Children’s Ministries:
Orphans Reborn, Summer Camp, Street Kids
Every year since 1994 the Union of ECB churches in Bashkiria has been having children’s and youth camps. 3 thousand kids have been to our camps during this period of time. Our camps are of evangelistic character. That is why we invite kids from unchurched families. Kids from Christian families constitute less than 20% and they serve as “missionaries” in the camp.
Victor and me, Natalia, have been organizing the camps since 1999. The kids who used to be littlie in 1999, are now church members and work as leaders, musicians and sport coaches in the camp. Those who are under 18 try to work as assistants. They wash dishes, clean the territory, bring water. They are ready to do everything in order to stay in the camp! Camps are a very good method of evangelization, as parents of kids also receive the Saviour into their hearts. Recently a mother of a young girl received the Lord – 8 years after her daughter began to visit Christian camps. The sown seed of the Word of God gives birth to saving faith. These are miracles of God!
We invite kids from the orphanages. It is becoming harder to do it as often legislation changes here in Bashkiria. Sometimes we are not allowed to invite kids. But God helps us.
There are about 700 thousand kids in the orphanages in Russia. When they leave orphanages 75% of them will get into prison, or will become prostitutes. And 40% of their kids in their turn will find shelter in the orphanages.
Bashkiria is among leaders in the number of orphanages. 95% of kids in the orphanages are kids of people who are deprived of parental rights. We will do our best to invite more kids to our camps that they will listen to the Good News.
There are many homeless kids in Bashkiria now, as it was after the revolution in 1917. During last several months of 2006 many divorces were registered in Russia. 70% of kids live with one parent.
Kids are forsaken here in Bashkiria. The most horrific thing about the kids that when they commit crime – murder, stealing, abuse – the kids believe they do good. One boy of 12-years-old, whom we talked to in a correctional institution gave his grandmother and grandfather and neighbors to drink dichloroethane and they died instantly. The boy explained it the following way: “They constantly drank Vodka. They did not give me something to eat. They forced me to get them Vodka. I was tired and became bored of them!” He is not sorry about it. The most difficult thing to do is to explain the meaning of the word – sin – to such kids, as they think that when they steal something and get food by stealing – they are lucky, as they stayed hungry for several days.
According to statistics – 20 kids receive the Lord in young age, in comparison to one adult who receives Christ in matured age. Kids need to listen to Good News. “And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me” (Matthew 18:5).
Opportunities
We invite homeless kids who live with supervisors, and kids from the orphanages to the camp. Earlier we took about 20 problem kids to the camp (with physiological traumas in their childhood). Now we can invite 100 of such kids! Kids from wealthy families are able to have good rest during summer. Forsaken kids do not have such opportunities. There is no one to pay for their travel expenses and meals. We find funds for 15-20 kids, but what about 60 of other kids? 80 kids dream of going to the camp. They are already bothering us with one question – when the camp will begin? When they watched a film about the camp they dream of going there. But we will have to cover their stay in the camp. We will have to find funds for it – we need $6,445!
Last year (2006) we had 234 kids in the camp. 176 kids were from unsaved families – 75%. 58 kids were from Christian families.
– 10 kids were from large families.
– 101 kids were from incomplete families (usually single mother) – 43%
– 93 kids from families with drinking parents – 40%
– 23 kids from imprisoned parents – 10%
– 19 kids from families of unemployed parents – 8%
– 2 handicapped kids – 1%
– 8 orphans – 3%
– 23 homeless kids – 10%
Budget for 2006
Income:
- Donations from individuals $9,499.
- from the Fund – $1,307.
- from the SGA – $4,749.
- from businessmen – $1,307.
TOTAL: $ 16,862
Expenses:
- Meals – $9,434.
- Transportation – $2,885.
- supplies for craft classes and sports – $528.
- Equipment – $370.
- Medicine – $830.
- Things for laundry – $1,290.
- Rent (for land) – $1,525.
TOTAL: $ 16,862.
Our decision
We are asked to take 60 homeless kids and about 20 orphans, whose parents are in prison or who stay with trustee. They can not pay for camp expenses. They are to see God’s love with their own eyes. They are to feel the warmth of our arms – they will be able to do it while in the camp during 12 days.
The result we expect to achieve in the camp, and real result
In 2000 we invited a girl Aliona to the camp. Her mother died and her father is an alcoholic. Her granny was looking after her. The girl received the Lord in the camp. In 2004 Aliona was baptised, in 2005 her granny repented.
The kids from the risky group came to the camp in 2005 for the first time. We welcomed more than 20 kids of 13-16 years of age. They had special time in the camp. 10 kids repented. And their lives changed. A girl Kate is ready for the baptism. Those who visited the camp now attend the church and sing, recite poems. We began to keep contacts with other kids. They began to attend secondary schools, some found jobs. Their relations with their trustees improved. They visit the church. Some parents stopped to drink alcohol and also found jobs!
Testimonies of kids:
Regina (16-years-old): “Now I love my mother. I want to go home and to tell her that I love her!” The problem was that Regina hated her mother, that she gave birth to her when she was 16. Her father was in prison for drugs. She escaped from home as she did not want to live with her mother. After her repentance she changed drastically. Now her greatest need is that her mother will also believe in God! Regina lives in the village, but often comes to the church in the town alone.
Artiom (10-years-old): “This is the best time I even had in my life. I am looking forward to the summer to go to the camp!”
Svetlana (13-years-old): “My behavior in the camp was terrible. But I repented and I know Jesus now!”
Kate (12-years-old): “As soon as I get home I will ask my mother to forgive me. I will tell her about Jesus and I will try to behave well. I will teach my mother to pray!”
Last year (2006) we began to do paper work to buy a property for the camp in 60 km from Ufa, in Iglinsky disrict, on the bank of the Sim River. We plan to have two groups. Each group will stay 12 days in the camp. The campus is not arranged yet. It will demand a lot of funds and strength to put it in order. We will live in an old wooden huts.
We do not have a car for the camp ministry. I mean a four-wheel drive car – which will be able to cover mud, dirty roads after the rain, country roads. Two times we were left without water as we did not have a car. Several times we risked to get along without bread and other food. But God always helped us. Church men came to the camp and helped us, but they could not do it all the time. We pray for the opportunity to have a car, as it is hard to get along without a car.
This has been our prayer request for already 5 years. We do need a car, as in case of emergency we will not be able to do something important and lifesaving. This is our main prayer request.
Notice: The Northern California Coalition is sending a team to work in this Summer Camp in early July. We are seeking to send $10,000 or more to help pay for summer camp. The Funds are needed ASAP. If you are interested in supporting this venture, please give the donation to your Coalition Church for Ufa Summer Camp or you may contact SGA and donate that way. Please be sure to designate it to Ufa Summer Camp. – Bud Haskell, N. Calif. Coalition Coordinator
Northern California Antioch Initiative 
Is there an updated article? Will there be camp this year?
Thank you,
Jill Price
JillPr@sbcglobal.net
925-516-2839
Discovery Bay Resident
Jill…there will be camp this year, however, there will not be a team from our NorCal Coalition. The reason is that there were many difficult complications, court issues and threats that took place after the successful camp in 2009. So, this year our friends in Russia have asked us to not return this year…so that they can focus on ministry and not legalities, etc. It just means that we can support them in other ways.
Hope this helps,
Rod
Hello!
My name is Valentina. I am the director of the Center of kids’ social
guardianship “Children’s Siloam”.
The directions of the Center’s work:
• Work with the mentally handicapped children, who study at special school;
• Work with the children from the village orphanage for the mentally backward children;
• Work with the children of the nursery school’s group in which children dwell from Monday to Friday;
• Work with the teen-agers and kids from the city orphanage.
• Taking care of 45 children, who are in the Center’s daily stay. There are children from the crisis families, big families and kids under the guardianship.
• Summer camps and holidays for kids of Ukraine and other countries (Estonia, Byelorussia, Russia).
The main goals:
• Spiritually- soul help to the children, who have become the sacrifice of the parents’ indifference and criminality and have gained very hard life experience.
• Upbringing of the children on the ground of Christian ethics and morals.
• Influence on the development of children’s personal abilities for overcoming the life crises.
• Supporting the individual aid in studying.
• Organizing the conditions for improving children’s health.
The description of the every direction of the work:
• The city school for mentally handicapped children.
Every Wednesday we make the “Lessons of the Life” for these kids. During the meetings we tell kids about Jesus Christ, His love and miracles, play different games, which help them to get to know the world, to develop their thinking, vocabulary and take right decisions in different life situations, tell them about Jesus and his love.
• The village orphanage for the mental backward children
With big impatience the worker of the Center wait meeting with 95 children of the village orphanage. During the meetings we play different games with them, show different performances, make the hand-made articles, sing Christian songs and talk about Christian ethics and morals. The gifts from the Children’s Center make children happy. When we have a possibility we help this orphanage with clothes and shoes, which receive from church’s members. The biggest desire of the Center’s workers is to see these children as the successful and happy citizens of our country.
• The city orphanage
Every Sunday the volunteers of the Children’s Center go to the orphanage and hold meeting of the Christian ethics and morals with the teen-agers and kids. Our goal is to help the girls and boys to define right values of the life, to form the personality and to learn not to be aggressive. Also we try to help them to develop their personalities in the society. Teen-agers like the openness and transparence of relationship while interacting with the volunteers.
• The nursery school’s twenty-four-hours group
We want to reveal God’s love, because the children from this group specially need it. They are deprived of the constant parent’s love and caring. Through this “Life Lessons”, games, puppet-shows, different gifts we try to help the little souls, which have become the sacrifice of the parents’ indifference. These children dwell in the nursery school’s twenty-four-hours group from Monday to Friday.
• The children of the Center’s daily stay
Forty five boys and girls attend Children’s Center “Children’s Siloam”. Almost all of them have gained very hard life experience. Some of the children are under the guardianship of the grand- grandmother, grandmothers and guardian parents, in the crisis families, poor and big families. We try to help all this children spiritually, emotional, socially, financially. We hold “Life Lessons” for them; teach them how to make the hand-made articles. The Center’s workers help the children to develop their personally abilities through different activities such as participation in various types of clubs. We visit all the children’s families every week and hold the “Bible minutes”: speak with kids about Christ , speak with parents, play games, do the logical sums, visit the schools where the children study and personally help those children who have bad progress in the school with personal studying , teach them English. Also we make charity lunches and try to improve all children’s health.
I would like to ask you can you take some (3-5) kids to your camp.
Is it possible?
God bless you!
I am looking forward to hearing from you!
Valentina