Helpers

From Thursday until Sunday morning, 40 or so if us were at a conference at Pine Branch Christian camp, which is run by our friends Andrew and Jenny Kelly. The camp is located in a cool village down a dirt road. The soil there is mostly sand so they have pine trees and small birch trees and it reminds me of some places on Cape Cod (now if they can figure a way to get some ocean smell there, I'm moving).

Before the conference started, I got to go with Jenny to three villages where she visits families of children who came to the camp in the summer. The kids went there to get a break from the abject poverty that they live in. Jenny, Sergei, some girls from an American team and I went to visit three families that day and we got to see homes that are similar to the ones where kids at the orphanage come from. The first was the home of a boy who is one of four kids, whose mother is trying as best as she can, but who has to worry that her ex-husband will come back and abuse her and the kids. He is an addict and has made their lives miserable.

The next two places were ones where the caretakers of the children are alcoholics. All of them were grateful for the food and clothing that Jenny brought-through Jeremiah's Hope Ministry, Andrew and Jenny are raising money to help the kids who are stuck in these homes with little to eat and little to wear. The kids were just happy to see Jenny and Sergei.

When the conference started, we knew that we were in for a good time. The 40 or so people who came ranged from former addicts to a doctor and a psychologist from the nearby city. The one thing that everyone had in common was that they all have dedicated their lives to helping children who have no one. Russ York, a psychologist from California, and I lead the seminars and then we had time to lead small groups where people could share some of their concerns and get some ideas on how to help. 

One of the best things about the conference was the time when we could all just hang out and share stories. The Open Arms Ukraine gang had us all in stitches as they told of their adventures with kids in the city of Sumy. Others from YWAM and similar ministries all shared their hearts and it was great. When you tell a story that often gets responses ranging from "you're kidding me" to "that can't be true" and get the response "oh ya, that happened to us last week too..." you know you are in the right group.

This coming week, I will head to a conference being put on by Compassion International concerning orphans and at-risk kids in Ukraine. We'll see what connections come from that one!