Tonight we had an amazing pizza party at the Kostroma Ministry Center. If you've ever had a Russian pizza party, you know that you can often end up with mayonnaise, peas, and ketchup thrown into the mix!
I had a special surprise tonight (and it wasn't peas in the pizza)...
My "Family Group" from my first Kostroma camp back in 2000 showed up to greet me.
These girls were pretty young when we first met. Marina, Masha, and Jenya were all part of that Family Group at summer camp and were from the Ostrovskoe orphanage in the Kostroma region. Those first Kostroma camps are some of the best memories of my life overseas. To see those girls grown up and receiving life and love from the Ministry Center showed me again the full circle of what goes on over here in our Russian ministry.
They are still scared and alone--but they have hope in the relationships and support they receive from our staff at the Ministry Center.
We also had a lot of our young mothers show up with their babies. These girls have decided to keep their baby (despite the prevalence of abortion in Russia) and connect to the Ministry Center for support, training, guidance, and help. I thought, "Where else would these moms get help if it wasn't for the Ministry Center?"
I'll keep posting my photos and reflections. Thank you for your continued prayers for me and our staff who are reaching out to save so many orphans in Russia.
