Izmail Life Care Center

All people were expecting the winter holidays. Some expected a lot of good food, some associate holidays with guests, some with gifts. But we were expecting the joy from Christmas, praising God for sending His Son Jesus to be born as a man to save people. The joy also comes from giving, from giving it to others.
On the 8th of January 2012 the former students of the School for Moms were invited by the volunteers of Izmail Life Care Center to celebrate Christmas together with their children. We were pleasantly surprised when we saw that the fathers left behind their business came to the party as well.

On December 24, 2011 in the conference room of the local newspaper the auction was held. What was sold there, and who became the owner of the proceeds from the sale?
Volunteers of Izmail Life Care Center and members of the Presbyterian Church sold handmade Christmas lots.
What a surprise it was for the bidders when they saw gingerbread house and stuffed toys, sachets with New Year aromas and Christmas ornaments, sweet treats and even a fragrant homemade natural soap on the tables.
All proposed lots were just wonderful!

From 14 till 18th of November 2011 American doctor of Obstetrics and Gynecology visited us with a friendly visit. For many years he has been a practicing doctor and surgeon. He is married and has three children. All members of his family are mature Christians.
On the 18th of November Life Care Center initiated a meeting with our former clients of School for Moms whose children are from 4 to 6 years old. It was really nice to touch base with those who we did not see for a long time and talk again to those who keep staying in touch with the Center during those years through different activities offered by the LCC.

My name is Irina and I am on the 30th week of my pregnancy. Recently I signed up for the classes in «School for Moms” at Izmail Life Care Center. Along with interesting and useful information we were given the possibility to learn how to do infant massage.
Very pleasant person and skillful teacher, Lisa from the USA, taught us how to do it. I have never thought that massage can also be a means of communication with a newborn. Also using the techniques Lisa taught us we can help our babies during the time of colic.
To my mind Lisa has very thru and approved by time information. She has also told us a story which shook me to the core of my heart that physical touch for the newborns is much more useful than any other types of care.

The volunteers of Izmail Life Care center conducting a class with the girls of local orphanage.
Children in Izmail boarding school for abandoned children stay there only before the end of the 9th grade, and then they should make the decisions independently in a life about which they know only by hearsay. For this reason on July, 12th, 2011 Izmail Life Care Center conducted interactive conversation on a theme of abortions, their reasons, consequences, and, that by the most important, their alternatives for the girls of 8-9th forms. The main question that had to be answered as a result of conversation was: "Human life: how valuable is it?" The answer was not demanded for everybody to hear, but everyone had to answer it for himself, and make a firm decision in advance.

On March, in the town of Kiliya not far from Izmail in the Baptist Church Izmail Life Care Center held the conference "The Sanctity of Human Life". During the conference we discussed the following topics: "What the Bible Says about Abortions", "The Abortion and its Consequences", "The importance of Sexual education in the family".
All issues are very actual and important because the abortion rate in Ukraine is constantly growing. Ukraine takes the first place in abortions stats in Europe. During 20 years of the independence in Ukraine according to the official statistics 6 mln.

In the local Izmail hospital, together with children who are sick and getting treatment the abandoned children stay too. While their official state is being determined they have to live somewhere and the children's floor of the hospital becomes their temporary home. No wonder many of them get sick and need medicine and also the children from the Izmail orphanages go through treatment there. The State handles financed for their treatment and usually it covers the basic needs. The cases are always different and some children have more severe illnesses than just a common cold or bronchitis and there is not enough money for that. The doctors try to solve such problems themselves.

Right before the International Women's day the director of Izmail Life Care Center was invited by the third year students of Izmail University to discuss the topic of value of human life and the presentation of the Center.
Everybody decided to use English while discussing such an important for women topic. That way they could get to know the new information and learn new English words.
Izmail Life Care Center offers the youth not to hurry but find out all possible information before they make life important decisions. The students were offered to think about the question when the life begins, why it is valuable, what to do if the pregnancy was not planned and if it is worth giving life to invalids.

Another group of women, nearing delivery, completed the course at the "School for Moms". Every group differs in its character and by its atmosphere and each group leaves special memories and evokes different emotions. The most recent group of young women that had their pictures taken on the last day of training had a distinctive spirit of creativity. Every woman has great potential that comes to fullness during pregnancy when she discovers unexpected talents for the rest of her life.