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!
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.
What a blessed week we all had as we ministered to the Russian women and orphans
in the cities of Tver, Tambov, Nizhny, and Kaluga! As we followed the One-Year
Bible in our daily devotions and in the Bible Bus Stops, Romans 1:11 really
seemed to sum up the week:"I long to see you that I may impart some spiritual
gift to make you strong - that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by
each other's faith."
We all arrived at the Moscow dorm on July 8th. Our team this year consisted of a
core team of women, the dorm's staff and summer interns. Two things different
from prior years: Debbi wasn't able to join us due to her mother's sudden
illness, and that we had a team of men (dorm staff and an intern), joining us
to assist the ladies in their tasks.
The combined team of 25 embarked on the first leg of ministry week at 6:15 a.m.
Wed. morning. We piled into two vans and started on our 3-hour ride to Tver(
directly north of Moscow), a bouncy excursion down primarily 2-lane highways in
the Russian countryside. Fog still lingered in the plush green fields we passed,
many being dotted with rustic farmhouses and an occasional line of clothes. As
it was early, most of us caught a few more winks before arriving at the stone
Presbyterian church and home to Pastor Igor and his wife Natasha. They very
graciously took us in and stowed our luggage as we readied to head out again.
Our first stop was to the 'old" country orphanage about an hour outside the
city, a drive into rural Russia, its lush wild flowers lining the highway. As
our driver turned down the orphanage driveway, its familiar bright blue house
warmed our hearts - this orphanage has become one of our favorites. As we
entered the main activity room, we recognized only a few faces as many of the
children we've come to know and love were away at summer camps. Still our
hearts melted for these children, most in the 7 - 11 age range. Some of the
girls were dressed up, and when I asked why, a translator said it was for us. :)
Our plan for each orphanage was similar: playtime, a time of sharing Jesus with
them, more playtime. For us this translated into making balloon hats, animals
and swords, tootsie pops for all, playing balloon volleyball, face painting ,
foam board crafts, more candy, dazzling stickers on clothing and foreheads,
singing and hopping around to the "Hokey Pokey," and lots of giggles and
laughter, hugs, and sweet encouraging words to the children.
Having the men
join us with the orphans was wonderful because it offered some positive
"guy-time" for the boys, as many have bad memories of the male authority
figures in their lives. Suzanne shared a message with the children about our
need to be washed of all the bad things that we've done, then set up a wash tub
where children could get their feet washed (like Jesus had washed the
disciple's feet). There were two brave children who allowed Suzanne to wash
their feet, though many more bowed their heads and asked Jesus to come into
their lives when she gave the invitation.
Suddenly our two hours were up and we were packing up and saying good-bye,
always the toughest part of our visit. There is always one that wiggles into
each of our hearts, no doubt the Lord's way of keeping us in prayer for that
special child. So we swallowed down our emotions, waved goodbye and blew
kisses, then headed back to the city.
After a quick lunch in town, we headed to the city orphanage, a location that
has been frequented by the women's teams. Again, many of the children we'd
gotten to know weren't there (due to summer camps or just being shuffled from
orphanage to orphanage). There were two basic groups: 4-7 year olds and
teenagers. They allowed us to play outside with them, which meant we could
break out the bubbles (a huge hit with the little ones) and the silly string
(the teens just loved it). "Guy time" mostly consisted of knocking the ball
around, baseball, and Frisbee, while the littler ones just loved clutching
balloons and savoring their tootsie pops. Linda Powell gave the children a
presentation on the God's plan for salvation by using colored hearts on a type
of flannel board, while Suzanne and the younger women on the team shared the
Lord with two teen girls who'd been brought to the orphanage to escape abuse in
their homes. Both girls were given the Gospel of John in Russian and prayed to
accept Jesus, which was such a blessing. Once again it was hard to say goodbye!
Back at the church, we ate dinner, then prepared for an evening with the
Christian ladies of Tver. Cindy led a study that focused on the theme of the
different types of shoes we wear and compared them to our spiritual walk with
the Lord. There was a time of sharing, in which a few of the Russian women
candidly, but sweetly, shared about the rigors of walking with Jesus when a
husband doesn't believe, or being widowed with several children and trying to
make ends meets. We were all touched by how they cling to Jesus, knowing He is
the only One that gets them through their day. Their faith was an inspiration
to us all and humbled us in our own walks with the Lord. The evening wrapped
up with a time of food, fellowship and lifting each other up in prayer for
personal needs.
Next morning we were up early and heading out to a "new" orphanage in the
country. We'd been told that the children at this facility had special needs of
one sort or another (though it wasn't always obvious what the "need" was).
As we pulled up, the building looked more governmental than the cheerfully
decorated orphanages from the day before. However, the directors seemed fine
with us being there and suggested we have our activities outside.
As we prayed and began pulling out our supplies, we praised God for the
beautiful weather, though some of the team got more than their share of
mosquito bites. The children began to emerge in small numbers until we had
about 35, most in the preteen and teen years. There were a good number of boys,
so again we were thankful for our guys and how they ministered to them.As at
all the orphanages, we snapped a picture of each child after smoothing a tag
with their name on their chest. One of the joys of digital cameras is that
pictures can be viewed immediately; most children grinned big when they
glimpsed themselves in the display.
It was truly heart-wrenching when they
looked, frowned, then turned away, feigning apathy or disgust. It made us
wonder what had happened in their brief lives to make them react that way. At
this outing, we presented a puppet show about Jesus being our best Friend,
followed up with Suzanne sharing how we all needed to be washed of our sins.
While none of the children wanted their feet washed, many raised their hands
and prayed for Jesus to be their Savior.
Again, our time ran out before we were ready to go, but we packed up, gave
last hugs and took pictures with the ones God had laid on each of our hearts,
then headed back to the city. At this point the team split up, some heading to
Tambov, the other to Nizhny, both taking overnight trains to get to their
destinations.
After riding/sleeping 11 hours on the overnight train, we arrived in beautiful
Tambov (about 9 hours SE of Moscow) and were met by the CC Tambov pastor, Ray
Curran. We gathered at his nearby flat where we were warmly received by his
wife Rebecca and four children. After being assigned to homes to stay in with
various church members, we assembled at the church, a rented room in a large
building that has served as the site of outreach concerts. Dana Bringolf led
our team in Tambov and directed us as prepared for the women's conference there.
Our first step was to extend women's conference invitations to ladies in the
city. We found a spot near a small amusement park and began making balloon
animals and singing worship songs with guitars and a djembe. As women drew
near, often with the hope of getting a balloon animal for their child, we told
them about the conference.
We held the conference the next day, arriving early to decorate the room, set
out refreshments and pray for the conference. We had a wonderful gathering of
ladies from the church and others nearby, and some from the English classes
Rebecca taught. We opened in pray and worship, then Dana shared the story of
Acsah, Caleb's daughter (Joshua 15: 17 - 19) and encouraged the women in their
Father/daughter relationship with the Lord.
While we met with the ladies, Linda and some of our younger men held a children's
outreach outside. The boys created balloon animals and batted beach balls back
and forth to attract parents passing by, and when appropriate, Linda shared
Jesus with them (through a translator).
Others on our men's team prepared and served the ladies' lunch, a beautiful
display of sandwiches and sliced fruit. After lunch and fellowshipping with the
Russian ladies, the conference resumed with prayer, worship, a
testimony from
an American team member, and finally, a time of breaking up into small groups
to discuss verses that dealt with the "living waters" Jesus promises us. This
was an unexpectedly sweet time of fellowship as the American and Russian women
dove into the Word and shared how God had made these verses so dear to us. The
conference ended before we truly finished our precious discussions together.
Church the next day offered us another opportunity to continue our fellowship
with the women. Some ladies were attending church for the first time! Pastor
Ray turned his pulpit over to us and allowed members of our team to share
whatever the Lord was laying on our hearts; the encouragement offered turned
out to be a blessing to us all. As church concluded, the women on the team
treated Rebecca to an afternoon out, complete with lunch by Tambov's soothing
riverside, shopping and dessert at a charming coffee house.
Prior to leaving Monday, we were able to visit a special needs orphanage on the
outskirts of town. Although permission was previously obtained to visit the
children, upon our arrival, the directors changed their minds. So while our
translator Veronica and Pastor Ray talked to the directors, the team prayed for
a softening of the directors' hearts, and praise God, they did.
At first they
only granted us 45 minutes with the children (and no preaching or photos), but
once they saw how we were genuinely loving the children and just wanting to
bring some happiness into their lives, the directors extended our stay to about
1 and a half hours. Most children were 3 - 7 years old, very small and thin, some with
obvious problems, some not. We praise God for this first "open door" with
these children and pray the directors will stay open to many more
opportunities in the future.
Helping out at Rebecca's English class wrapped up our time in Tambov. Team
members paired up with Russian students and practiced dialogue, asking common
conversational questions. Not all were Christians, so it gave us yet another
opportunity to share our faith in a practical way.
As the team split, most went to Tambov but Laurah, Galya, Suzanne and myself
(Cindy) raced in the summer rain to catch a train to Nizhny. Once on board we
enjoyed Turkish coffee in the old fashioned food car and settled into a Bible
Bus Stop. Time sped by quickly and we arrived in the city of Nizhny-Novgorod.
Pastor Vlad warmly greeting us and showed us his beautiful, historical city
where the Volga and Oka rivers meet.
A dear friend, Masha, invited us to stay at her apartment.
Soon we were joined by Sveta and Mariana (Pastor's wives) and some other
sisters. We spent the evening visiting, sorting and preparing all the
donations for the orphanage visit. It was good to see these precious friends
after so long a time.
Saturday the ladies of Calvary Chapel Nizhny gathered at Masha's apartment
for an all day women's event. We enjoyed traditional Russian food, worship,
prayer, testimonies, and a rich time in God's Word. Summer days are long in
Russia and we enjoyed wonderful fellowship long into the night!
Sunday we were privileged to attend church and hear Pastor Vlad teach.
Calvary Chapel Nizhny made each of us feel so welcomed and we were built up
and enjoyed great fellowship with one another. Most of the church went to a
park for a family sports day, while we were treated to a tour of the Kremlin
which has a history dating back to the 1500's.
After lunch Mariana and her husband, Suzanne and myself went to visit a friend,
Tanya, in the hospital. Stopping on the way at a fresh fruit stand, we were
able to buy delicious cherries, bananas, and some vegetables to bring to Tanya.
The hospital visit was really incredible and we were so encouraged by Tanya's
faith and trust in the Lord to carry her through her very serious illness.
We joined together and sang praise songs, read a Psalm together and ended the
visit with a sweet time of prayer. Suzanne and I were blessed to meet the 6
elderly ladies that shared Tanya's hospital room.
Monday brought opportunity to visit a very prominent orphanage, one supported
by Prime Minister Putin himself. It turned out to be what is considered a
distribution center for all of Russia. Children from all over the country who
have lost their parents are sent there, processed into the system and then
placed in an orphanage somewhere in Russia.
The director was very pleased to have our team visit and set out a beautiful
tea for us while we waited anxiously to see the children. After being shown
through the entire facility we were able to spend about 45 minutes with the
children. Suzanne shared God's love with the children through a puppet show
and she asked them if they wanted to have a friend like Jesus....a resounding
"Da!" as each hand went up and Pastor Vlad led the children in a prayer to ask
Jesus into their hearts. Each one received a Gospel of John in Russian.
God gave us grace with the director and she allowed us to stay 30 minutes
longer which enabled us to spend time interacting with the children. Oh what
fun we had making bead bracelets and chokers, face painting, handing out
stuffed animals and just loving the children. We regretfully packed up our
things, said our good byes and were invited back anytime! Praise the Lord for
this new open door.
The men's team headed back to the dorm as the Tambov team met up with those
returning from Nizhny team. We grabbed breakfast, then boarded a train for
Kaluga (about 3 hours 100 SW of Moscow). This was a sweet time of reunion and
hearing how the Lord had blessed our respective conferences.
We arrived under a bright, hot sun in the city of Kaluga. Pastor Dima met us,
and after getting us squared away in our hotel, etc., we gathered at his
apartment and were greeted by his wife Nadia who was holding their precious new
son, Ilya, while four year-old Sergei shyly stood behind her. Women from the
church arrived shortly after for a Bible study led by Dana Bringolf , which
began with a time of fellowship and dinner. After the study, the women's team
talked and prayed with the Kaluga women. Many of these ladies were ones we
knew from last year and it was a blessing to reconnect with them and see how
the Lord had worked in their lives since our last visit.
We met the next morning back at Dima's apartment for a Bible Bus stop led by
Cindy. Again, the ladies fellowshipped and prayed for each other, then all went
to lunch at a local pizza restaurant. We really got to really know these ladies
and get a good glimpse into their lives, and be blessed by the hospitality of
Dima & Nadia.
As we boarded our train back to the Moscow dorm, we enjoyed swapping stories and praising God for all His provision, mercy, grace and sheer joy in ministering to the Russian women and orphans. We all received a new measure of insight into their lives, but also into lessons the Lord gave us personally to treasure from the week. We look forward to the fruit that will come from our time here and anxiously wait on the Lord for the next opportunity He'll provide for us to return.
