Not all of our kids, 2012 orphanage graduates, live and study in Zhytomyr, and many don’t or can’t live with us. During the last two years we periodically visited these kids, but unfortunately not as often as we would like. Also, some don’t feel comfortable at the Shelter because previously, when they were at the orphanage, they didn’t get along with some of the younger kids now at Shelter.
So the leaders decided to have these reunions at the Support Center. We wanted to see our kids and learn how they’re doing, and this made our work simpler.
Not many kids came for the first meeting in November. Orphan teens love to change their cell phone numbers, so sometimes it’s difficult to get in touch with them. But by December we were able to inform almost everyone about our regular meetings and their dates.
Our kids Marina B. and Tanya O. helped us spread the word online. So now we have a group on a social network where we tell everyone our plans.
After our first meeting at the beginning of December, we realized many kids initially came with the hope of finding drinking companions and to boast about their “achievements.”
There were about eleven kids. We noticed that some who came from the region were a little drunk, but we didn’t want to kick them out, since it was their first visit. Many gave us various reasons they couldn’t come: some reasonable and some ridiculous and invented (Sveta Y. was knitting socks!).
The meeting didn’t go as we expected. The guys interrupted our program all the time and tried to show how cool they were. It was funny but absurd. In the middle of the meeting Oleg Gorodniy joined us; he was recently released from prison. The boys looked up to him as to a guru. They started to imitate his prison mannerisms.
After the meeting they all planned to go to Shelter to have some tea, but they never made it there. First they accompanied Masha Ivanisko home. They said they were coming to Shelter, then said they were going to stay overnight with friends, then said they were going to a club.
In the end they bought vodka and stayed at Masha’s apartment to drink and smoke, where we caught them. It shocked us when we saw five drunk guys and Masha with the baby. It seemed that the meeting was in vain and even little Milana was in danger.
After we calmed down and analyzed everything, we decided to have a party for everyone willing on Christmas Eve. This time, to encourage the teen guys to come, we invited three volunteer guys.
We were able to get a discount at a bowling club and McDonalds, so we had a good time and didn’t worry about money. Even the kids we haven’t seen for a while came, including one of our kids’ classmates who had left the orphanage after 7th grade. Vlad Vasilevski was good company for Grisha Bondarchuk, who didn’t get along with the “tough guys” at the last meeting.
We were surprised to see Masha, because a few days prior to the party we had a serious conversation with the trade school administration concerning her behavior. So Masha had said she would never come visit us again.
The meeting was very positive and fun. Afterwards a few kids actually had tea with us at the Shelter, and we learned a lot about them. Thanks for praying for all of our kids!
~ Andrey (Abram) Krivoruchko
Our kids Marina B. and Tanya O. helped us spread the word online. So now we have a group on a social network where we tell everyone our plans.
After our first meeting at the beginning of December, we realized many kids initially came with the hope of finding drinking companions and to boast about their “achievements.”
There were about eleven kids. We noticed that some who came from the region were a little drunk, but we didn’t want to kick them out, since it was their first visit. Many gave us various reasons they couldn’t come: some reasonable and some ridiculous and invented (Sveta Y. was knitting socks!).
The meeting didn’t go as we expected. The guys interrupted our program all the time and tried to show how cool they were. It was funny but absurd. In the middle of the meeting Oleg Gorodniy joined us; he was recently released from prison. The boys looked up to him as to a guru. They started to imitate his prison mannerisms.
After the meeting they all planned to go to Shelter to have some tea, but they never made it there. First they accompanied Masha Ivanisko home. They said they were coming to Shelter, then said they were going to stay overnight with friends, then said they were going to a club.
In the end they bought vodka and stayed at Masha’s apartment to drink and smoke, where we caught them. It shocked us when we saw five drunk guys and Masha with the baby. It seemed that the meeting was in vain and even little Milana was in danger.
After we calmed down and analyzed everything, we decided to have a party for everyone willing on Christmas Eve. This time, to encourage the teen guys to come, we invited three volunteer guys.
We were able to get a discount at a bowling club and McDonalds, so we had a good time and didn’t worry about money. Even the kids we haven’t seen for a while came, including one of our kids’ classmates who had left the orphanage after 7th grade. Vlad Vasilevski was good company for Grisha Bondarchuk, who didn’t get along with the “tough guys” at the last meeting.
We were surprised to see Masha, because a few days prior to the party we had a serious conversation with the trade school administration concerning her behavior. So Masha had said she would never come visit us again.
The meeting was very positive and fun. Afterwards a few kids actually had tea with us at the Shelter, and we learned a lot about them. Thanks for praying for all of our kids!
~ Andrey (Abram) Krivoruchko