Many of our congregation’s families have been part of missions in the country of Belarus. Children of Belarus made many summertime visits to Clinton several years ago, as part of a missions opportunity. Men from our church have gone, as part of group or individual trips, to various places in Belarus, where they were instrumental in many projects to help the people there.
Bob Jackson is a member of our congregation who has created an organization called “Share the Blessings” which provides assistance to families in Belarus. The information below describes our ongoing work in that country. We invite you to contact us if you would like to be part of this mission.
Bob Jackson of Share the Blessings in Mississippi would like to tell you about an opportunity to help children in Belarus by establishing family-style homes for orphans. His Mississippi supporters recently raised money to purchase one of these homes and Bob is interested in helping to establish another. He says, “I would pledge 25% of the cost of this project and also would help in any other way I could. (i.e. talk to your local organization and/or assist with this project on my future trips to Belarus)
Share the Blessings works through the Belarusian Children’s Fund, who currently has forty-one such homes in operation. These homes have each made it possible for fifteen orphans to grow up in a family with a mother and father instead of in an orphanage. Many of these children were neglected or abused in the first years of their lives.
Qualified Belarusian families interested in multiple adoptions are moved into a donated home. They are required to adopt at least five children, but fifteen has been the average. After fulfilling the program requirements for fifteen years, the home ownership is transferred from the Belarusian Children’s Fund to the family. The family receives some financial support from the government, and often the village where the home is located donates furniture for the home. The total cost of the Share the Blessings home, which is very large, was approximately $52,000. The purchase price was $40,000, closings costs and other legal fees were $1,000, repairs were $8,000, and the Belarus Children’s Fund administrative fees were $3,000. (They will oversee this home).
Share the Blessings was involved with the Belarusian Children’s Fund in selecting both the home and the family that was chosen to live in it. They asked for a Christian family in a home located near Oktyabrsky, the home village of most of the children who have visited Mississippi. They plan to stay involved with the home and visit it on future trips to Belarus.
Tomara and Anatoly were chosen as the parents of this home. Their involvement began when they invited older children who had aged out of the orphanange to stay with them during breaks from the university. Later on, children began to live with them, and so far fifteen children have passed through their home and are now adults living on their own. They plan to continue having more children cycle through their home.
The family lived in a two-bedroom home before the group home was established. They had lots of farm animals and a large garden. All of the children pitch in with the chores around the house. The girls all love to cook and the boys learn to help Anatoly fix things outside and take care of the animals. Tomara and Anatoly try to teach their children to be responsible and hard-working people. Tomara continues to help the older children even after they leave her home. She allows them to stay with her during breaks and always sends any food or household item that she has with them when they leave.
Other Share the Blessings Projects
More information about the family in the orphan home:
Tomara and Anatoly began by inviting older children to stay with them who were too old to be in orphanages during breaks from the university. They later began having children live with them, and so far 15 kids have already passed through their home and are now adults living on their own. They plan to continue having more children cycle through their home.
The children attend school in a neighboring village and must walk 1 hour to get to school each day. The older children attend camps in the summertime.
The orphanage in Svetlagorsk (where most of the children come from) is always overcrowded with children. Often the director of the orphanage brings children to Tomara and Anatoly’s doorstep without even calling. Tomara says that she can never turn them down and always accepts the children.
The family currently lives in a two-bedroom home. They have lots of farm animals and a large garden. All of the children pitch in with the chores around the house. The girls all love to cook and the boys learn to help Anatoly fix things outside and take care of the animals. Tomara and Anatoly try to teach their children to be responsible and hard-working people.
Tomara continues to help the older children even after they leave her home. She allows them to stay with her during breaks and always sends any food or household item that she has with them when they leave.
About the Children:
Alyona (18, girl): has lived with them for 11 years; graduated from high school and plans to go to the university in the fall; loves kids and helping Tomara cook; loves art and can draw with her left hand.
Olya (16, girl): just finished the 9th grade; loves to help around the house; very athletic; loves being outside.
Stas (15, boy): attends school in Bobrusk; very mechanically inclined; loves to help around the house fixing things with Anatoly; good with his hands.
Alisa (14, girl): sister of Nadya; very artistic; loves to milk the cows.
Anton (14, boy): brother of Valik; just completed 8th grade; loves to play computer games.
Valik (13. boy): brother of Anton; just completed 7th grade; loves to help with the animals and play computer games with his brother.
Vika (13, girl): just completed the 7th grade; her mother died when she was five; likes to play with dolls.
Nadya (11, girl): sister to Alisa; just completed the 4th grade; loves to dance; travelled to Italy on a recuperation visit.
Louisa (9, girl): likes to help the older children around the house; very good with her hands, loves making things/doing crafts.
Shura (5, girl): goes to kindergarten; couldn’t talk when she came to live with them but now is very chatty and outgoing;
Slavik (5, boy): goes to kindergarten; came to them from an orphanage in Gomel; was very sick when he first arrived but now is in good health, though still fragile.
Maksim (5, boy): goes to kindergarten; likes animals and playing with Shura and Slavik.
Ilya (3, boy): lived with them since December 2010; a very quiet and shy little guy; likes to play with cars.
