Prayer Request...

Last Friday, the government of Ukraine issued a nationwide quaranteen. All schools, universities and orphanages are closed for the next three weeks as a result of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) outbreak which is cutting through Ukraine.

Due to the quaranteen, our ministry team is not allowed into the orphanages during this 3 week quaranteen period. Please pray for the children as we will not be able to see them during our weekly or monthly orphanage outreaches.

To read more about Ukraine and the flu pandemic go to: www.kyivpost.com

Help Jeremiah's Hope Meet Our Budget in 2010...

During the last month of two, Jeremiah's Hope has had a difficult time meeting our monthly ministry budget for the transitional living center and orphanage outreach. This is due, in large part, to the current US economic situation. It is also partly due to the overwhelming needs of the children with whom we minister to in the TLC, orphanages and pediatric hospitals of Ukraine.

At the present time, Jeremiah's Hope is short of meeting our monthly budget by about $1,200 a month. We are in the process of seeking out new partners who will come alongside us in 2010 to help introduce the orphans and at-risk youth of Ukraine to Jesus Christ.

Between now and the end of the year, we hope to find 100 people who we are calling our "2010 Partners." Our 2010 Partners are supporters who committ to giving $20.10 a month to help Jeremiah's Hope reach the children of Ukraine in the upcoming year.

If you would like to become a "2010 Partner" please contact us at donations@jeremiahshope.org

Ugligorsk Orphanage Outreach in October...

Read this report from Tanya, our administrator in Mariupol...

Today, we went to Uglegorsk to do the birthday party for the kids who had their birthdays in September and October. There were 16 smaller kids who had cakes, bananas and drinks. They got toys as gifts and we played games. There were also 22 bigger kids and we gave them chocolate bars each. We also delivered some board games, small sport equipment and hygiene products for the orphanage.

The Current TLC Family...

Let me introduce you to the current family living at the Transitional Living Center in Mariupol...

Top Row: Julia and Yan
Middle Row: Natasha, Marina and Yana
Bottom Row: Denis, Ruslan, Andrei and Maxim

Ugligorsk School Supplies Delivery & Quarterly Birthday Party...

Today, Tanya (JH Administrator in Mariupol) and Anya (former TLC resident) went to the orphanage in Uglegorsk. This has become a quarterly trip for Tanya and a project which she really enjoys. This trip was not only for the quarterly birthday party, but also to deliver notebooks, pens and drawing paper for the new school year.

After delivering the school supplies, they hosted a birthday party for 20 kids (grades 3-6) who had their birthdays during the time of June 16 to August 28. The party included time doing activities together and then sitting at the table enjoying cakes, bananas and soft drinks together. There were only 2 girls in this group and they got soft animals. The boys got all kinds of toy cars. They also brought chocolate bars and beanie babies for 39 older kids who celebrated their birthdays.

Some of the boys unloading the school notebooks from the car
and carrying them into the orphanage.
Enjoying their small birthday feast together!

Meet Ruslan Tkachenko...

Ruslan Tkachenko was born in Mariupol, Ukraine on March 9, 1994. Ruslan has lived in our transitional living center since October 2008 when the Social Services Department in Mariupol asked us to take him and his younger brother into our care.

Ruslans parents lost their parental rights due to heavy drinking and child neglect. His father was fired in 1999 because he missed work. He hasn't worked since. His mom has never worked telling everybody she was taking care of the children and did not have time to work. Ruslan and his younger brother lived with their parents and their grandma who was also a drunkard.

Ruslan has finished the 7th grade and started going to a Sailor's Club at school and really enjoys it. Now he will have the opportunity to go to a Sailor's College in Sevastopol, Ukraine following his 9th grade year of school.

Ruslan will be living in the transitional living center for 2 years and needs a sponsor (or a couple of sponsors). Would you consider helping sponsor this young man?

Ukrainian Orphan & Youth-At-Risk Conference...

Last week, Jeremiah's Hope hosted a conference titled the "Ukrainian Orphans & Youth-At-Risk Conference." The conference attracted over 45 missionaries & local Ukrainian Christians who are involved in ministry to orphans and juvenile inmates in the Ukrainian prison system. John Kinsley (Straight Ahead Ministries in Boston, MA) and Andrew & Jenny Kelly were the speakers. John held main sessions addressing the psychological nature, etc. of children who are at risk and then each of the speakers had "breakout" sessions addressing Orphanage Outreach, Running a Post-Orphanage Home for Teens and Juvenile Justice.

Maxim (left) translating for John (right) during on the main sessions.

Over 45 attended the conference which lasted Wednesday to Friday.

There was a great deal of fellowship and networking during meal times.

Maxim Arzhanov Needs a Sponsor...

Maxim Arzhanov is one of the new teens who will be moving into the TLC in July of this year. He was born in Donetsk, Ukraine on November 3rd, 1992 and lived with his parents and half brother (Boris - who lived in the TLC from 2006-2008) till 2000 when his parents were stripped of their parental rights due to heavy drinking and alcohol abuse.

Since 2000, Maxim has lived at the orphanage. He plans to study to be a welder while at trade school. He enjoys sports and embroidering.

It costs a total of about $300 a month to provide for one of the teens in the TLC. If you would like to fully or partially ($25, $50, $100 or more) support Maxim, please email donations@jeremiahshope.org

TLC Kids...

This past weekend, Andrew and Jenny traveled down to Mariupol with some guests from Australia and the US. They spent 3 great days with the kids and house mom, Alexandra. The kids are busy getting ready for the end of the school year and working hard in their internships in their particular trades. Please keep the kids in your prayers over the upcoming weeks.

Here is a photo of all of the kids in the house with Alexandra...

Ivankiv Orphanage Girls Learning to Cook...

Each week, Jenny Kelly spends one evening visiting with the oldest girls at the orphanage. Our co-workers, Sasha and Olha also spend another evening visiting and teaching the younger girls and the boys. This week, Jenny decided to take a break from just hanging out with the girls and sharing the Bible with them. Instead, she invited them into our home for dinner.

Today, Jenny picked up four girls a little after 4 PM to bring them to our house at the camp. While here, Jenny taught them how to made Southwest Chicken Pot Pie, Salad and Chocolate Chunk cookies. They all had a great time...I could tell, I was outside the kitchen & living room windows putting our fence up while listening to the laughing and fun being had in the kitchen.

Oksana making cookies.

Yanna cooking.

Jenny with 4 of the 5 oldest girls from the Ivankiv orphanage.

Left to Right: Tanya, Lyuda, Jenny, Yanna & Oksana.

Ugligorsk Birthday Outreach...

Today, Tanya Burak (our administrator in Mariupol) spent the day at the orphanage in Ugligorsk, Ukraine. Tanya loves traveling to this orphanage each quarter to conduct a "Birthday Party" for the children there. Tanya first became involved in this orphanage after some of the children from the Mariupol orphanage were transferred there 3 years ago.

Today, Tanya was accompanied by Marina and Julia, two girls from the TLC in Mariupol. Julia has a brother who lives in the orphanage in Ugligorsk and both girls enjoy the trip with Tanya and the time helping the younger children. It is a great opportunity for the teens in the TLC to learn to "give back" a small portion of their time.

Tanya, Marina and Julia brought with them Birthday cake, fruit and drinks for the children to enjoy. Additionally, the girls each received a small stuffed animal and the boys received a toy car. For these children, that is the only Birthday gift they will receive.

Kids Changing Kids Lives...

For the second year, the Kingwood Church of Christ children's ministry has spent the month of February collecting spare change in order to help the orphans of Ukraine. This year, the children raised $3,100 to help us towards the furniture for the new camp in Ukraine.

I flew down to Houston last month while in the US fundraising. I spent a Wednesday with some of the ladies in the church who helped me prepare a Ukrainian meal including: Borsht (soup), Potato Pancakes, Macaroni-po-flotski (macaroni with ground beef and onions) and salad made from cabbage and carrots. In all, we fed over 80 people that evening before I did a presentation on the camp progress.

Thank you to the children of Kingwood Church of Christ!

And the Angels Rejoice Again!!

What a week it has been! The angels in heaven are once again singing praises as two more are added to the Kingdom!

This morning, following worship, Anya and Marina decided to become Christians and be baptized. We praise God for their decision and their obedience to Gods call in their lives.

Preachers Gennady Skippin (left) and Sasha Piletsky (right)
read a brief passage of scripture to the girls prior to their baptism.

Marina's baptism.

Anya's baptism.

And the Angels Rejoice!

We rejoice with Olya in her new life with Christ.

After studying for a while with Yakov, one of the men in the congregation, Olya decided that she wanted to confess her sins, give her life to Christ and be baptised. Following Bible study on tonight, Olya was baptized by Gennady Skippin, one of the ministers at the Left Bank church.

Please be praying for Olya as she begins her new walk with the Lord!

Ugligorsk Birthday Celebration - by Jared White...

Yesterday, Tanya and I rode 3 hours in the car so we could have a group birthday party for some kids at the Ugligorsk orphanage. She goes every two months and has a group party for the little ones who have birthdays in those months.

I think the kids were from the ages of 7 to maybe 12, most of them closer to the younger age and there were about 22 of them. The little boys got little toy cars and the little girls got small stuffed animals. We also had cake, bananas, and soda.

Before the kids ate we played some games. I started out by doing the song Father Abraham with them and had them do the motions with me, I think they enjoyed it…they at least thought I was pretty silly doing it. We also played a version of hot-potato with a beach ball.

Here are some pics from our trip to Ugligorsk.

Awesome Video with Important Message...

Some fellow missionaries showed me this video recently. The message is VERY important and speaks somewhat to what we are doing here in Ukraine.

Ivankiv Orphanage - January Outreach Day...

Today was our monthly outreach day to the children in the orphanage in Ivankiv. We were blessed to spend about three hours with the 21 kids who were there today.

Sheri Gray and Joni Long from Texas joined us to help us celebrate "Christmas" with the kids. They brought crafts with them for the kids, a couple of Twister games and the most amazing snacks. For snack time they brought brownie mix, stuff for rice crispies and hot chocolate. The kids LOVED IT!!!

The best part of the day was distributing the Christmas gift bags sent by the Monterrey Church of Christ in Lubbock, TX and the children's Bibles from EEM.

Craft time.

Jenny directing the giant Twister game.

We actually taped 4 Twister mats together for the game.