2018 Archive
Destiny's Promise 2018 Visit
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Manila, Philippines - 2018
Jeffrey Biscoe I recently had the opportunity to meet with Sherry Asprec from Destiny’s Promise again. She showed me around their new building that was recently finished. It now provides a shaded playground area, girls rooms and even an apartment for the main caretaker, Jazer, and his family. We discussed taking care of some upcoming material needs and even sponsoring a couple of field trips for the kids this year. Also, Sherry and her husbend recently adopted two little girls from DP! |
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Chernobyl Zone
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Chernobyl Zone, Belarus - 2018
Jeffrey Biscoe Sometimes, while working with people, you come across a family who really touches you. When I first met the older two children, I didn’t know there were 4 more at home. I didn’t know their story and I hadn’t met their mom yet. The oldest son stood out to me, though, because he was very creative and artistic. Some back story; While in Belarus, my two young children and I joined a team heading into the Chernobyl zone. We were on our way to a school in a “forgotten village”. This was our first experience outside of Minsk, my husband was not with us because he was in Ukraine and it was a 4.5 hour drive, each way, on icy roads to get there. Putting our faith in God and the team leaders and interpreters. We had no idea what to expect, but we were excited about the opportunity to help those we’d meet. We arrived at an old school building, full of excited, rambunctious kids, committed teachers and whichever parents were able to come meet us. After a tour we all separated to lead our various classes. My class was called ‘food art’ and we made pictures using fruits and vegetables. It was during this class that I first met two of the Naidin children. I was struck by their creativity and good manners. I didn’t realize then that I’d meet them again later. After our classes were over, we went to a few of the houses around the school in order to deliver food baskets. I was planning on staying in the car during these stops, but I had to run a bag into one of the houses at the last minute and I’m so glad I did. That’s when I met Galya. She is a 30-year-old mother of 6 children. Her kids were well behaved and well taken care of. It was obvious that Galya and her husband worked very hard for their family. She showed us around her small home and we met her other very young children. Their house was tidy and she proudly showed us that they were recently able to install a bathtub inside. They didn’t have an indoor toilet, but the addition of the bathtub was very helpful to her family. As we were leaving we asked if she needed anything and she said maybe a piglet eventually. She couldn’t have one right then because their barn had caught on fire and the inside and roof had been completely destroyed. She said they were in the process of rebuilding, and when that was done, then they could keep a piglet alive through the harsh winter (The barn fire killed their livestock, including a milk cow). |
This woman, as strong as she was, looked tired and worn. My heart went out to her. I asked what it would take to rebuild her barn and to install a toilet into their little house. It was determined that $350 would cover the entire cost.
Now their barn is rebuilt and they can have a cow and calf and some piglets. This family really showed me the resilience of the Belarusian people. They work hard, they take care of their children and they are tough. I was glad I got to meet them and I’m really looking forward to seeing them again. It’s encouraging to see families trying to make it on their own, raising their kids to be hard workers and to keep an unwavering hope for a better future. |
Kremenchuck Rehabilitation Center
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Kremenchuk, Ukraine - 2018
Jeffrey Biscoe This rehabilitation center for disabled children is located in Kremenchuk, Ukraine. They provide rehabilitation services for children 2-18 years old. These children have autism and other neurological and physical issues. We were able to provide them with some household items and cleaning supplies. We are also looking into getting a young girl there named Nastia a certain type of wheelchair from ROC Wheels in Bozeman, MT. This center is managed extremely well. They have a new director that has a passion for helping disabled kids and is constantly fighting for them. |
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Children's Shelter in Dzerzhinsk
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Dzerzhinsk, Belarus - 2018
Jeffrey Biscoe Outside of Minsk, we visited a children’s shelter located near Dzerzhinsk, which currently houses 10 children. The director of this shelter was a very energetic, committed man. His love for the children was apparent in how he talked about them, showed us their various rooms, and explained the different functions of the shelter along the way. He had a great attitude in spite of the MANY challenges they face day to day. He had been the director of an orphanage that houses 200 children, and has been working with children for over 20 years. The government has recently started shutting down the orphanages, opting for temporary shelters and foster families instead. The shelter we visited can house up to 14 children at a time, plus it offers classes and ways to help parents keep their children or get them returned to them faster. Alcohol is a huge problem in Belarus and the core reason children are not with their parents. There are psychologists and helpers who work through this shelter to help the parents be able to stay sober and provide for their children. The shelter, an old two-story building, is also equipped with a crisis room for mothers and children. This room offers a few beds, toys, clothing and even a small kitchen and access to a bathroom and laundry. This room was provided by Michigan based, Direct Connect Humanitarian Aid, to give mothers and their children a safe, temporary place to stay in the case of domestic abuse. The children in this shelter stay up to 6 months at a time, but their stay can be extended if their home situation hasn’t changed or isn’t yet safe for them. We met a few of the children while we were there and our kids played very well with the little girls. |
We brought food baskets and desks when we went and through that, we were able to help several families, as well as the shelter.
A big thanks to DCHA, Olga Goncharenko, Steve Doty, Mike Harbour and the director, Vatslav’s efforts, for making this children’s shelter a safe place for these kids and families. We are excited to be able to work with them some more in the future. |
Pollyanna
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Minsk, Belarus - 2018
Jeffrey Biscoe On Sunday afternoon, my family, along with Olga and her helpers, took about 20 children from a local shelter to a live production of Pollyanna. The children had a wonderful time watching this classic tale of an orphan who chose to see the positive in every situation, good or bad. After the show, we all walked to a large park that had a family restaurant in the middle of it. This place was specifically designed with children in mind. It had a playroom, fun décor and every child’s favorite food, PIZZA. Everyone played, watched cartoons and enjoyed dinner together. Afterwards, we all piled into a huge van with the kids. It was very exciting for these kids to be able to get out, have a good time and to hear an encouraging message through the play. A big ‘Thank you’ to Olga and her work with these kids! We look forward to helping create more opportunities like this in the future! |
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SOS Children's Village Budget Increase
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Manila, Philippines - 2018
Jeffrey Biscoe SOS Children’s village in the Philippines just sent us some pictures of each cabin family with the extra household items and food they were able to get this month. We were recently able to help make an increase in each family’s budget! These mothers appreciate our help so much. We are excited to be working with them next year! |
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Baby Orphanage in Ukraine
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Kremenchuk, Ukraine - 2018
Jeffrey Biscoe This baby orphanage located near the eastern conflict zone is providing a home to children from birth up to 6 years old. They care for healthy & special needs children. When we were there, they had 80 children; 20 of them had special needs of varying severity. This orphanage is equipped to care for more than 100 at a time. We brought lots of dresses (hand-made by a church sewing group in Michigan), t-shirts, diapers, cleaning supplies, household items and even some snacks. Several of the kids here have some sort of encephalitis. Some have severe swelling of the brain, while others will have very small heads. One particular baby girl has already been medically treated and hasn’t shown much improvement. The caregivers said there was another little girl with such a bad case it took two people to lift her so her neck wouldn’t break. Unfortunately, she passed away not long before our visit. Sleeping in a crib next to the little girl with encephalitis was a 6-year-old girl who was deaf and blind. They said that she was born completely healthy but because of abuse and neglect by her parents she is now in her current condition. We are working out a way to help her. |
We hope to continue building a relationship with this children’s home by visiting often, continuing providing for basic assistance and also to help them meet some of the future medical needs of these children, preventing any more preventable loss of life.
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Cooking Class with Olga's Girls
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Minsk, Belarus - 2018
Jeffrey Biscoe We had the opportunity to “teach” a cooking class with Olga Goncharenko and her older kids. Olga started a children’s home for older orphans. These kids, who have “aged out” of the foster system still needed somewhere to go, so Olga provided them with a flat and teaches them life skills and independence. She has done an amazing job with these young adults. For the class, Anna Masoit and Chantelle brought everything to make ‘American tacos’. It was definitely a good mix of Belarusian, American, Mexican and even Canadian cuisine as we all learned a bit about each other’s cooking skills and unique characters. We had a great time, despite the language barriers, forgotten ingredients and rock hard avocados. Even the little girls got their hands dirty and helped in the kitchen. It was a great opportunity to get to know these young people better. I read somewhere that people connect through food. This is especially obvious in foreign lands because one commonality between every single person on earth is food. We can connect over simple meals, snacks, treats or huge meals. This week of Thanksgiving and Feasting is a great time to connect with those in your life. |
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Gradizhsk Orphanage
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Kremenchuk, Ukraine - 2018
Jeffrey Biscoe We provided this orphanage/school in Gradizhsk, Ukraine with winter socks for all of the 120 kids there! |
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TB Shelter in Ukraine
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Kremenchuk, Ukraine - 2018
Jeffrey Biscoe This shelter and orphanage has a school within it and is home to 135 children who have all been diagnosed with Tuberculosis. Most of these children come from homes that are not stable or safe, however, several of these children do not have orphan status and live at this shelter. This shelter and school is located in Svetlovodsk, Ukraine. A short distance away there is an orphanage that is home to visually impaired children. We hope to begin working with them soon. When we were there, we talked with the directors, took care of some basic needs and got to know some of the older children. We are looking forward to going back and spending more time there. |
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