Prayer for hospital children in St. Petersburg, Russia

There is an orphanage in St. Petersburg that's called Hospital No. 15. It is a transitional orphanage that keeps children until all medical paperwork is filled out, after which they are assigned to different orphanages in and around the city. Some of the kids are brought in from the streets, while others are dropped off by their families. For most of the team, the hospital is a difficult place to be. One little girl, Natasha, was about 14 months old and has imprinted herself in the minds and hearts of a few from our team. While we were at the hospital this past week, her 18 year old mother dropped her off. As soon as the mother left, Natasha's eyes ran with tears. She screamed and looked desperately around for her mother. More heartbreaking still is the fact that she will probably never see her mother again, and an orphanage will be her new home for the rest of her childhood. When we put Natasha down to leave, she grasped frantically for us with terror in her eyes that she was being left again. This is not a unique case.

The hospital, and other orphanages for that matter, are filled with stories like Natasha's. On the same day Natasha was dropped, another little girl was brought in by the police. They had found this girl and her brother abandoned on the street. The brother was dead and the girl was starved and cold.

In face of this evil and sadness, it is only natural to question God and feel hopeless for these kids. But the truth is, there is hope. We have all been learning that though these children may have been abandoned by the world and even their families, Christ will not abandon them. There are people here in Russia who love these kids with Christ's love and visit them regularly. Grandmothers from the Buckner Babushka program go to the hospital to rock the infants, play with the children and make themselves available to give the children attention the caregivers can't always give. Also, the full time Buckner staff in Russia continues to devote their lives to loving the children at the hospital and show them Jesus and his love for them. One boy named Vova has been in the hospital for 12 years. He is 19 now and has cerebral palsy. His parents were killed when he was seven in a car crash, and his only living relatives are his brother and his cousin, both who are homeless and caught up in drug addiction. The head doctor of the hospital took a special interest in Vova and has personally cared for him and made it possible for him to remain at the hospital. Vova is an exceptional person, and he in fact met Jesus through Buckner's workers, Christian teams visiting Russia from places like Germany and the U.S., and from local Christian volunteers. Though his situation is still tragic, Vova says he has hope for his future through Christ Jesus. He knows God will not leave him and he knows that no matter where he ends up in the future, he will always have God and He will always care for him.

Pray for the children left in the hospital and these other orphanages, especially for their futures. It is so hard for them to transition into the world and so easy for them to fall into a cycle of drugs, alcoholism and pregnancy, which just puts more children in the orphanages.

Pray that these kids could have a hope to live for like Vova, not fearing their lives beyond the orphanage walls. Pray that Jesus would be their one constant.

Katie Courtney