Skip to main content

Last Bell State of the Union

Dear friends,

Greetings from Indianapolis on behalf of those faithfully serving in Zhytomyr, Ukraine.

It’s hard to believe the people of Ukraine have lived for one and a half years under threatening skies. Our long-suffering friends know first-hand what it is to wander in the wilderness with God. There is no sign that an end to the war is near.

Our youth and staff constantly weigh decisions against the possibility of attacks, air raid sirens, and the potential of being drafted to the front lines.

Those of us who care deeply, though, continue praying fervently for peace to be restored, for God to relieve suffering, and for our ministry to continually renew our focus on loving and restoring orphans towards life and community.

The leadership of Last Bell is committed to shifting gears from the first shock of war into the needs of the present.

In this time of suffering, there is also profound joy. Our extraordinary staff continue to serve hundreds of youth practically, emotionally, and spiritually. You’ve been reading about young women like Karina who’ve experienced true life change.

I’m thrilled about having a full staff in wartime! Although several of our staff evacuated during the start of war, openings were quickly filled by dynamic, compassionate new team members.

The Board and I have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure the long-term health of our ministry. We want Last Bell to keep serving for decades to come.

One of the biggest needs we see right now is for safe housing, especially for the young moms in our Stop the Cycle program. We’ve taken major steps toward adding transitional housing apartments. I look forward to sharing more news about that next year!

We’re expanding our youth tracking system to provide objective data about outcomes, confirming the meaningful change we see in the lives of those we serve.

We’re also preparing to better address the expanding vocational needs of our youth beginning in early 2024, especially those in our Educational Outreach program.

We continue to provide humanitarian relief to those in our community impacted by war, including military helmets, generators, medical kits, and other survival items.

We still need you! I’m thankful for your financial support, generous partnership, and your faithful prayers.

Bless you for your tender hearts for our vulnerable orphaned youth in Ukraine.

Together in this good work,

Megan Hershey
Executive Director

Chess and Conversation at Camp

Please refrain from sharing this story on social media. Thank you!

Youth camp was in late August, and your gifts made it a wonderful week! Our Facebook photo album is here, including notes about special camp activities.

Youth Camp 2023 Photo Album

For orphaned youth, camp is more than just a week of fun. Krystya, a member of our Educational Outreach team, shared this story about a student named Nadia*.

Until camp, Nadia had always been very private, and suspicious of our staff’s motivations. She couldn’t understand why people would help her. At camp, after the last evening service, Nadia was visibly emotional. When Krystya asked if she was okay, Nadia just burst into tears.

They moved away from everyone and sat down at a table near a chess game. Krystya gave Nadia a big hug and let her be quiet for a while. Then Nadia picked up the chess pieces and began using them to tell the story of her life.

Krystya shared, “I don’t play chess at all and know very little about it… I just started praying that the Lord would lead me in this conversation.” Using the same chess pieces, Krystya was able to help Nadia think through her questions, and tell her how much God loves her and is near her.

*Not her real name

the chess table at camp

Since then, Nadia has been in touch with our staff constantly, asking for advice and working to make her life better. 

Your generosity brought Nadia into the Last Bell family, where she’ll receive the support she needs for a healthy life. Thank you!

DRUZI gave Karina a safe place to live.

If you watched the video in the last post, you’ve had a sneak peak at this story! Karina was safely living in the Shelter, and she had job skills. She’d begun to follow Jesus and learn about good parenting. But she and her little girl Evelina had nowhere to live after the Shelter. 

DRUZI gave Karina a safe home.

Karina had received an apartment from the government. But it wasn’t livable. Karina didn’t have the funds for repairs, or any help from her family.

Thanks to DRUZI’s recurring givers, our Restoration Project crew had funding available for a new project. Crew members painted, added counters and a sink, put down flooring, and moved in furniture.

After Karina moved in, she said the apartment gave her a “feeling of security, that you won’t be kicked out tomorrow, that you now have your own home.”

When the next orphan-led family is facing homelessness, will you step into the gap? $100/month can pay for a month of rent. Any amount can help with home repairs! https://lastbell.org/druzi/

On this last day of our Friendship Campaign, we want to say “thank you” to all of you who give, pray, and volunteer. You are restoring orphanage graduates to life and community.

PS: Don’t miss this message from Ruth, a monthly giver from Indianapolis. Ruth shares why she loves giving through DRUZI.

Link to the video about Karina

In Karina’s own words…

In this 3-minute interview, Karina shares how Last Bell’s monthly givers supported her at each step toward a healthy, joyful life: 

Karina is living proof that monthly gifts make a big impact!

$25 can provide two weeks of groceries for a student or small family

$50 can fix a tooth at the dentist

$100 can provide a month of rent for a family in need

Karina’s needs are being met. But without intervention, the next orphaned mom may not be able to keep her children safe. Will you set up a monthly gift to help that mom today? https://lastbell.org/druzi/

Thank you for caring about Ukraine’s most vulnerable people!

PS: In wartime, orphaned young people face higher costs of food, job disruptions, and worries about loved ones on the front line. But they don’t have to face their fears alone. Your gift can help. 

DRUZI helped Karina fulfill her childhood dream

When Karina was a little girl, she dreamed of being a hairdresser. But neither her grandmother nor her foster family had the resources to pay for classes. By the time Karina came to the Shelter with her baby, she had given up on that dream. But that wasn’t the end of the story.

DRUZI gave Karina a vocation.

At the Shelter, Karina’s dream was reborn. She searched online for an affordable class, and brought a proposal to the Shelter staff. Even in the midst of war, YOUR donations provided weeks of tuition and babysitting so Karina could study. She worked hard and received her diploma!

Before the Shelter, Karina didn’t have the skills to provide for her daughter. Now she has a hairdressing certificate and the confidence that comes from having a supportive community.

You can be in Karina’s circle of support! Just $25 can provide two weeks of groceries for moms like Karina. Will you join DRUZI at $25, $50, or even $100 each month?

https://lastbell.org/druzi/

Karina had a new purpose in life, new friends and mentors, and a new skill set. But housing is one of the biggest challenges for orphanage graduates, and Karina still didn’t have a place to live. That story is next!

PS: Many of you have already demonstrated your kindness and compassion through gifts to bless our youth. Even as we invite you into a deeper connection, we also just want to say THANK YOU!

Abandoned by parents, but loved by God

In the last update, we shared how the Shelter welcomed Karina and her baby. Safe housing is an important step toward a healthy family! But Karina still needed hope for her future and peace in her heart. 

DRUZI brought Karina into God’s family.

Because of recurring givers, Karina had a year at the Shelter to hear the good news about Jesus. She encountered His love in daily activities, parenting lessons, and conversations with other youth. She began going to church and brought Evelina to be blessed. Then she decided to follow Jesus! She was baptized this summer.

When you gave to Last Bell, you made a big impact on those in our community affected by war. Most at risk are orphaned youth, who face this difficult time without family support. Young people like Karina need to know God loves them and God’s people will care for them. Will you join DRUZI today in a gesture of love toward Ukraine’s most vulnerable youth and families?

You can join DRUZI at: https://lastbell.org/druzi/

Surrounded by people who follow Jesus, Karina began growing in her faith. But she still couldn’t provide for her daughter. In the next part of the story, find out how a childhood dream helped Karina take the next step!

PS: Karina said “yes” to sharing her story with you, because she really appreciates everyone who’s helped transform her life. Will you be the next faithful friend to our youth?

Time for Friends

Last Bell is declaring a Friendship Campaign!

The word for “friends” in Ukrainian is DRUZI. So that’s our name for recurring givers—the most faithful friends to our youth. We hope to welcome many of you into DRUZI over the next couple of weeks. 

If you’ve already given to support orphaned youth in Zhytomyr, thank you for your generosity! DRUZI is an opportunity to turn that generosity into lifelong transformation for young people like Karina. 

Druzi gave Karina a safe place to live.

Karina’s parents abandoned her. She lived with her grandmother, then in a foster home. Then she aged out. When Karina’s boyfriend ended their relationship, she and her new baby needed somewhere to live. Thanks to recurring gifts, our Shelter is always ready for moms in crisis. Karina and baby Evelina moved into our warm, welcoming home.

DRUZI (recurring givers) enable our staff to meet the needs of youth as they arise, including safe housing. Will you join our young people’s most faithful friends at $25, $50, or even $100 each month? 

https://lastbell.org/druzi/

The Shelter solved Karina’s housing crisis. But she needed more than temporary shelter to make a healthy life for her little family. Watch for the rest of her story, next! 

PS: Our Friendship Campaign ends October 10th! Will you help us reach our goal of $500 in new monthly donations?

Meeting physical needs in 2023

Orphaned youth so often come to us feeling lost, alone, and hopeless. As our staff begin nurturing and mentoring these precious young people, many of the first needs we meet are physical. That foundation of bodily safety begins the healing process for our youth. 

Here are a few of the ways your generosity met the physical needs of orphaned youth in 2023:

Feeding Youth in Wartime

Orphaned youth often experience food insecurity, and struggle to feed themselves and their families. Groceries and cooking lessons bring them into the center of community life! Read more.

Confidence Through the Clothing Pantry

Our pantry is always well-stocked, thanks to friends all over the world! Volunteers collect and ship boxes of coats, vests, clothes, and shoes. Then our staff welcomes youth and families to pick out just the right thing. Kids find something to wear that makes them smile. Read more.

A Healthy Smile

Staff member Yulia N. shared the reasons for the dental problems we see: “Lack of hygiene, lack of finances for treatment, and a great fear of doctors. In the institutions, children faced poor treatment and outdated methods, for example without good anesthesia.” So even in wartime, one of our most important services is dental advocacy. Read more.

At the Hospital

Who do you call when your child is having surgery? Where do you turn for comfort and prayer? Medical advocacy is more than talking to a doctor or paying a bill. In a scary medical situation, orphaned youth need loving care across the whole spectrum of physical, spiritual, and emotional needs.  Read more.

In 2023, our friends provided food security, clothing, and better health for many orphaned youth. Will you join them with a gift of $25 or more today?

A Seat at the Kitchen Table: Shelter renovations are finished!

The Shelter kitchen renovation is complete! We’re so thankful to our friends at Genesis Church in Carmel, IN for sponsoring this project. 

When we meet orphaned youth, they’re often living at the margins of society. They’ve been rejected by their families, isolated, left out of the dance of community. During wartime, they’re especially vulnerable.

But at the Shelter, we invite these young people – especially moms in crisis – into the very heart of family life. Their isolation turns into belonging.

The Shelter’s central hub is, of course, the kitchen! It’s the hearth where youth and staff come together to be warmed and fed. It’s where mentorship gives our moms confidence to cook for their families. It’s a cultural center, where staff members teach orphaned youth the traditional recipes they’ve missed growing up. 

A renovated kitchen means more space for everyone, and room to share! Our Educational Outreach girls’ group recently took a field trip to the Shelter (above). In the new kitchen, Anya taught the students how to make holubtsi, or cabbage rolls, a difficult but deeply Ukrainian dish. 

And the old kitchen keeps on giving. The Shelter no longer needed the old cabinets, and former Shelter resident Alina didn’t have any. So, our Restoration Project crew installed them in the apartment where she lives with her little girl. 

Thank you, Genesis, and thank you to all our friends for being part of the Shelter welcoming committee!

Would your church or small group consider sponsoring a renovation project?

Responding to War, Supporting Our Staff

This week marks a year and a half since Russia’s full-scale invasion. We see the impact of war everywhere in our region. In June, when our moms’ group drove to camp, the roads were still badly broken from Russian tanks rolling over them last spring.

How are we responding as the crisis continues?

We keep our doors open.

Our staff ensures our facilities are open to youth and families. A generator at the Shelter is ready for blackouts. When the city lost water, the Restoration Project crew filled up canisters from a spring outside of town.

We support orphaned youth.

The war touches each person in a different way. Many of our Stop the Cycle families worry about their dads and other loved ones who are defending their country. Our staff brings diapers, groceries, and compassionate listening.

One local college attended by our youth had lost twelve students to the war, and the administration asked us for help with a memorial project. Together, our staff and students planted twelve trees in honor of the fallen students.

We support military families.

Your gifts toward war relief provide for groceries, medications, protective equipment, and other supplies for military families and soldiers. But not all needs are tangible. Every week fresh graves appear in Zhytomyr’s military cemetery, and families are grieving. Our staff and one mom recently sat down to write letters and send gifts to widows of fallen soldiers.

We take care of our staff.

Executive Director Megan Hershey shared,

“We continue to prioritize our staff’s physical, emotional, and spiritual health during wartime. In my weekly calls with Ministry Director Andrey, we discuss individual staff needs and have tangibly responded. We’ve provided for medical needs (due to the stress of war), held retreats at our Ranch property, and offered generators during power outages. We pray for staff members by name. As a leadership team, we’ve also responded to the extreme inflation in Ukraine by increasing staff salaries.”

We’re encouraged by your support during this ongoing challenge. Thank you for giving, praying, volunteering, and sending notes. Your generosity gives hope to all of us.

The military cemetery in Zhytomyr

At the hospital with orphaned youth

Who do you call when you’re sick? When your child is having surgery? Where do you turn for comfort, help, and prayer?

When Anya’s little girl Eva was going under anesthesia for dental work, she asked our staff to pray. When it went well, she got in touch to tell us. 

When Valera had a severe epileptic episode, staff member Sasha visited the hospital and brought everything he needed. 

Medical advocacy is more than talking to a doctor or paying a bill. In a scary medical situation, orphaned youth need loving care across the whole spectrum of physical, spiritual, and emotional needs.

Y. is a graduate of our Stop the Cycle program for orphaned parents. Her son, N., has an autism diagnosis from the doctor. Yana wants to enroll him in a specialized school, but that requires more tests. Some are expensive, and your donations help pay for them.  

Recently, N. had a procedure under anesthesia. Y. was very worried, and cried when N. fell asleep. But she wasn’t alone. Staff member Yuliana was at the hospital to provide support and pray with her.

Yuliana shared, “Y. is very grateful that there are people nearby who love her and N., and always support her.”

Our youth need medical advocacy for many situations – one-time procedures like Eva’s, chronic conditions like Valera’s, and complex situations that require ongoing counsel and support. Because of your generosity, our staff are a reassuring presence for these youth and families.

Thank you! 

PS: Will you pray for our youth and families, and our staff who serve them every day?

Photos: Former Orphan & Daughter Serve at Family Camp

What do you see in the photo above?

Perhaps a teenager watching a sleeping baby. But there’s so much more! The girl is Ksenya, and her parents are staff members Sasha and Yuliana. 

When Yulia was nine years old, she went to live at an orphanage. She and the other children were neglected and mistreated. Their food was taken away. They were punished in ways that could be called torture.

We began mentoring Yulia when she was a teenager. She became a Christian; she studied well and found a good job as a nurse. Then in 2012, Ksenya was born. After such a terrible childhood, how could Yulia learn to be a good parent? 

Family camps meant the world to Yulia. After camp in 2014 she wrote, “At just that moment in my life when it was very difficult to take care of my child, I learned the right methods.”

Last Bell’s leaders and volunteers played with little Ksenya while Yulia soaked up the parenting classes. Nine years later, Ksenya is a volunteer. “She’s so grown up,” Yuliana wrote, “and understands that she isn’t just playing with children, but serving God with her help.” While Ksenya watches babies, her mom is teaching the next generation how to raise children with love. 

YOU provided for camp all those years ago, and again in 2023. Thank you! Your generosity ripples out into our community, changing family after family. Who knows if Last Bell’s next leader will come from this year’s campers?

Bonus Photos: A Loving Community

At camp, orphaned parents don’t just take classes. They’re woven into a big extended family full of aunts, uncles, and grandparents who pay attention to their needs and walk beside them. 

Left: Lonya fell in love with this scooter during camp. Afterwards his dream came true – the scooter went home with him! Right: Staff member Sergei spent a lot of time babysitting Kiril. His mom would say, “Go to grandpa!”