Children's ministry at Perechin

Adrian & Zhana

Our children's and youth services at Perechin had lower today because it is a holiday.  Tonight it the night that Saint Nicholas comes and leaves some presents under the child's pillow or in a sack. It is not what they would term Christmas but comes from an observance of an Orthodox tradition. Tonight is also an exciting time in Perechin because they officially light the village "Yulka" or Christmas tree. This ceremony is done in the village center where there are also other activities to make the evening festive. We can certainly tell you that the weather is cooperating with making it feel like Christmas. Temperatures have not gotten above 22 F for about a week and we are receiving additional snow.

David &  Friend

We had hoped to insert a video, but it did not cooperate. Today the children were asking Stopia and Vita questions. Their questions are often quite serious and they surprise us how inquisitive they are about serious Christian subjects. Today, they had gotten on the topic of paradise and wanted to know where Adam & Eve might have gone when God commanded them to leave the garden. They then asked about ghosts and what would the kingdom of God be like. These are 9-11 year olds! Adriana, a girl who is usually the quietest, did not speak much and then at the end stated that the biggest matter was that God gave His. Praise the Lord for these children. Next Saturday is Christmas for us, but here it is not so significantly observed on December 25th. So, we will keep our Saturday ministry with the children anyway, but we will have a party and combine with it a time for the girls to learn some additional baking and cooking skills from Cheryl and Vita.

Since the video did not work, we will insert a couple of pictures of the children today.