Mark and I have seen time and again how the Lord opens new doors to help children with disabilities! That is the purpose of our mission: to demonstrate God’s love and grace through action.
My trip to Western Ukraine to spend a week with our grandchildren unexpectedly led to a one-day trip to the mountains. I went with a group of teenagers from my family’s church, the pastor’s wife, and two young women, one of whom was Natasha, along with her sweet dog, Busya.
Natasha serves children with disabilities, including 10 children diagnosed with autism. She and her teenage team organize various activities to help these children grow, improve their social interaction, unlock their potential, and enrich their lives.
The teenagers from the church happily carry out their duties. During gatherings, each of them works with a child with disabilities using the object the child is playing with. Each teenager works with an individual child, builds a relationship, and helps the child complete tasks by holding the child’s hands.
I spoke with Natasha about their equipment needs that MUCH may be able to provide. After I returned from my perilous journey, Mark and I had a video chat with Natasha. We learned so much about what they are doing at the church, their other camp locations, and excursions to the mountains. We discussed how the activities are fun for the children, although Mark wanted to understand the rehabilitative principles behind them.
Natasha mentioned two items they would like to have that would improve their ability to develop the physical and social skills of their children with special needs and autism. A trampoline and a table tennis table would fit directly into their program. My research shows that both pieces of equipment provide very positive results in developing physical and social skills.
Such assistance is also beneficial for healthy teenagers, as it gives them the opportunity to learn the value of mutual support. Parents feel the care from Natasha and her team and see that their child is not so isolated from the outside world.
By providing this equipment, we are helping these children lead a more fulfilling life.
Thanks for supporting our mission and giving these children hope.
