Christmas

Before the Soviet revolution people of the Russian Empire considered Christmas as one of the most important date to celebrate. It was also one of the favorite holidays of all people (people of different social levels and diferrent ages). Usually on the evening of the 6th of January there was a special visit to the Gods parents (people who witnessed your baptism), usually most of the people had Gods parents and they took supper ("vecherya") for them and went to their place just to spent some time with them. Also people went to the orthodox church for the church service. And the whole family would gather for the supper on the 7th celebrating birth of Jesus Christ.
There would be a Christmas tree and the gifts for the kids. Some special dishes were cooked especially for that day (sweet wheat cereal with raisins and wallnuts for example, called "kutya"). People would sing carols and also drink a lot of vodka.
All that was before the Revolution, after the communists were in charge of the State they tried to get rid of the christian traditions. One of the way was to replace all of the church holidays with the Socialistic ones. So they made an ephasis on celebrating New Years Eve instead of Christmas. Some people stillcelebrated Christmas though but they didnt do it openly. So as time went by people started to consider 31st of January a very important day. They started to call the Christmas tree a New Year tree and the songs were about the coming of the New Year not the Christmas carols. After the collapse of the USSR people started to celebrate Christmas again doing all the things I mentioned in the beggining of the letter.
Even those people who dont go to the church through the whole year go to the orthodox church on Christmas.

Praise

thank you for your prayers for todays lessons! We had REALLY good time with all three classes (one 11th class and two 10th ones) The teenagers were very open and asked ??? on the topic they eagerly participated in the team games we prepared for them. The topic was dating and sex next week we are going to talk to them more about it and will let you know how it went.
We think that the beggining of the lessons is the highlight of this month!
Sergey and Julia

Thank you for your prayer for the classes that we are teaching. please pray for tomorrow because tomorrow we are teaching 3 classes in one day (two 10th grades and one 11th grade) This week we are talking to all the classes about dating, sex difference between girls and boys etc. I will let you know how it went.
Julia and Sergey

Today we had our first lesson with one of the 2 of the 10th grades.
It went really well. The kids were open and interested to hear what we had to say. We took our laptop with us and showed them a video to illustrate our points. They were very surprised to watch a video right in their classroom. We talked to them about the classes we are going to have with them, played a game and talked about planning your life according to your lifegoals.
Tomorrow we are talking together with the Christian Student Organization to 40 11th graders in one of the high schools in Odessa about girl-boy relationship.
Please pray for us.
Julia and Sergey

Sergey was invited today to speak at the teachers conference. The theme of the conference was "Moral ethics in school", it was a good experience for him to listen to the reports of the teachers. They talked about how to teach the kids about the right moral life and about religion since this subject is officially in the school's schedule. He talked about the work we are doing and they said that they were encouraged and impressed by that.

It was interesting that there was a big debate on the theme of spirituality and what it really is. They didnt come to any particular definition except for the one that "every individual has his own deinition of this term".
Many of the teachers got Sergey's phone number to talk about our work more.

We had a really good youth group this Sat with the Student organization we are partnering with. We talked about sharing your faith on Campus and in school. We think that God is really blessing the youth groups this year and we are praying that it will be even better the next year!

Please pray for us as we are starting our classes this week. Also on Friday we are participating in the Christian Student Organization project held in one of the high schools of Odessa. They are going to have a seminar on boy-girl romantic relationship. So please keep us in you prayers as we are going to interact with the teens this week on various occasions.

We keep on visiting the kids at the orphanage talking to them and just giving them hugs. It's always a joy to see them.
Talk you later,
Julia and Sergey

Night in the Life in Odessa

We took a bus downtown to just go for a walk and have a cup of coffee somewhere in a nice cafe.... It didnt turn out exactly the way we planned.
A boy about 9 years old poorly dressed was begging for money on the central street of Odessa. People were passing by not looking at him, like he didnt exist at all. We stopped to find out where he is from and why he is on the street. He is from a little village near Odessa, his mother is disabled, she stays at home in bed most of the time. This is what he said to us it seemed to be true because it turned out that Sergey visited that village often preaching in a little church there and knew the names of the streets and the boy said it all correct. He has been living on the street for 2 months only. He is already accepted into the street gang of the older boys. As we talked to him about the dangers of the street life he didnt want to hear anyhting. He likes it he said, it is new and interesting for him, he likes it better then going to school. No, he doesnt want us to visit his mother and help her. He likes it the way it is now. We talked to him about the drugs, he didnt try any yet,.....but he doubted it was that dangerous as we made it sound....little Dima has just started his life on the street and the sad thing is that if he had a father who cared and was an authority for him he wouldnt be there, two complete strangers are nobodies to him, he can ignore them easily....The only prayer for him is that Heavenly Father would speak strongly into his life as well as into the lives of other kids like him...

The interesting thing that we noticed was that the passing by people never looked at the begging kids until we would start talking to them they even stopped to listen to our conversation with them and some of those adult welldressed people would become angry about us talking to the street kids.....

The two other boys we met were sleeping at the city market in the big hardpaper boxes, begging for money during the day and sniffing glue in the night. Glue destroys the function resposible for peeing so they smell bad and they cannot walk properly. Day after day they live a life that destroys them. As Sergey talked to the boys, one of them said that he lived on the street for 8 years, another for 10 years. They never went to school and forgot how the apartment looks inside..... The thing was that when we asked them how we can help them they said that they dont need help, they like their lives and dont want to change anything. A big crowd of people gathered around as Sergey was talking to them. People were discussing why we talk to the kids. All the people disappeared as soon as we ended our talk....
As we were walking back home it started to rain,right at the pavement a drunk men was sleeping in the rain.
We tried to talk to him but he was asleep..We prayed for him and I felt like that man lying in the rain completely drunk symbolized the future of those kids who live their life on the street...Is there a better future for them?........

Package sent off

Hi all! It is Tonya! I got the package sent off today to Ukraine! So for those of you who donated items to be sent over there, it is on it's way! We sent a total of three packages. Two of them were over 20 pounds though which means you HAVE to pay for 3-5 day mail. Oh well. The other one will take about 2-4 weeks they thought. We got a bunch of clothes off to them, Christmas presents, birthday presents, etc. We will probably be sending another package with Jeff when he goes back in Aprilish. Hopefully I will get to go along this time too...but we will see! So...if you have anything more you want sent over there, just get it to us and we should be able to get it out there in Aprilish or so.

Hope you all had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!! We have SO much to be thankful for!!!

Blessings, Tonya

Back from Kiev....

From Julia and Sergey:

We got back from Kiev on Thursday. We had all the boys (Dima, Igor, Bogdan and Eugen) over night on friday we talked about different things till 4 in the morning and ate (it is amazing how much non-stop 5 boys can eat). It was a really good relationship building time for them and Sergey (I mostly made tons of tea) It was a really good time.

The youth group on Sat went really well. Sergey talked about spiritual warfare. I need to say that it was the theme at the conference in Kiev and we found it really helpful for us so we thought it would be a great idea to share it with others.

Talk to you later!!!
Julia and Sergey

November 12th

We had a Coffee House tonight. It went really well.
The band played there and there were many fun games and Sergey talked about how sometimes we get so busy and worried about life problems that we forget about listening to God. We had a great slide show which illustrated that very well. There were 60 young people from 5 different churches.

Tomorrow night we are leaving for Kiev for 4 days. We are going to a leadership training for christian youth workers. The Student Christian organization that we are partners with invited us to come there. It is actually really good news. They consider us a part of their team of workers and volunteers because we organize big events with them and also they use our flat for their leaders meetings once in a while and in general we have really good relationship with them. We are really excited about going there!!!!!!
Julia and Sergey

Praise!!!

This morning Sergey and I went to see the principle and asked her for permission to teach a class about topics like addictions etc to the 11th grade. She was REALLY happy that we want to do it and she asked us to teach such class to several classes (another 11th class and 2 10ths) at the orphanage!!!!!! We see that it is a wide open door into the orphanage now officially!!! We are so happy. God is really blessing us. She is very positive about us teaching the kids and was very friendly with us.
Thank you very much for your prayers!!!

Also we wanted to let you know that one of the families decided to donate money every month for the ministry needs (like paying for the transport to take the street kids back home, feeding them,buying supplies and food for the Bible classes) they are planning to give 100$ a month for that. This is really great news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Julia and Sergey

October 21st...PRAYER!!!

On Saturday 21 of October we have a great youth conference in Odessa. We have a group of 12 people going there with us from the church. We invited several kids from the orphanage as well. Please pray that they would be allowed to come. I believe that it might become a life-changing experience for them.

October 15th update from Julia and Sergey

We are doing fine. Sergey is having a cold, I went to the dentist today but rather then that we are fine. We are getting ready for the youth group for tomorrow night. Our theme is "Knowing how to say no" We are going to talk about how chrisitians sometimes think that it is "christian" to always do everything that people say that you should do and there are always people who put pressure on us and we end up doign what people ecxpect from us not what God really wants us to do. We will also talk about pressure at work when you might have a very demanding boss so we will talk about the chrisitian way of dealing with that.

Valya was over at our place for supper yesterday. We were really happy to see her. We cooked the supper together and watched a movie. When she is over (or some other kids) I just feel like they are a part of our family (like brothers or sisters). Please pray that she would be able to come to the youth graup tomorrow. Our plan is that she would come to the youth group, stay overnight at our place and go to the church with us on Sunday.
Sasha was also very happy that he has a penpal.
Julia and Sergey

Y.O.U. Incorporated!!

September 21, 2006

Some good news folks. We officially are incorporated today as the Youth of Ukraine, Inc. as a non-profit organization. We thank you all for your prayers and continued support. The foundation has been laid and now is the time to build this organization up under GOD's guidance.

August 2006

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 02, 2006 10:12 PM, CDT
HI ALL!! Sorry my updates have been very few! This summer has been a very crazy one! We took one quick trip to Des Moines, IA to AdventureLand...and tomorrow we leave for Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City! MaKenna has had 5 stitches over her eye already...I was rearended and the guy ran...but don't worry...I chased him until I got his plate number and I called 911. HA! I got the last laugh! I sprained my ankle while showing our basement rooms to our 3 college ages boys who were staying with us while they did a camp at our church....it has just been CRAZY! As far as the adoption goes...it is slow going. The Ukrainian Govt shut down American adoptions until January. As much as we hate that, it may actually be a good thing for us as we need to get more stable financially. The adoption will cost around $20,000 and that is a problem at the moment, but our prayer is that come January, it will no longer be an issue. Sasha doesn't turn 16 until May, so we have a little bit of cushion time. Not much. Our ministry has been pretty slow going also. We still have all 10 kids available for sponsorship. Check out their pictures on the photo page. I listed the letters below. We did have our first presentation to a couple of small groups...and we will be speaking at our church congregation hopefully in the very near future. I also was told by Julia that she likes to use the Teen Christian Magazine Brio to mentor the girls with. So I e-mailed the head of Brio and they are sending us 50 issues! That was a blessing. Later Jeff and I will order a subscription for her. I have met a lot of people worldwide via online forums in some of my favorite Christian Music Artists websites. Many people who also have a heart for those children or who just want to learn more and help. I know I need patience because everything will happen in God's timing. It is hard though. I struggle with patience. That became apparent to me the other night when I couldn't sleep at all. I woke up and decided I was sleeping in while Jeff got up with the kids and we wouldn't go to church. Something woke me out of a deep sleep 30 minutes before we would have to leave for church. My inner voice said, "Get up and go to church." I said, "Nope...I am sleeping." The inner voice said, "Why can you get up when you have other things to do when you are tired, but you sleep in today?" I got the hint...got up and went to church. The sermon was on patience. Hmm...think Somebody wanted me to hear that sermon? That was an AHA moment for me! If you have anymore questions regarding the sponsorships, please visit www.youthofukraine.org. Pass this all on...and pray. Thanks again for your support!Blessings, Tonya

May and June 2006

For Chronological viewing, read at from the bottom of this post....

TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2006 10:43 PM, CDT
Wow! What a busy last few weeks we have had! Just when I think that it MIGHT slow down, BAM! Another flood of "BUSY" comes flying through! :-) Just to get you up to speed. We heard from Oleg finally and he is 90% sure that we will be okay with the adoption. So, onward we go. Now it is just a matter of finances as the United States scrutinizes where every penny ever has gone, is going and will be going. Hopefully that is the next and final hurdle we will have to go over. Keep us in your prayers please as Sasha turned 15 on May 30th and therefore we have less than a year now to bring her home. The first weekend in June I was able to go to my first Women of Faith conference. WOW! It was wonderful! Tammy Trent was one of the guest music artists, and if you haven't heard her music please visit her website at www.tammytrent.com. You will be amazed by this woman's voice and her story. Anyway, I felt compelled to tell her our story. So I e-mailed the story to her office and the next day got a response back from her! She offered us one of her songs to use on our upcoming website and slideshow/video we are putting together! It is called Is Anybody Willing? It is an incredible song and it is in the post I made before this. The next incredible thing that happened, President Bush was visiting Omaha, only about 4 blocks from my house. So, on a whim, I e-mailed him about our ministry and then offered him cake and icecream after he spoke. :-) I knew full well the cake and icecream wouldn't pan out...but hey, you never know unless you try! Anyway, I received a response back from the Vice Presidents office that he was interested in what we were doing and to await further mail. I did receive a letter today offering us assistance (not financial) if needed in the adoption and a pat on the back for what we are doing. I was hoping for a bit more, but they did put their phone number on the letter...I will probably use it! Those of you who know me KNOW I WILL use it! :-) I also recently had a Mary Kay Booth at our Papillion Days. During a slow time I went around to the different church tables and spoke to them about our ministry and adoptions. Several people were very interested and a couple had been considering adoption for some time and were thrilled to hear from me! Isn't God good?! On the pictures page you will find a filthy bathroom from the Cerebral Palsey Orphanage. It is their ONE bathroom for 200+ kids! Also on the photo page are three more teenagers needing sponsorships. If you are interested in sponsorship, I have about 9 teenagers in need. Just let me know you are interested and I will e-mail you their letters and pictures and you can choose from there. One final thing, we have a VERY rough draft of our website up. You can check it out, but for now, our updates will still be here. The address is www.youthofukraine.org. That is the update for now!

TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2006 10:33 PM, CDT

Is Anybody Willing? -Tammy Trent
There's a hunger in the soul for a love that we can know
From a God who really cares And that His people everywhere
Would row against the tides of life And take a stand for what is right
This is the hope of every boy and girl Is anybody willing...to give a helping hand
Does anybody have the time just to be a friend
'Cause there's a world of children and they all need our love
There's so many if you're willing enough
There's a voice that's calling peace to the poor and to the weak
From a God who gave His Son To gain the world and not lose one
So let's unite and let's agree to be His hands and be His feet
This is the hope of every boy and girl.
From New York City down to Mexico From Moscow,
Russia to Korea's Seoul From the North to the South,
East to the WestHeaven is calling to you...

TUESDAY, JUNE 06, 2006 09:19 PM, CDT

Good evening! Our adoption is still up in the air. We haven't heard back from Oleg yet, so your prayers are still greatly appreciated. We really can't move forward until we get his yay or nay. This past weekend I was able to attend the Women of Faith conference that was here in Omaha. It was an extraordinary experience! The musical group that was there was Avalon. They sang a very touching song that is on thier new album. Orphans of GodWho here among us has not been brokenWho here among us is without guilt or painSo oft’ abandoned by our transgressionsIf such a thing as grace existsThen grace was made for lives like thisThere are no strangersThere are no outcastsThere are no orphans of GodSo many fallen, but hallelujahThere are no orphans of GodCome ye unwanted and find affectionCome all ye weary, come and lay down your headCome ye unworthy, you are my brotherIf such a thing as grace existsThen grace was made for lives like thisO blessed Father, look down upon usWe are Your children, we need Your loveWe run before Your throne of mercyAnd seek Your face to rise above I thought that was so appropriate. Again, your thoughts and prayers are so appreciated! We couldn't do any of this without you! We still have plenty of sponsorships available, and there are still plenty of kids in need of good homes! Blessings to you all!

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2006 09:49 PM, CDT

Hello! Boy...when it rains it pours let me tell you! Our daughter has Chicken Pox...even though she has been vaccinated...so it has been a crazy week! Forgive me for not updating like I should be! Couple things that need prayer. First of course, the ministry. Again, there are 5 girls on the photo page that need sponsorship. They are all 16 or older, so are no longer available for adoption, but they are part of the Bible Study that Sergey and Julia are teaching. Getting these girls sponsored however, would help free up Julia and Sergey's time so that they could do ministry work full time. More information on the ministry will be coming soon. We spoke to our pastor today and he is very interested in getting this ministry up and running with us. That is very encouraging. Secondly, Sasha's other good friend Masha, is no longer going to be adopted. She is in need of a good home as quickly as possible, as are all of these kids. Your prayers for her, Sasha and all the other children are so appreciated. Finally, we have run into a couple snags with our adoption process. Who knew it was so hard to adopt from Ukraine? Goodness. It is not looking good, but we have calls into Oleg, the facilitator of adoptions over there, and hopefully he can pull some strings for us. Keep us in your prayers please, as we really want this to work. We do understand though that it is in God's hands and all we can do is pray and wait. Thank you again, so much for your prayer support and e-mails. Keep them coming...we SO appreciate them. And they always seem to come at just the right time. God Bless you all!

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2006 11:18 PM, CDT

GOOD EVENING!! Well, it has been a few days since I last updated! So sorry! Things can get so hectic around here! Jeff is gone again, but this time he has stayed in the United States! :-) He is in New York/New Jersey for a couple of days for his work! Well, to update all of you, we have gotten all of our referrals in. Now we await the homestudy, fingerprinting, etc. Such a lengthy process! We take one day at a time though! We are making some progress on the ministry front! I have had contact with several churches and are just awaiting the final "okay" on that. I spoke at one of our churches MOPs groups last week and had a great response, and tomorrow I speak to the other MOPs group at our church. And then I believe that we will be speaking later in the month to our two church services! That will be exciting! I ask that you continue to pray for the progress of this ministry and our adoption as well as other pending adoptions out there! On the photo page I have pictures of 5 girls who are involved in Julia and Sergey's bible study. I am unsure of their ages, but it is always nice to put faces on God's children that are being nurtured by these wonderful people. Keep the prayers coming and we love the guest book entries! Also, we will be sending another package to Ukraine in the coming weeks. If you have a penpal that you would like to send something to, give us the gift with $5 enclosed to help wtih shipping. We will make sure it gets to the right child. Finally, if you are considering sponsorship of any of these children, especially the ones in photos on the photo page, please contact us as soon as possible as we want to begin the sponsorship process immediately. Thank you once again for your prayers and support!!

TUESDAY, MAY 02, 2006 11:37 AM, CDT

Hello mighty prayer warriors!! Thank you SO much for your prayers, your e-mails, your thoughts, your phone calls! All are SO very helpful! Make sure if you haven't been here for awhile that you read all the past journal entries as we are still desperately trying to find a family for little Tolik and also help a family here in Omaha adopt Nastia. Pictures of them are in the photo album. We are working on setting up a different website that will allow many more pictures and better updates, etc. I am looking forward to it, but until then, keep coming back and checking it out! We have our paperwork done and turned in to bring Sasha home. Now we just have to wait on our end for the homestudy. Once that is complete, we are so much closer to bringing her home! Her best friend Alyona who lives not far from Fremont is EXTREMELY excited to see Sasha once again! I got the opportunity to meet LuAnn, Alyona's adoptive mom last Thursday night! What a blessing that was! My heart still aches for all of the children that are soon to turn 16. As you know from other entries, once they turn 16 they can no longer be adopted and are often times asked to leave the orphanage. Please consider prayerfully your place in one of these young peoples hearts. Whether you are to just continue in prayer, seek adoption possibilities, or if you know someone who could help in anyway. These young people have little to no hope once they are 16. Please also prayerfully consider your part in sponsoring their Christian education. If they are to leave the orphanage at 16, we want them to at least have a good relationship with the Lord. Thank you so much for all of your prayers! Keep on checking for updates!

First Half of April 2006

For chronological viewing...start from the bottom of this post....


WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2006 08:55 PM, CDT

This is the letter that we have given and/or sent out. If you want to copy it out of here and give your church or family and friends a copy that would be great. We really need to spread the word. The original copy has graphics and pictures on it also...so if you would like the "dressed up" version, please contact us and I will be sure to e-mail that off to you! Here you go!!!!Do you have a heart for children? Have you ever considered adoption? If you answered yes to either or both of these questions, we would like to present you with an opportunity to help orphaned Ukrainian children. Our names are Jeff and Tonya Filleman, and we are the proud parents of 3 children (Cam, Jake and MaKenna) and attendee’s of Brookside Church. Our two sons have been “pen-pals” for a few of these children over the past 3 years. Recently we considered adoption ourselves and God willing, we will be bringing home a young girl from the orphanage early next year. The orphanage we have been working with, and which Jeff recently visited, is Orphanage #4 in Odessa, Ukraine. It houses approximately 200 children, ages 9-17 and is one of approximately 40 orphanages in the city of Odessa (pop. 1.1 million). Many of the children there come from tragic circumstances such as early deaths from one or both parents, or they were simply left on the streets. Drugs and alcohol are a very serious and prevalent problem in Ukraine and are visibly evident everywhere that you look. Even in the event that a child can make it through the orphanage system, there chances on the outside are very slim. The average monthly salary in Odessa is $100 U.S. dollars, and approximately 85-90% of the children that “graduate” from the orphanage turn to drugs, alcohol, and/or prostitution or are trafficked across the world as slaves and prostitutes. Our mission, beyond adopting an older child ourselves, is to help find other adoptive families for these children. In addition, we are working with a Ukrainian Missionary couple that Jeff met on his trip there, and are seeking sponsors for their ministry. They currently minister to the orphanages in and around Odessa, as well as provide bible study groups for the children that are interested. Since the orphanages are state run institutions, there is NO religious instruction provided to these children and obviously, no parents to take them to church. Not only will many of these children lose the opportunity to become a productive member of a society, they are also losing their souls simply because they were never told. If you feel the calling to either be an adoptive family for one of these children (or even just a penpal), or would like to help sponsor the ministry, please contact us at JFilleman@ameritrade.com and/or JTFilleman@cox.net. If you do not have access to email, Tonya is always available at Brookside during the bible studies, MOPs, Sunday’s, or you can call us at home at 733-2369. We will be more than happy to discuss the opportunities in more detail, as well as provide more information about these children.God Bless,Jeff and Tonya Filleman

THURSDAY, APRIL 06, 2006 01:02 PM, CDT

After re-reading my last post, I'm going to have to forego any more late night entries. I'm not sure even I understood what I was talking about :) Anyways, I want to outline a couple of the ministries that we plan on undertaking. I'm going to keep the desriptions fairly short right now, but if you would like further information on any of these, please email or call us and I'll be happy to provide. If you would be interested in helping any of these, please email me at JFilleman@ameritrade.com. 100% of all funds will go directly to that ministry. We will personally be taking care of all of the administrative expenses for these. We also hope to set up a NPO (not-for-profit organization) here soon, to run these under.1) Christian Ministry to the Orphanages. This is a brand new ministry being ran by Julia and Sergei in Odessa Ukraine. They are currently doing this part time, but are looking for funding so that they can do this on a full time basis. Most of these kids don't know Christ or God, since the orphanages don't have any church affiliations nor provide any provisions for the children to attend church. Not only do these kids not have parents, they do not have Christ either...and that is just wrong. The TOTAL cost to support their ministry is approximately $800 a month. I am looking for a few willing sponsor's that will help us fund this ministry on a long term basis.2) Sponsorships for Michelle Maly. Obviously, Michelle needs funding to keep doing what she is doing over there. Monthly donations or one-time donations would be greatly appreciated. Michelle is a phenomenal individual with a passion for Christ and a passion for these children.3) Prayer support for these kids. This does not cost a dime. If you'd like to get a picture of a specific child or children to pray for, just let me know. There is also a much larger ministry being ran by Paul and Tania Becker. They sponsor some of the classes at the orphanage, and provide some support staff. These folks are amazing and are always open to any ideas. If God is calling you to "build a new gymnasium" for the kids, or something like that, they are folks to talk to. Since I didn't see any Home Depots while I was there, this in not something I'll be able to handle myself. Please keep in mind that the average monthly salary in Ukraine is around $150 US dollars, so as you can see, your donations go a VERY long way over there. God Bless,Jeff

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 05, 2006 11:10 PM, CDT

I thought that this journal may go by the wayside once I returned, but have since discovered that it may be a VERY good means of communication from a man talks very little. (I know that Tonya "talks" A LOT...and I can not emphasize "a lot" enough for this forum....however, I'm very appreciative of this fact for the time being!) Anyways, I got around to speaking with my boys tonight about my experience in Ukraine, and I was a bit surprised by their reactions. They wanted a Q&A session before they went to bed, and so I delivered. Anyways, to make a long story short, they were both in heaving tears when we were done. In short, I gave them a walkthrough of what it would be like to be handed your only bag of clothes (albeit 1 pair) and told to go at the orphanage door..."good luck". Both my boy were bawling after this after I "reassured" them that this was the reality of it all. After fielding questions of "well, I'll just walk to nana's" and by response of "you don't have a nana" they were both just crying uncontrollably. I was at a bit at loss of words. There was no way to "smoothe" the situation as it was reality for these kids. Anyways, I just thought I would share. If you have open room in your heart for one of these kids just let me know!!! And finally, I would like to thank Michelle Maly from the deepest part of my heart for providing my the opportunity to be with these kids and trasnlating for me.In HIMGod BlessJeff

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 05, 2006 02:40 AM, CDT

Hello all! I'm very astonished at the number of folks that have been visiting this site. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined. As you all must already know, I'm a very quiet/private person. For what it is worth, I do what needs to be done and then call it good. I'm not a fan of all the fan fair. However, after reading some of your posts, I know that I've hit a nerve with some of you. I did finally make it back in Omaha, along with your prayers, of which, I'm eternally grateful. I'm a bit relieved to hear all words spoken in english...as I am very poor at Russian. On a side note though, Tonya informed me that both her and Cam had a dream that when I came back, I would be speaking nothing but Russian! This is something I will have to play along with for a while in my limited Russian vocabulary!!! As for the kids at the orphanage, I miss them dearly. There is nothing that I can write in this blog that would do them justice for the hardships that they are suffering. I'm still amazed at how happy that they continue to be. As a matter of fact, Lyonya (Jake's penpal) gave most of the gifts that he recently received, BACK TO JAKE!!!...as gifts. This poor boy has NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING, and yet gives all that has been given him, back to a "spoiled american kid". And yes, I can write that, as he is my son. These are gifts that were given to Lyona (someone that has nothing)...and yet he has the heart to give them back. How on GOD's green earth can I let Jake accept these? More importantly, how can I convey to my 5 year old son, what these gifts mean? I have traveled North America quite extensively and have been very humbled by this experience. I guarantee that there will be changes around my household. More importantly though, I PRAY that GOD would find his way into your hearts to adopt one of these children. For what it is worth, our plan right now is to adopt one or more of these kids, as well as support Sergei's and Julias ministry to these orphan children. In addition, we plan on helping Olya P, find herself, and become a productive member of the Ukraine society. Although my trip is over, my ministry to these children is not. I plan on taking Tonya back there with me on their Fall Break this fall. If you feel that there is a place in your hearts and home for any of these children, please let me know. I will be happy to assist you on the necessary steps on how to make this happen!!! In closing- I met a young man named "Vlad" that would like me to send the pictures that I too to lovestocook43.aom.com. I'm not sure of the email address, but I will be sending these shortly, once I dig them out of my bag.Olya Citnik- Josh and Julianna- This young girl stole my heart. I have information on how to proceed with the adoption, or at least possible alteratives. How I wish we could adopt her ourselves!!!! Out of everyone, she DESERVES a loving Christian family home. Everyone else- If you have considered the adoption of a child, the time can no better be better. As my brother likes to say (and no offense intendeded) "put your purse down and do it!" God bless to you all!Even though our first trip is done, please check back hear regulary for updates.In HIM,Jeff (and Michelle Maly) (and Tonya Filleman)

MONDAY, APRIL 03, 2006 03:07 PM, CDT

Hi guys. I am sad....Jeff missed his flight out of Odessa. Darn! I am not really sure when he gets back. From his e-mail, it sounded like he would just be a day late. I will post his e-mail and also Michelles e-mail, as she let me know as well. Bad news....I missed my flight this a.m. Long story and I'm real sorry!!! I'm very sad. Anyways, I'm flying out of Odessa this afternoon at 3:00 but won't be able to make any of my connecting flights. So they have rescheduled me for tomorrow. Bottom line is that I got all the same flights just a day later...so I'll be in on Tuesday night. I'm very, very sorry. I love you all and miss you very much!!!! We are leaving for the airport (again) right now. Give the kids hugs and kisses from me and pray for my safe return.I love youJeffHi Tonya!I guess you have heard the bad news by now about our mix-up this morning at the airport and that Jeff didn't get on the flight! I am so sorry. This morning we were late leaving because our phone's ringer was turned off and when the taxi tried to call to say that they were here it didn't ring. I am very sorry that Jeff will be a day later and I hope that you and the kids will make it that extra day. I will be praying for you all!-Michelle

SUNDAY, APRIL 02, 2006 06:58 PM, CDT

Here is an e-mail I received from Michelle Maly who has been with Jeff this week! These are great pictures...check them out on the pictures page!Hi Tonya!Here are some pictures from today when Jeff was leaving the orphanage. Olya Andrei and Maxim followed us all the way out to the gate and then hung around for quite awhile. There were tears and lots of promises to write letters. Tonight my roommate Lisa, Jeff and I had dinner with Paul and Tania Becker who work with 4th and 8th graders at orphanage #4, even more opportunities for ministry.Michelle

SATURDAY, APRIL 01, 2006 11:32 AM, CST

Greetings from Odessa! The shock of actually being able to hug and hold these kids is starting to wear off, as this is absolutely a no-no in the U.S...especially since the average hug over here is going to run you about 5 minutes. However, the shock of seeing over 100 syringes and needles lying on the ground between our apartment and the orphanages (approximately 100 yards) will never go away. Just to give you a little background on the orphanage, it is basically a government run institution that exercises little to no control over the kids. Kids who are inherently good, will go to their classes, playtimes, etc. and do as they are instructed. Those who say "I'm not going to play this game" simply just walk out the door onto the streets and return occassionaly for the warm meals provided and a bed to sleep in. Discipline for the other children is pretty much non-existent to my knowledge. As for "security" I have to put that specifically in quotes as it does not exist. The kids freely roam the compound as well as the adjoining neighborhood. I imagine though that the orphanage is just doing the best it can under the set of circumstances and lack of funding. Hands down, any child here would happily be bounced around from foster home to foster home in the US as opposed to the situation they are in. But on to some of the happier stuff. Two of the girls asked me if they could be our "doches" or daughters today. Andre Zayats, Cam's penpal, asked if we had room in our family for him, his brother and his grandpa, as apparently his grandpa does not want them to be adopted without him! Also, Olya P borrowed the camera today and took around a 1000 pictures of everyone and their mother....maybe mother is not a good word for that one, but you know what I mean. I was subsequently informed that once a camera is located on the premises, especially from an American, there is very strong urge for the orphan to get themselves on that roll of film, solely in hopes that someone will take to them and try to adopt them. Out of all the pictures I saw, I would have to agree with all but one. This gentleman apparently did not want his picture taken and politely gave her the bird instead of his face. I thank the Lord that I was not in his situation when I was sixteen, as if I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure my dad still has some of those same images of me. Anyway, tomorrow is going to be a rough day, in that I have to say goodbye to my new found friends for at least the time being. I promised to write them weekly so that we can stay in touch, but I also have a lot of work to do for both the new ministry I discovered over here, as well as for Olya P and Olya C. I guarantee that Tonya and I will be starting some fundraising/sponsorship initiative for the ministries over here. So if any of you are interested even this early. Please let us know, as you may be able to help us craft our ideas on how to best go about tackling this project!!! Take care and God Bless!Jeff

For chronological order, start at the bottom of the post....

March 2006
FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2006 01:03 PM, CST

Hello all. I'm surprised at the number of visitors that this site is getting. Your comments are very much appreciated....and to think, I told Tonya that I didn't want to mess around with a blog while I was over here. I guess her one time a year to be right has now been witnessed by all! I love you honey! Anyways, we spent the better part of the day at the orphanage again, and all the kids are starting to ask me when "Uncle Jeff" is going to be back. Every one of them got choked up even when asking the question. I can't say that I understand, other than they are in dire need of some father figures around this place. All the staff here is female, which isn't wrong, but it is only half of the picture and needs of these kids evidently. Our Olya finally came back from her grandma's and met us at Michelle's apartment. When I walked out to greet here, she just ran up to me and hugged me harder than I've ever been hugged (outside of my brother Danny's hugs in which he is intentionally trying to make you pass out) for over 10 minutes. We talked for some time again and are hoping that we can put together some sort of plan for her. Unfortunately, she has no idea what she wants to do after this, and I can emphathize with in that matter. When I was sixteen, I hadn't a clue either (still don't actually!) and the only reason I stayed in school and went on was because of my parents. And thats where the similarities end. I had parents, and Olya does not...the closest she has to that is Tonya and myself overseas. Not quite conducive of enforcing any discipline if you know what I mean. We'll see how it goes though, as we are going to talk some more tomorrow. On the lighter side, the kids have stray dogs and rats as pets at the orphanage. The dogs weren't so bad, as some of the little girls spend a lot of time building houses (as best a 10 year old can) for them. The rats on the other hand I was not fond of. They let them run up and down their shirts, in their hair, everywhere. They tell me it is a mouse, but I've taken enough biology/zoology to tell you otherwise. This was not any sort of mouse.....unless that Chernobyl incedent from a few years back still has some lingering affects. Honestly though, if you go into any pet store and look at the gray rats with the long, thick, naked tails, that is what they are playing with. All in all, everything is going well. The kids really like to teach me russian, and they say that I'm getting better. However, there is one letter that sounds like "h" that is a real deep throat sort of enunciation. The easiest way to describe it would be to try to make the "h" sound while hucking up a lugey. My problem is that the latter half of that is what usually happens. They think it is funny. My head has been exploding with ideas on how we best help these children. I will try to write these up after some careful thought after I return to the states, and get them out to you all if you are interested. Until next time,Jeff (aka Schcheff) Ain't know J's in Russky.FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2006 09:55 AM, CST
Here is an e-mail I just received from Jeff! It is almost 7 pm over there right now...and the kids and I just rolled out of bed! :-) Anyway, sounds like things are going really well!Hey babe. Thanks for fowarding this to me. I'm sorry I haven't been able to write too much, but the internet is REALLY slow over here, especially when I have to access it through my work email thingy. Since everyone in the apartment is sharing the internet connection, I don't have much time to get on either. These kids are a real joy over here. Its going to be tough to get Olya any type of VISA after I talked to the Orpahanage's social worker. :-( But we keep trying! The kids really like my Russian Translator thing. We sit down and write back and forth. They actually like that more than the games sometimes. These kids out here are SOOOOO neat and loving. They asked me today when I had to go back (even though I get to hang out with them tomorrow), and when I told them they started to cry. I PROMISED them I would come out again though as well as write them every week. (Even Andre cried and he is one tough little boy). It was so sad. Anyways, I really would like to come back out again sometime this year maybe. If we can plan it right, hopefully both of us will come. I guess that is it for now. I love you and miss you and the kids dearly. I can't wait to tell you everything. Also, I got to play with a rat today....one of their pets...and it was nasty!!!!I love youGive the boys and MaKenna a great big hug for me.Jeff
THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2006 02:42 PM, CST
Here is a message sent by Michelle Maly one of the roomates that Jeff is staying with. She is our main contact to the orphanage. I have posted different pictures today! She sent me a whole lot more!! :-) We were at the orphanage pretty much all day today with the 4th graders. Andrei, Olya S and Vica were Jeff's sidekicks all day. It was cute. The kids absolutely love playing games with Jeff and trying to teach him Russian. At the end of the day Jeff and Andrei had a little wrestling match and Andrei ended up on Jeff's shoulders. Jeff woke up super early this morning, probably due to jet lag and is already in bed now. He'll probably write tomrorrow.I hope that you have a great day and that you enjoy the pictures!Love, Michelle

THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2006 12:55 AM, CST

Hello all! My apologies for not writing anything myself yet. The exeperience over here is very overwhelming. It is often very hard to fight back tears when talking and thinking about these kids. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm 6'2", 200 pounds and it wouldn't look right to start bawling in front of these kids. I'm going to keep this short for now, but wanted to state 2 things:1. Meeting Olya in person goes down as the third best day in my life ever. I would have happily spent my entire lifes savings for those moments yesterday. And as I'm sure your are curious, what the first two happiest days were, they are 1) Marrying my wife and 2) The birth of my children. Technically, the kids take up three day, but there is no need to be literal as this point, as I'm sure you know what I mean.2. The kids at the orphanage have a phenomenal ability, or so it seems, to be happy. In my work with children over the years, I was incredibly surprised by their positive attitudes and smiles under the circumstances. I have a lot to learn from them over the next few days, of which are lessons that I need to in turn teach my own children.Well, that is it for now. I truly appreciate the prayers. On a final note, if anyone reading this is considering the adoption of a child, I would strongly encourage you to take a look at the children in the orphanage over here. There truly is NOTHING for them once they are forced to leave. God bless you all and especially the children.Jeff

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2006 04:15 PM, CST

I JUST TALKED TO JEFF!!! It was SOO good to hear his voice...but I kept my cool! You know me! Gotta stay COOL! Anyway, he said that he is having a great time and spent much of the day at the orphanage! He saw Olya, Andrei, Lyonya and dozens of other kids! We have been writing Andrei, Lyonya and Olya for so long though, I am sure that it was nice to actually meet them in person! He is doing well and very excited for the coming days. He is also already excited about upcoming trips for the whole family! This whole experience has really opened his heart to a new found ministry. Keep your prayers coming! We SO appreciate them! As for me at home with three little kids....your prayers are working! I have patience like I've never had, and God is keeping me, for the most part, healthy and I have been having a great time with the kids! Isn't God good?

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2006 10:15 AM, CST

Here is an e-mail I just received from Jeff this morning!!!Glad to hear all is going well. It's like 9 or so here and we are getting ready to go over the orphanage for the day. It's kind of weird it being like 1 a.m. there and I''m getting up andeady for the day. Anyways, I'll try to write you more and send some pics if I can later today. Also, Olya is suppose to come over this afternoon, and if we can, we may set up a time that we can call you so that she can talk to you. We'll see though. Anyways, all seems to be going well here. Vienna wasn't that bad. 12 hours sitting at an airport was not fun, but all in all it was ok. I didn't take any pictures there, because it really just looks like Nebraska or Iowa from the airport. Although there are some mountains in the far background, but it was too cloudy to see. So far, everyone speaks a little english everywhere, at least in the airports, so it was pretty comfortable. The only hassle I got was from the Ukrainian customs folks. Apparently I "declared" things that I wasn't supposed to declare so I had to take everything out of all the bags and explain to him what everything was. "This is a game"..."What"..."A game" "What game?" ...."Othello"...."Who is it for".....yada yada yada. I had to do it for everything. He finally got so fed up looking at everything, he just told me to pack it up and go. I only should have declared my money and wedding ring. Anyways, I'll talk to you later. Keep praying for me. And tell the kids that I love them and miss them.I love you,Jeff

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2006 07:41 PM, CST

I heard from Jeff at about 3:30 pm our time which was 1:30 am Ukraine time. He said he made it fine, but that the lay over in Vienna was something awful! It was only three line message as he was very tired. He said he was exhausted and had to be up early to visit the orphanage, so he was turning in. He said he would try to write again soon. So, YEAH, he made it safely!! What a blessing!!

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2006 02:08 PM, CST

Hi all!! Well, it is just after 2 pm here in Omaha, so it is a little after 11 pm in Odessa! I checked Jeff's flight status on line and he got in at 10:36 Odessa time! I have still not heard from him yet though! I am sure he is pretty beat! I am trying to post more pictures, so be sure to keep checking in! Jeff, if you are reading this...we miss you and love you!!!! Give everyone at the Orphanage a big hug and hello from all of us!

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2006 06:41 AM, CST

Well, I just dropped Jeff off at the Omaha Eppley Airfield! It was bitter sweet! We were sad to see him go, not knowing how much contact we will be able to have with him, but it was nice to see him going with such an open, caring heart, on this wonderful mission! It is almost 7 am here and we had to wake up the kids to get him to the airport. Of course, as luck would have it...if you can call it luck, none of the kids wanted to go back to bed...so I thought it would be a great time for an update! I will write more as I know more! I am sure I will here from him one way or another when he is stuck in Vienna for 12 hours! Rough place to be stuck for 12 hours, wouldn't you say? :-)

SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2006 04:50 PM, CST

Today is a very busy day! We have been getting ready for Jeff's travel to Odessa, Ukraine! Yikes! I am very nervous for him (this is Tonya by the way), but honestly, I am very nervous for me as well! I will be alone 24/7 with 3 kids, 3 dogs, and dozens of fish!! AAAHHH!!! :-) We have one little bag packed for him that contains his laptop and a little computer that will translate for him! We decided to go all out! Better for him to know exactly where the bathroom is...then to have to guess! Ha! :-) He has been studying Russian now for a couple of months though. It is a difficult language as the alphabet is entirely different...but I am very proud of him and the progress that he has made! I also have a large suitcase packed full of gifts for Olya and Andrei and Lyonya (the boys that are penpals with Cam and Jake), and the other kids at the orphanage. Lots of crafty items, etc. Then, Michelle Maly's mom Sharon, is sending a suitcase with him as well! So, he will be well loaded down with suitcases! We are still working out some last minute things such as how will we communicate once he is over there etc. He doesn't have a cell phone, and the time difference is 8 hours ahead...so we are still working those things out...but otherwise I think we are pretty well set!He leaves tomorrow, Monday the 27th at 7:40 AM. He goes to Denver, then to Washington D.C., then off to Vienna, Austria, where he has a 12 hour layover!! Then, finally he will arrive in Odessa at 11:00 pm Tuesday night (Odessa time). LONG COUPLE OF DAYS!!!We will keep you updated as we are able!