Camp #2: The Psychological Rehabilitation Centre

"я люблю тебя" means "I love you". The children took it upon themselves to teach me their language. This was one of the phrases they taught me.

I spent 5 days in an orphanage working with a team of Ukrainians to provide the children with games, crafts, and Bible lessons.

I have volunteered at many camps in Canada but this experience was incompatible in with all of them. Within the first few minutes of the camp I was reminded it wasn't going to be easy for me to build relationships with the children. I couldn't speak their language. And since my translator was also directing the camp, her primary concern was not translating for me. This provided me with a difficult challenge but a challenge that I signed up for. So I used all the Russian words and phrases knew and I smiled at them. I wanted to show them that I was trying to learn and that I wanted to communicate with them. Quickly, many of the children became my teachers and, soon after that, my close friends.

In most orphanages the children are rarely given fruit because it is expensive. One day we treated them to banana, apples, grapes, oranges, kiwi, and pineapple. And we turned it into a craft.

"Orphan", in common usage, is the term for a child whose parents are both deceased, but that isn't the only case in this orphanage. These children have been taken out of bad situations such as abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction, and poverty. I was told this is a transitioning orphanage which means the children do not stay long. They are either re-situated with their parents, adopted, or sent to another orphanage for a more permanent stay. Even though they have gone through so much, these children still have the most beautiful smiles.

Eventually our camp came to a close. On the final day, we set up a "Market" for the children. They would use points they collected throughout the week to purchase items such as candy bars, juice boxes, notebooks, stickers, hygiene items, perfume, lotion, pencils, erasers, sunglasses, and more.

These children completely stole my heart. To my amazement, they were never frustrated with me when I couldn't understand them. Instead, they showed me more love and friendship than I could have ever imagined. Each morning, when I arrived, and evening, when I went go home, I was embraced by every child. With every day, my love for them grew deeper and deeper.

As I type this and revisit these memories, my heart aches because of how much I miss these children. I am so grateful for the time I had with them but I wish so badly that I didn't have to say goodbye.

God's hand is evidently upon each of their lives. Even though they have experienced so much pain and loss, and at such a young age, they are still willing to show love to everyone around them. Even to a complete stranger from Canada.

They are inspiring and I will never forget them.