Restlessly Alexander walks the streets of the Ukrainian village of Zarichanka — the same streets where he grew up. He will never forget the years that deprived him of his childhood. After the early death of his father, his mother had not been able to provide for her three sons. They survived because his mother brought leftovers home from the canteen where she worked, and because Alexander and his brothers collected bottles for which they recieved only 6 Kopeks (Russian money: cents at the Soviet times) per bottle – enough for a single small roll of bread.

Today, Alexander is the leader of the local church of Zarichanka and of the Hope Center for children from families at risk growing up in great poverty. Since he knows about their need from his own life experience, he now walks the streets to find these kids and get them off the streets. This day, he didn’t have to walk far to meet the boy Danik.

“This 11-year-old boy living in despair just reminded me of my own childhood, which in fact I never had. Danik’s father had died, and his mother, as he expressed it used to ‘go to other men and was permanently drunk’. She had no permanent residence and did not care for her son. Neither Danik’s grandmother, nor his great-grandmother could provide for him. So Danik was out there on the street, and immediately my heart was open for this boy who was so unhappy, and who thought that nobody needed him.

First of all, he needs to know that God loves him was my first thought. So I took him to church several times, and soon he accompanied me on many of my ministries. But the greatest thing for him was when we invited him to come to our Summer Camp last year. Sleeping in tents with other children, enjoying good food and just recovering – that was something Danik had never experienced in his life. How much this camp has changed him! The street-kid that had barely gone to school and never read a book in his life, became an eager little Bible reader! How much he came to love the believers who cared for him in the camp, and even today he wants to join me when I travel to other places for ministry.

I want to thank you, dear friends, for making it possible for children like Danik to go to a Summer Camp. But I would also ask you to pray for Danik, that he would accept the Lord Jesus.“

– Alexander Zarevsky, Pastor in Zarichanka, with Danik (in the picture).

Dear friends, children like Danik need to know how precious they are, even if their families are broken and they grow up in poverty. They need to know that God loves them! You can help them today by giving them a opportunity to hear about Jesus in a Summer Camp. For only with Him they have a chance for a new life, a life that is breaking the circle of poverty and sin.

Thanks to your help in Summer 2018,  5,000 kids could attend summer camps and hear about Jesus. Thousands of children are waiting for that same opportunity to attend this summer therefore we want to equip the local churches on the mission field for Camp ministry – all for the purpose of giving children a opportunity to hear about Jesus and to carry His love into their own families.

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