For The Children

In celebration of 25 years of serving the fatherless, we would certainly be remiss if we failed to celebrate the work of one particular man in a faraway place; where the children he serves truly have no other hope. A place where a single man has saved the lives of countless children and forever changed the lives of many thousands.

I’ve talked a lot about Russia in retrospect, in part because it’s where and why this good work serving the fatherless began. But in that retrospect, I have failed to bring to light the dedication and work of a single man. He would undoubtedly brush off the things I will write and give all glory to God. After all, he has served God in more ways than one for his entire life.

Andrei Skylorov has been with us since the beginning. As a Professor in the Barnaul School of Preaching for the Church of Christ, he was a busy man to begin with, but gladly accepted the responsibilities of the new role we asked him to serve in.

Barnaul is a harsh place for orphans and children who are ill with disease. The government has never come close to adequately funding the many children’s hospitals and orphanages in the area. I don’t really know why there are so many ill children in the region or why there are so many fatherless children. Perhaps it is the high rate of alcoholism. Perhaps it is the fact that poverty is so prevalent, leading to extreme malnutrition. It is likely a combination thereof.

The results of the nefarious ingredients result in a very high number of very sick children, many with infectious disease such as tuberculosis. The many facilities in the area struggle to properly care for the perpetual flow of hopeless children. That’s where we come in. That’s where Andrei comes in and has done so for 25 years now.

Some might even look at our program there and find it boring in nature. After all, we deliver the same goods, month in and month out. We have been a staple subsidy of a failed system for all of these years. And now, with a war waging with Ukraine, as is always the case, children like these, with no other support, suffer the most.

I still have the images of the very first children we helped, burned into my mind’s eye. Pictures, sad beyond description. Children languishing from malnutrition, their bodies ravaged by disease, clinging to life and utterly dependent on those who struggle to adequately care for them.

One such picture, I struggle to erase from my memory, is that of a young boy, lying on his side. His eyes are wide open, but almost unseeing. A large sore stands out on his temple, raw, angry and open. His pajamas are soaked in urine because they had no diapers. His stare is hollow. He has given up.

Over the years, I have seen many such pictures. The difference though, is striking beyond measure or words. The children in the pictures are still sick. But their eyes are filled with life. Their clothing is new and clean. The pictures show the stacks of medicine and equipment that we have purchased to save their lives and make them comfortable. From clothing to diapers to machines that treat their lungs. Hope has been delivered.

Month in and month out, for year after year, Andrei has contacted numerous children’s hospitals and orphanages and meticulously made a list of what they need. He then travels to various places, makes his purchases and then the deliveries.

He doesn’t just provide treatment for their bodies and minds though, as with each visit, he speaks to them of Christ’s love for them, and the reason he is there. He spends time with the children and gives them much needed personal attention, before heading to the next location. In a world of darkness and despair, he is shining the light of Christ’s love wherever he goes.

There is a sad reality when it comes to Russia. Things will likely always be the way they are. But that is also true in many places that we work. That is why we are there. It is where we are needed. And each child’s life that is touched by this good work is precious and valuable.

And maybe someday the wars will end. Perhaps someday leadership will be such that we are no longer needed. But that day is not now, and it hasn’t been for 25 years. When and if that day comes, we will move on. But until then, we will stay the course, showing God’s love to as many suffering children as we possibly can. Andrei will stay the course, in His name, for the children.