I am introduced to as soon as we get out of the car from a three hour drive. He asks if we want to get cleaned up and have dinner or go straight to the orphanage. The problem is the director is no longer there for the day so we all decide to wait until the next morning. Pavel takes us to our rooms and we all decide to meet in ½ hour for dinner. Pavel does not speak English and I do not speak Russian so Ilona has arranged for Roman to come with us on this trip to be our translator.
We are at a really nice hotel on a river. The owner must be a hunter because the restaurant is full of animals that have met with a hunter’s rifle and taxidermist. When I enter the room they were all there and Pavel immediately shows what a gentleman he is by standing up as I approach the table and pull out my chair. This trait shows itself throughout our visit.
We sit down and start what ends up being a 5 hour dinner meeting. First Pavel asks me what my intentions are and I tell him about our hosting program and our connections with summer camps for children with disabilities and the benefits. He asks many questions and seems to think it’s an amazing idea. He also hears about the current children we host and the experiences they have.
He then starts to describe the children and conditions we are about to see tomorrow. I am realizing he didn’t want to just take me to the orphanage. He wanted to know more about me and my intentions and see if this could be a good relationship moving forward. He then pulls out his Ipad and show photos of the children and things he has done at the orphanage we are about to visit.
I am starting to love this man. I am watching his personality and passion unfold before my eyes. I first notice he is a deeply religious man, he wouldn’t even eat meat for dinner because he is honoring his religious belief of “Lent”. He would later show more of his devotion to God that I will show thorough this story.
As I watched him describe each photo and I could feel his pain as he looked at the kids. He would all of a sudden stop for a few minutes, wrap his arms around his stomach like he was sick, rock and gentle shake his head. He did this a few times showing his deep passion for these kids and the changes he was making. This was not act and it was almost like he would go into a trance and forget we were even there. Maybe he was praying. I don’t know but it was deep meditation whether he knew it or not.
He also showed me all the things he has done to the orphanage with his own money. He has gone to local business men for financial help to change the conditions for these kids. He is an amazing person but he needs much more help and he is tapping out.
He has put two new roofs on two buildings, started changing the doors into rooms, had volunteers come in and paint happy scenes on the walls, cleaned up the grounds, purchased rehabilitation equipment, and built two rehab rooms, one in each building, and hired a therapist to work with the children, most of this out of his own pocket.
When I asked him if he had a list of things that still needed to be done and purchased he said of course and showed me the chairs he has bought for the kids that are $1200 US each. Based on the photos it looks like he has made a huge difference for the children. When you here about my visit the next day you will realize there is a lot more need than what I can imagine.
The meeting was amazing and we toast to a relationship that looks like it’s a good fit. When we click glasses he says in Russian and he looks me in the eyes “It always starts with a woman”. It was very touching to hear Roman translate that. Like I said, Pavel is a complete gentleman.
I can tell you at this point many questions are running through my head and I am genuinely afraid of what I am about to experience. It’s fear of the unknown and how it will affect me to see people suffering first hand, not just on TV. And for all of you who know me, children suffering is very hard for me and I want to help all of them. Even during hosting, I beg my husband to host the rest of all the kids I have not found families for.
People are not normally allowed in these institutions and it is something I never imagined myself to ever witness fist hand, especially at this level. But the strength God gave me to get this far this fast is by far stronger than my fear of the unknown.
For those of you who are wondering what my experience is with children with disabilities, I can tell you now I have none. Do I know what I am doing? No. Why here and now? I have no idea. Am I good at building teams and raising awareness? Yes. All I know is God brought me to this place with Pavel through Ilona and my relationship with Viant. As I write about this experience that has touched my heart I can tell you, it was meant to be for some reason. Why Ukraine, why this orphanage? Like my husband tells me with hosting, one at a time Ginger, one at a time. This is just the start of something new for us and this is the first one. It will not end here.
To Be continued……
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