Remodeling the Center

For the last six months we have been remodeling the Light of Hope Children’s center. It had been a long time coming. The walls were starting to fall apart and the kitchen was not adequate. When we started the project we did not expect it to take so long, but it was hard to find reliable people to do the work, especially with our budget. We finally decided we will have to do it ourselves. I helped when I could, doing things like drywall, taping, wallpaper, and painting. Vanletine has done most of the work. He, with the help of Abner and me at times, did the ceiling, the plywood on the walls, the door trim, and so on. We have ordered and received our new kitchen cabinets, and soon Andrey will be putting them together and installing them.

Unfortunately we have not been able to receive kids during this time either. However we soon will be finished and be opening the doors to the kids in the area again. We used time to pray and reflect on how God wants us to move forward in our ministry at the center. And after much prayer and thought we have decided to restructure the entire ministry. We will no longer be focusing on the social-work aspect of the center as much. We have noticed that most of the kids no longer really need nor appreciate the material help we have been giving. When we started to realize and pray about this, Olga was given this verse

“Look on my right hand and see, For there is no one who acknowledges me; Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul.” Psalm 142:4.

We realized that we had lost sight of what these kids and their families really need. More than material help, they need someone to care for their souls. Therefore, we will continue to help those families truly in need, while changing our focus to more spiritual needs. We will be trying to teach the kids skills for life as well as instilling in them a knowledge of Jesus, hoping and praying that this knowledge will grow into a personal relationship. Our hours will be different. We will be planning our time so that when the kids come we will be doing something, whether it be doing crafts, a bible lesson, teaching them how to cook, and so on. We are excited to see the fruit of our new direction. Thank you for your support and prayers. Please continue to join us in this much needed ministry. We need a lot of wisdom and guidance as we take on the spiritual battle for the souls of these kids and their parents.

New walls and ceiling :)

Here are some specific prayer requests:

• That we would have the wisdom to care for their souls


• That the kids would have open hearts


• That we would have the wisdom and discernment to help those in need


• That the Lord would bring us people who can volunteer and help with the kids


• That we would be able to also reach and minister to the kids’ parents


• That we would have the finances we need to run center, and the wisdom to know what to do with it

The new kitchen, I will add more pictures when they are up.

click here to see more pictures