After the extreme summer with trips and journeys the pilgrims started to study again. The first day of study is always special for the pilgrims. The staff and the kids get prepared for this day in advance: they get the school uniform ready, organize a special concert – the children learn poems by heart. And everybody – kids and teachers look forward to this day.
Former Ukrainian homeless kids (children from the center of rehabilitation in Mariupol) started to the mountaintop of American volcano Reiner through the canyons of Arizona.
(The diary of the the trip of Pastor – pilgrim Gennadiy Mokhnenko)
Almost a year ago at the Charity Fund “Pilgrim” was open and successfully functions a rehab project in the village Polevoe named Crisis – center. This is a place where homeless people can sleep as well as those who are drunkards, addicts and many others. Here they can come to, they will be rendered help, tidied, and then offered to change their life, to have a rehab course and to start to live as normal people.
10 prisoners from the colony of settlement get temporal freedom to attend Sunday Worship in the Church of Good Changes. Many of them have never been to the service in modern church that is why being so impressed they make a decision to stay and serve to God in Mariupol when their term is over.
The first and basic dream that people in the rehab center in Kulikovo pray for is to develop youth ministry that would attract young people of this village and the nearest ones.
Sergey Cherepanov, nickname Pushkin, used to compose poems. But presently he found himself in other direction. The former street kid has become a professional dancer.
Having quite a big experience in rehabilitation of teens addicted of drugs and alcohol the workers of the Charity Fund “Pilgrim” decided to help the teenagers in the US.
The problem of drug addiction among the young generation of the former USSR citizens living in the USA is huge. The relates and parents who got to know about the successfull work of the rehab project in Ukraine try their best to send their offspring to Ukraine.
In early august the long awaited guests from Czech Republic and Poland came to the center of children’s rehabilitation “Republic “Pilgrim”.
Sergey tried alcohol when he was 5. His first alcohol beverage was handmade vodka that was made by his neighbors. His Mom didn’t mind him “to try”.
The team of ministers of the Church of Good Changes having armed themselves with the words of Jesus “ I was sick and you visited me…” started ministering in different departments of city hospitals to bring comfort and Good News to those whose hearts were broken by disease.
The urgent need to have a rehab center for women addicted of drugs and alcohol induced the congregation of rehab centers at the fund “Pilgrim” induced to start a new branch in the city of Dnepropetrovsk. At the very first day the first woman emerged at the porch making in such a way her first step towards salvation.
The team from the church of Rick Warren one more time came to see the kids from the center of children’s rehabilitation “Republic Pilgrim”. Both Americans and kids have become one friendly family. Language barrier was not a barrier to build relationship at all.
Summer holidays are a carefree and favorite time for the pilgrims.
And now, just for some kind of training, the children retreat in the camp at the beach of Azov Sea.
The Party-hall of “Republic Pilgrim” accepted the guests, those who was brave enough to take an orphan in their home, who have become parents for those who as it seemed were predestined to live in orphanages and boarding schools.
Who else would meet some more joyfully? They have ahead a very busy summer schedule – full of adventures and trips. And for now the most important is to take exams…
