Where did I leave off on the last blog? Oh, I know, we were in the water! What fun we had! The other two days we spent in Znamenka were filled with stories, music and crafts with a couple of afternoon excursions. Here's some pictures of our days in the orphanage.
Just a few pictures of a pink whale and some friendly looking lions
We asked our good friends Majdi and Alonna who own the Food Gallery in town if we could bring the kids by for dinner. They were delighted and put tables together to accommodate our party of 21. The café is not far from the orphanage so we were able to bring 5 kids in wheelchairs. It was quite a parade! Znamenka will never be the same!
Some of the girls were dressed up like they were going to the prom! It was truly a delight to take them and watch their absolute joy at eating out!
What a great meal we had - pizza and fries and even bread! They loved it all! When we were absolutely stuffed Majdi said dessert was on the house! Somehow everyone found room for dessert!
Our farewell to most of the kids was the next morning. They sang to us much better than we had sung to them I might add. It was delightful!
That afternoon we took a bus to the neighboring "big city" to go to an amusement part and then to the races. Big day!
We said our goodbyes and picked up some pizza and lasagna for the train ride to Kiev. What an amazing time we had. So many memories!
It was Jeannie and Alicia's first conference but our fourth. We held it at the same place as last year. Our dear friends from Almaz were our volunteers and let us use their equipment for our presentations. All our presenters this year were from Ukraine with the exception of Dave and I. We had people there who have made a difference in the lives of these special children in Ukraine. It was a rich conference.
This is our registration table. CBN gave us Superbook CD's to give out to each attendee and a book by John Piper was translated into Russian especially for this conference for each person to have.
God bless these volunteers who were everywhere from the snack room to the kid's room to the classrooms making everything run smoothly.
Our lunch this year was enjoyed by everyone. Some even ate under the trees on this lovely day.
Some of our friends did not think many people would show up with the troubles Ukraine is experiencing right now. We just felt God would bring those who needed to hear this message. And He did! Seventy percent of the audience were first time attendees! It was a great time of networking and learning.
We met so many new friends and renewed many old friendships. Everyone left with a certificate for the training they received. We envision a Respite, Resource Center coming out of this conference. It's called RC Squared. We have a name and a dream and a big God. Please pray for David as he leaves for Ukraine in October to do some follow up work there and see how God directs.
A last dinner with some of the speakers and volunteers was delicious and a great ending to our trip. Thanks for following us and praying for us. If you feel led to donate our paypal button is at the top left. God bless you all!
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