submitted by Amy Reger
On Christmas break Josh Ferguson, Kenny Gardy, Michael Reger and Allen Lindeman, members of the Grafton Baptist Church, set out to the Ukraine on a mission trip. They left on December 18 and returned on January 1. Many Church members, friends, family and community members made this trip possible through their generous financial support and prayers. The group and their families would like to say a big thank you to all of you!
While in the Ukraine the group finished construction of four rooms and a hallway in a church in Kirovograd. They went to an orphanage and handed out the gifts they collected from the GBC Sunday School classes, which they brought over with them. They learned that some kids are left at the orphanage or on the streets because their parents cannot afford to keep them. Others are there for some of the more obvious reasons or because their parents have died. Some of these children are found on the streets, where they have been living, and some can live on the streets for a long time before they are brought to the orphanage.
They also went on a medical ministry. Money sent over prior to their visit was used to purchase eyeglasses. One man who came was unable to read for ten years because he could not see well enough. While the group was there, this man was fitted for a pair of reading glasses. The group was also able to tour an old city, Lvov. They went to a WW II museum and ended their journey back in Kiev on New Year’s Eve, where they were able to watch the fireworks display for their New Year’s celebration. New Year’s in the Ukraine is bigger than Christmas here in the USA. In the Ukraine, they celebrate Christmas on January 7. All the decorations are “New Year’s Decorations” although they look like our Christmas decorations.
Each one of the men came back home with an appreciation of what they have. Kenny Gardy said, “We all want more. We don’t think we have enough – but we have more than enough. They have nothing in the Ukraine.”
While in the Ukraine under the guidance of Steve Lazorischak (a missionary living in the Ukraine for almost 20 years now), they met a friend of Steve’s – Oleg. Oleg spent a lot of time with the group during their two week visit. Oleg’s sister, Sveta, moved to Italy in search of a better life. She took care of the elderly there and cleaned houses. All was well until she ended up missing. The Catholic Charities had found her badly beaten; it took them two weeks before they could even identify her. She had been taken and sold into the sex trade, and she was pregnant. They got her back with her family in the Ukraine, and on January 19 she delivered a baby boy, Alexander. He was underweight and on a breathing machine and had to be transferred to a different hospital. It was so cold when they transported him; he caught cold, which turned into pneumonia. The hospital treated him for a few days. They refused to treat him any more if the family could not pay for his treatment. The family gave them all the money they had. Steve, who is currently in the USA, was speaking at the Grafton Baptist Church while all this was unfolding and gave an update there. A collection was taken and sent to the family in the Ukraine to care for them. More money is needed. More complications for both Sveta, who has suffered a major brain injury from a hit to her head, and the baby Alexander make the cost rise. Treatment in the Ukraine is not as it is here in the USA. They will not care for either Sveta or her baby if they do not have the money to pay for treatment.
This story is one of many. Having a connection to the family makes it personal. We can’t all help everyone, but in some way everyone can help. You can pray for this family and/or give financial support to them. There will be a collection and bake sale at the next Grafton Fire Dept. all-you-can-eat breakfast on Saturday, February 28, from 8 to 11 am at the Grafton VFW/Fire Hall on South Road in Grafton. Or you can send money to the Grafton Baptist Church, c/o Wayne Schillinger, 451 County Route 85, Cropseyville, NY, 12052 with the memo “Ukraine-Sveta.”
