Andrei on Street Patrol 
Andrei V

Mulberry International 

Crimean Children's Ministries

April, 2012
In This Issue
Danil
Street Patrols
Matters for Prayer
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 Greetings!  

After a break of about a year, we have begun making street patrols again.  At various times, we were told either there were no street children or it was illegal to help street children.  These two "facts" obviously can't both be correct.

 

You see in the picture above one of the March patrols.  Andrei V is a Ukrainian Christian we are now supporting.  He made six patrols in March and sent some pictures of the conditions he found.  More about that later.

 

The transition home we have sponsored for years is about to grow again.  Luba will be adding two sisters from a small village.  The education available to them is very poor.

 

And, the Shalbesky family is adding another infant.  They will have twelve foster children.  The three youngest are four, six and fourteen months old.  I hope to have more information and pictures for the next newsletter.

 

Things are a little slow on the legal front right now.  We have managed to stop the transfer of our building in Evpatoria and the liquidation of our Foundation with temporary court orders.  There are more court appearances to come.  About the only similarity between the Ukainian and US legal systems is the slow pace.

 

With the resumption of street patrols and the additions to our transition home and foster care, God is refusing to allow us to be distracted from our purpose.  We will continue to focus on sharing His love with the children of Crimea.

 

Thanks for being part of this ministry.  We couldn't do it without you.

 

Don't grow weary.
Charles
Danil

  

Lola and DanilDanil, the boy on the right in this picture, came to Pilgrim in 2009.  His alcoholic parents were too poor to enroll him in school.  This would probably have resulted in him being removed from his family and placed in an orphanage.

 

A couple on the Pilgrim staff offered to help him enroll and stay in school.  He still slept at home, but one of the staff would take him to school in the morning and meet him after school every day.  He was given a hot meal and lots of encouragement.

 

Mulberry continues to support Danil through his caregiver family.  He is a regular in Sunday School and enjoys going to his school.

 

God is showing us that even though our building has been stolen and the ministry shut down, we can still serve these children.  Thanks for sticking with us through this difficult transition.

Street Patrols

 

Bed in Abandoned Bldg

As mentioned above, we were told repeatedly that street patrols had to be discontinued.

 

One reason was there weren't any street children.  Legally, all of the children had a place they could go- either a home or a bed in an orphanage.  That is true, but there are thousands of children who chose not to go "home."

 

Another reason was that it was illegal to aid children who ran away from orphanages.  I'm sure there is a law to this effect somewhere, but no one has ever heard of it being enforced.

 

In March, we began making street patrols again.  Andrei V is a dedicated Christian with a heart for these children.  He is also a former drug addict who knows how destructive life on the streets can be.  He can relate to these children in a way none of us could.  This is a picture of one of the "homes" he visits.

Matters for Prayer
Praises-
-The Mulberry family continues to grow.  Children are seeing God's love in action.
-Street patrols are being done again.
-Amazing, faithful partners in ministry.

Requests-
-Pray for honorable judges in our next round of court appearances.
-Pray for the foster parents who are receiving threats from local officials.
-Pray that our interim Director and his advisors can remain focused.
Coming Events
We are scheduling team visits for 2012.  Please contact us if you are considering a visit to Ukraine.

If you are interested in an August trip to Ukraine, please contact us.  The emphasis will be day camps for orphans and construction work for one of Mulberry's families.

Exploratory trips for those interested in visiting the ministries of Mulberry can be arranged to fit your schedule.
Mulberry International is a 501(c)3 organization.  Tax deductible donations can be made by clicking on "Donate" in the quick link box above, or mailed to:
 
Mulberry International
PO Box 43623
Louisville, KY 40253
 
(502)-267-1009