Andrei and Olesya Chernishov are the rarest of rare— both orphans themselves, they went to college, married, and adopted 4 girls! None of them have ever lived in a home with running water. They walked every day to a well and carried water back home in buckets, which they would then use very sparingly for sponge baths and dishes. When Olesya got pregnant with their first biological baby a year ago, she dreamed of having running water and a working kitchen and bathroom. Because of generous giving to Doorways to Hope, Andrei was able to finish installing running water and a bathroom and kitchen while Olesya was recovering from giving birth at the hospital. What a blessing for this special family!...November 19, 2013

Please pray for older orphans like Arturos. There are a number of teenage children who have lived in orphanages most of their lives. Often, these children are viewed as "unadoptable" because of their age. Governments often put little effort into resolving the status of their biological parent's rights. Consequently, these children can neither return home to their biological family nor be adopted into a new family. Orphans are not always babies or young children. But children, regardless of their age, need a loving home....November 12, 2013

Life on the street was cruel to 8 year old Alexsandra, but at least there her mother couldn’t beat her. On the street, Alexsandra found other children with similar stories to her own. Her mother never once tried to find her. Watching some of her friends get sick and die caused this little girl to ask “what will happen to me next?” Fortunately for Alexsandra, a man named Roma rescued her from the streets and brought her to the safety of a foster family when she was 10. Through the love of “Daddy Roma” and foster parents, this tough street kid turned into a tender young......November 05, 2013

Last fall, Nikolai and Natalia Novikov adopted Vanka, Vitya and Vanya. All three boys are doing wonderfully and the Novikovs want to add more children to their family. It is their heart’s desire to adopt, but Child Services won’t allow them to adopt any additional children because their home is too small. Praise the Lord for this couple who has such a heart to see children in a loving home. Please pray for the necessary funds in order to expand their house....October 29, 2013

Pray that ILDC, a Christian organization dedicated to providing specialized training and materials to Ukrainians interested in adoption, would have the opportunity to train 12,000 social workers just hired by the Ukrainian government to work with families who have adopted. The government would like ILDC to take on this training—and ILDC has the manpower to do so—but the government does not have the funds to pay for it. Pray that God would provide the funds so that ILDC could take advantage of this remarkable opportunity!...October 15, 2013

Pray for the newly formed Romania Without Orphans initiative. Three representatives were at the recent Orphan Summit in Kyiv, Ukraine. They have their work cut out for them as the average Romanian mindset does not include adoption. Even in churches the attitude is that adoption is "not our job." In addition, both national and international adoption are extremely difficult, and adoption proponents are learning to be creative. Please pray that their work would grow and take root in the hearts of Romanian believers....October 08, 2013

There is a website funded by the wealthiest man in Ukraine showing 14,000 faces of orphans waiting to be adopted. Many pray for them; when the faces disappear from the website, the kids have been adopted (showing answers to prayers). Pray that this website would be instrumental in the adoption of many orphans within Ukraine....October 01, 2013

Alexander and Irina K. from Teterev, Ukraine work with street children. The government gave them a piece of land and they have started building a house in order to take in more children. They request prayer that they'd be able to finish the house. They also have a ministry with gypsy children, and have been commissioned by their church to be missionaries to the gypsies. Please pray also that God would continue to gift them for this difficult work....September 24, 2013

Please pray for Vasili and Lucia S. from Moldova. For the past four years they have been involved in rescuing and helping girls escape the snares of human trafficking in their area. Their great desire is to open a new, larger house to enable them to help more of these girls. Pray that some interested friends from the U.S. would help them finance this effort....September 17, 2013

Pray for Vasilii B. and his family who live in Belarus. He has five children ages 13, 11, 9, 6 & 2, and his wife, Zoya, is expecting their sixth in August 2013. This summer they are planning to move to a small town about 30 miles northeast of Minsk, foster five additional children, and work with post-graduate orphans in the area....September 10, 2013

Galina Obrovets who spearheads the Orphan Initiative movement in Moscow, Russia, says that 70 percent of orphans are over 10 years of age. Most will never leave the orphanages. According to Russian law every orphan graduate must be given an apartment or home by the State. But the government and bureaucrats break this law all the time—pray that government officials will be more diligent in ensuring that Russian orphan graduates have a place to live upon leaving the orphanage....September 03, 2013

Pray as Father's House is considering building a center to promote the idea of preventing abortions, a counseling center, and a place where young pregnant women could receive treatment. After Russia, Ukraine has the second highest rate in the world for abortions....August 27, 2013

Praise God for orphan care conferences that are uniting government officials, priests, ministers, & Christian workers in Eastern Europe. Former director of the adoption and orphan care ministry Father’s House Roman Korniyko has good rapport in several spheres. Since 1999, those who had no desire to meet each other would meet at Father's House and talk. For example, he knows the main Bishop of the Orthodox Church. "We made an agreement together—that we would never talk about something that will build a wall between us, but would talk only about things that unite us. It has been 14 years; each year we are finding new things to unite us! It has been surprising to us both."...August 20, 2013

Recently our national partners in Ukraine told us just how rampant corruption is with International Ukrainian adoptions. "Facilitators" for legal work are the middle-men for [American] families who want to adopt; they charge families from $30-40,000 per child. The Ukrainian government doesn't charge for adoption, only these middlemen. At the present time you can only go through these "facilitators"—American agencies are connected with facilitators in Ukraine or Russia, and they won't allow those wanting to adopt to go through anyone else. Although what they are doing is illegal, there......August 13, 2013

Pray for the Krechun family, who the Pilgrim organization has been working closely with. Ivan, Kolya, Andrev, Arun, Ingan, and David’s father is in prison. Their mother, who has health issues, has nowhere to live and is trying to find a permanent residence; the children have been living in a shelter for the last 3 years. Pray that their mother would find a solution and this family would be able to have some consistency....August 06, 2013

Praise God for the adoption of Anya and Vitaly. This brother/sister duo have some health issues, but are joyful and active. What a blessing to have a family willing to adopt them together!...July 30, 2013

Executive director of ILDC, Oleg Shelashsky, had an opportunity to do a 2-day presentation about ILDC’s work in the town of Lubni in Ukraine. There were 19 social workers and adoptive families who were able to attend, and Local Children Service expressed a desire to continue this partnership. It was the first time something like this has happened in Lubni. Praise God for the positive reception of this training and for the future potential to work with foster and adoptive families....July 23, 2013

This week pray for 14-yr old Angela, a former orphan now reunited with her biologic mother. Thank God that although her father passed away, her biological mother became a Christian and happily took Angela back into her care. Pray that their relationship with each other and with God can continue to grow. Praise God that there is one less orphan in Ukraine!...July 16, 2013

The Vasiliev’s youngest son is a complex boy named Sasha. When Sasha joined the Vasiliev family in 2009 at the age of seven, he already had deep physical and emotional wounds. He comes from a background of abuse and poverty. As a small child, he would dig through trash cans to find food. One day when digging for food, he was attacked by a street dog who wanted the same piece of pie that Sasha had found in a trash can. Today, he still has scars on his face and problems with his left eye from that dog attack. In the past three years that Sasha has been part of the Vasiliev family,......July 09, 2013

Please pray for “You Will Be Found” as they create a motivational film to deliver their organization’s message. As families see this film, pray that the Lord would open hearts and they would want to take children in. Finally, pray for the financial aspects of such a project, in particular payment for the film crew/director and reimbursement for travel and food during filming....July 02, 2013

Valeriy is a 13-year-old in 7th grade. While he is open and sincere with people he trusts, Valeriy tends to be a loner. His family situation is particularly difficult because his mother’s rights were terminated and his father is not capable of taking care of him. Valeriy is particularly attached to his father and would like to live with him again. However, his father is not currently making an effort to make Valeriy’s hope a reality. Pray for Valeriy’s relationship with his father and that his father will take the necessary steps to have Valeriy returned to his custody....June 25, 2013

Misha is a young boy, but has already experienced things far beyond his age. Please pray for this young boy’s rehabilitation for dependence on toxic substances. Misha has also committed some petty crimes. Pray for both him and for the rehabilitation of his alcohol dependent mother....June 18, 2013

The Vasiliev family lives in southern Ukraine, and has 7 adopted children. Their oldest child is Victoria, who spent her childhood with poor, alcoholic biologic parents. Every day she would visit a Christian soup kitchen to get the one meal she could depend on. It was at this soup kitchen that she met Mrs. Vasiliev, who would one day become her mother. When Victoria was 12, her biologic mother died and her biologic father immediately placed her in an orphanage. The Vasilievs remembered the lonely, hungry child from the soup kitchen and decided to bring her out of the orphanage and into their......June 11, 2013

Elena Ermakova and her oldest adopted daughter often fought. Her daughter would ask, “Why did you even take me in?!”. Elena and her support system through You Will Be Found prayed often for this difficult situation. Now, her daughter is grown, lives on her own, and has a child. Elena’s daughter recently wrote her mother a letter of gratitude. Praise God for Elena’s persistence in loving her adopted daughter despite their differences and disagreements!...June 04, 2013

The Family Fund, a national partner with Home for Every Orphan, is thankful that the Lord has allowed them to win a contest for the town’s provision of facilities for social projects. As a result, they were able to sign an agreement that allows them to use the facilities for another three years. Praise God for a physical location so they can continue ministry....May 28, 2013

Anya and Anatoly Bogdanovy just started their life journey as a big family a year ago. Because Anya has 12 years of experience working with orphans, they felt ready to “start something big.” Today they have 8 children: 5 foster and 3 siblings they decided to adopt. They are great parents! The kids are happy to call them Mom and Dad. About the Children: Because they recognize that every child that comes into an adoptive or foster home is unique with different experiences and worldviews, Anya and Anatoly have made it a priority to find a key to a heart of each child in their family.......May 28, 2013

We thank the Lord for Dmitri and Olga K’s family. After training in Family Fund’s Foster Parent School in the spring, they adopted a boy from the orphanage; in the fall they also brought his sister into their family. The mother had given birth to her in October and left her at the maternity clinic, just as she did with her son. Praise God for both of these precious lives and the new family who adopted them!...May 21, 2013

Our friends in Ukraine have created a TV program is called “You Will Be Found”. It airs weekly in Ukraine and shows real-life stories of adoption. After each airing, producers receive dozens of phone calls from families interested in adoption!!...May 21, 2013

A mother in the city of Lyudinovo, Russia requests prayer for her adopted daughter Tanya. Five-year-old Tanya was in an orphanage for four years and has a fear of crowds. She is plagued by allergies and other health issues and cannot attend kindergarten. Please pray that Tanya's health would improve....May 14, 2013

The Chernishov family is a rare exception-- parents Andrey and Olesya are both former orphans themselves. After they grew up and got married, they decided to reach out and help orphans like they once were themselves. Now have 4 foster children– four girls (Sveta, Darya, Nastya, and Masha). Though the Chernishov house is full of love, it lacks many basic amenities like running water and a working stove. Would you pray that God would help Andrey and Olesya provide for their children? (Click here if you'd like to help Andrey and Olesya today!)...May 14, 2013

We thank the Lord that this year (2012) a law was adopted in Russia requiring training for adoptive and foster parents. We believe that this will decrease the frequency of children being returned to orphanages from foster families. Join us in praising God for this positive step....May 07, 2013

It all began in 2004, when Vova and Valya Vedernikov were newly-married and struggling to have children. Valya was a caregiver at an orphanage and one night, she had an epiphany. She realized that “even a children's home with the most wonderful caregivers could not replace a child's family.” Nine years later, they now have thirteen children! They’ve adopted a sibling set of three girls whose mom died tragically in the hospital after being beaten by their stepfather. In addition to taking in several children of their own, Vova and Valya have personally connected several babies with......May 07, 2013

The Moscow-based organization Orphan Initiative requests prayer for the opening of a school that will raise the qualifications of volunteers, orphanage workers, and foster parents. They ask for us to pray alongside them that God would give wisdom and direction as students are recruited....May 01, 2013

Dmitri and Evgeniya Matvienko began adopting by taking in sisters Nastya and Toma, who had been separated and sent to different orphanages. Only 6 months later, they adopted infant Masha and a couple years later, their family had grown to nine children—four biological and five adopted. Pray that God would provide for the Matvienko's as they strive to love and care for 9 children!...April 30, 2013

In the summer of 2011 a Christian family opened their home to three siblings -- Sasha (7), Andrey (4) and Sveta (18 months). The family loves them so much so that they have decided to adopt all three and become their forever family! Praise the Lord for their generous heart, and pray that the adoption would be finalized soon....April 24, 2013

Alexander and Victoria Bespalov have devoted their lives to ministry. The couple would set up holiday and birthday celebrations at the local orphanages but soon realized that the joy quickly left the children’s faces. They felt convicted that the best place for a child was in a loving family. Not long after, they adopted their first daughter, Luba. Alexander shared their testimony of adoption as he preached and as a result approximately 100 children were adopted by people who were inspired by his message! Later, the Bespalovs adopted a little boy who was disabled and three sisters who had suffered neglect.......April 23, 2013

Would you join us in praying for the families that want to adopt children -- that the Lord would direct them to the child (or children) that He has specifically for them?...April 17, 2013

Roma is 11 and his foster mom wants to return him to the orphanage. The Family Fund is working to find a new family for Roma and minimize the psychological trauma for him. Please pray for a new family for Roma, that the transition would be smooth, and that he will never have to return to the orphanage!...April 09, 2013

Join us in praying for Tanya. She is 5 and was adopted when she was just a year old. Tanya has health issues, including allergies and social difficulties. She has a fear of crowds and cannot attend kindergarten. Please pray for wisdom as her mother, Irina, strives to make medical decisions and encourage Tanya’s social skills....April 02, 2013

Join us in praying for Konstantin and Maria. This couple adopted a 2-month-old little boy, but has had some significant issues. Pray that the Lord would help them accept this little boy as they overcome some of their family issues....March 26, 2013

Elena is currently raising 9 children by herself, one of which is a foster child. Her husband passed away last year and she is struggling without him. For the last several years, her children have participated in the Family Fund children’s camp and this year, she worked in the kitchen. Elena seemed to enjoy the fellowship and relationships with the camp team. Pray that she would come to know the Lord, despite her difficult personal circumstances....March 19, 2013

Yulia is a 13-year-old girl who attends a program that the Family Fund organizes. Her parents have custody of her, but devote very little time to her development and upbringing. Pray for Yulia’s parents to invest time in her and show her that they care....March 12, 2013

Please pray for the Family Fund, one of Home for Every Orphan’s organizational partners. They were able to buy part of a site for a children’s camp in 2012, but still need an additional $45,000 to purchase the remaining portion....March 05, 2013

Kirill was adopted from an orphanage when he was only 6 months old. He is 3 and his parents, Mikhail and Marina, have been struggling with him. They do not have any children of their own and very little experience with children at all. Pray for God’s wisdom, guidance, and patience as they raise this very active little boy....February 26, 2013

Please pray for educational reform in the Pilgrim organization’s children’s rehabilitation center. Such reform would help improve long-term educational opportunities for children, such as a Christian college....February 19, 2013

Mariana and Kateryna are teenage girls who participate in the Christian vocal group “Singing Heart” with piano and vocals. They have successfully recorded two albums! Praise God for their 2012 adoption into a loving Christian family....February 12, 2013

Join us as we pray for Kirill and Leonid Mikhin. Their father is in prison and their mother needs rehabilitation for a serious alcohol dependence. Pray for Kirill and Leonid to have positive influences and that their mother would be able to get the help she so desperately needs....February 05, 2013

Join us in praying with Light of Love and their heart for special needs orphans (including children with HIV, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy). It can be exceptionally difficult to find forever families for these children. Pray that the Lord would raise up families to meet this need and for these special children as they wait to be placed in foster/adoptive homes....January 29, 2013

The Vedernikov family in southern Ukraine has 13 adopted and foster children. Pray that God would provide money to finish their residence to accommodate their children....January 22, 2013

Thirteen-year-old Sergiy works hard in school and loves to draw. He is a great helper and has a cheerful attitude about chores. Praise the Lord that a Christian family has adopted Sergiy and made his dream of a forever family come true!...January 15, 2013

Many of us have been anxiously watching the news of Russia’s ban on American adoptions of Russian children. There has especially been concern about what will happen to orphans with disabilities, considering these children have little chance of being adopted by Russian families. There have also been swings of despair and hope for the American families left in limbo as they wait for word as to whether or not they will be able to bring home the Russian orphans they were in the process of adopting when President Putin signed the adoption ban. Outrage at the injustice of a political move that has so......January 14, 2013

Our partners at Pilgrim run the largest rehab center for children in Eastern Europe. Every day, they minister to children from the toughest backgrounds-- drug addicted children, children who have experienced abuse, etc. They strive to provide healing for these children and eventually, to place them into loving Christian families. Please pray for unity, strength and provision for their team as they love these hurting children....January 08, 2013

Vladislav is 15 and has become more open communicating with both adults and other children. He is honest, trustworthy, curious, and smart. Though he is a teenager, he wanted to be adopted. We prayed and believed that God would take care of him…and He did! Vladislav’s adoption was finalized in March 2012!...January 05, 2013

Pastor Gennady and his wife Elena a have devoted the last 15 years of their lives to helping orphaned street children in Mariupol, Ukraine. Since they started this effort, they have fostered or adopted 29 children. They currently have 13 children living with them (including their three biological children). Unfortunately, the family was split between two one-bedroom houses that are located approximately 30 minutes apart. Ukrainian law dictates that a foster family home must meet certain square footage requirements per child. Hence they were not able to receive official documentation to adopt or foster one of the......January 04, 2013

Two key organizations—The Alliance for Ukraine Without Orphans (UWO) and the International Leadership Development Center (ILDC)—are at the forefront of the move to change the thinking of the nation of Ukraine. These two organizations believe that the church is the true solution for solving the orphan crisis in Ukraine, and they are working with Christian believers and churches across Ukraine to get Christians to adopt orphans. To date, Ukrainians have not adopted their nation’s orphans due to cultural stigmas against orphans—they are viewed by many as second-class citizens. Please pray as UWO......January 03, 2013

Please pray as Christians in Russia prepare to participate in the Day of Child Protection (June 1) by promoting orphan adoption and foster care. Pray that many believers would be moved by the Holy Spirit to open up their hearts and homes to orphans....January 02, 2013

Praise the Lord for Anya and Sergey –they have adopted 4 children! However their story has not been without challenges. Please pray for them as they struggle with the serious sexual abuse of their adopted son. In turn, he has abused his sister, who Anya and Sergey also adopted. Pray for the Lord’s guidance, as well as counseling resources as this family copes with such a difficult and heartbreaking issue....January 01, 2013