Our Group Homes - Heart For Orphans

Our Group Homes
www.heartfororphans.com
Mel’s House
Home for Boys near Berdyansk, Ukraine
Distinctives of the
Heart for Orphans
Homes…
• Homes of Christian discipleship
• Houseparents focus on building relationships with
teen orphans
• Houses are kept small and
family-like
• Partnership
with local ministries
Mel’s House is a traditional Ukrainian cottage in a village
outside of Berdyansk, in the south of Ukraine. It is home
to fourteen young men between the ages of 16-21. The
boys attend a trade school in the village and are learning
construction skills. The house has
a large garden where they are
growing vegetables. They also have
pigs, ducks and chickens. There are plans to turn the outbuildings into
a wood shop and to build a greenhouse to allow them to plant crops
year-round. They have started cottage businesses in their village
doing tile work and furniture-making. But the most exciting thing
is that most have given their lives to Christ! They are passionate
about the Lord, and several want to go into full-time ministry! The
weekly Bible study is impacting the other kids at the trade school,
and the whole community!
Ruth’s House
Home for Girls near Berdyansk, Ukraine
Ruth’s House is at the opposite end of
a hectare of land from Mel’s House,
in a village near Berdyansk. Several
girls from the local trade school started
coming to the boys’ Bible Studies and
their lives began to change. Conditions
at the trade school where they lived were horrific — no heat and no water,
theft and assault were common. The girls left and asked if they could sleep
on the houseparents’ floor. Soon, several friends followed and they slept in
an unheated “summer kitchen”. The girls prayed God would provide a home
for them, and He did! The transformation in their lives has been amazing!
Several have committed their lives to Christ!
Elisha’s House
Home for Boys in Berdyansk, Ukraine
The newest addition to our group homes is Elisha’s House.
Six young men and housefather, Andrei, work in our carpentry
workshop in the city. They are temporarily living in a room
above a church until a permanent home and workshop can
be built. The boys are hardworking and passionate about the
Lord, and grateful for all He has provided for them. Still, they
hope for the day when we can open a home for orphaned
teenage boys in the city. They look forward to mentoring
younger boys, in both carpentry and walking with the Lord.
Esther’s House
Home for Girls in Kherson, Ukraine
Esther’s House is currently a city apartment in downtown Kherson. It is home to six
precious girls and beloved house mom, Nadyezda. The girls are lively, animated and
love to laugh. But they have heartbreaking stories about their lives before Esther’s
House when they were homeless. Now they are so excited
about having a real home! Nadyezhda says her life is blessed
to have new “daughters”. They keep her young and keep her laughing! The girls tell us that
for the first time, they have someone who loves them unconditionally and cares about
where they go and who they’re with. They no longer feel alone in life because someone
is there to ask advice, teach them basic life skills like cooking, and simply pray with them
when life gets tough!
Esther’s House is small, and at capacity. We have other girls who wish they could live
there, but there is no room. We are currently looking at suitable houses and praying that
God would provide the resources to expand. Natasha prays everyday for a house, and
she’s even planned the garden.
Joshua’s House
Home for Boys near Kherson, Ukraine
Joshua’s House is a large, beautiful house in a suburban area just outside of Kherson.
Fourteen boys now call Joshua’s House home. A director of a local Trade School called
our ministry partners and said he had ten orphan boys with nowhere to go over the
Christmas holidays. Did we have any idea where they could stay?
We invited them to Joshua’s House! Within two weeks, half of them had repented and
given their hearts to the Lord!! When the holidays were over, most of them asked if they
could stay on permanently!
A local church sends members regularly to teach Bible studies and guitar lessons. Several
of our boys are musical and have now formed a praise band! Andrei says that he can’t
believe that God would give him such a beautiful place to live! His story is typical – an
abusive early life, time in the orphanage and then after graduating, he struggled to stay
alive. He came to Christ recently, and now he studies the Bible diligently and wants to be
a pastor. He says that for the first time in his life, he has things that belong to him only:
clothing that he doesn’t have to share, a bed and a bicycle!
Coming Soon...
Two New Homes
2014 – Girls Home
and Boys Home
for handicapped
orphans, near
Kherson
Fall 2013 –
Girls Home
in Makeevka,
near Donetsk