Just a few photos from the trip I wanted to share...
This is me and some of the graduates from Ivanovo region. I stopped in at the Ministry Center in Ivanovo to meet with some of the older kids.
While at the Ivanovo Ministry Center, I asked the staff to show me the Christian books, Bibles, and other resources our staff use in their programming and teaching with the kids.
There's nothing like Russian hospitality. The man sitting next to me is my traveling companion for this trip, Lyston Peebles. On my right is Katya Celenina, CHC's national director. We were having tea and snacks with some of the older girls in our young mothers outreach. Through this program, we help orphan girls who find themselves pregnant and without resources. In Vladimir, we're helping 18 young moms--13 receive direct assistance and counseling and the other 5 receive counseling only.
This is me and Natasha Koryakina--graduate of the infamous Neya orphanage. She now lives in Kostroma and is attending university, majoring in foreign languages. She made her first trip to the United States this summer, and works for CHC as a translator with groups in Russia. She now is a translator for the church that sponsored Neya where she grew up. You can read about her in Chapter 9 of Red Letters (pages 138-140).
