We have been without electricity and phone connections. Telephones and mobile phones have not worked. We have powercuts several times a day. We have very much snow. A lot of trees has fallen due to the snow storm.
Road to Piski, where our children’s home is situated is closed. Viktor P. arrived, however, to work.
“I walked in the snow, what reached up to the knee. When the snow already reached my hips, and I could’t move my legs. I wanted to turn back, but taught that I already gone 9 kilometers, and it was so little left (about 400 meters). So I crawled the rest of the way to the Friend’s House. ”
We had to give the order that our staff may not be crawl to work, especially if it is 20 degrees below zero, which is now waiting for.
Valentina, Valera, Sveta and young Valerija were resqued from Piski just before the snow storm before New Year eve.
We are all well. Neighboring villages are without electricity and many are freezing.
The fallen trees are a problem for the teams who repair the power lines.
Even the tractors who clear the road are caught up in the snow.
Thank you all for the past year and good for the continuation of 2010.
Snow in Finland and snow in Ukraine. The picture is taken in Finland, Helsinki – Kauppatori.
Snow, snow four days and it’s still snowing. Frost and snow keep its grip on Ukraine. Over the weekend, 12 people died of cold. The biggest problem is cleaning roads. ”What’s that ,” – would the Ukrainian ask. Cleaning the roads does not funtion. They are salting and plowing at night, but when the snow is coming all the time, so it does not help. South of the Ukraine has declared an emergency situation.
There is lots of work with snow and snow shovels are worth gold. Showel prices rose astounding. Elderly people living in their small homes are covered by snow. Of course there is no need to mention that ambulances do not go, and not bread and milk transport .
The road to Piski is blocked. Our staff working in Children’s Home – Friend’s House are walking 10 kilometers to work in freezing temperatures. I stopped for a while typing this, and took a deep breath. If I had a hat now so I would lift it now for them.
There is so much work with the snow, our elderly boys Ruslan and Vitja has taken it as their task to make the path to our home.
Both Tanjas received special mention of the craft and working skills in municipal school competition. Igor was the best at the municipal level in Ukraine language. (Igor does not even have a birth certificate, that he is not eligible for school)
Valentina, our local Director – Tanja M tries to arrange the documents in order in Ukraine’s snowy bureaucracy jungle. After her mother died we will have the official custody.
Thank you to everyone who heard our call to help when we had the accident with the transformator ! ( We still need money for that we have received 1200 and lack about 800 USD.) Now, the electricity is working. Well not quite always, after all – the whole village has electricity black-outs due to snow
.
All the children are healthy and doing well. They enjoy the snow together with the Labrador , Ami. Molly- the French bulldog doesn’t want to go out so much in this snow weather.
Hello Friends
A short greeting from us here in “Friends House” at Christmas time. Here in Piski is the snowstorms and minus 20 degrees. I know there have been so at home in Sweden and in Europe too, but the difference is that here, the roads are not cleared that quickly. They can be snowed in for several days. We thank God for our loyal staff who defies the weather conditions. Nadja living 10 km of us walked to her job at Friends’ House, because the road was not passable by car. Sometimes Viktor living in the same village came on skies to work. You can really talk about faithfulness and loyalty. All the kids feel good and wait for the New Year which is a big festival in Ukraine, when Father Frost comes with gifts.
”ACCIDENT IN FRIENDS HOUSE”!
A transformer in our house caught fire and caused a short circuit. Vitja 14 years saved the situation from developing into a disaster, with its hesitant response. He ran quickly and disconnected the power with the main switch in our power center. However, there was a strong smoke and Valera who work with us was not feeling so good because he was in the middle of it all, in order to save the children away from the amount of smoke It was of course not a nice CHRISTMAS GIFT, since we have to repair part of the house after the transformer fire.
It could have ended much worse, but thanks to wise intervention, and God’s protection it all ended good, in the circumstances.
Estimated cost to replace electrical wiring, transformer, 2 new circulation pumps plus the labor cost is about 2.000 Euro ( 2.400 USD)
Want to help us restore the Friends’ House?
Make your contribution to our bank account in Sweden; Children’s Embassy/ Barnens Ambassad Account Nr ( IBAN) SE 69 9500 0099 6026 0415 3987
BIC-Code ( SWIFT-address) NDEASESS
Bank, NORDEA Sweden
(within Sweden Plusgiro 415 398-7)
We wish you a Blessed Weekend
Boas & Mirjam and all the children
As soon Hanna heard about the children in Ukraine, she wanted to sponsor a child.
“People just don’t know how good life they have!”
We learned that she is 98 years old. Hanna say:
” I appreciate most that I still have my intellect . “
We invite you to participate in our campaign called “TET”
Here is an opportunity for you to share of the good, God has given you, to the poorest of the poor; Children, Young mothers and Old people.
We want to give them a giftbox infore the coming Holidayseassons.In the box will be blankets, grosseries,goodies …
- Holiday seasson in Ukraine starts with the Jewish feast ” Chanukah” which begin 12 of December.
- New Year is 31 of December, Ded Moroz= Ukrainian ” Santa,” give gifts to all children.
- Christmas in Ukraine is on the 7th of January
During these Holidays will the children in “Friends House ” with great joy, give out the gift boxes.
HOW DOES IT (TET) WORK?
You give Ten Euro to our account showed below. Tell it to ten of your friends, and ask them to do the same, they will then tell it ten of their friends … and so on …
Account information, we prefer to use the Swedish bank account for Children’s Embassy instead of Ukrainian bank.
Children’s Embassy/ Barnens Ambassad
Account Nr ( IBAN)
SE 69 9500 0099 6026 0415 3987
BIC-Code ( SWIFT-address) NDEASESS
Bank, NORDEA Sweden
(Within Sweden pay to Plusgiro; 415 398-7)
Blessed Holiday Seasons
The quarantine is over and our village school has opened the school doors Children are happy to go to school after a one months break.
The school in our village, where suppossed to open on Monday, but there have been a dramatic change.
The quaranteen continius, and the school will be closed fore the time beeing.
This due to a man from our region, 35 years old, who died yesterday, after beeing sick in the Swineflue
Boas
Where are the cakes? We have celebrated Carlos 30 years birthday, also Kolja and Olgas birthdays. The cakes where delicius, and we had really fun. Next birthday is…. Oh, it’s me Roma, 28 of December. Yipee!
Ruslan and Tanja have learned to do foodlists, menues, for a week and for a whole month. Sasha and Roma builded a volkano, made of beds and bedlinnen. Inside is a bucket with water, bakingsoda and vinegar. I bubbles like a real volcano.
The long quaranteene due to the swineflue, is over, the school starts again on monday.
We are all happy that things go back to normal.
Boas
We celebrate Olga 8 years.
The schools are still closed because of the swine flu quarantine.
In Friend’s House we are playing and training to find something positive in everything, even in the small things.
“I would like to be more secure in my self.” – Sasha 10
” I would like to, not only to have dreams and goals , but also make them real in my life.” Tanja M 15
Message: “Mother is dead.”
Tanja M is now orphan. Valentina (our local director) together with Tanja are visiting many different authorities. Tanja will be included in so called ” orphans bank” – it ’s a register of all orphans in Ukraine. She will get a pension as an orphan and we will be her legal guardians.
It’s hard times for her, please keep her in your prayers.
Mirjam Adolphi
