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Hello family and friends,

Spring is busting through, whether Mother Nature is ready or not. Most of our fourteen fruit trees have buds waiting to explode. Walking to the bus yesterday, the bees were hard at work looking for opportunities to pollinate. Our orchard should be beautifully colored with apple, peach, cherry, apricot, and pear blossoms in a few weeks.

Sveta and I were in Kiev on Thursday. I need a new passport. It should arrive in about 10 days. While we were there, we visited Sveta’s niece and her family. After ten hours on the train we arrived at six-fifteen AM. We took the return train at ten PM the same day. It was a very nice day.

Mark’s Moments

In years past, our massage therapy program was focusing on children with physical disabilities. They also had emotional problems, but those were not our focus. As we saw the physical results, the children’s emotional appearances also had changed.

About three years ago, MUCH began to focus on treating children with emotional and psychological problems who didn’t have physical disabilities. These children don’t interact very well with other children. Either they fight with each other, or they withdraw from everyone. There are additional symptoms.

In 2017, we began a massage therapy program for children at the Transition Home in Marganets. All of these children are from difficult homes. They are transitioning from a family setting to either a Foster-Home or an orphanage. They stay at the Transition Home for nine month. During that time, we are seeing excellent changes in their personalities and social interaction due to massage therapy. Here are two of the children that your contributions are helping at the transition home!

Katya

Katya is an orphan. She had been adopted locally. After unresolvable conflicts, she was sent to the Transition Home. If her character could be corrected, she would be returned to her adoptive family. While at the Transition Home, she complained of headaches, irritability, and poor sleep. The doctor prescribed head massage. After a ten-day massage therapy treatment, Katya had wonderful results. She began to sleep normally. A smile returned to her face, and she began to visit school. She is well on her way to returning to a good life in a good family.

Alex

Alex is a teen who had lost his desire to live. He was non-social, would skip school, and communicated with rude and cruel expressions. His talk about suicide and apparent attempts brought great concern to parents and school officials. He was sent to the Transition Home for counseling and whatever help they could give.

After a ten-day treatment of massage therapy, and some sessions with the psychologist, Alex is doing much better. He is interacting with children very well. He has found peace in his life and is looking for his purpose in his every day journey in life.

Sveta’s Journey

Valya

At the Dobromel Orphanage, Natasha has been giving Valya massage therapy treatments for about a year. Valya did not speak any words, and was unable to communicate what she wanted.

Now, the teachers are pleased to see positive changes in the classroom. She has become active and has begun to initiate activities for herself. Now Valya can say simple things like, “I want an apple.” She remains uncertain about many things and at times will not speak at all.

Massage therapy, exercise, and game therapy, have improved her nervous system, spinal alignment, breathing, and mental processing.

Slava

At the Dobromel Orphanage, Luba teaches some of the children how to use the computer. Slava is 15 years old. He has changed a lot. He is always willing to work with the computer, but is not very focused. His attention is scattered among all of the visual stimulation. He wants to accomplish his task quickly, but this does not always work out for him. He wants to do well and receive good words for his work.

Unlike previous years, Slava no longer requires constant monitoring and care. He is more independent. He can turn the computer on and off, and use the mouse knowledgeably. Opening the desktop typing tutor independently brings him pleasure. The newest activity that Slava is developing is to go online and work with his own “word game.”

The keyboard simulator helps him to learn the location of the letters on the keyboard. He is doing well with this. The best part is that Slava is now reading in syllables. Luba, our excellent computer teacher, is very pleased with him.

Living my dream,
Sveta

Thanks to all who help Sveta and me continue to change the lives of the children in four cities and two villages. Your contributions, prayers, and encouraging words help us do our part in this amazing mission.

Blessings of love and healing,

Mark and Sveta

You can see all of our videos at our YouTube channel.

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