Hey, I wanted to share this blog with you guys written by my stellar teammate, Ryan Hughes. It peaks into the life of one of the orphans that impacted our team this past month in Ukraine. Hope you guys are blessed by it.
Only 30 days left on the race, crazy!
Today is your Birthday…your turning 16! Today is a big day for you. A day that will change the rest of your life…No, I'm not talking about your typical sweet 16 birthday party that you would have in America, with cars, money, clothes, toys, laptops, and anything else you could imagine being possibly given as a gift. Instead let me share with you what a Ukrainian Orphan goes through on there "Sweet 16"…They Time Out!
Imagine a life where you have no parents, no family, you eat the same gross food everyday, your only escape is to run off into the bushes and smoke a cigarette before your dorm parents find you, no one to encourage you to grow, challenge you to exceed further, and a poor education.
Then, there is the day that you turn 16…"Time Out" day. Instead of being showered with gifts and love on this day. You are given a box to pack your things. A small amount of cash, and a wish of "Good Luck" with the rest of your life! No job is lined up, no place to stay, no education given to go into the workplace, no life skills to make it from here. You have simply "Timed Out", no one has adopted you, and your now no longer the governments "Problem". You have "Timed Out!"
This happens everyday in Ukraine, and this month we had the privilege with working with many of these children in a summer camp. The stories they could tell you about the struggles they have had in there life would more than many of us in our adult years in America could ever imagine. They opened up to us and shared the reality of there struggles, there fears, and wishes. What do they want the most? To be adopted by an American family. Why? I asked…and they respond "Then we have a chance" Now I know that is not the cure all answer for the problem, but there are these "chances" given to some of the children and they do very well.
I met one such young man, Dima. He is just about to "Time Out" and is in the process of being adopted by a loving family in America. Dima is a smart, fun, loving boy that has been blessed with an opportunity that others in Ukraine will not be given. He can move to America, he will have a clean house, with good food, clean clothes, hot showers, an education, and attend a University, where his career choice is limitless.
I was blessed to meet and know Dima during our month in Ukraine. I was so excited to learn after meeting him that someone was going to take him in from America. I taught him some English prhases, like "My brother from another mother", "Hey man what's up!?", and then my favorite "Check yourself, before you wreck yourself!" He taught me Russian all day, and at night we would have long conversations through pointing and trying to explain in a foreign language, but somehow, we understood each other! The last night we were at the camp, Dima looked over at me and said "Ryan, you are my brother!" and I replied "Dima, You will always be my brother!"
Pray with me for my brother Dima! That the adoption process would go through and be approved without any problems. Pray for the family adopting him. And pray that there would be more like them. People willing to love out side of there home and show the love of Jesus to a stranger and accept them as there son or daughter. Also, pray for the thousands of Orphans in Ukraine, in fact for the Millions of Orphans all over the world. Pray that they will be covered with the blood of Jesus, the Love of Christ, and protection from God. I pray that we will all be Jesus to whoever we meet, wherever we are!
God Bless
Love
Ryan Hughes
