June 14, 2003

Dear Friends in Christ,

We are in the last quiet spell of summer. Our next group arrives on Monday, and then we will be more or less constantly busy until August. It is a time we look forward to. We will be in camps most of the time, but also hope to visit some partners to catch up on the life of their congregations.

I (Ellen) have spent the time since the visit of White Memorial Presbyterian Church listening, reading, and reflecting about the issues in orphanage ministry and what can be done. Ministry to orphanages is a relatively new thing here. During Soviet times, Christians did not have any access to such institutions. During the past 10 years those doors have gradually opened wider and wider as people have gotten past their suspicion and distrust of church institutions. There are still doors that remain closed. Where they are open, some good programs are being developed as the churches see, hear and begin to understand the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Often, it has been the churches' help with physical needs that has opened the doors to a broader ministry. The orphanage directors know these churches as friends.

Many of the orphanages in Russia are housed in aging facilities. The local governments responsible for them are often able to fund only at a marginal level. There is rarely funding for the renovation work that is so often needed. Orphanages often need help providing medications and eyeglasses for children as well, not to mention fruits and vegetables in the children's diet. Providing footwear for the children is another major challenge. Often, the churches are the only place directors have to turn, especially in more remote, rural areas.

How can one even begin to talk about the emotional and spiritual needs of these children? The caregivers are good people with loving hearts, or they could not do this work. Still, the children have lost so much and some of them have never known any kind of stability.

There is Nastia. She is a 12-year-old girl I met recently during the visits with White Memorial. At the picnic she found me and spent nearly the entire afternoon in my company. She is a beautiful child with a sweet nature. She has many friends, but she yearns for the personal attention of an adult. She has begun corresponding with me. She is one of six siblings. There was a seventh, but he died of pneumonia. Her parents are still living. Given the orphanage she lives in, this means that they have lost their parental rights. Perhaps they became overwhelmed with trying to raise so many children. Perhaps they gave them up voluntarily. Perhaps they lapsed into alcoholism. It is hard to say. The consequences for Nastia have been devastating.

There is Alyona. I first met her two summers ago when she was attending a Baptist camp. At that time she lived with her grandmother and father. She had grown up with her mother, who hangs out in train stations, probably begging. Her father is an alcoholic. The grandmother had joined the church a year before and the church was trying to help the family, but there were limits in what they could do, because the father would take any money for drink. Alyona's scars were deep. She now lives in an orphanage. The church is still in contact with her, expressing their love and care for her, trying to help her adjust to the new environment, trying to keep her from running away.

There is Sasha. He is 15 and has been in the orphanage system for a number of years. His father is an alcoholic. When drunk, the father habitually beats Sasha's mother. One night, Sasha couldn't take it anymore and tried to kill his father with a knife. His younger brother stopped him. Even with the violent history of his family, Sasha's first desire is to go home. He is a behavior problem at the orphanage. He has a lot of anger. A young Christian woman has befriended him and tries to help him through some of the pain to find a better course. The relationship is very important to him, and he makes an effort out of love and respect for this friend. He is making progress, but the road before him is still so rough.

Our partners tell us about the challenges of working in the orphanages. Many of the children have difficulty expressing emotion, paying attention, practicing self-control. Working with them takes love and patience. The children are often desperate for adult attention. They hunger for something, but don't necessarily know what they seek. Many orphanages struggle with the problem of runaways. Our partners are working in one orphanage where sometimes 5 or 6 children try to run away every day. There are 50,000 children sleeping rough in the streets of Moscow every night. Many of these children are runaways from provincial orphanages. They seek something better, but what they find is abuse, exploitation, disease, and hunger.

Our partners' orphanage ministry is evolving as the churches gain insight. They know that they are not reaching every child, but they are there in their midst demonstrating God's love for them and sharing the good news. They teach lessons, play games, sing songs, but most important of all, they return again and again.

There are other serious issues as well. We are working with our partners to see how we can help expand this ministry. Please pray for these children and their caregivers, for the ministry teams, and for our efforts to partner with them in this work.

We wish you all the peace and blessings of our Lord!

Ellen and Al Smith

The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 94