The children of Novosmolino are a special part of our lives. Celebrating Christmas with them is an amazing experience. This year Christmas came early for our 20 little friends at the orphanage in Nizhny Novgorod, on December 21.

It was an eventful pre-Christmas party with the children gleefully meeting us at the door when we arrived. They gladly helped carry the gifts we prepared for them.

Before the gift-giving, we spent a little time having fun, playing different games that are enjoyable while also brainy. Some of the games test their memory while others extract reactions. All the activities allowed us to quickly break the ice and bond with each other once again.

One of the amazing volunteers, Sergey, shared a Christmas story with the children. This story highlighted God’s omnipotence, faithfulness, and most importantly, His love for everybody. The children were taught that when they are feeling down and out, they can always share their problems with God.

Prayer can be a powerful thing. We may not be able to see God, but we can feel Him. Prayer is an important way to get in touch with Him. It’s also an important lesson to impart to the children. After that, the children were in a chatty mood. We talked, and they asked questions and shared some of their problems. We did our best to answer them.

Sergey didn’t even think about leaving until all the questions had been answered. It’s important for us to make the children feel they always have a friend. Sergey made sure the children know they can always count on him. Sergey’s advice and presence through the years mean a lot to Novosmolino and its residents. We were also there to celebrate the Day of Kindness in November where we met the home’s new resident, Zhenya. The new boy came to Novosmolino as no school wanted him elsewhere.

When we first met Zhenya, he was shy. During our Christmas party, he was a bit more social. It was really encouraging to see the change in the boy. Even better–the teacher said that Zhenya studies hard and is disciplined. Although, he still has a bit of a problem communicating with his new peers.

Zhenya, too, was more open as he raised questions during the party. Hopefully, he was satisfied with our answers.The Novosmolino kids are already part of our family. We look forward to seeing them again soon.