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Dear Friends,
We would like to update you on our trip to Lutsk, Ukraine and the news on the new Brenna's Home. We returned home last night after two weeks in Ukraine, and are excited to share the news that we have completed the purchase of a new apartment which will be the new Brenna's Home for our Ukrainian children. Our God works in amazing ways, and we were able to complete the documents and finalize the purchase of this apartment in just four days, for a process that usually takes a minimum of two weeks. This was a great blessing as we were able to clean the new flat and spend a week purchasing the new appliances, upgrade the plumbing, and purchase new furniture during the second week of our trip. The new apartment is a five-minute walk to the church and close to all the schools which the children attend. The four children currently in Brenna's Home will hopefully soon be joined by four additional children, as the new apartment will easily be able to accommodate at least 10 children.
We would like to share some pictures of the children, and some of our activities during this trip. The newest addition to Brenna's Home is a 6 1/2 year old girl, Pavlina, who comes from a village outside of Lutsk. She is from the same village as Yulia, who has now been at Brenna's Home for two years. They used to play together in their village.
This is Pavlina in a new sleeping bag donated from the US.
Rich and Donna with Yulia and Pavlina.
This is Kola who will turn 15 on February 23. He is very interested in computers and has a lot potential for a career in technology.
Hala has been at Brenna's Home for almost four years and is now in her first year of college, studying food and nutrition.
We always try to visit "Patrick's family". Patrick is in a wheelchair due to spina bifida, and his parents have a wonderful family, which has now grown to eight. They live in a small 2-room apartment. Here is a picture of their family (with one of the children missing, still at school).
Here is a picture is us with the four children before we had "chicken parmesan", something we always like to make for them when we visit.
One evening we drove to the village where Pavlina and Yulia's parents live, and had the opportunity to visit with them and let them see their parents. This was a very interesting evening. The girls seemed happy to see their parents, but had no problems leaving them to return to Brenna's Home. They are all alcoholics and fortunately were sober for this visit.
We also spent time with the Tabitha Children on different occasions, and are happy to see how they grow and develop over the years we have known them. Tabitha Children
Another aspect of our work in Lutsk is with the Blind People, many of whom have children in the Tabitha Program. We always try to connect with them when we visit and her is a picture of our visit with them.
We have much more to tell about our trip and are excited about the possibility of four new children coming to Brenna's Home in the next few weeks. We are happy to have a new facility to accommodate them. We will keep you posted!
Love, Rich and Donna
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