A Mother’s Heart
Copyright © 2013 HopeHouse International®
Copyright © 2013 HopeHouse International®
Seeing Stasch Again
Hi everyone! My name is Andy Whisenant and I have the incredible opportunity of working with the amazing HopeHouse International team in Ukraine this week. I’ve been blown away each day as this team serves with everything they have and as they love these beautiful kids well.
Yesterday we had the chance to spend time in Zapporrozhia at two different orphanages. We were so thankful for some shade and a cool breeze as we worked outside during the day.As the ship docked in Zapporrozhia, I started to recognize some of the sites from last year when we visited this same area. Our bus drove through the city neighborhoods until we pulled up to our first orphanage visit for the day.
I immediately recognized this first orphanage we were visiting. Last year when we visited this same orphanage, I met a little boy named Stasch. When we met him then, he had been left by his mother only a few days before our arrival. He kept asking up to just take him home. We had to tell him we didn’t know where he lived, which he countered with, “That’s ok, just take me to the bus station and I’ll find my way.” (Insert the sound of your heart breaking into a couple of thousand pieces here).
As we walked through the orphanage yard and started to set up, I kept looking around for Stasch. My constant prayer for this last year, “Please, God, let him be in a loving home,” echoed through that orphanage yard.
After a few minutes, I saw Stasch. He was rolled outside in a bed, in restraints to keep him from hurting himself. And my heart just sank.
I went up to him and started to talk to him in my very limited Russian. We asked what had happened to him that would cause him to be bedridden and found out that because of malnutrition, his hip joint had been damaged and even the slightest fall could do major damage. The caretakers at the orphanage told us that he would have to remain in the bed with very little movement for up to two years.
Everything in me screamed, “No! This is not right! This cannot be!” Little boys are supposed to be in loving families where they’re told they matter. Little boys are supposed to be able to have proper nutrition to make them healthy and strong. Little boys are supposed to be able to run and jump and play.
I got to spend some quality time with Stasch, and for that I’m so very thankful. We sang songs, fought with balloon swords, did some face painting, and looked through his new Russian kids Bible together.
To say yesterday was a tough one is a bit of an understatement. But even in the midst of the darkness, where all hope seems to be lost, where little boys and girls grow up without families and are kept in bed for years at a time, I still choose to hope. I still choose to hope that this is not the end of Stasch’s story. I still choose to hope that, in the end, this injustice will be made right.
That is truly why HopeHouse International exists . . . so that one orphan at a time . . . one home at a time . . . a child can experience the unconditional love of a family and the unconditional love of Christ. True HOPE!One of my favorite writers, Donald Miller, has said, “lets choose to do something really difficult, something that saves lives, and let’s do that thing with people we love.” The “something” that God’s invited this team to be a part of this week is really difficult. And while playing games and singing songs and giving hugs may not immediately fix the overwhelming orphan crisis in Ukraine, it gives these children a chance to feel healthy emotions, some for the very first time, which they will then associate with the day the American’s visited and the day they heard about Christ love for them. What a privilege! And a privilege to do this ‘something’ with people that I truly believe in and care about. That makes all the difference.
So we ask you to pray. Pray for little kids like Stasch who listened to us share the message of who Christ is — that they would come to personally know their Creator and discover their value and worth in Him. Pray for our team as we enter the downhill slope of this grand adventure. And pray about how you can be a part of this story too. I hear there’s a great HopeHouse International trip coming up next year (hint, hint).
-Andy
Copyright © 2013 HopeHouse International®
Orphanage for Handicapped Children // Kherson, Ukraine
Another great day! We visited the orphanage for handicapped children in Kherson, Ukraine and had an amazing time. It’s always a bit overwhelming to see, no matter how many times you’ve been. The thing that’s always amazing, however, is the joy that those children have upon seeing us.
One teenaged boy we met last year named Sasha, who is missing parts of his hands and feet from birth, peaked his head into the gym where we held our assembly, and then immediately darted back out into the hall. In a matter of minutes he came bounding back into the room wearing his full soccer uniform, field shoes included!
Julie Rogers from our group shared a message of hope with the children, telling them that God loves them exactly as they are, and wants them to know that they can depend on him for their lives and their future.
We then spent plenty of time painting faces, twirling wheels chairs around, and taking pictures with them. Again, the joy in the room was really something special. One teenaged girl in a wheelchair was having a heart painted on her forearm and would burst out laughing with every brushstroke because it tickled so much!
Some of the older boys (on crutches and all) and Will, Brian, Caleb, Logan, and me from our group headed out to the field to play soccer. Let’s just say that the kids played against us like they really, really wanted to win.
And win they did.
The injustice of the way these children are treated, not only when they are young but into adulthood as well, is immense…
But we made a dent in it today.
We drove a stake in the ground, we drew a line in the sand, and we pushed the darkness back.
We went into a place where loveis like a far away galaxy–fathomed but not experienced firsthand– and we brought it as close as an embrace.
We went somewhere children are treated as different than the rest of society because they have a physical handicap, and we showed them that they are special indeed, because they are made in the image of God and he loves them exactly as they are.
We served these beautiful children with dignity and love because that is what they deserve.
I can’t tell you how proud I am of our team and how happy I am to be a part of this work. Thank you again for your support and your continued prayer. We have another busy day tomorrow!
I hope to have some thoughts from other members of our group posted here over the next few days, so please check back!
Many Blessings,
Brandon
Copyright © 2013 HopeHouse International®
Worship Ukrainian-Style / HopeHouse Families / Crimea, Ukraine
Brandon here, again, with a quick update for you.
We drove to Eagle Village on the outskirts of Sevastopol to participate in a church service where several HopeHouse Families are members. As an added bonus, we got to climb a “hill” (looked more like a mountain to me!), as the service was being held outdoors. We met several of the families and then settled down on blankets.
Volodya, a HopeHouse father and the church’s pastor, opened the service with a prayer in which he thanked God for the privilege of meeting outside. We sang several songs and then Brian Rogers from our group gave a short message that Ira, the HopeHouse interpreter/Ukrainian mission trip coordinator, translated for the church. At the end of the service, they stretched out their arms and prayed a blessing on our ministry in Ukraine, and then asked that we do the same for them. It was a very special time and a tangible reminder that God’s love is not bound by languages or nations or oceans.
We then spent time with the church’s children, including about 20 who have been adopted into HopeHouse Families. The difference between children in the orphanage and children who are now part of a loving Christian family is like night and day. The HopeHouse Children were clean, nicely dressed, and obviously healthy and well taken care of. On top of it all, they were happy, and not just because we came to visit. They were truly glowing. They didn’t have the scars of abandonment, abuse, neglect, disappointment, or grief etched on their faces like the orphanage children do. In fact, they didn’t look like they had a care in the world– secure, loved, and accepted.
After our time with the church, we had lunch and then toured Balaklava, which was a super-secret Soviet base for nuclear submarines built underneath a mountain during the Cold War. As we walked through the dark, underground halls of this former Communist military installation, the thought struck me that when Pastor Volodya thanked God that we were meeting outside, it wasn’t just a prayer about the weather. Evangelical churches like his were forbidden for many years. Christians couldn’t meet outside, or anywhere, that wasn’t in secret, and constantly lived in fear of being discovered and exiled to a gulag in SIberia or martyred outright. It was a stark reminder of the darkness of the not-so-distant past in this country, and a time to stop and thank God not only for the religious liberties I enjoy in the U.S., but also that God’s people in Ukraine no longer live constantly under this fear.
We returned to the ship and had a team meeting where we discussed our upcoming visit to the orphanage for handicapped children in Kherson, where the ship will dock at 2:30pm tomorrow. This is always a very tough visit, and your prayers would be greatly appreciated. Please pray that God would give us the strength that we would be emotionally present, without being emotionally drained, at least until we get back on the bus. Ira told us in the meeting tonight that most of these children do not live past the age of 35, simply because of systemic neglect. We want more than anything else to communicate to these children the love and hope that is found in Christ. One member of our team, Andy Whisenant, said during the meeting, “If I believe that the gospel is true, I can’t stand by and do nothing while there are children who don’t know that they are loved.” That’s the reason we are here.
Thank you for your continued support and prayer. We miss you all!
Many Blessings,
Brandon
Copyright © 2013 HopeHouse International®
All God’s Children
We were also recently blessed to be part of the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) Annual Summit at Brentwood Baptist Church. We got to meet people from different walks of life and areas of ministry, all with a heart for reaching children in need. There were over 75 different ministries that exhibited (including HopeHouse) and attendees from all 50 states and more than 25 countries. We were a part of the largest orphan-related church gathering in the history of mankind. We talked and talked and talked about what God is doing to rescue orphans through HopeHouse International® until our voices were gone.
Then, Co-Founder & President Deneen and I got in a minivan and drove to quaint little Baskin, Louisiana. We had a great meeting with our Orphanage Missions Cruise Team that will be leaving for Ukraine on July 3, and the following night we attended their silent auction fundraiser for humanitarian relief items. Deneen spoke about the desperate need of orphans, the mission of HopeHouse International®, and our upcoming trip. There were videos, music, and lots of fried catfish. That single evening raised more than $12,000 for the trip to include relief aid for the 1,500 orphans we will serve!!
When I think about all of the people I’ve met recently, all of the people who give so generously of their finances, their time, and their energy, all the good folks who see a need and jump to meet it, I can’t help but be slightly in awe.
I’m in awe of God’s heart—that he truly cares for the least of the least of us—and I’m in awe that he’s been moving in the hearts of his children all around the world, that we might see what he sees and love as he loves.
Blessings,
@BrandonDragan
Copyright © 2013 HopeHouse International®
Gifts that Give: A Place Where You Give to Orphans and We Give to You
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— Functions by Donations, all tax-deductible
— HopeHouse sends appreciation gifts(s) of your choosing
— Proceeds go to provide humanitarian aid to orphans
GIFTS that GIVE” is a part of HopeHouse International’s Orphan CarePrograms, whereby your tax-deductible gift provides much needed humanitarian aid to hundreds of orphans throughout the Ukraine, and as an expression of appreciation from HopeHouse, we send you a gift of your choosing.
Orphan Care Programs have been a part of HopeHouse Co-Founders’ emphasis for over 20 yeras. During our summer mission cruises, team members deliver relief items to approximately 2,000 orphans. “GIFTS that GIVE” will provide each orphan with items such as winter and summer clothing, footwear, scares, hats, gloves, school supplies, socks, hygiene items, gifts of various kinds and most importantly bibles in their language.
In addition, “GIFTS that GIVE” also provides orphanages with larger essential needs such as hot water systems, building renovation supplies, months worth of wheats, oats, and grains, beds, refrigerators, linens, and more.
There will be occasions when “GIFTS that GIVE” will hold a campaign event to raise funds for a much needed item such as our “GO GLOBAL” campaign to purchase a wheel chair accessible van for special needs orphans that have been adopted by HopeHouse parents in Ukraine.
We hope that you will consider being a part of “GIFTS that GIVE.” HopeHouse International has always had aggressive goals in providing for orphans and we hope that you will join us in future ones that we will endeavor through this vehicle whereby You Give to Orphans, We Give to You.
Copyright © 2013 HopeHouse International®
HopeHouse Family Adopts 5 children with HIV
The Totsky family is a very special family. When we met them as HopeHouse candidates they wanted to adopt 3 children, but with special needs. They knew that children with HIV in the Ukraine would rarely be adopted. But that did not stop them. They had a love for these children and wanted to help them so that they could get the medical help they needed to live a full and joyful childhood and beyond. So they
adopted three children with HIV. They already had 2 older biological children. They spent a year together in the new home that HopeHouse helped them build and what a radiant family they were. I met them in 2011 while on a mission trip and they touched my heart with their infectious joy and infectious laughter. There was so much love in the midst of their family. I thought to myself, “This is what HopeHouse is all about. Rescuing the hopeless and giving them the love and joy of a family so that these children could grow and develop into all that God wanted them to be.”
This summer I returned and visited the Totsky family in their home for an afternoon with my cousin, Brandon Dragan, pictured on the left. This time they had just adopted 2 more children with HIV. Their compassion is such an example. It is not easy with the Doctor’s appointments, the medicines and the unknowns of HIV. But as they said to me across the kitchen table with their eyes full, “We couldn’t love them any more than we do. God provides . . . and our hearts are full.”
Deneen Turner
Copyright © 2013 HopeHouse International®
Show SPIRIT, Give HOPE, GO GLOBAL! T-shirt Pre-Orders Taken August 1 – 15 ONLY!
Help us launch GIFTSthatGIVE by showing your spirit for HopeHouse and your favorite college football team!
Limited time offer: AUGUST 1-15 ONLY!
Your Donation: $25.00
The Goal: Purchase a wheelchair accessible van for special needs HopeHouse children.
By donating $25.00 per a GO GLOBAL t-shirt of your choosing, you will help us meet our goal of purchasing a wheelchair accessible van for special needs orphans that have been recently adopted by HopeHouse parents in Ukraine.
We know this is a huge goal, but the need is even greater for our special need families to have the freedom to be able to transport their newly adopted children to medical treatment facilities, school, church, the park and anywhere else families need to go. Our HopeHouse special needs families live in attached housing, therefore they will all share the use of this van.
GO GLOBAL t-shirts would make great back to school gifts for kids and grand kids who might also want to be a part of reaching this goal.
We need hundreds of people to join our GO GLOBAL Campaign in order for us to reach our goal! So please donate to this cause and let us send you a t-shirt as our appreciation for joining the Orphan Care Programs of HopeHouse International.
Please remember, Go GLOBAL shirt orders will END on AUGUST 15th! We will then need a week for printing all order varieties and then a week to ship. It is our intention that you receive your GO GLOBAL shirts on or before August 30th.
Copyright © 2013 HopeHouse International®
About the Items in GIFTSthatGIVE
HOPE T-shirts are all original designs and carry our logo with our website address. These shirts are a great way to spread our message via name recognition and by conversations that begin as result of wearing our HOPE designs and logo. All t-shirts are chosen with a light weight and a 100% ring-spun cotton fabric. The comfort and quality factor is a priority to HopeHouse so that donors will want to wear our t-shirts and also come back and visit GIFTSthatGIVE as we release new designs.
The Ukrainian Children’s Art Note Cards come from original art painted by orphans ages 9-14. View our art gallery at www.hopehouseinternational.org/events. These are paintings that are sold at our Benefit Galas in Nashville, Atlanta and Dallas. We then choose 10 new scenes each year to print as notecards for GIFTSthatGIVE.
Over the years, people have overwhelmingly enjoyed the beautiful art and used these cards as Thank You notes, Invitations, Christmas cards, Message cards, etc. We find these cards to be a wonderful way of helping us spread the word of HopeHouse to those who receive notes in the mail because our mission statement, website and social media information is written on the back of each card as an introduction to our organization.
See all of our GiftsthatGive items here!
Copyright © 2013 HopeHouse International®
HopeHouse Featured in "Does God Still Bless the USA?" by Lee Greenwood
“We are involved in HopeHouse International, partially in response to our ties with its founder, our friend, Deneen Turner. Deneen’s mother escaped from Ukraine during World War II, and Deneen introduced us to this wonderful organization a few years ago. HopeHouse International exists so that orphans can be adopted by helping Ukrainian Christian couples acquire adequate housing, which makes them eligible (according to their government) to adopt three or more children. Mrs. Turner’s Ukrainian heritage and personal background has given her a passion for orphaned children. She and her family have been actively involved in helping orphans, remaining steadfast and committed to this mission for over twenty years.” page 129-130, Does God Still Bless the USA?
We thank Lee Greenwood and his wife, Kimberly, for their dear friendship and many years of active involvement with our mission. Does God Still Bless the USA? is an inspirational book about family, country, and Lee’s incredible journey as a multi-grammy award winning artist and songwriter, to include one of our nation’s most patriotic songs, “God Bless the USA.” As a bonus, you will love reading the 30-Day Devotional Guide written by Lee and Kimberly in the back of the book. Purchase or download the book at www.tatepublishing.com or go to www.LeeGreenwood.com.
Copyright © 2013 HopeHouse International®