Thursday, January 19, 2006

Who are we? Our staff:

The Mother's Care team is made up of volunteers from several countries.
Rebecca Smith and Andy Smith are from America and have lived in Ukraine for seven years. They have two children of their own, Sarah, 17 years old, and Joshua, 7 years old.
Inge Skjolstrup is from Denmark. She has a heart full of love and compassion for abandoned children and has ministered to them faithfully in Ukraine for three years.
Sonia Yakovenka is the newest member of the team. She finished her Discipleship Training School with Youth With a Mission last year and came on Mother's Care staff in the fall. She is from Kyiv, Ukraine. Her joy and energy are a blessing to the children, as well as to the whole team!
We also have many volunteers from Kyiv, and from America who join with us in ministering to these children as they can. We are so thankful for them. We couldn't do this work without them!
Our partners and volunteers: Marcus, Joke (pronounced Yoke), Oksanna, Ludmilla, Rachel, Leslie, Julie, Elaine, Pastor Hart, Cynthia and Rev Russell Griffin, Elaine, Lillian, Nadia, Tanya, Kristina and all of our sponsors.
We are a large family from many nations joining together to be family for children who don't have one. Thank you!

What is Mother's Care?

We are a small team of YWAMers living in Ukraine for the purpose of mininstering the love of a mother and father to abandoned children. We regularly visit and help two hospitals where abandoned children are cared for, as well as a baby orphanage where children with Down's Syndrome or other challenges live.
We provide love, play, affection, and compassion for children who are sick in the hospital and don't have a mother to comfort them.
We also provide diapers, powders, food, clothes, and other much needed items that the hospitals and orphanages just cannot afford to buy.
Why do we do this? Because we know that each of these children, no matter what their situation, is valuable to the Lord, and we deeply care for each one of them.
As much as we give to them, these little ones also bless our lives each time we are with them.
Our goal in the up coming year is to purchase a home where we can care for children who have been abandoned until they can be adopted into families or placed in a long term foster home.

Maria's giggles


Maria has Down's Syndrome. She is a loving little girl with a giggle that ligths up my day! She giggles the most when you blow raspberries on her tummy!

Victoria


Victoria, or Vika for short, loves music and to look at books with us. The babies only hear music in the hospital when we bring in our little player with blinking lights. They love it!

Angel Anna


Anna has to be fed through a tube and has some brain damage, but her sweetness and angelic little face has been a blessing to our lives! She particularly loves back rubs.

What a handsome little guy!



This is Sasha. He is beautiful, smart, and full of energy! We fell in love with this little guy in a minute!

Inge with Vova



Inge, from Denmark, with Vova. Inge has been in Ukraine loving on these children for 3 years! Addicted or called, or both?


Zhenya. Despite being absolutely beautiful, he is a boy! Look at that face and say goodbye to your heart!

Marina now has a room in the hospital away from all the other sick children and is getting better every day.

Oksanna



This is Oksanna, happy because we brought her a new toy to play with!