led to the Good Shepherd...

The Good Shepherd Shelter is an orphanage in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.  When the Mennonite Girls Can Cook cookbook was published, we as authors chose to donate all our royalties to this organization...specifically to fund the construction of a greenhouse.  We knew little about the orphanage, but thought it was a good fit since it was situated in an area where all of our ancestors came from.  We made sponsorship arrangements through Mennonite Central Committee and really had no personal interaction with the orphanage itself.  Last Sunday night some of us had the opportunity to meet a new friend...one who lives in our area but is very involved with The Good Shepherd Shelter.

Bev, Judy, Myrna, Lovella, Anneliese ~ photo by Terry

Myrna has been traveling to the Ukraine almost annually for the past 10 years...and knows the children and the workers intimately.  She wept with joy to know that we had chosen to support her favorite cause.  She made arrangements to meet with us...and filled us in on her experiences at the Good Shepherd Shelter over the years.  Myrna has a passion to help these abandoned Ukrainian children and to teach them of the love of God.  We are so glad we met up with Myrna.  We know without a doubt that we chose the right project!

I came home from our get-together and pulled out a map of Russia.  My maternal grandparents lived in New Schoensee...which is not too far from Makeevka, in eastern Ukraine where the orphanage is situated.   Myrna's grandparents came from that area as well.  It somehow seems right...making a difference in a place to which we are connected. 

Who knows?  Maybe one day we will have the opportunity to visit the shelter.  Maybe we'll just send Myrna!  But this we do know.  It is no accident that we are sponsoring this particular orphanage.  We were led to The Good Shepherd Shelter.  And I'm glad we were.