Christian Rock bands like California's (Sorrow Underfoot) and New Jersey's (Altogether Bogus) have teamed up with Calvary Chapel Church Planting Mission (CCCPM). They not only to do city wide evangelistic outreaches throughout Russia, but they reach out in love to touch the lives of orphanage children in every location in which God has opened the door. Along with a women's ministry team working with Debbi Bryson from cities all over America, these orphanage ministry visits in Russia mean more to the orphans of Russia than most of us could ever imagine. Please prayerfully consider making a difference for Jesus Christ by joining one of the many different teams (or forming one from your church) spreading the love and goodness of God through out Russia through visits to orphanages.

Orphan Prayer Cards

One of Debbi's desires for the orphans that we've visited in Tver is that they'd be individually receiving daily prayer. While hard copies of these prayer cards have been distributed at recent conferences, etc., Debbi wanted to make this opportunity available to more of you who might feel led to pray for these precious children. These orphans are from Tver's Starista orphanage, the one we have visited the longest and most frequently. Some of these children have been at the orphanage since our first visit back in 2006 and we've become good friends. Most come from hard circumstances with very little hope for the future and are so in need of prayer. Would you like to join us as we pray for them? If so, here's how you can have a prayer card for your Bible, on your refrigerator as a reminder, or print many to pass out at church, study groups, etc. Thank you!

Printing Instructions

1) Select either High Quality or Medium Quality when printing orphan prayer cards .
2) Print the orphan prayer card pages by selecting the print icon or pressing ctrl + P.
3) Once you've printed the pages, turn them over then place them back into the printer tray.
4) Now print the back pages by selecting the print icon or pressing ctrl + P.
5) Cut out the cards. Thank you for your prayers.

Tver

Orphanage Outreach at Tver Orphanage, August 10, 2009

   In mid-August we were able to visit the Starista orphanage with a team (from Pennsylvania and Florida) that had arrived to do the outreaches to the cities of Kaluga and Dedovsk.  Some of the summer interns and staff were able to join in, too. Once again, we whizzed along the highways and backroads of Russia on our three hour journey to Tver, grateful once again to arrive safely. As we pulled up, some of the orphans were outside, big waves and smiles warming our hearts as we pulled into the back of the play yard.

    Like our previous trip, we spent the first hour just getting acquainted again with the children. While some feel very comfortable with us now and will rush into our arms for hugs, others always need to won over each time and that may not happen until the end of our visit, and sometimes it doesn't happen at all. One touching moment for me in this initial greeting with the children was when one of the boys (who knew us well) came up to me smiling and showed me the new cross he was wearing around his neck, then hugged me. I was so blessed that he'd made a clear connection between our visits and the message of Jesus" love that we always shared with them.
 
    So we jumped rope, blew bubbles, let the kids show off their skills at the swings (a couple could actually make the swing do a complete circle -- quite amazing). We taught them a new game called "Cat and Mouse," played on the teeter totter, etc., before we were allowed to go inside.

               

     After a few of the boys showed off their break-dancing skills, we had a time of crafts, which the children always love, even the older ones. One craft was the construction of a paper bag pig puppet, which was used when the team did their skit of The Prodigal Son. The children "squealed" with delight as the skit team acted out the narrated parable of a son gone astray and the loving Father rejoicing at his son's return." The children also decorated baseball caps with foamie sticker animals and Christian symbols. As we wrapped up our indoor time with the children, they were given colorful knapsacks filled with fun items like punching balloons and heart or star shaped glasses, which they loved showing off. Once outside again, we were able to play with the kids, some playing soccer, some on the swings again, and some just horsing around.

    It's always a wonder to me how the Lord uses these simple things to reach the heart of a child. It's building trust and offering a hope beyond what they experience everyday that unlocks their wounded hearts. One team member shared:

     "During this visit I met a new girl named Alayona who had just come to the orphanage with her sisters. She looked so sad and didn't smile. As we did crafts together, I tried to get her to smile. I hugged her, let her sit on my lap and tried to communicate in the little Russian I know. Slowly a smile began to form on her face. By the end of the day, she was grinning from ear to ear! She is so beautiful when she smiles! What a joy to be able to share God's love in a place where many children feel as though they have no hope."

        

    There was one older boy named Sasha who's always been hard to reach. He often hides out in the orphanage's small library, working at a computer they have. He is quiet and hangs back when he does joins the group, his dark, but gentle eyes always watching us. He's always been a puzzle since doesn't usually like to engage in any of our activities, but truly, who knows the hurts he's suffered? After all, he's here, an orphan, without parents or a place to call home. So I found it amazing that he approached me with a volleyball and with those gentle, dark eyes indicated that he wanted to play. I was thrilled -- Sasha had stepped out of his shell a bit and volleyball was my game. So we bumped the ball back and forth, though I have to confess that was the hardest dog-gone volleyball I'd ever played with! A part of me screamed "This isn't gonna work! You're gonna break your wrist!" (Not really, but it felt that way to me and the other team members who joined in.) But God was gracious and my arms became numb so we played for quite a while. When it was time to quit, Sasha paused and nodded, smiling before vanishing into the orphanage, and I praised God for this first step of building trust with this shy teen.

    And this is the beauty of the orphan visits. We don't know how God's going to use our time with the children to impact their lives, we just know He does. Just being faithful to a child's desire to connect with you or one child responding to the love given them in a single afternoon all works to show them the face and the touch of Jesus, at least this is always our prayer and desire. As we drove out of the yard, the littler ones chasing the van, waving and calling out "pa-ca! pa-ca!" (goodbye), we were blessed to have been a part of sowing the seed of God's sweet love into the lives of these precious, forgotten children.                      ~ Maureen Taylor, San Diego, CA

Orphanage Outreach at Tver July 27 and 28, 2009

    Our team from Calvary Chapel Chester Springs arrived safely at the Bible college dorm in Moscow suburb of Snigeri, Sunday afternoon. We got a chance to meet the other half of our team which included the Taylor Family from CA, the interns from Russia and America and the CCCPM staff. Each of us was tired and jet-lagged, but we got right to work sorting out the supplies we had brought for the orphan outreach in Tver. We put together gift bags of toys, bags of hygiene supplies and finalized details for the crafts, lessons and activities we would be doing with the kids. Everyone worked together with amazing unity! We went to bed exhausted but excited for the days ahead.
    The next day we all piled into two vans to head to the city of Tver. The orphanage is 3 hours northwest of the dorm and the ride was quite a wild experience. Praise God we made it safely! When we pulled into the orphanage, the kids immediately started running towards us! They wanted to hug us and hold our hands and just be loved. We were more than willing! We spent time playing with them outside, jumping rope and pushing them on the swings. Their smiles were infectious and crossed all language barriers. You couldn't help but smile with them. Any lack of energy was overcome by being with these kids who just wanted your attention and affection. After playing with them outside, we went inside and make crafts, sang songs and had one-on-one time with each orphan. Then we shared the lesson of the Lost Sheep using puppets explaining that Jesus rejoices over us when we come to Him, just as the shepherd rejoiced when he found his lost lamb. We spent more time playing games, making more crafts and loving on each child. At the end of the day, we couldn't wait to come back.
     After a restful night in a hotel in Tver city, we returned to the orphanage the next day to once again share God's love with the kids. While we there we began to hear some of the stories of why the kids were at the orphanage. It broke my heart to hear about families that couldn't afford the keep their kids or parents who were in prison. Most of the kids at this particular orphanage will never be adopted because their parents won't give up their rights. There was a pair of young brothers who have been at the orphanage for a year. They were found alone in an apartment when neighbors noticed the two little boys peaking over the balcony. They were brought to the orphanage, and after an entire year, their father called for the first time in a year to say that he was trying to figure out how to keep the boys. Little Vacya and Styopa stole my heart! They looked much younger then their 3 and 4 1/2 years. I wanted to pack them up and take them home with me! It was hard not to be saddened by the situation of these kids. But something that Laurah Ward, the coordinator for orphan ministry at CCCPM, shared rang in my ears the entire time we were with the kids. Had these children not been orphaned, they might have never heard about the love of Jesus!
     Please pray for the orphans in Russia. Pray that the doors remain open to go and minister to these precious children. Please also lift up Calvary Chapel Church Planting Mission as they desire to serve the Lord through serving the orphans. Please pray that many teams would be raised up to go and share the love of Jesus with the orphans in Russia.

~ Sarah Scanlon, Calvary Chapel Chester Springs team member

Orphanage Trip January, 2009

As I attempt to reflect on our time with the orphans in early January, I can say it was precious and simply just not enough time! Okay - I have two versions of our time with the orphans. The Short Version is that all the packs got through customs fine (thanks for your prayers), we survived the icy winter roads with our crazy van driver, the orphans loved the skits and crafts and having their own copy of "The Most Important Story," and they giggled and squealed and chattered as they dug into their Christmas backpacks - they loved them! Thanks to those of you who either provided items for a pack or sponsored a pack - I wish I could bundle up all the children's smiles, squeals, etc. in this envelope so you could experience it for yourself.

Okay - The Long Version! The kids' band Sorrow Underfoot had completed their concert series in Kaluga and Nahabino, so we turned our direction to the orphans in Tver. As we didn't bring the Christmas packs fully assembled over to Russia (not wanting them to look like anything customs would like to), we spent free time before and during the concert days working to transform the packs into Christmas cheer. Along with the band and other orphan team members, we loaded the 70+ packs into suitcases, along with supplies and games, etc., into the van and began our nerve-wracking 3 hour trek north across the frozen countryside to Tver. One fascinating site along the way was of "ice fisherman," those having chiseled a hole in an iced-over lake or river, seated on a bucket or box next to tents, pole and line steadied over the hole, waiting. Believe me, the waiting was cold business.
    Once again, we were able to stay at the Presbyterian church pastored by Igor and Natasha. They are always such gracious hosts! We are so blessed by them! We got our things settled into the various rooms available throughout the old stone church, and after a wonderful lunch, started out for the city orphanage about 30 minutes away with Natasha and a few of her church members. Once there, we unloaded skit props, crafts and games. The "unloading" also included shedding the many layers of warm clothing we were wearing, including our boots - a great feeling. We set up our things in their main visitor's room, a large room decorated for Christmas, a "New Year's" tree in its center.
    After a bit of a wait, the children finally arrived! We looked around for familiar faces, but only spied a few. The city orphanage is a way station, or processing center for orphans, so most don't spend much time there before being shuttled off to another orphanage. About 40 children, 3 years and up, filed into the room and sat in the small chairs arranged in five tight rows, the youngest in the front. Some of these little guys just melted our hearts as their eyes looked up anxiously at us, wondering why we were there. We immediately began making them balloon animals, swords, and hats, donned them with lighted bracelets and name tags. We could feel the initial tension ease, so we plunged into the skits, songs, games and a craft that centered around Rev. 3:20, encouraging them to give their hearts to Jesus. Through a translator, we were able to share the animated booklet "The Most Important Story," (the story of Jesus). The children eagerly followed along as our translator read the Russian text and it was so awesome to see some of the children continue to read the booklets after the translator had finished.
    Time sped away and it was suddenly time to give the orphans their Christmas backpacks! If you could only have been there!! Once the last child had received their pack, they all in unison pulled their packs open and dug in. Squeals and laughter filled the room. Of course the littlest ones blurted more "aah's" and "ooo's!", but the older ones smiled and chatted happily between themselves. We all had tears in our eyes as we watched them hug a pair of socks or soft stuffed animal, or ponder at a Slinky, or giggle about deodorant, wearing anything that was wearable - snow caps, gloves, bracelets, scarves . These precious few minutes we had with the children simply pierced our hearts and will stay with us forever.

Orphanage team director, Laurah, describes something else we'll never forget (paraphrased here): While waiting for our van to pick us up, a police car pulled up. A woman stepped out with a little boy out, probably 8 years- old. He looked so scared .... He looked at us as if we were something even more to be afraid of .... The woman went into the orphanage, came back out alone, got in the car, and drove off. I knew that because the police brought him, the boy had just been taken from his home. Either his parents were taken to jail or he was taken from his parents or he had just lost his parents, and, it had just happened. My heart just broke... I don't think I will ever forget the expression of fear on his face.

We all prayed for that little guy -- sigh -- and left with saddened hearts.

We spent the night back at the church, then headed out to the country orphanage, the one dearest to our hearts. After the 1 hour van ride along Tver's icy outskirts, we were thrilled to drive up to the old, familiar blue house. Once inside the orphanage, we scanned faces, looking for some of the orphans that had become dear friends. Many were gone, mostly because a relative had taken them home for Christmas week. But the ones who remained flashed broad smiles at us as we entered the main visitor's room.

    We followed the same schedule of events as the day before. Since there were only half the number of children, we were able to spend a lot more time with them one-on-one. Also, the workers were very willing to tell us about certain children, which made our connection with them all the most cherished. We learned that Jhimshed, one of the little guys that we all loved dearly, had been adopted out twice since we'd visited in the summer, but that both times he'd run away and found his way back at the orphanage. Marina, one of the preteen girls that I sensed so longed for a mommy, had been adopted, but it hadn't worked out, so she was returned and placed in a different orphanage and we wouldn't see her anymore. This news broke my heart, wondering where she was, what the situation was like for her now. And there were new children: Natasha, 13, and her brother Kiriol , 10, had lived with their grandmother until she had abruptly passed away two weeks before. With no other family, they ended up in the orphanage. Natasha was bubbly and loved being with the team, while Kiriol was quiet and rarely made eye contact, and according to his sister, lost and grieving for his grandmother. Julia was new, too. She was tiny and probably about 6 years old. She was afraid of the guys on our team and looked down, never smiling, making me wonder what she'd endured to be so withdrawn. Brittany spent lots of time with her, speaking some of the Russian she'd learned at school, and before we left, Julia had Brittany teaching her the Russian alphabet as she wanted to read "The Most Important Story," but couldn't.
    Oleg, about 11, was the one surprise for me this trip. He's usually at the orphanage, often silly, trying to get attention. Very likable, but he and I just hadn't connected. We actually knew his older brother Andrey better, as he'd been the one who'd tried out for military officer's school, but been rejected. Between doing crafts, Oleg had come up and shown me his craft and asked my name. Through one of our translators, I spent about five minutes talking to him about things he liked to do, and what he thought about "The Most Important Story." He seemed to really enjoy talking with me, but it ended abruptly when my translator got pulled away. Then Oleg smiled and went back to his craft and I began helping another child. A few minutes later, Oleg reappeared with a tiny heart-shaped candle and gave it to me. I was speechless; five minutes of undivided attention had meant so much to Oleg, and this was his way of saying thank you. Tears pricked my eyes. His smile conquered me - he was so happy with my reaction. It made me think of the many times Justin had drawn a picture for me or handed me a fistful of wildflowers. Justin's smile would beam with satisfaction to see my pleased response. I wondered in that moment if Oleg had ever received a similar reaction to anything he'd ever given anyone. It seems like a right every child should have - to be appreciated and cherished, especially by a mother, for a simple act of love. But that probably wasn't Oleg's story. We found out later that Oleg and Andrey's mother was alive, but never visits or takes them for a weekend, though we got the impression she could if she desired to. The boys aren't adoptable, though, because the government can't locate their dad to sign away his rights to them. It's believed he lives in the Ukraine, but no one knows where, or if he's even alive as he never contacts the boys. So there they'll be until it's their time to leave the orphanage. Sigh....
    Again, our time was suddenly drawing to a close, so we began distributing the Christmas packs to the children. Most of them were so thrilled, digging right in and chattering in Russian to us about their new "treasures." Kiriol, who just lost his grandmother, sat glumly with the pack on his lap, almost in a daze, so at my encouragement, he slowly began to open the pack. I wish you could have seen the expression on his face as he pulled the tissue paper away from the goodies inside. His eyes popped open and, in what seemed like disbelief, he gingerly reached into the pack and pulled out a pair of socks. He showed them to me and looked puzzled, as if thinking, "how can this be?" Then he drew out a toy car, again looking puzzled. Then he drew out THE FLASHLIGHT! He set down the pack and a smile brimmed on his face. Together we loaded the batteries and he showed me how the flashlight would fit into the case provided. He kept turning the flashlight on and off, lost in the world of this simple pleasure.
    As we packed up, wishing we had even another half-hour, most children pulled on their packs and hugged us before being filing out of the room . This is the hardest part: hugs and grasped hands that don't want to let go, eyes looking up with longing into yours, saying what words never could. Our only consolation in the moment was that God had put these children in our hearts and we'd have to wait on Him for our next opportunity with them.

See SorrowUnderfoot.com to view a video that includes time with the orphans (toward the end of the video).

Maureen Taylor, Winter 2009 Orphan Team Member

Orphanage Trips Summer, 2008

Orphanage Trip January, 2008

We had three days to visit the precious Russian orphans in Tver, the country one three times, the city one twice. All the country orphans who were about 8 and older remembered us, but some we hoped to see were missing and reportedly were home for Christmas, adopted, or moved to another orphanage. A Russian team from the church we were staying with in Tver did skits and songs for the kids; we did games and crafts.
 
The city orphans were first to receive the Christmas boxes. They all patiently (and most with incredible, expectant smiles) held their boxes until the last child had received his box, then the gleeful opening began. I wish I could express the joy we all felt as we watched the children open the boxes and dig into the contents, "oo-ing" and "aahh-ing" at each item. Anything that could be worn, was ( sun glasses, caps, gloves, headbands, bracelets, etc.) -- well, that's not entirely true; one little guy pulled out a pair of underwear, gave it a good lookover, then stuffed it back into the box. Two sisters, orphaned Russian gypsies, giggled with wonder and delight -- it made us wonder if they'd ever received any sort of gift. The only feeling I can compare it to (for us) is when you've given a greatly desired but unexpected gift to a son or daughter or dear friend and then have them just burst with amazement and happiness. It was so worth every late night up getting these boxes to them! :)
    Next day was similar to the day before (some of the Russian team joined us), but the host church had gift boxes too for the kids. This was the day for our team to do a skit, one of the Christmas story. All of us played the tradiotional roles, but Ron played two roles: a donkey and a wayward sheep. Gotta say, I don't think any of those kids ever saw a dad get down on his hands and knees and do this -- they were at first amazed, then delighted. (We'll supply the video upon request. :) ) Lots of laughter all around. We played a lot of games and I found myself exchanging vocabulary words, specifically animal names, with 12-year-old Katya. She was proud to share her English with me and I was less proud to share my ignorance of her language. But it worked through "meows" and "neighing" and all the kids got a laugh. I fell in love with one little girl with a shaved head (maybe from lice), about 8 or 9. She had a very sweet spirit about her, very patient and tolerant of those around her, very content to sit on my lap and smile. It made me wonder if she could talk because she never uttered a word either day....
    Last day -- we visited the country orphanage only. I still couldn't figure which boxes were missing...we did have to make up about 8 more boxes, though, for older boys as there were more than we'd expected. After playing games, doing two crafts, songs, doing a puppet show and craft telling how Jesus' death and resurrection is like the death of the caterpillar and birth of the butterfly, we gave out the remainder of the Christmas boxes. Again, we were moved to the point of tears as the children pulled out "treasure after treasure" in their boxes. Maybe because we knew this group better, their joy was all the more meaningful to us, as were their "spa-sea-ba's" (thank-you's). Some boxes weren't delivered that day, but were being saved for when children returned home from the Christmas holiday. The older ones received copies of Sorrow Underfoot's latest cd (recorded for the Russian kids), which turned out to be a bridge to their hearts. They were so excited to hear the band's music.
    There were many personal stories that came out of our time with the orphans, but we'll wait and share them with you another time. I just want you all to know how incredibly meaningful and precious those Christmas boxes were to the children. Their parting hugs and huge smiles and kisses leap all language barriers and I only wish we could truly explain to them (though Shannon did give them a simple version through a translator) that our friends in America care greatly for them, but more importantly, that Jesus cares and loves them forever and wants to be there for them every minute of every day.
    Oh -- and what about that missing suitcase? I kept insisting we weren't missing Christmas boxes, but Ron wasn't convinced until we returned home and found the missing suitcase in the living room, empty! In all the last minute shuffle of boxes into suitcases, he'd forgotten that we'd never used that suitcase at all. Well, praise God! :)



Thanks again to all of you who helped in this project, with boxes, with financial support, with spreading the word and covering us in prayer the whole time in Russia. The fact that we survived the Russian van driver is a sure testimony to prayer!