Vladimir Khalyavin
SGA-Sponsored Orphans Reborn Team in Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to stop our visits and lessons at the orphanages for the time being. Yet the boys and girls from Orphanage #2 have access to communicate with us online, for which we are thankful. And so are they!
We have an active ministry via social media through our club called Young Life. We organize special challenges and “quests” for the children. We were able to reach out to two boys named Alexander and Grisha. They had very joyful memories of our past lessons and were open to our fellowship. At times the social accounts of the orphans are closed for correspondence. But now those children have joined our group and we can have contact with them by means of our posts, and in such a way influence them. We are grateful to God that they are not lost to us and that we can stay in touch with them.
Today a boy from the orphanage named Jan got in touch with me. I had not seen or heard from him for a long time. Jan said that he had been transferred to a different orphanage in a village quite some distance from Krasnoyarsk. He does not have any friends there. Everything was so gloomy and sad for him. He needs God’s comfort and love right now, and the opportunity to get in touch with someone he knows. Praise God, that I can meet his needs!
We have been using Zoom to have online meetings with children at the Esaulovo orphanage under supervision of the staff. This time Andrei joined us. He is an older orphan who graduated from another orphanage. Now he is a student in Achinsk. Another girl named Katerina loves to communicate and always invites anyone who is around her to join in with us. She sent us this text after the online chat . . .
I think that online communication is at least something. When we cannot meet and we do not have regular classes where we can come together as it was when you would come and lead the lessons, this way we can still have meetings and fellowship. Although we have the coronavirus situation, we do not panic, we stay joyful anyway, and we are glad. We found a way to stay in touch and to fellowship in such a way. This is very good and I really love it. We all fellowship and share something. Each one shared how their week went and the new things they learned. I love our online communication. May it go on this way for the whole length of the quarantine!
Thank you for your help and support of the ministry to orphans and children from troublesome families. Through us God brings them comfort, gives them hope and manifests His love. As we work with the parents, by our own example we teach them to love their children.