JULY 2015

Dear Friends and Family,

July 14-19 we held a camp for adults with disabilities which I enjoyed very much! It is such a special time that I always look forward to and am sad when it is over. It is a great opportunity to see all my friends with disabilities at the same place at the same time and have fun together! This year our camp was called “Decision” and we focused on the decisions David, the kings and Jesus made and talked about their consequenses. This camp united people from different cities and villages in Ukraine and alowed to make new friends and have a wonderful time of fellowship. Many new people atttended our camp this year, and among them were some of our new patients at the Active Rehabilitation Center (ARC).

I was really excited to see Vasya, our new patient with spinal cord injury, coming to the camp. I asked you all to pray for him in my previous update and his arrival to the camp was the answer to our prayers. It was hard for Vasya to decide to come to the camp by himself because, as he said, he “did not want to be a burden for anyone.” His only brother was not able to come with him to take care of his needs and it was a big step for him to come, entrusting himself into the hands of an unknown volunteer. He spent 2 years at home after his diving accident and did not have rehabilitation during that time. He came to our center a month before we closed for the summer and learned to do many things for himself, which made he and us very happy. Initially, he seemed lonely at the camp because he only new me and the other physical therapists whom he saw at our rehab center. I thought he did not like it at the camp. But I was so surprised when I talked with him on the last day and learned that he not only liked the camp, but also was thinking about God. He shared this with me: “I understood many things here. I know that I lived wrong all this time. My brain is exploding here. I need to start reading the Bible and find it for myself. I need a life change.” Words like these are so rewarding and encourage us that what we are doing is right. Encounters with God change people’s lives and bring them fredom, joy, and meaning in life. I am really glad he came to the camp and found new friends and God.

Another great thing was that all of the peoplewith spinal cord injuries, which were many, as well as others with mobility challenges were supplied by electrical wheelchairs which made them very independent and able to move freely. I am personally grateful to all those over the years who have donated these wheelchairs to our ministry which can serve people and bring them much joy!

I was a volunteers during this camp. Volunteers care for of all the needs of people with disabilities who come by themselves with no family member. I was taking care of a 38-year-old woman who has had two strokes. She lives with her parents and has a daughter. Her husband left them while she was in the hospital. It is a sad story, but she was encouragingly states that this might be better for her and her family. Her name was also Sveta and we made a fun team together:) I learned that she can use only one hand to care for herself and she cannot stand or walk independently. I also learned that she is usually home by herself and wears one diaper all day and changes it only when her family members come home. So I came up with a plan to try train her to go to the restroom at certain times because she was sure she could not tell me when she feels the urge. By a third day at camp, she was not wearing a diaper and was telling me when she needs to go to the restroom! It was a great joy for me that we accomplished it with her and she did not have any accidents during the day. I realize that her family members choose the easiest way for them to take care of her despite the fact that she has potential to do more for herself. I really hope and pray that she will transfer this new skill to her home.

Please pray for Vasya as he starts reading the Bible at home and for
possibilities to connect with other believers as he lives very far away from Lutsk. Pray for Sveta to do more for herself at home and also have a desire to read the Bible.