fears, and overcomes himself. Six months ago, I would never have believed this was possible. But Murad valued the opportunity he was given and intends to repay everything he has due.
Murad and the other children from the orphanage have become very enthusiastic about playing basketball, and we have formed a whole team. Praise be the Lord who alone can change hearts!
Story of Rosie
A short story about a little girl with a big heart!
Her name is Rosa, but Rosie suits her better! She will soon turn 12, and it is her second year in the orphanage. Last year, I noticed her very modest and kind glance, which was extremely rare. She gives her all in sports, and when help is ever needed, Rosie is always there.
The girl wanted to attend our working outreach, but she was not yet eligible to participate due to her young age. So, I had to call the orphanage and request a replacement for Rosie. But two days later, one of the brothers told me that a boy at the orphanage had treated Rosie very badly and humiliated her, bringing her to tears. And then I remembered her kind eyes and thought about how much she would be upset to hear that she wasn’t old enough to attend the camp. I made another attempt to include her, and what a joy it was for all of us to soon hear that Rosie could go on the trip with us. She, despite her shyness and to our surprise, even went out to dance. Our sisters spoke highly of her. Upon departure, when asked about her impressions of the trip, Rosie said, “These few days were the best of my entire life.”
Rosie is a very quiet child; therefore, her words are even more valuable. A few days ago, I visited the orphanage and came to the group attended by Rosie. She was sitting with the teachers, drawing. She was looking down, as she felt uncomfortable that I had come specifically to see her. And then I told her how wonderful God had made her and what a kind heart He had given to her, and that neither resentment, nor hardship, nor even pain could damage such a heart. All the children and teachers supported me because that’s exactly what Rosie is like. I think this girl will grow up to be a great person. And Rosie listened to me but didn’t say anything and didn’t look at me once but just continued drawing.
