On the way to Crimea

Dear friends and family,

I’m sitting in another airport- Detroit this time- heading back to Ukraine. Mulberry has a lot going on right now and I’m eager to meet with the staff over there.

On this trip, the construction discussions will be more urgent. We have always talked about the work that needed to be done. But, on prior visits everyone understood that we were still a long way from having any money to actually begin work. With the matching pledge and some encouraging responses from some of you, we are ready to talk seriously about construction.

In case you missed it, Yakov’s Light foundation in New York has committed to match the first $100,000 that Mulberry raises for construction. YL is actually funded by a Jewish family that supports at-risk children around the world. Their interest is purely humanitarian. They support work regardless of religious affiliation.

Our first pledge came from a long-time missionary working in Simferopol. I know his ministry is hurting financially right now, but he feels that the work Mulberry is doing is worthy of sacrifice. What an encouragement!

Galina Gudvil is having some modifications made to her rented home. Now that we have a long-term rent agreement, some structural issues are being addressed. I also want to hear all about Vanya’s and Galina’s trip to Israel and the doctor’s reports.

Hussein has been installing a divider to separate the abandoned babies from the rest of the hospital. That funding was provided by a group who has supported his work for many years. Hopefully, I will be able to visit the hospital on this trip.

An abandoned baby ministry has begun in a new city, Sevastopol. This new work is being provided for by a group in Iowa. Our new worker there says that conditions are deplorable. I hope to meet with her and offer some encouragement. There is also a girl from Project Sasha in a home for unwed mothers in Sevastopol that I plan to visit.

The Project Sasha staff has promised to tell me all about their work this summer at different camps. They were invited by the government to work at a couple of summer camps and the government was so impressed that they have already been invited back next year. These are state sponsored camps and our staff is presenting Christian lessons. No wonder the staff is so pumped up.

I’ll try to keep everyone updated as this trip progresses. Hopefully, future updates won’t be this long.

Don’t grow weary.

Charles