Monday, June 11, 2012

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.

10 comments:

  1. There are just too many things that dovetail to make that be a matter of happenstance. You're right. This was the Lord at work. "Myrna" is one of my dearest friend's name. I won't be forgetting that one.

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  2. Yes, I agree ...you were led by"the" Good Shepherd! A great testimony of God speaking and His children listening and obeying!

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  3. This is no coincidence - you followed where you were led. I can only imagine the difference that you are making every day in the lives of the children.

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  4. I love this post! It is so wonderful to see how God leads in our group! Such a blessing.

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  5. Another amazing post of God's leading and the difference you are making. Love the idea of a greenhouse so can become self sufficient. A wonderful gift to that part of the world.

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  6. God leads, sometimes we see it only looking back. But that means that we can trust him for the future, too.
    Wonderful story of hearts wanting to please God.

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  7. Isn't it a wonderful feeling to know you are in the will of God?

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  8. This sounds like a very good cause Judy. Our church supports an orphanage in eastern Europe where teenage girls are rescued off the streets from a horrible life of prostitution and drugs. It's so sad but there are wonderful stories of hope coming from these rescued girls. God is working miracles. Blessings, Pamela

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  9. Wonderful post Judy. Love the photo of the 5 of you...

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  10. What a wonderful thing to do, Judy. And so nice that you have personal experience with where the money and support goes. Just shows that we are all neighbours, even when we are on opposite sides of the world. xoxo

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson