Restoration

The tire that shredded on our way to the orphanage

The little boy on the right of this photo is doing something that we never saw from him before. Tolic is smiling. When a team from church came here last spring, Tolic was new and sad. He would come and sit off to the side, but not participate in activities. But as time went on he started getting closer to Cheryl. After a bit, whenever Cheryl had a free arm, Tolic was in it. He sensed Cheryl's loving heart and Christ's love coming through her. When we visited the orphanage last week, I brought a gift Cheryl had sent with me for Tolic. When I gave it to him and told him it was from her, Tolic looked at me in amazement and then ran to take the gift to his room. The awesome thing was that he did not stay there. He came back and hung out as we spent the day with the kids. Tolic was even smiling. I think that the Lord was too.

 

Bogdan and Kostya

One of the hardest parts of working with kids in detention centers, prisons and orphanages is that we see kids like Tolic come so far, only to see them fall away. But when you are in this for some time, you see some of those kids come back, even if it takes a while.

About a week before we went to Kaniv, Kostya called as he wanted to meet me when we came there. Kostya had lived with Bogdan and Anya a few years ago, but he started to get back into old, destructive habits and even with many chances, Kostya had to leave. The problem is that when the guys and girls leave like that, they often break all ties. Kostya had done that with Bogdan and Anya and hadn't wanted to see them.

God had some other plans as when Kostya called me, I was with Bogdan and Kostya asked to speak with him. When we went to the orphanage, Kostya met us all and spent time with Bogdan and Anya. Later he told me that he owned up to what he had done and had wanted to make it right with them. As he left, Kostya hugged us all and we all smiled at the gift that God had given us. What was lost has now been found.