Get to Know our Staff Volume #1

I told you I would be writing a little bit about some our staff members, to help you get to know our workers.  It is our goal for every staff member at God’s Hidden Treasures to get to be involved with ministry in some form or another.  We have 16 Ukrainian staff members, so where do I begin?  I’ve been known to think with my stomach so how about starting with the one who feeds us!!

This is our cook, Olya!!  

Along with cooking lunch everyday for the staff and keeping the office clean, she visits the orphanages every week with me.  If you want to see first hand how great she is with the kids, then simply watch the following video 🙂

If you’re still not convinced, here is further proof, the kids love her.

Olya, definitely has the gift of cooking, here she is making some delicious potatoes and pork for us today…

but she has many other talents as well.  She is a phenomenal actress, and helps with all the dramas we do at the orphanage, picnic, Christmas parties and more.

Here she is with the cast of our Christmas play about the birth of Jesus.  On Tuesdays we go to visit the children’s orphanage, where we spend time with kids born with HIV, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and other children with severe illnesses.  She brings such joy and encouragement to every child she visits.

Not only children, but every winter she is one our Snegurochkas (the granddaughter of Father Frost, the Ukrainian Santa Clause who visits homes and brings presents New Year’s Eve) She visits many elderly people every Christmas and New Year’s with Father Frost to bring gifts, food packages, prayer, and lots of joy.  Many times those we visit our left with tears of joy that they received such a visit.

Finally, here is Olya with her husband and daughter.  They go to one of the local churches in the village of Fursy where our office is located.  Please pray for her and her family, and for the ministry she does with God’s Hidden Treasures.  It is a blessing to have her on our staff.

 

 

Happy Easter!!

You might think I’m a little late, but remember that Easter in Ukraine was May 1st this year, as they base their holidays off a different calendar than the USA.  This year we had three different Easter celebrations!  First, we celebrated at the Shans center for the disabled, and invited many of our campers with special needs.

We had a wonderful time singing worship songs, having an Easter Skit, coloring Easter Eggs, Hunting for the Golden Easter Egg, and of course each child received a gift box.  I shared a message about the significance of Christ’s resurrection while many of the children shared different Easter poems.

The best part is that we got to do it all again at the Boy’s House Orphanage.

And then again at the children’s orphanage Voloshka.

And here you can even watch a video of the children singing for us some of their Easter songs they learned.

Ministry to orphans and children with special needs is a huge part of our ministry and a privilege for me to be involved with.  But it is even more amazing to see all of our staff get involved with the children.  These events wouldn’t be possible with the help of all our staff, and I hope to bring you more updates soon about what each of them are doing.

God bless,

Scott

Scott’s Video Blog

A video post this time of an interview with Sergei Sheptitsky.  Sergei came to the very first God’s Hidden Treasures Summer Camp around 12 years ago.  Prior to camp, he had really struggled with depression, having not left his apartment for two years. But at camp, God changed him and brought hope through Christ and many friendships with other campers with disabilities that would continue through our young campers program that meets throughout the year.  As his relationship with Christ has grown over time, he now serves as a volunteer teaching the Bible and interpreting English for both of our summer camps, visits the children at the orphanage and has been visiting young children with disabilities with me this past year.  I hope you enjoy the video. Please pray for the ministry of God’s Hidden Treasures and for young men like Sergei.