March 2009 MUCH NewsletterMarch 22, 2009|Mark Koehler|NewsletterHello family and friends, The countdown has begun. Wednesday evening, March 25th, my feet will step onto American soil. It will be great to be home for a time, visiting old friends and making new ones. Many things have happened…
What the Children Need to HearMarch 15, 2009|Mark Koehler|Newsletter, The Children, UkraineRelationships have always been on my mind. Since I was a child, my own need for relationships was a major factor in my life. It was missing much of my childhood. When I interact with our children at the Emmaus…
The Innocence of ChildrenMarch 10, 2009|Mark Koehler|Newsletter, UkraineAs I woke up this morning, the scenes from a film that I had watched last week reappeared in my memory. Not many films are more than a momentary escape from the reality that I live. Not many films that…
February 2009 MUCH NewsletterMarch 1, 2009|Mark Koehler|NewsletterHow is the weather in your area? February has been a mild, but bone chilling month here in Illichevsk, by the sea. Financial problems are not so evident to me in Illichevsk, but while I was in Marganets I saw…
Help WantedFebruary 28, 2009|Mark Koehler|Newsletter, UkraineWhen you see these two very common words side by side, what thoughts come to your mind? My first impression is that a job is available, that there is some work to do. Think about the word help. If I…
Children of HopeFebruary 23, 2009|Mark Koehler|Newsletter, UkraineWhat do you see above? Look at them from a distance; look at them close-up. Look at their clothes. Look at the expressions on their faces. Look into their eyes. What do you see? I see children. Each one has…
Children in TransitionFebruary 16, 2009|Mark Koehler|Newsletter, Ukraine(I have not entered pictures of our children to protect their identities at this fragile time in their lives.)For the past year and then some, when I go to Marganets, I visit the children at the transition home. These children…
Country in Crisis, Family in CrisisFebruary 11, 2009|Mark Koehler|Newsletter, UkraineBecause I have no TV, by choice, I don’t follow the news often. When I am hungry to know what is going on in the rest of Ukraine or the world, I go online and read the news. I have…
A Father’s Love StoryJanuary 25, 2009|Mark Koehler|NewsletterI call it a Father’s Love Story, but I was not her father and she was not my daughter. Oksana wanted to be my daughter. In her heart, she wanted to belong to someone. She wanted a family experience. She…
January 2009 MUCH NewsletterJanuary 22, 2009|Mark Koehler|NewsletterHello family and friends, Happy New Year! I hope that 2009 will be a bright year for all. As we have closed 2008, I see the progress of the children most evident. I have short videos of some of the…