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Pasha and Sergei Skiba |
There are times when the Lord smiles on us and gives us some extra gifts. He gave me one of those last week, when I visited the rehab house, they call "Revival House" in Zolotonosha. Quite a few years ago, some friends-Rob and Shyra, Steve and Lisa, Dan and Tracy-provided the funds to buy an old house that would become a place of new beginnings.
Pasha is living there even though he does not have an alcohol or drug addiction. Pasha came to faith at a Bible study in the juvenile prison colony in Kremenchug lead by Lydia Petrovna and Sergei Skiba. His abusive father is dead and his mother is in a mental hospital. Pasha, who has lived on the streets, in orphanages and, finally, in the colony since he was 11 wanted to live in a Christian environment. Sergei asked him to come to the house and now he has a home. Pasha is a gift to Sergei and when you see the two of them together, you see a family bond that goes deep. When I asked Pasha if he likes living there, he paused and said, "I love it." For Sergei and me, having Pasha there is a dream come true as for many years we have wanted a place for kids to come when they leave the colonies.
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The Rehab Center Crew-Sergei, Pasha, Vovka, Ruslan, Vanya, John, Zhenya, Sergei |
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Sergei Skiba, Sergei, Sasha, and Zhenya help to run the center. Zhenya was the first resident and now he is it's leader. The guys who live there all have hope for the future, though the past still haunts them: Vovka is 24, came back the night we visited and was hoping for another chance as he realized he could not make in on his own. He is HIV+, they call him "ogon", which means fire, and he is a great kid. Ruslan is 25 and grew up on the streets of Kiev after bandits took his mother's apartment. She froze to death when he was 16. His smile and sense of humor are infectious and he has become a big brother to Pasha. Vanya is 53, looks at least 10 years older, lost his wife and kids due to his alcoholism and just moved into the house, hoping that the Lord of second chances will give him one. In the three days that we were there, we saw some of the old, long hidden Vanya coming back to life. Please pray for Vanya and the guys.
The Revival House is a place of second chances and new lives. It is also a place where giving thanks is not taken for granted. The guys wanted me to thank you for supporting them through Straight Ahead. I want to thank you for making this dream a reality.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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