The Homeless Children and Orphans of Ukraine we have been ministering to and supporting now for many years - these precious forgotten children of Ukraine require a wider attention. We have always been touched by the care and compassion of our support network.
We've been working behind the scenes for many years to acquire a building in Odessa for the Homeless kids who have been rescued from living in the drains under the city, along with orphans who have nowhere to live when they leave their orphanage at 18 years of age.
These street kids left home at 8 or 9 years old to live in the drains under the city of Odessa. They normally leave home when their mothers, running brothels, allowed perverts to abuse and rape the children to get extra money to support their drug habits.
Each week our local team in Odessa met with the street kids for a meal and counselling. 12 years ago our local team and I caught two armed policemen molesting the girls in one of the drain dwellings. They threatened to shoot me until I produced a permit from the mayor of the city allowing us to do this salvage work.
The two policemen said if I reported them they would come back and kill the kids. That was when we became determined to get as many as kids as possible out of the drains into a Homeless Kids Centre – a city council building that we had rented for many years.
We have tried to buy it from the city council but they refused to sell it. To date we have rescued more than 150 including a 9 year old girl named Julia. Today Julia is grown up and has a little daughter. Many of these youngsters have come to a strong faith in Jesus.
They are growing in an amazing relationship with Him and caring for other homeless children. I see leaders emerging who will lead others and maybe even nations in the future. Our attempts to buy the building we have rented from the Odessa city council for over ten years now, has been denied. So we have looked around for another.
Odessa
Oleg, our manager in Odessa found a two storey building a few months ago that was under renovation. He and the Homeless Kids (many of them now the leaders in the new church Oleg planted in 2011) have been praying much for this building to be theirs. Oleg met the owner – a Ukrainian man who lives in Florida, USA.
The man wanted $130,000 and Oleg brought him down to $110,000 on condition the money was paid to him in the USA. In this way the Notary deeds can be signed by the Ukrainian buyer and seller in the USA and registered for the sale in Ukraine – all legal.
There have been a few concerned people like an older man in the USA (not in great health) who heard me speak somewhere years ago, and God touched his heart too, to try and do something about these forgotten children.
Four years ago he visited Oleg in Odessa and was impressed with what was being done for these Homeless Kids. He set about buying, renovating and selling old properties and pledged the profits to this project. I wondered how long this would take. In four years he made $100,000 and together with some friends has sent in the $110,000.
There are renovations still to be done before the youngsters can move in. Oleg says, "If we do the renovations this winter (in the next three months) when contractors are looking for work, it will cost around $15,000. This will include electricity, plumbing, furniture and putting in dry walls."
Oleg is going to fly from Odessa to Florida (we'll have to help him with this), sign the documents with the seller, and pay over the funds in two instalments – one bank cheque for half now, and one in early January after the notary document is registered in Ukraine.
So it has come together slowly and steadily. We ask to please pray for this project that the deal will not falter at the finish tape? Now all this has happened in the last 3 weeks – we're amazed at how God has moved so powerfully in this matter. God has honoured the faith of these young orphans and granted their request. Please stand with us in prayer and financial help for us to finish the project.
David Smethurst Ministries - http://www.smethurstministries.com/
