Romaniv – Victory over Scabies
Romaniv is a village about one hour from the city center here in Zhytomyr. For the past several years, Mission To Ukraine has ministered to the physical and spiritual needs of some 77 young men with significant disabilities. The higher-functioning guys can learn woodwork, cultivate a garden, and learn stories from the Bible. Those with moderate disabilities attend classes on-site and learn how to eat their meals and shower somewhat independently. Those with minimal learning skills are visited, sung to, hugged, and loved just as the others!
It is often seen as a place of hopelessness, pain, and despair – yet we’re continually confronting that with hope, joy, and faith. Sure – It needs a lot of changes and transformation to provide the true care and dignity these young men deserve. They are still deprived of basic medical care, professional rehabilitation, and living conditions that would develop their potential. ]
And yet, in this darkness, there are so many amazing transformations to celebrate. Today we want to stop and praise God for those awesome changes He brought into the young men’s lives recently.
One of them is a victory over scabies and stench. For many years the institution would only provide a shower once per week. And to be quite honest, it wasn’t so much of a shower as it was a “hosing down.” Sometimes with soap. Sometimes not. I’ll not go into details here, but I’m sure you can imagine the buildup of bodily waste and bacteria was unimaginably unhealthy and downright dangerous for even an animal … until things started to change
Mission to Ukraine began to negotiate changes with the orphanage administration. Today the guys at Romaniv have an opportunity to shower/bathe every other day. They come in small groups and have assistance to practice showering independently. We were able to hire a wonderful man by the name of Igor to guide the young men through the simple steps of self-care, helping them grow independent and skillful in washing parts of the body that were neglected before. Now “bathhouse attendants” are taking after him to help out.
Vova is 26 years old and has spent most of his life in this institution. He would attend our classes, but never speak or look into our eyes. It wasn’t clear if he would master the skills of showering but, of course, it was worth trying. We began by having caregivers wash him. He was scared of the water. Then he became a little “cautious.” Then he started to enjoy it. A few weeks later he learned to stand in line, undress, and take a real shower with soap – completely independently!!! He loves water and enjoys showering now!
Scabies are gone. Showers are happening. Progress. Light. Love. One small breakthrough after another. God is good! It is your compassion and love for these young men that made the difference. Thank you for your love and prayers! I would like to ask you something right now.
Can I ask you to make a financial contribution today to help us continue the work we’re doing at Romaniv? Your gift not only helps us with the hygienic needs of these precious young men, but it also allows us to provide them with food, water, social interaction, and the life-changing message of Jesus Christ every week. Our yearly budget for the work at Romaniv is $24,000. And it’s your help that makes that possible. And – as is typical for most ministries – summer giving has been slow. We truly need your financial help.
Please consider helping us out by donating at www.give.missiontoukraine.org
Your gift is vital to this outreach. Thank you!