Greetings!
Friends of New Thing responded beautifully and gave a surprise birthday gift to Lydia Danielevna a few weeks ago.
She’s the esteemed second-in-command of our “Response of the Heart” team in Minsk.
We gave her the joy of deciding where to donate her $1,076 birthday present, anywhere in Belarus.
She was delighted by the gift, and took the opportunity very seriously.
She considered a number of options, and now … she has made her decision:
Lydia Danielevna’s birthday gift will be donated to the children’s shelter at Smolevichi, north of Minsk.
21 abused and abandoned children are living there right now (they sometimes care for as many as 27).
This surprise gift will provide an urgently needed security camera for the entrance door, a computer for the staff, and chairs for the offices.
By today’s exchange rate, the need at Smolevichi is actually within 33¢ of the exact amount they need!
“The shelter is not rich,” The Great Kozovaya writes. “The workers try to do everything themselves.”
Today, they’re celebrating the generosity of friends in America.
Thank you to all who gave so generously!
And thank you for journeying with us!
Much love,
Doug Brendel