A Week of Camp, a Year of Impact

Now that we’re reopening, I just have to look around me to remember the value of summer camp. I see orphanage graduates at meetings for moms, visiting our Day Center, and attending church because of camp.

At church, I see Dima (above). Last year, he struggled to make good decisions, was manipulated and used by others, and had trouble holding down a job. At camp, he was protected from hurtful people, and got to know our most faithful Day Center youth. After a healing week of camp, he began attending church with me and Oksana, where he confesses his mistakes and openly shares his worries and problems. He even met someone who will help him with vocational training.

At Stop the Cycle meetings, I see Dasha and her husband. They attended family camp last year and listened carefully in the moms’ and dads’ groups.

It’s rare for men to join our monthly meetings, but ever since camp, Dasha and Sasha have both attended.

I can see that their commitment to life together became real and solid after camp.

The pandemic restrictions are easing now, and we plan to hold youth camp and family camp. I have faith that in every plan we make, God can do a great work in the hearts of our youth and our moms and dads. All year I look forward to seeing how their lives will change!

Due to logistical changes, our 2020 camps will now cost only $16,000, and we’ve raised $12,000. Our $5k matching grant has been met, thanks to many generous gifts! 

Will you help us reach our goal by making a donation before July 1st?

God bless you abundantly!

Thank you for seeing and caring about our youth,

Andrey Pankyeyev
Executive Director in Ukraine

PS – Will you help us provide a life-changing camp experience for orphan youth, moms, and dads? You can make a secure donation by clicking DONATE above, or you can mail a check to Last Bell Ministries, PO Box 30671, Indianpolis, IN 46230. Thank you!

A donor shares: Camp “changed the trajectory of my family’s life”

Good news! $4389 has come in toward our matching fund for a total of $8778 raised for camps so far. Our deadline is July 1st, so it’s not too late to give – and right now your donation will be matched to double your impact.

This week, we want to share a word of encouragement from an anonymous donor who gives toward camp every year:

“I personally have a heart for Last Bell because I was adopted as an infant. I guess you could say I can relate to the emotional needs of the orphan graduates in Ukraine (at least at some level). I believe God is using Last Bell to change one life at a time by bringing hope to orphan graduates in very real and tangible ways.

“I accepted Christ at summer camp as a young boy. I’ve seen the Holy Spirit move in powerful ways at camp, not only in my life, but in the lives of my children and family, and others. God has used camp to completely change the trajectory of our family’s life, not only through youth camp, but also family camp.

“I hope and pray generous donors will send kids to camp so they can feel the love of Christ and allow Him to come into their lives and change them forever. Christ loves them and wants to adopt them and give them a family.”

Amen. That’s our deepest prayer – for each orphanage graduate to become part of our Last Bell family, and God’s kingdom. Camp helps us plant the seeds of faith.

Right now, $82 doubles to send one orphanage graduate to youth or family camp. Will you help us make these special days possible?

Valya and Sergei at camp, 2019

Good news! A generous friend has offered a $5,000 matching grant for summer camps. Every dollar will be doubled to make an even bigger impact on young people like Sergei.

We met Sergei through his little sister Valya in late 2018. He’d graduated from the orphanage and was finishing college, so he’d been struggling by himself for many years. He shared this testimony about camp last summer:

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to go to summer camp at the sea. For the first time in my life, I saw the sea, which I’d only heard about. But the most important thing I’m grateful for is the team that organized this camp. Every day I was inspired….

“I’ve never liked being ‘taught’ or people imposing on me. So I loved the unobtrusive, friendly atmosphere with smart people surrounding me… people who for the first time in my life I felt I could trust.

“I began to live with great desires for my life. I abandoned my previous lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, and constant partying. I really saw that God loves me very much and wants me to have order in my life.”

At camp, Sergei deeply connected with loving Christians who’ll walk with him through every challenge he faces as an orphaned young adult.

Now, just $82 doubles to provide a week of camp. Would you prayerfully consider donating any amount toward this life-changing experience?

With our gratitude and trust,

The Last Bell Summer Camp Team

Dear friends,

We’d hoped Ukrainian director Andrey Pankyeyev would be in the States this spring to visit supporting churches and have those special one-on-one conversations. We love seeing you all in person!

That isn’t possible right now, but we still want to connect with you personally. So on April 30th and May 5th, we’re hosting Zoom conversations with Andrey and with Executive Director Megan Hershey. Andrey will share how Last Bell is adapting our service to orphanage graduates, and Megan will share about current operations and finances (15 minutes all together). Then we’ll open up for questions. We’d love to hear from you!

We’ll have two options:

Thursday, April 30th, 2 PM
Tuesday, May 5th, 10 AM

Please RSVP to emily@lastbell.org, especially if you might need technical help. The day of each session, we’ll email the link to the Zoom call. This will go out to our whole list, so please feel welcome to join us even if you haven’t RSVP’d.

See you soon!

The Last Bell Team

Dima T. (above) lost his regular job because of the quarantine, and already hadn’t been paid for weeks. He’s moonlighting as a loader at the market, but can’t get many hours. When we reached out, he’d run out of food and everything he needed for hygiene and cleaning, even garbage bags and dish soap. And he’d been walking everywhere. So we brought him groceries and other supplies, and offered help with transportation to job interviews or medical appointments.

Most of the youngest orphans we know are students, so they’re not dependent on income from work. But some of the scholarship money that pays for food, toiletries, and other essentials has been delayed, and medical care is delayed because offices are closed to non-emergencies.

Many teen orphans are staying in the villages with different relatives. But many are still at their trade school or social dorms with nowhere to go and nobody to help them. One staff member shared the names of seven teens to whom she’d taken food packages in just a couple of days; even during quarantine, we helped someone pay for medical tests. Our food packages are especially important for growing teen guys who are always hungry!

Investing for the Future

As we get to know them, orphan youth will become more comfortable reaching out. Our persistence right now lets them know we truly want to help and they haven’t been forgotten.

For fourteen years, Last Bell has been investing in orphanage graduates. One of our great joys in the midst of this crisis is watching men and women we know and love give back to their communities.

Tanya

Tanya grew up in an orphanage in Zhytomyr, and was part of a Last Bell residential program before she got married and moved to a village.

She’s now a mom of two little girls and faithfully attends our Stop the Cycle program. Tanya’s been sewing masks from medical gowns and cloth diapers, and distributing them to her neighbors and her husband’s colleagues.

Victoria

Victoria, one of our Stop the Cycle moms, turned to us for help. The father of her daughter Vlada lost his job during the quarantine. They can’t pay rent and will move in with his parents.

We brought diapers, food, and baby food. But in the midst of her need, Victoria also passed along books, prenatal vitamins, and Vlada’s old clothes for other moms.

She’s part of a real community, where we take care of each other!

Anya

Anya (left), a doctor and part-time Shelter staff member, also grew up at Orphanage #4. She’s working at the hospital in Zhytomyr, at the front lines of the fight against this disease.

Very quickly, we have seen desperate needs arise because of the COVID-19 crisis. 

Igor, Tanya, and daughter Sophia are in our Stop the Cycle program. Their life is already challenging. Igor is an orphan, and Tanya comes from a dysfunctional family. Sophia has been sick for over a year, and leading up to the crisis, Igor had been injured and unable to do his job at the food market for two weeks.

After Igor had been back at work for one day, the markets closed. They tried to live on Sophia’s state stipend, 860 UAH/month (about $31). But that’s only enough for diapers and a few days of food for Sophia. They needed to pay for utilities, medications, and food for a month. 

Tanya borrowed 50 UAH ($1.80) to buy food for her daughter, while she went hungry herself. Finally, she turned to us. She simply had no one else to ask.

Staff member Yulia shared, “In cases like this, we respond to the situation with caution and, having provided ourselves with protection, we go out to help.”

We brought groceries, diapers, and medication, and prayed with them. Later we’ll look at long-term help for those affected by the crisis, but right now, we’re making sure no one is hungry and meeting other urgent needs.

March 25, 2020

Friends,

This is a scary time for everyone. But we’re not helpless! We can pray, we can follow all the guidelines to keep each other safe and healthy, and we can reach out online or by phone.

Here are some ways to support orphanage graduates and staff during this crisis:

Pray

Please pray for health for our staff, youth, and families, including the small children at the Shelter, where illnesses get passed around. Pray especially for staff members Lena V., who is sick (not the coronavirus), Yulia N. and Anya C., recently recovered, and Lillia, resting after minor surgery. Pray for former orphan and staff member Anya H., a doctor; next week, she’ll become the receptionist for a new sectioned-off ward at the Zhytomyr hospital for patients with cold, flu, and COVID-19 symptoms. Pray that income and housing will be stable for all orphanage graduates. Pray also for mental health and spiritual growth, even when no one can attend youth meetings or church services.

Write

This is a great time to write a note of encouragement or prayer for orphanage graduates or staff. Children could draw pictures or write letters for our Stop the Cycle kids who are similarly stuck at home. Teens and young adults could write to orphan students. Email notes or photos of drawings/letters to Emily and she will pass them along. Feel free to be creative!

Give

Orphanage graduates are vulnerable during a crisis. Some will lose income. Many have pre-existing health conditions. We’ll help with groceries, utilities, housing security, transportation, and other needs. In medical emergencies, our staff are on the front lines, advocating and paying for medical care. If your income isn’t affected by the pandemic, would you consider a gift to meet these extra needs?

Thank you for reading and reaching out while you stay in! Keep watching your inbox for stories about how we’re serving our youth right now.

A Visit to Katya in Bykovka

Last week we introduced our new Stop the Cycle Mobile Unit. One of our first destinations was the village of Bykovka, 1.5 hours away over terrible roads. Once a resident of Shelter Crisis Housing, Katya F. still brings her kids to our monthly meetings for moms by walking 2/3 mile to a bus.

“The village has little connection to the world,” said one staff member. There’s no post office or store; a bus delivers food once a week. Katya receives state funds for her children, but there’s nowhere in Bykovka to withdraw money.

We know Katya’s kids aren’t going hungry. So they’re better off than some families we know. But Sasha, our Mobile Unit driver and a dad himself, said it touched his heart to see how they lived: bare rooms, children without socks or shoes. “Praise God this winter was really warm,” he said. Katya’s water isn’t safe so she gets it from a neighbor, and the house needs some work.

We’re so glad we can reach these remote villages and better meet the needs of orphan-parented families. Many of you donate used coats and boots, a huge help. Financial gifts help us provide groceries, pay for fuel, and in so many ways allow us to serve these vulnerable families. Thank you!

Using Everything Wisely

The Mobile Unit also transports moms to medical appointments and government offices, to church, or for outings in the fresh air; picks up donations from local friends; and transports our Educational Outreach staff to distant trade schools for Life Skills Lessons.

Stop the Cycle Visits Orphan Moms

When an orphan becomes a mom, she needs a lot of help. Some of the moms in Stop the Cycle are too far away to visit us often. So our Mobile Unit is going to them!

Nina, Valya, and Anya were glad to see our new Mobile Unit arrive. These orphan moms live in villages far from Zhytomyr, in difficult circumstances. They were grateful for the groceries, diapers, gently used clothing, and other supplies we brought.

Visits help them feel loved and not so isolated. Staff member Sasha shared that the three moms served their visitors not only tea but something to eat as well – a sacrifice for them but an important gesture in Ukrainian culture.

This is also an important opportunity to take stock of a mom’s living conditions, which she might be too shy to share. Her home might need minor renovations or insulation for winter. Many villagers don’t have a clean water supply, so we check on that as well. And we learn about the safety and health of a mom’s relationship with her boyfriend or husband.

Our Mobile Unit is an expansion of holistic care for orphan families. Watch for our next blog with details about Katya, one of the first moms we visited.

You’re Part of the Team

Your prayers and gifts make it possible for our staff to meet the deep needs of orphan moms. Thank you!

Now that Christmas break is over, many orphan students are back in trade school or college for the semester. But what does a “trade school” look like in Zhytomyr? And why is education is so difficult for orphanage graduates?

In Ukraine, all students graduate after 9^th or 11^th grade. Most go to a trade school, college, or university. But these terms are a little different in Ukraine. (Consider that an orphanage is called a “boarding school,” which in the States is associated with wealth and prestige!)

On the surface, there are a few similarities. Both countries have four-year colleges, with some colleges feeding into universities with master’s and doctoral programs. Both countries have technical schools, or “trade schools” in Ukraine.

Beyond that, the Ukrainian system still feels post-Soviet in many ways. Few students, even university graduates, work in the fields they studied. Where tech schools in the U.S. often provide streamlined access to employment in high-demand fields, trade schools in Ukraine are really just the lowest level of the state-run system, the default option for low-income families and those who aren’t strong academically. Trades can be irrelevant or outdated. Those who study to be cooks or wait-staff may find entry-level jobs, but those who study tractor-driving never do. A trade school certificate in Ukraine is like our high school diploma.

Many of our youth come from poorly-run orphanage schools, so only trade schools will accept them. And the selection of trades is even more arbitrary for orphans, who may be placed wherever there’s an opening, without reference to their desires or strengths. Good students may progress from trade school to college to university, but orphanage graduates often struggle even with basic studies.

So how does Last Bell help orphan teenagers succeed in their education?

• We intervene at the beginning of trade school or college and offer life skills lessons, tutoring, guidance, basic study skills like using Word, and lots of encouragement.
• We welcome all students at the Day Center, and they visit after school to use the computer lab, have a snack and a hot meal, and do their homework.
• We offer Ukrainian language/lit classes, English lessons, and English camps.
• We assist academically promising students with university entrance exams and tuition.
• If their strengths are in other areas, after trade school or college we help them seek out work opportunities, and prep them for interviews by role-playing.
• Through the Restoration Project, some youth are learning the home renovation trade.

We’re passionately seeking new vocational opportunities to help our youth overcome their disadvantages in a difficult system. For example, we’ve helped several students begin studying Information Technology at Hebron Academy. Already we’ve seen many inspiring successes! But this is an area of deep need for our youth, and we appreciate your prayers as we seek new ways to meet it.