Last weekend, we were able to bring out 4 teenage boys from our “Sasha Project” for a Boys Weekend. Andri, Sasha, Dima & Denis were excited to be able to be back at camp and we had a great time catching up. We usually see these boys at camp, but we were not able to do that during the summer due to the large amount of refugees we had been sheltering & working with.
This weekend, we ate some good food, as our amazing camp cook had prepared for us. The boys asked for second, thirds & then some. After the boys had showered (something that is rather a luxury in their world), we went for a hike in the woods with a bow & arrows, to shoot them. All the arrows have no feathering, so we spent more time actually looking for them then shooting. But that gave us a great time to joke, run around & simply connect. The boys had also played soccer with two older orphan boys that come out to our place every weekend. Ray Walker (one of our ministry team members) also decided to jump in & quite possibly had more fun than the boys. In between the amazing food and fun activities, we met together for some heart to heart discussion times. The boys did not open up much, but they listened very well as we talked about the right choices in life, working just a little bit harder in school & respecting their parents regardless of the choices the parents make. We talked how we love them & care for them. We talked about God’s love for them and how He is never going to be too far for them to reach out for & get a hold of. These are our goals with the boys: 1) that they see hope for themselves & choose better than a hopeless cycle of poverty & alcohol abuse they’re surrounded by in their villages and 2) for them to come to know Jesus & the power of His redeeming love personally. At the end of the weekend, the boys had the hardest time getting in the car, as it was time to take them home. Though the situations at home are good (though not easy) for Andri, Sasha & Dima; Denis has got it pretty rough with the parents that are abusing alcohol & don’t care for his existence. They all wanted to stay for just another day, but we are bringing them back in less than a month. — written by Alexander Petrov, Sasha Project Coordinator and Boys Weekend Coordinator
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