I, Aleksandr and my wife, Inna, always wanted to have children. The thought of adoption came to us long before we began to engage in orphan ministry. Our plans were to adopt even if we have our own biological children, because Jesus says: “He who receives a child in My name will receive Me.”
When we began serving in orphan ministry, we talked with different children, learned the nature of their behavior, took part in various trainings in psychology and trauma of children brought up in orphanages. When visiting an orphanage in our town, we met who we believed would be our future children. After 6 months, we were able to adopt them and bring them home.
When we brought the children home we began the difficult journey. They constantly deceived, took other people’s things without permission and did not know how to show their feelings and emotions. They did not know how to monitor themselves. In their head was an absolutely incorrect model of the role of parents and life in the family, since their early childhood had been lived in an unreliable family. They projected the behavior of their biological parents on us and thought that we would behave the same way they did. It was difficult for them to leave us even for a minute, because their parents left them alone at home sometimes for 3 days at a time.
Thank God that today, thanks to a long and painstaking work, with God’s help the children have learned to tell the truth, are not afraid to reveal their misconduct, feelings and emotions, and have stopped taking things without permission. Previously, it was only us that told them that we love them, but now they say this first to us.
HopeHouse International has been a great support to us emotionally as well as physically by helping provide a home which makes a healthy functioning family possible. We are very grateful to all of the supporters who made this possible.
Thank you for praying for our family this month. Although the period of adaptation has not yet ended, we believe that God will help us cope with any difficulties that await us yet to come.
