In Ukraine, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th. At this moment, ServeNow has a team in Ukraine distributing Christmas presents. Below are the first pictures of children in two villages near Kherson, a city in Southern Ukraine. For many of the children it was the first time to receive Christmas gifts. The presents were opened with much laughter and tears of joy. Before handing out the presents, the true message of Christmas was shared with them.
Thir
teen-year old Andrey (see picture on the right) was one of the children to receive a gift. Previously, Andrey participated in ServeNow’s awareness and skill building program called “Step by Step”. One of our staff members, Olga, had gotten to know Andrey through this program. She said that Andrey usually seemed distant, tired, and not interested in participating in any activities. He comes from a very poor background, has to help out a lot around the house and therefore often misses classes. Imagine Andrey’s surprise and joy when he was handed a Christmas gift box! In his box, he found a screwdriver, a hat, mittens and several other items. He was so excited and immediately wanted to try on everything! Needless to say, we received many thanks from the children in the Kherson region!
Last year ServeNow was able to distribute 7,000 gifts! Our main focus groups for these gifts are the elderly, orphans, disabled and refugees (of which there are one million in Ukraine). The gifts are boxes filled with items such as: soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, shower gel, candy, notepad, pens, pencils, socks, underwear, shoes, shirts, make-up, jewelry, sewing items, men’s shaving items, tools for men, toys for children and of course a Christmas card!
Aside from the necessities, every gift also includes either a copy of “The Story of Jesus” for children, or “The Basic Things You Need to Know About Jesus” for adults. For some, this is their first Christmas gift and their first time hearing about a Savior who loves them!
For more information, please check out: Ukraine Christmas
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