Before I get to the latest happenings with Rimma & Zina, I want to say, "We need your stuff"! That is, Ukraine Orphan Outreach (UOO) needs your stuff! UOO is having its first annual garage sale on April 26th. This is one of the many ways we raise needed funds to host children. We need about $22,000 to make the hosting camp happen and we are halfway there. In case you didn't get a newsletter, the camp is slated for the July 28- Aug 15 2008 time frame. We are busy collecting items and we aren't above dumpster diving, bugging friends for stuff, and of course this plug! You can save your items for your own personal garage sale and donate the proceedings or you can let us come pick it up for you! See the UOO website at http://www.ukraineorphans.org/ under contacts for phone numbers. Now, you may be thinking, "Felix, I want to have my own garage sale and keep the $$." Can ya hear your conscience talking to ya? It's saying, "C'mon, give it to the orphans!" OK, I made that part up...but we really need your help! We will offer receipts for donated items that may be used at tax time, too! So, let go of that collection of David Cassidy albums, already. Somebody else needs that!Now for the news. We received 2 more letters from Zina. The letters are in Russian, of course, and we are having them translated now. A Valentine was included in one of the envelopes in the shape of a heart. I said, "I Love You" in English and Russian, in Zina's writing. The letters have cute drawings on them and are brilliantly colored. She puts a lot of time into each one of them!
Our friend, Fran, was not able to travel to Kherson. She is having all sorts of trouble getting Marina home early. We understood that she needed to focus all of her energy on Marina and we are grateful for her attempts. Fran is full of the Holy-spirit, but we could tell in her postings that she was getting worn down by the bureaucracy that is Ukraine. Alas, the Rahn family at home will have to wait a year to get Marina. God bless you Fran! Read their story at http://www.rahnjourney.blogspot.com/ . Nancy Hathaway with Heart for Orphans (traveling with Fran), did make it to Kherson and we will talk with her soon about her findings.
Our friend and translator, Lilya, has a friend that lives in Simferopol. Her name is Oksana. She and her husband are driving to the Kherson orphanage this Sunday (March 16th) to bring R & Z a cell phone with texting and camera functions. Oksana and Lilya used to work together in the orphanages, so her heart is with helping the orphans of Ukraine. We gave her Zina's number and she said that they had a long conversation about R & Z's needs. Since Oksana knows Lilya, Zina was at ease and trusted her. Oksana is eager to go and she will bring the phone, more stamps, and talk with the director again about the registration issue.
We have met so many wonderful people all over the world to help us with R & Z. Too many doors are opening for it not to be God's hand in all of this. Keep praying for Rimma & Zina. We can feel it and they can too...
...and call us to come get your stuff! Heeheeheeheehee! Thought I forgot about it, didn't ya!
