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We left camp yesterday around 9 in the morning. The plan was to leave at 7A.M. so that the kids wouldn't have to see us drive off and be left with the image of more people leaving them. In the attempt to follow this plan we said our goodbyes Monday night; talk about difficult! Some of us were out with the kids for hours. Their pattern would be to hug for a long time, tell us not to go back to America and that they loved us, say goodbye, and then repeat around 5 or 6 times. A few of the younger kids cried, and the older kids just hung around for a while, some talking and others just watching. We said goodnight and goodbye and then began to prepare to leave in the morning.
The morning came too quickly. Many of us felt like we had just arrived and were leaving in too short a time. At the same time it felt like we were there for a month because every day was stuffed full of meaningful events and divine purpose. We had our last homemade sandwiches from the Ukrainians, cleaned our rooms and finished packing up the vans. Many of the older kids helped us pack the vans, and while we did that the time had already ticked by and the younger kids started waking up. Soon we had little ones circling around us, hugging us, and some even began crying again. The second goodbye was harder than the first. As we began to load up into the vans they stayed in the doorway until they were forced away. If a door reopened for any reason the kids would swarm it again. The images we were left with are little hands on the windows, little feet chasing the vans, and a farewell committee of smiling faces at the gate.
Yes, it was a difficult and sad experience leaving those kids. However, those smiling faces continue to give us hope that those broken children will realize that Jesus is their answer to life and love. Not us, not each other, or even the parents some of them wish for or still have. We planted the seed for the Lord, and even in the short amount of time we were there we saw it take hold. We know that God will continue to work in those kids, and it has been a blessing for all of us to be a part of God's work with Hope for Orphans. We feel that our work with them is far from over...
Thank you for all of the prayers and support from everyone who has helped send us to Ukraine and those who have been following our experiences. Please continue to pray for the children, that God takes hold of their hearts and they are able to grasp how much God loves them and how important Jesus' death and resurrection is for their eternal lives. Continue to follow us as some of us join the next group and continue God's work in a new camp. May God bless you and thank you again.
- The Ukraine Team