June 27th Entry

The North American Christian Convention is next week in Cincinnati. Mulberry will be there in booth #215. Be sure to stop by if you are attending.

Recent news from Ukraine has been good. The Project Sasha staff so impressed the coordinators at the government’s summer camp that they were asked to work a second camp. The benefits here are far-reaching. Not only do we get to send some of our kids who would never have this opportunity, but we are able to share Christ’s love with a lot of at-risk kids. Many of the campers have come to Project Sasha in the past. Many will come in the future.

Vanya, the eleven year old with severe physical problems, just returned from Israel where he was seen by several specialists. Early indications are that he will have more surgery later this year. The doctors believe that his difficulty walking is the result of nerve damage suffered during a surgical procedure in Ukraine.

A three-year lease was negotiated for the home that Galina Gudvil has been renting. The owners had been trying to sell the house, but were persuaded to take it off the market and sign a lease. These agreements are notoriously unenforceable in Ukraine. Pray that the owners honor their commitment.

The families at Dyetski Dom are in their normal summer mode. I had a note from a mother with nine children. She said that the four boys had received scholarships to Christian camps and things were pretty boring with only the five girls. Can anyone imagine how life with five girls, ages four to seven, could be boring? Another family is spending the summer at their farm. They will raise vegetables to eat throughout the winter. The children in this family are learning the rewards of hard work.

A generous donation is making it possible for us to upgrade the computers used by the families and Project Sasha. Soon, I hope to be able to provide links to websites with current pictures and family news.

Our second Project Compassion ministry is now operating in an abandoned baby ward in Sevastopol, the second largest city in Crimea. Early reports about the conditions we found are depressing. I’m glad that we were led to add this ministry. Hussein is completing construction that will separate the abandoned babies in his hospital from the rest of the patients. Both of these additions are the result of special gifts.

Our monthly operating budget continues to be strained. The Ukrainian economy isn’t improving and we are experiencing a summer slump in support.

In spite of the economic situation here and in Ukraine, we will be kicking off a capital campaign in the coming weeks. Yakov’s Light, a foundation that supports work with children around the world, will match the first $100,000 we can raise for completion of the Dyetski Dom building. This construction will allow us to house two more families, each with ten children. That’s twenty children who won’t spend their lives in one of Ukraine’s state institutions.

I would be glad to share more information with each of you personally, just ask. As always, feel free to forward this to others that would be interested in Mulberry’s ministries. And, let me know if you want to be removed from this list.

Don’t grow weary.
Charles