Roma’s story: Finding hope in Jesus, help from God’s people, and a plan for the future
Right now, orphaned youth in Zhytomyr, Ukraine are finishing their last year in state-run care. They’re not prepared for adult life, and they’re worried about what will happen to them.
This was Roma’s situation. His parents were alcoholics and uninvolved in his life. At the age of 13 he was taken to an orphanage, then into foster care. Before he was 18, he moved into the dorms at his trade school.
When we met him, Roma was silent and withdrawn. Later, he told us his most difficult memory was not having even one friend. That loneliness and uncertainty followed him into young adulthood.
Roma’s not the only one. Many of our youth grew up with daily neglect and abuse from their parents, often fueled by alcohol. They don’t have healthy relationships or good role models. These young men and women carry years of deep hurt.
Without intervention, Roma’s prospects were bleak. Orphaned youth face health problems, addictions, and chronic unemployment. Young men often spend time in prison. Many end up homeless.
But with Last Bell’s help, the orphaned students in Zhytomyr are walking into a different future!
Give to bless more than 100 new orphaned youth in 2026
They come to us needing critical resources. Medical care. Help with housing. Clothes and groceries. And healing of heart and spirit. Last Bell offers holistic support according to each person’s unique circumstance.
Our staff are trained to understand young people like Roma. Like Jesus with His disciples, they didn’t require Roma to achieve something before valuing him. At the Day Center, they met him in his shyness, saw his potential, and became his friends.
In the years that followed, they also provided Roma with practical aid, from groceries and hot lunches to clothes, holiday gifts, and educational outings. That sounds like a lot!
But it only costs $40/month to provide one orphaned youth with whole-life care.
It takes so little to bring an orphaned young person out of isolation into love, out of instability into security. You can be that difference!
Will you make a gift so that every orphaned youth in Zhytomyr will be greeted with acceptance, care, and help from God’s people?
In our deepest isolation, God reaches us with forgiveness and hope. And we see God’s saving grace at work in Roma’s life daily.
Roma was a lonely young man, unequipped for a sustainable life. But in each aspect of his brokenness, our staff ministered healing. He now faithfully attends church and belongs to a small group. This summer he gladly volunteered at a church camp for children with disabilities.
Our staff also invited Roma to join Last Bell’s Restoration Project. As a paid member of the RP crew, Roma’s learning home renovation skills. Roma remembers the exact day he joined the crew: March 11, 2024. Another milestone for a bright future! “Completing renovation work is a great feeling,” he says. “You think about how what you did will serve the good of the people you worked for.”
Roma’s made important first steps. But he still has room to grow. Our staff shared that Roma needs constant nudging to act or take initiative. That’s common for orphans, and our staff show love that is patient and kind (1 Corinthians 13:4).
Roma and so many of our youth are right in the middle of changing their lives. The situation is precarious; they’re still at risk. But your ongoing help is a strong bridge to their successful independence.
This year, we expect to meet a hundred or more new orphaned students like Roma. Will you give $40, $100, $250 or another amount so each one receives the help they need in 2026?
And will you pray for these young people who’ve gone unseen and unknown for so long?
I’m always moved by your empathy and kindness toward those who live so far away. You count their lives as precious and want to give them real hope.
Roma writes, “In this ministry, orphans feel support, love, and care. I also thank all those who pray for me and other Last Bell youth.”
Last Bell’s board, staff, and I all thank you for investing in God’s loving plans for orphans in Zhytomyr!
Marguerite Havard, Executive Director
PS: Roma states that now, “there are no problems” with making friends. He says he has enough! Through your gift today, will you be one of those long-distance friends to orphaned youth?