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Andriy, Alla and Lukian were able to visit the United States from 12/29/18 until 1/29/19. Although they spent the majority of their time in Georgia, they were able to spend 10 days in two different parts of Texas visiting with several groups interested in the plight of Ukrainian orphans and at-risk youth as well as a group very interested in the plight of those with special needs in Ukraine. Andriy and family were also able to visit a group of friends from North Carolina who organize mission trips throughout the world, including Ukraine.
During the past year as Andriy’s ministry has focused on reaching orphanages, he has had to put the Freeway Day Center on hold simply because of lack of finances. This has been incredibly hard for Andriy as Freeway has been active for so many years and was his first outreach program. We, the Williams Family, have been able to witness the Day Center in action on weekday afternoons in the school in Brovary. We have seen the study groups and organized team sports competitions taking place and it was amazing to see a safe place for the local kids to go after school where they were protected, edified and educated!
Andriy has been attempting, and with good success, to connect local churches with the orphanages he has been visiting. Although he visits several weekly, bringing supplies and activities for the children to play, his hopes are that families from the local churches will mentor and connect with children from the orphanages so that he will not need to visit as often and may be able to reach new orphanages.
Andriy has continued to drive and translate for adoptive families in Ukraine to support his family and fund his ministry to orphans and at-risk youth. Andriy has around 7-8 monthly donors that enable him to operate his orphanage ministry while working nearly full time driving. To be able to reopen the Freeway Day Center, Andriy needs more than double his current support, so close to $2,000 per month of regular, committed donations.
Two dozen families or individuals donating $50, $75 or $100 monthly would enable Andriy to reopen the Freeway Day Center and continue his Orphanage Outreach Ministry and focus on those because he will not be required to also work full time driving families.
Thank you to all of the Kolbovskys’ current financial supporters! Also, thank you to all those who have given one time financial gifts or have given when you have seen Andriy each year! Thank you so much for those who hosted Andriy in America this year and enabled him to meet new people who have a love for those in Ukraine that are most at-risk and need protection! Please continue to pray for God’s protection in a country at war, pray for all the Kolbovskys’ needs to be met, and pray for Andriy’s ministry to be fruitful and bring Hope to all he meets!
Below is the financial status of the Orphanage Outreach Ministry and how additional donations can help:
“Due to my Orphanage Outreach and work to support my family by driving adoptive families, I neither have the time nor financial resources to operate the Freeway Day Center. I am currently receiving $600/month in regular donations and work by driving adoptive families to support my family and earn money for my ministry. I need $2000/month to be able to support my family and dedicate all my time to my ministries. My current Orphanage Outreach Ministry costs $880/month (Kyiv Region $480 [2 orphanages 8 visits per month], Mykolaiv $400 [3 orphanages 1 visit per month]). The cost of operating the Day Center would be $200 per month but I would need to have full time support to be able to operate the Day Center and the Orphanage Outreach Ministry.
When I am able to reopen the Freeway Day Center we will be incorporating “Without Limits Ministry” for kids with disabilities. The $200/month budget will cover $20/week for workshops and activities, $10/week for sporting events and $10/week for the meetings. The Day Center provides a place for the at-risk youth (who do not have good family support) to participate in study groups, socialize and engage in organized team sports. These activities teach the children team work and allow them to be mentored by members of our ministry team. The Without Limits Ministry will provide a place for children with disabilities to socialize in a safe place and we will provide them activities that will enhance and exercise their physical abilities and mental abilities in ways their current environment may be lacking. We want them to strengthen all their abilities and teach ways to cope with the challenges they face.
Each year we host multiple camps throughout the year: Day Camp (2 times per year), City Camp (Summer), Boys Camp (Summer), and Church Camp (Summer/Winter). It is a great blessing when American teams come and work in the camps! Groups of Americans increase the popularity of the camps and when American workers help teach lessons and help with crafts and sports, there is a lot more fun and interest for the kids! Groups from churches or families or groups of friends to come as Mission Teams is a great way to show the kids that people with God’s love are willing to travel around the world to tell them about that hope. Every lesson we teach is structured to tell the children about the hope that is found by walking according to God’s principles, although some places we go we are not allowed to specifically talk about God and Jesus. When the workers and children see Believers putting their faith into action, it is a great testimony!
In closing, we would love to see many of you come to Ukraine as a Mission Team to help in one of our camps! We understand it is a great expense to travel individually and with families and therefore we would love even more for many of you to partner with us prayerfully and also financially on a regular basis. 25 new families giving $100 per month would enable me to work full time in my ministries and fully fund my Freeway Day Center/Without Limits Ministry and the Orphanage Outreach Ministry! I also have a dream to create Hope House, a Transition Home where ‘aged-out’ orphans have a safe place to live, go to technical college and learn life skills while living in a family-style environment, as opposed to the institutional environment which they have lived in all their lives! This will be very important to change teens’ lives and will require dozens and dozens of regular supporters to achieve, but with your help and activism to tell others about my ministry, it is easily possible!”
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