June 20, 2007

Yesterday, I had the privilege of interviewing one of the teenage boys – below is his story.

He didn’t remember how he came to the orphanage.  Abandoned by his mother and his father deceased, he only knew that they found him in the cemetery.  In Russia, there is a custom of taking food to the cemeteries and laying it on the gravesites for the dead.  Apparently, homeless people take the food to survive and this is what this young boy was doing as well. 

The Bible teacher said when he came to the orphanage, the young boy was very wild and out of control.  He did not want to study and read the Bible.  In protest, he would lie on the floor swearing and slithering back and forth like a snake.  

Some time later he was admitted into the hospital.  The teacher said that many times the children in the orphanages are weak and have to go to the hospital often.  While he was in the hospital, he was in the same room as another boy.  The boy’s mother noticed that nobody came to visit him.  She started to bring extra food for him and visit with him telling him about Jesus and the Bible. 

When he returned to the orphanage, he started attending the Bible study lessons and praying.  Also, he was able to go and live with his older sister.  He now attends the orphanage during the day for school.  He said that when he has difficult moments he prays to God and has experienced His comfort and answers to prayer.

 

Orphanage in the country.

After a scenic drive through piney hills driving alongside a picturesque river, we arrived at the orphanage greeted by excited children.  They performed a funny puppet routine and then we broke into our small groups.  I was going from room to room and decided to stay with the teenage girls.  They listened intently as Mary K shared her pictures and as Fred K. presented the gospel.  The girls seemed keenly interested in all that was being said.  Afterwards, I had the privilege of speaking with one of the girls. 

You could tell she was excited that I wanted to interview her.  All the girls were trying to listen in, I guess wondering why she was picked to be interviewed.  I choose to interview Dasha because I noticed she was also collecting gifts for another girl that was in the hospital.  I thought, “How compassionate of her to do this” and I wanted to hear her story.

Dasha , a 14 year old and like any other child, she likes to listen to music and watch TV.  I learned that she also attended Bible lessons that were given by a volunteer at the orphanage.  She had 3 sisters and one of her sisters was in the orphanage with her.  She had only lived in the orphanage a couple of months.  She said a conflict with her father is what brought her to the orphanage.  Exploring further I learned she had missed school and when her father found out he beat her.  It seemed there were some additional problems as well.  She said her grandmother called and had her placed in the orphanage.  She teared up when I asked about her mother.  When Dasha was 9 years old she had witnessed her mother being shot in the forest.   She greatly missed her mother and if she could be granted anything it would be that her mother would still be alive. 

Dasha’s story is tragic with so much pain and hurt in the life of one so young.   However, I saw something in Dasha.  She had a compassion that only can be explained through the pain she knew all too well.  She prayed when the Gospel was presented and yet also seemed to already possess the importance of knowing Him.  My heart was touched by Dasha and for today I knew it was to share her life story and to feel her pain.