HOW IT ALL BEGAN

New Life Ministries, Inc. had an historically defining moment in 1989 that dramatically changed our future.

In the spring of that year, Al Akimoff, Director of Slavic Ministries, offered an amazing invitation to New Life Ministries’ Executive Director Gregory Gulley.

It was a full seven months before the historic fall of the Berlin Wall, as he asked if New Life Ministries would seriously consider dedicating one of their missions teams to two full months of travel and outreach in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in 1990.

Al generously pledged the services of his staff on the ground there to fully plan the team’s travels and work, first going to the Soviet Union, Poland and East Germany in August, and then, later in October, traveling throughout Yugoslavia and Hungary.

New Life’s ‘Musical Theater Missions Teams’ shared the Gospel effectively through a production penned by Gulley and Lenny LeBlanc entitled “The Greatest Star of All.” Al had seen firsthand the effectiveness and impact of the combination of music, drama, costumes and sets to reach and engage young people.

In Al’s words, “There is an openness to the Gospel unlike I’ve ever seen in my 25 years of work in the USSR, but currently, our work is only adult-to-adult. We have no effective ministry going on to young people in those countries and, as you know, they are the future. If you would come with your team, I feel that it would be like ‘spring rain on parched ground.’

THE FIRST YEARS

The results of those first two trips in 1990 were unbelievable as hundreds of young people from all across the Soviet Union prayed to receive Christ in, of all places, Pioneer Youth Camps. Ironically, those Pioneer Youth camps were set up during the Stalin era for the further communist indoctrination of Soviet youth. Young people attended these camps traveling from all corners if the USSR.

The doors to those facilities flung wide open and the teams were able to share freely and unrestricted.

Over the next few years, our musical theater missions teams would travel the scope of the USSR, traversing across the expanse of it’s eleven time zones, sharing from Odessa to Siberia, from Kamchatka to Moscow and the Baltics, and many places in-between.

Bible Camps

But what now? What needed to be done with so many young people opening their hearts to Christ? Soon, it became evident that focus needed to also be dedicated to discipleship of those who had prayed to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

In 1994, our first two Bible Camps were conducted, one in the Crimea and the other in Latvia. Those first camps were 28 days in length and continued using creative tools to reach and teach. Every day, the campers had a different topical Bible lesson that utilized music, drama, pantomime, and interactive teaching. Small groups allowed the campers to ask questions, review and discuss what they were learning, and pray and grow together.

The camps would take place every summer from then on, impacting hundreds of young people from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Latvia. Many of our national staff as adults today came to Christ and were discipled through the camps when they were younger.
Four years later, teaching teams made up of veteran campers were created to eventually take over the responsibilities of reaching and discipling newcomers.

“Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28) was Jesus’ call. We felt that our job was to “work ourselves out of a job”. In essence, to raise up, train and hand over to nationals the reigns, allowing them to reach and teach others.

In addition, in 1998 we established a Russian language speaking Musical Theater Missions team to perform “The Greatest Star of All” in Russian. That team began touring each summer in the month of August sharing in outreaches in secular camps throughout Crimea.

Exposure to the Soviet-era orphanages was eye-opening for all of us, to say the least.

The Soviet-era state-run institutions were filled with tens of thousands of children ages 1-18 years old. Society’s attitude towards orphans was painfully evident as they generally regarded these children as defective and incapable of becoming anything of value.

But, to the contrary, we believed that these children deserved the opportunities all others had, and should be given the chance to learn and grow spiritually, socially and in every way. Why should they be penalized for the neglect and abuse of their parents and of the government-run system?

We took to heart the call of James 1:27 that “Pure and unblemished religion [as it is expressed in outward acts] in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit and look after the fatherless and the widows in their distress…”

1998 A GROUNDBREAKING YEAR

In 1998, at the invitation of Dr. Valdis Rande, the director of Bulduri Orphanage in Latvia, we began developing a comprehensive strategy to work within the state-run orphanage system year-round, to make an eternal and physical difference in the lives of orphans.

THE ORPHANS LEFT BEHIND

Most Americans have limited exposure to orphans from this part of the world – Eastern Europe and the ex-USSR. Here in the US, we may know someone who has adopted a child from the former Soviet Union, and think that adoption is the answer. But the truth is, less than one half of one percent of the children living in Soviet-era orphanages are ever adopted.
For example, according to the U.S. State Department statistics, 215 Ukrainian orphans were adopted by American families in 2019, 211 were adopted in 2020.

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, February, 24, 2022, 110,000 children lived in Ukrainian state-run institutions. Each year an additional 6000-12,000 children are added to that number.

In essence, when you do the math, over 99.5% of the orphanage population are what we call, THE ORPHANS LEFT BEHIND that will never be adopted. Consider, too, that in Ukraine, since the war began, all adoptions have been totally suspended.

THE ORPHANS LEFT BEHIND are the children upon whom we focus our hearts and ministry. Since 1998, ministry to orphans and orphanages has become a full-time pursuit.

NATIONAL ORPHANAGE MINISTRY TEAMS

At least once, a month during the school year (September through May), we have trained and sponsor orphanage ministry teams to travel to and share at state-run orphanages with which we work.
Currently, teams of our national staff and volunteers are ministering in many of the 16 orphanages we serve across five regions in war-torn Ukraine.
During each visit, the teams share a topical Bible lesson which includes music, a puppet theater, interactive teaching and one-on-one ministry. The team brings along at least two crafts to share with the children, in addition to fruits and treats.
Sometimes the teams will even take the children on special excursions like to a pizza restaurant, or the movies, even playgrounds and ice skating rinks.

SUMMER BIBLE CAMPS FOR ORPHANS

During trips to the orphanages, our national teams look out for the orphans at each orphanage who seem to be the most serious and active during our lessons.

Once a list of orphans is ready, one of our staff will meet with orphanage directors and ask about each child, seeking further recommendations and insight from those who are with the orphans 24/7.

The orphans selected are invited to attend one of our summer Bible Camps located in the town of Truskovyets in the Carpathian mountains in western Ukraine. Camp sponsorships from supporters here in America are sought making it possible for an orphan who is selected to attend our camp.

The orphans love spending time at the camp and with our team. First of all, the day is filled with so many different activities. It starts off with a topical Bible lesson engaging the children through drama, music, pantomime and, a favorite, our puppet theater.

After the topical lesson, craft time begins and usually involves at least two crafts. The crafts are chosen to correspond with the topical lesson that day.

Each small group is led by one of our staff members or volunteers and becomes a special time for the orphans to share, ask questions and solidify the things they’ve learned that day. Many of the campers say it is their favorite part of camp.

After lunch, there’s time for recreation and games, and in the evening, special movies are selected, again connected with themes that echo the topics in many of the lessons.

LIFE SKILLS LESSONS

A series of talks are given in the afternoons as well which we call ‘LIFE SKILLS LESSONS.” They cover practical topics from the importance of education, how to plan and budget, effects of tobacco, alcohol and drugs, relationship skills, etc. All tools they will need as they move into adult life.

As one orphanage director lamented, “One of the most dreadful things about the whole system of education and training (in the orphanages), is that the orphans are equipped with ‘things’ when they leave … furniture, a little spending money…but they are not prepared for the future. They don’t know how to make money, they don’t even know how to make tea.”

Recently, Laura Gaigalniece, who is serving as an intern with us, has developed a Power Point presentation covering our Life Skills lessons, and leads meetings with the older orphans ages 13-17 years old, at our camps.

Laura is an orphan herself, growing up from age 7 in a Latvian orphanage, then attended one of our camps in 2010. There, she and her sister Ieva came to Christ. They grew spiritually throughout the camp, and that fall became participants in our Fresh Start program.

In the years that followed, both graduated from high school with honors, were accepted in the university for further studies. Laura graduated with a Bachelor’s degree, and now attends Medical School in Riga studying to become a Dental Hygienist. A remarkable accomplishment when you remember the statistic that the average orphan when they age out has a 9th grade education!

Who better to share and be a positive role model for the younger orphans than someone who is an orphan herself and has experienced the life they are now experiencing?

MATERIAL HELP FOR THE ORPHANS AND THEIR ORPHANAGES

Over the years, we have been helping with monthly purchase and delivery of desperately-needed medicines, purchasing & delivering them on a monthly basis. The government currently sends no funds for this important need.

Beyond that, we have funded everything from the construction of bomb shelters fully equipped with bedrooms, toilets, showers, and classrooms. We are providing money for the repair of walls, floors, windows, plumbing, electrical infrastructure, which was damaged by the Russian invasion and temporary occupation of Ukrainian territories where our orphanages are located.

We have provided beds (frames, mattresses, linens, pillows, comforters), clothing, kitchen appliances, furniture, and the like, and in many cases, food.

Other funding has been provided for everything from playground equipment to essentials for gardens & greenhouses, as well as coats, sweaters, shoes, to the purchase & placement of back-up generators and fuel. Those generators have met a critical need for back-up when heat and lights go out due to Russian missile and drone attacks on the utilities infrastructure in Ukraine.

Our help has also included the purchase of everything from kitchen stoves and ovens, to washing machines to furniture, among other needed items.

FRESH START: TRANSITION APARTMENTS AND SUPPORT FOR ORPHANS WHO HAVE BEEN ‘AGED OUT’

Fresh Start began in 2007, as we opened our first transition apartment for orphans who had ‘aged out’ of the state-run orphanage system, most with little or no prospect of a normal life in the world outside. They are unprepared to face a world that would prove oftentimes hostile and prejudiced against them. On average, they have the equivalent to a 9th grade education.

Dr. A. Shakmanova, a Slavic sociologist wrote: “It is well-known that the socialization of orphans and children without parental care is extremely difficult. Within 2-3 years after leaving the orphanages, over 90% end up in the ranks of the socially marginalized: alcoholics and narcotic abusers, prostitution (females are especially vulnerable to human trafficking), many end up in jail, and a full 10% commit suicide…again 90% are what we call socially marginalized.”

The ’Fresh Start’ program has proven that, if we make it possible for an orphan who has been ‘aged out’ to have a place to live and the means, mentorship and supervision that they need, it can make all the difference. Truly, the opportunity to continue to pursue their education positions them to acquire a marketable skill, further allowing them to be independent. If they are offered the support to grow as a person spiritually, emotionally and socially, it can change their lives forever.

Through FRESH START, we provide funds for apartments, utilities and food. In addition, it provides for educational expenses, transportation to and from school and an allowance for personal expenses and medical insurance. Each participant is supervised and mentored by one of our staff.

During their participation in FRESH START, each orphan ‘gives back’ by helping our orphanage teams on outreaches during the year and at the Bible camp for orphans. There is no substitute for the younger orphans to see their positive examples, giving them fresh hope for their future.

DENTAL CLINICS FOR UKRAINIAN ORPHANS

Led by Raleigh dentist Dr. Gabriel Rich (formerly team dentist for the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes), dental clinics have been conducted in five of the orphanages with which we work. Dr. Rich began providing dental care to orphans in Ukraine in 2010 on weeklong visits with us.

The clinics include dental exams for all, and follow-up with the appropriate treatments for those needing it. In addition, fluoride treatments are provided for all the children as well as oral hygiene instruction and the distribution of toothbrushes and toothpastes for their use.

What about the orphans left behind?