Renovation Projects Reveal God’s Heart To Teenage “Post-Orphans” In Ukraine

By Andy and Jaimee Joye Langeland – Directors of Operation Lazarus

Jaimee Joye and I have been extremely busy lately, happily implementing one of our major strategies for showing the love of Jesus to post-orphans in Sevastopol. The project I am referring to is the recent renovation of a post-orphan’s apartment in partnership with Tom & Larissa Benz and their ministry, Bridges of Faith. According to Ukrainian law, when a child “ages out” of the orphanage system they are supposed to be given their own apartment by the government. While this system of social welfare for post-orphans sounds simple enough, it struggles to become reality.

Andrei is a 19 year old post-orphan that we first met over a year ago at the mountain camp where most of Sevastopol’s orphans spend their summer months. Andrei was one of the few children who, upon “graduation” from the orphanage was able to immediately move into his own apartment, which had once been the home of his now institutionalized mother.

Up until now, our relationship with Andrei had been stable, yet minimal. Andrei always appeared glad to see us, yet remained completely closed to us. He was perpetually pleasant for someone who had experienced so much pain and rejection from spending his formative years in an institutionalized setting. However, he never opened up and conversations with him never yielded more than one or two words answers.

In the course of renovating Andrei’s apartment, our relationship with him changed dramatically. By the last night the team was working at his apartment, Andrei was sitting next to me happily chattering away as we scraped rust and other mysterious gunk off the old pipes in his bathroom. I am sure he talked to me longer that night as we labored shoulder to shoulder than all the conversations we had up to that time combined!

It was so exciting for us to see Andrei steadily come alive as the team focused all their love and attention on him. It has been just over a week since the team left and Jaimee Joye and I have seen Andrei more than ever, and he is happier, peaceful, and more talkative than we’ve ever seen him. The only thing lacking in his apartment, is a small refrigerator. We ran out of money and need $250 to purchase one for him. Contact the HWCM office if you would like to bless him with that gift for Christmas!

Here is what Tom Benz, our dear friend, “co-conspirator,” and director of Bridges of Faith wrote about our time working on Andrei’s apartment: “I am still simply blown away with all that happened here. Not all went exactly as planned. But, through the unexpected, we see His glory. And see it we did, over and over again in these few days.

Dismal doesn’t express the sight of Andrei’s apartment. Abysmal comes closer. Wall paper barely clung to walls permeated with mold. The toilet couldn’t fulfill its purpose. The bathtub wouldn’t drain. Broken glass welcomed the outside weather to the inside. Sad, dilapidated, furniture filled the place with its own distinct fragrance.

In the end, the apartment gleamed with repairs and with love. The bathroom shone with new fixtures. Vinyl floor covering in the kitchen and hall shouted God’s love. Carpet in the living area warmed the floor and every heart. New glass protected the now cozy environment. A sleeper sofa, curtains, and new paint, along with renewed storage areas and too many other improvements to mention, surround Andrei with parental love through the Body of Christ.

The finished product blew Andrei away. Most of all, he could not comprehend that others loved him that much. And that God cared for him so personally, tangibly, and practically. I am still thinking of Andrei’s words and especially his expressions when he shared with us the last night we sat all together. In unabashed sincerity, he acknowledged God and us in the transformation of his apartment and his life. I think that he will never be the same again.

Of course, it’s way too early to conclude what long term impact all this will have on Andrei, but we do have some strong clues. Nastia, the post-orphan girl whose apartment received an apartment upgrade in July, still exudes the glow of strong relationship with Christ. Andrei, as he shouldered with our team each day, drank in the fellowship and explanation of God’s love. He then clearly and powerfully expressed his appreciation to us and to God.

It should be easy to see from the pictures the previous situation and the revolution that occurred in Andrei’s apartment. We have truly overthrown the hopelessness that surrounded Andrei’s life! It’s a spiritual revolution! This miracle only began with the apartment. The Ukrainian plumber that we hired to help would not take all of the money that we agreed on. As a Christian, he felt that God moved him to contribute. In fact, he is praying about his family becoming sponsors for Andrei. Many other people saw the project and were touched and challenged.

Andrei was profoundly impacted. I see all over again the power and the utter necessity of this ministry to kids who have “aged out” of the orphanage system.” Andrei wasn’t the only person to benefit from his apartment renovation. Vanya, our 18 year old post orphan has now moved in to be his roommate. This was an answer to our prayers, and to Vanya’s desperate need for a place to live, and Andrei’s dislike for living alone. Vanya had been assigned a place to live by the government with three other young men, who did not want to make room for him. Now these two Christian young men can encourage one another. Please pray for them to continue to grow in the Lord.