Last Bell Ministries

Many thanks to Jennie, Sue, Rita, Kristin, Ann, Debbie, Sherry, Catherine, Lamar, and Jillian! These Last Bell friends gathered at First Presbyterian Church Noblesville Indiana to pack up winter coats and boots for orphaned youth. Our students, parents, and kids will stay warm and dry this winter. Thank you, friends!

What's happening to orphans in Ukraine now, more than two years after the war started? This article from the Ukrainian organization Voices of Children gives a good overview, with information about the state care system for those who want to know more.

What is the situation with orphans in Ukraine Daria Kasianova was the latest guest on the "Voice's Podcast". She spoke about the condition of orphans and children without parental care during the war.

A new mom at the Shelter had to get some dental work done, but she was very anxious about it. Especially the anesthesia. She has reasons to feel anxious! At 19 years old, she's already lost two teeth. She didn't have money for treatment, so that dentist just pulled them out.

With Last Bell, her situation is totally turned around! Your generosity paid for quality dental treatment, and she didn't have to go alone. Staff member Yulia went with her and watched the baby.

Even though there's a kitchen in the Day Center now, it still means a lot to our students when staff come cook with them in the social dorm where they live. With practice orphaned students can learn all kinds of skills! We love seeing these guys gain confidence in the kitchen.

We last saw this young mom before the war started! She evacuated to Poland with her children. This summer she came back to Ukraine just so she could join us at family camp. It was good to see her after such a long separation!

Congratulations to our youth who graduated from Zhytomyr's Agricultural Tech college! A few graduated from abroad. Your generosity provided gifts for the graduates - electric kettles for tea, a necessity for every Ukrainian.

Finally, the leaders who bring lots of energy and love to family camp. We're proud of our two orphaned students (first three photos) who volunteered! Next is Aunt Luda, a Day Center volunteer, and a few of our excellent staff members.

Already your gifts toward camp are helping beyond camp! One young mom really appreciated the way our staff cared for her and talked with her. She and her newborn needed a safe place to stay, and camp convinced her to try our Shelter crisis housing facility. 🏠

Here are our parents & kids together at camp. One orphaned mom shared this story about the value of family camp:

"I've lived alone since I was fifteen. I'm used to this being the norm. One time, I celebrated the New Year with a boy at his parents' house. It was wild, and not comfortable for me, to be in a family. Many times I just left to cry.

"Nobody loved me when I was a child. That's why I didn't know what 'loving your child' was at all. When I gave birth to my daughter, I did everything automatically. Only a month later, the understanding came to me that I'm a mother now. It's extremely important for me to hear all these things about family and love for children."

A few of the kids from family camp. Could they be any cuter??

Their moms and dads had a great week learning to be better parents and developing important friendships. They also helped each other. For example, two moms with their kids were sharing a bedroom. One of the children was interfering at naptime. So that child's mom just took the child outside with a stroller every day so the other children could rest.

Parents could often be spotted carrying someone else's kid and showing a lot of kindness. These relationships are so important for young parents without other family to support them!

Our families had a wonderful Stop the Cycle camp! The kids had a lot of fun, and STC director Oksana said there was an unusually gentle and kind atmosphere among our orphaned parents, who were grateful, calm, joyful, and helped each other a lot. Three moms had never been to a retreat place like this before, and they were so delighted. They can't normally afford this kind of vacation. Thank you to everyone who gave to make it happen. Watch this week for more camp photos and stories!

PS - in these photos you might see some special characters. Our new Operations Director and his wife used to be comedians. Two orphaned students also came and volunteered with the kids!

One of the orphaned students at the local medical college had a dream to buy new sneakers. Your generosity paid for the shoes, meeting the practical need AND fulfilling her dream! She was so happy. Thank you for making these moments of joy possible for youth who've seen so much heartache.

A birthday celebration with a few of our orphaned youth. Some orphaned teenagers have never had a birthday party, received a present chosen specially for them, or had a birthday cake. But each one is made by God and precious to Him!

These three young women are orphaned students who attend the local medical college. They study hard, but they always make time for Last Bell gatherings. They like talking about life, education, and values. They always say "thank you" to our staff for being part of their lives!

Our staff recently partnered with another NGO, and with social services in a nearby town, to provide groceries and diapers for orphans who have children. Working together is so important. Our families deserve all the help they can get as they try to break the cycle for their own kids!

In May we celebrated international Family Day with some orphaned students at their social dorm. We had a picnic, grilled out, played games, and talked about family. The students loved it! Some of them even called our staff "second parents."

Last month, our student group visited the military cemetery in town. A chaplain we know led a tour, telling stories about soldiers he knew personally and how they died. Our youth and staff put flowers on the graves. It was a solemn occasion. The cemetery keeps growing.

Here's a sneak preview from family camp! A big, loud, enthusiastic thank-you from all our families to everyone who made it possible. More coming soon!

Meanwhile, camp for orphaned students in August isn't fully funded yet. We need your help with the remaining $7366! Will you give so each of our orphaned students can experience a whole week of being wanted?

https://lastbell.org/give-online-to-summer-camps-in-ukraine-for-orphans/

"Last month, an orphaned student had a very bad toothache. She didn't get it treated, because she didn't have money... but when she couldn't stand it anymore, she asked me. I immediately made an appointment with the dentist and they were able to treat it in time. Thank you, donors, for giving us the opportunity to help students with these situations!" - staff member Dasha

Fathers and father-figures, we appreciate you! We also know this day can be difficult. Maybe, like some of our orphaned young people, you had a dad who was absent or actively harmful. The men on our staff can't undo the hurts of childhood. What they can do is give our youth repeated experiences of safe, respectful love and care.

Recently our staff took three guys fishing. Two had never fished before, and one of them enjoyed it so much that he took these pictures to share. Please pray for our young men to take these experiences to heart and grow up to be loving dads themselves!

Here at Last Bell we want EVERY child, teenager, and young adult to feel valued and loved. In theaters July 4, this movie tells the true story of a small town whose citizens adopted 77 at-risk kids in their community. It shows some of the real challenges of foster care. All of you out there loving kids from hard places, we see you!

Sound Of Hope: The Story Of Possum Trot | Official Trailer | Angel Studios In Theaters July 4, 2024Get Showtimes: https://www.angel.com/hopeThe fight for kids begins now. Inspired by the powerful true story, Sound of Hope: The Story...

Congratulations to staff member Krystya on her wedding! Last Bell's board chair Don Lawton (left) was visiting and got to be there for the happy occasion.

"I rethought half my life while I was here. I became very attached to these people.” –Serhiy about camp

Many orphaned youth have never experienced a whole week of love and care. But you can give them that gift. These few days bring youth like Serhiy into our community for mentorship and practical help all year. Will you make a gift for camp by June 15th?

https://lastbell.org/give-online-to-summer-camps-in-ukraine-for-orphans/

Serhiy's shoe size is 13.5, and our shoe pantry didn't have the right shoes for him. But your donations bought him a new pair of sneakers. Serhiy is very grateful. Thanks for showing this orphaned young man that his needs matter!

Many orphaned teenagers have never felt loved and wanted for a whole week. You can give them that gift!

We're so grateful for everyone who fully funded family camp. Now it's our students' turn. Will you make sure all our orphaned teens have a week of fun, security, and love?

https://lastbell.org/give-online-to-summer-camps-in-ukraine-for-orphans/

These long restful days are so important for our students. Camp builds their trust. After camp, they begin coming to the Day Center, sharing their needs, and asking questions about God. We've been able to help many orphaned youth with major medical needs because they shared problems with us after camp. Your generosity today brings orphaned youth into a loving community all year!

Give Online to Summer Camps in Ukraine | Last Bell Ministries Last Bell's mission is loving and restoring orphanage graduates to life and community.

Our student group recently took a day trip to Kyiv. The capital city still has many beautiful sites, and many war memorials. Khreschatyk, Kyiv's main street, is full of photos with flags to honor soldiers. Some students were close to tears. They also saw a broken tank on display.

The "fun" part of the day included a visit to the property that belonged to former president Viktor Yanukovych, who fled Ukraine in 2014 - including a zoo he owned! For orphaned students who've often lived on the margins of their society, this was an important day of being included in the history of their country and in current events.

Family camp started yesterday! Thank you so much to everyone who gave this weekend to cover all the campers. We were able to welcome many orphaned moms, dads, and kids -- 40 people all together are having an amazing week of camp right now!

And it's not too late to give. Camp for orphaned students is in August!
https://lastbell.org/give-online-to-summer-camps-in-ukraine-for-orphans/

Family camp starts tomorrow! Will you help an orphaned parent have an amazing week learning about parenting?

https://lastbell.org/give-online-to-summer-camps-in-ukraine-for-orphans/

Our staff are busy prepping for family camp on Monday! All the good food and crafts and activities are a treat for our vulnerable orphan-led families. But more importantly, they'll go home with stronger relationships. And more trust in our staff, who are ready to help them keep their families together year-round.

A camp day costs just $47. Will you help us cover all the families coming to camp on Monday?
https://lastbell.org/give-online-to-summer-camps-in-ukraine-for-orphans/

Congratulations to staff member Krystya, getting married tomorrow! A couple of weeks ago, our girls' group threw her a surprise bachelorette party.

Parenting is hard! It's even harder for orphaned youth. Many of our young parents have no role models and no family support system. Without help, orphans' children often become orphans themselves. But at Last Bell's family camp, young parents build trust relationships with our staff, and begin receiving help with housing, medical crises, and more.

Family camp starts on Monday! Will you help make it happen?
https://lastbell.org/give-online-to-summer-camps-in-ukraine-for-orphans/