Peter Wooding at Hearts of Love Center in Konotop, Ukraine
Monday 05 Jan 2009
Reunion of the Heart
CHESTER, UK (MNS) – Peter Wooding, the UK Bureau Chief for The Missionaries News Service and AssistNews.net, and Missionaries News Service cameraman/producer, Clayton Metcalfe, recently returned to the “Hearts of Love” special needs children centre in Konotop, Ukraine to hand over a donation to its continuing work as well as film an update report for the Missionaries News Service on Safe Worlds IPTV.
“Ten weeks ago I took an ASSIST Europe mission team from the UK to Konotop for the first time, in partnership with Eastern European Outreach,” Peter Wooding said.
“It certainly was a reunion of the heart as it was such an honor to meet again with Lena Yuschenko and her team who are progressing in leaps and bounds in developing the Hearts of Love centre to provide a place for handicapped children and their families to pray, and share their problems, hopes and fears.”
Lena Yuschenko’s vision began ten years ago when her child became very sick and she was forced to quit her job after her husband left her. In spite of such adversity, thanks to the support of the charities Eastern European Outreach and ASSIST Europe, Lena and her team are helping so many others facing a similar position to her.
Renovation Continues
“Lena and her team told us that for days after our team left, the children that had been so impacted by the summer camp at the centre, that we helped to organize, kept returning in floods of tears.”
“However within days, Lena said, she and her team were busy continuing their work to renovate the centre.”
“When we arrived, they proudly showed us their handiwork in their main classroom where new flooring had been laid out, the walls painted and light fittings and heating had been installed. They had also completed work on a second room with money donated to the centre.”
Lena Yuschenko said that Hearts of Love centre now need to raise $4,000 to complete the work. “We want to finish off all the rooms that will provide a major resource for the special needs children in the community from a computer room, a music room, a therapy room and a craft room.”
Children Keep Coming Back
“A major highlight of returning to the centre was seeing so many of the children we’d got to know in the summer come back especially to see myself and my cameraman with Safe Worlds IPTV Clayton Metcalfe.”
“We filmed a series of reports as the children happily came to do their regular craft activities and the older children received much needed tutoring with their math work.”
“After seeing the children busy at work I was able to make a presentation to the centre’s director Lena Yuschenko for $1500, which I’d raised the previous month from the charity Coast to Coast Bike ride in the North of England.”
“Seeing the look on Lena’s face and that of the children made all that hard work cycling up major peaks worthwhile.”
“Lena told me they’d put the money to good use by completely replacing the damaged fencing that went round the entire perimeter of the centre’s grounds, as well as fix the guttering.”
Rusalan Passed Away
“After the children left we had a special time of fellowship with the Hearts of Love centre team, who treated us to a delicious traditional Ukrainian meal.”
“Our joy was suddenly interrupted however, when Lena announced that one of the special needs boys we’d visited in the summer, 14-year-old Rusalan had passed away not long after we’d left.”
“Clayton and I were shocked and quite emotional as we’d both been so touched by this young boy who was completely paralyzed as the result of a polio vaccination.”
“We were comforted to hear that the team did have the opportunity to lead Rusalan to Christ and disciple him in the final days of his life.”
Emphasizing the Importance to carry on
“Rusalan’s death brought home to us the vital practical and spiritual support the Hearts of Love centre can provide to many others like Rusalan and their families.”
“The next day as we boarded an early train from Konotop to Ukraine, Lena and her team came to see us off and made sure we’d come back again soon. We’ll certainly be making regular visits including another summer mission team in August 2009, when we’ll run our second summer camp for the children of Konotop.”
To find out how you can support the Hearts of Love centre in Konotop, Ukraine go to www.eeo.org or www.assisteurope.net. You can also download the free Safe Worlds software to see an update report on the centre on the EEO and ASSIST News Europe channels.
