This is not a great photo.
I snapped it on my phone in the chaos of a fun, noisy party, about 20 years ago.
Friends of New Thing gave generously to provide treats for a Christmas celebration at the shelter for abused and abandoned children in Zhodino, Belarus.
In fact, over the course of a decade, we had the joy of investing $100,000 into this shelter, to make it more of a home for the children.
To me, the 4 girls in this photo form a kind of snapshot of our work all over Belarus over the past quarter-century.
At left is Alina. We found her in this shelter more than once. She might have become a grim statistic, but the shelter workers provided faithful care. We had the joy of supporting their compassionate work by providing beds, weather-tight windows, lots of bright paint, and much, much more.
Today, Alina is a successful young wife, mother, and college student, on her way to becoming a teacher.
At right, halfway out of the frame, is Masha. We found her in the shelter too. We don’t know what became of her. We can only hope and pray that she is doing as well as Alina.
In the background is our daughter Natalie. She was a young teen when we began serving in Belarus. Like almost everyone in our New Thing family, she was introduced to this country as a newcomer. So her love for Belarus is, you might say, “acquired.” And long-term.
The little blonde in the middle is our other daughter, Lydia Charlotte. She never needed to be “introduced” to Belarus. She made her first visit at the age of 7 months, and has been there a total of 19 times. Her love for Belarus is lifelong. Today is her 23rd birthday; tomorrow is her wedding day.
These four young women beautifully represent New Thing:
Why we keep helping — because we see the results...
Why we keep helping — even when we can’t see the results...
And HOW we keep helping — on the strength of a lifetime commitment, and the faithfulness of friends like you.
God bless everyone who has joined in the adventure down through this quarter-century of compassion!
Thanks for journeying with New Thing.
Much love,
Doug Brendel
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