Most afternoons we go to watch Lyonya and Pasha play basketball at #4. Lyonya loves playing basketball. Jenya proudly says he taught him!
AFTERNOON BASKETBALL (Pasha is in the green Mexico shirt and Lyonya is in the red and white stripe shirt)
PASHA'S MUSIC LESSON
Andrei is always excited to see us waiting to visit. He comes running down the long, steep flight of purple stairs to spend a little time with us before it would be time for him to go back inside for the evening meal.
Our evenings are enjoyable. One night we stop at a friends apartment to share dinner,visit and encourage each other a little before catching the bus downtown to spend a few hours with Jenya, another night we attend a small prayer meeting at another friends apartment. There is never enough time for all we want to do and see and experience. The time here is just seems to fly by.
We asked Jenya a lot of questions this week about the trade school he attends. As best we can understand with the language barriers, Jenya attends the trade school that is offered to orphans when they graduate. He is studying mechanics. We're told that most of the graduates never make it thru the school. It seems that they are taught some of the basics of their field, but if they want anything advanced there are additional fees. Of course they have no means of paying an additional fee. They receive a small stipend from the government if they stay in the program but that may or may not show up and then it is barely enough to survive. The school day last from early morning to six or seven in the evening so there is not much chance to work. It is a four year program. The living conditions in the dorms is pretty difficult. It's almost impossible for these orphans to break out of the cycle.
It's so difficult knowing these are our children and leaving them each night in the orphanage. Only a few more days...only a few more days....but what about the ones we will leave behind. Please pray with us for these children. They also need a hope and a future. They need His glory to fall on their young lives and transforms them into His own children. We might not be able to take them all home, but He can!
