Prayer Partnership

The Need

At fifteen or sixteen years old, teens from Zhytomyr Orphanage #4 graduate and are sent to trade schools in Zhytomyr or surrounding villages. They have already faced more tragedy than most people will in a lifetime. Instead of learning love and security at home, most of them received these messages from their parents: You are worthless, You are unwanted, I don't know you. Sometimes they are left with the promise of I'll be back and have waited years without one visit. Their pain leads them onto many dark roads: prostitution, alcoholism, drugs, depresion, suicide, prison.

Many of our boys face court dates and the prospect of going to prison; many have been alcoholics since elementary school but want to change. Some girls have babies, and many are in unstable situations. Girls are vulnerable to men and are easily used by them because of lack of self worth and meaning in life. Believing and unbelieving kids want victory over destructive habits and addictions. They still feel the effects of every kind of abuse they experienced. They try to cope with the deaths of siblings and of the parents who threw them away. Our efforts to help the kids are only successful as the Holy Spirit guides us and God intervenes in the kids' lives. Pray for God's mercy and grace. Consider becoming an intercessor for one of our at-risk teens.

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16)

Pray for your child to…

• Have a relationship with Christ, their Savior, Healer, and Comforter
• Grow in their faith through discipleship and the ministry of the Holy Spirit
• Be freed from sinful habits and addictions
• Through the grace of God, be able to forgive those who have wounded them
• Understand their uniqueness and worth in Jesus Christ; learn to "grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ"

What You Can Expect

The information about your child includes his or her picture, profile, and a note from a Last Bell staff member about how to pray. Last Bell staff will update you quarterly on your teen and alert you regarding crises, specific prayer needs, and praises. You'll be notified if we completely lose contact with the graduate (this is rare).

For information, contact us at info@lastbell.org or (317) 509-7299.

Along with a prayer commitment, you have the option to:

• Write to your teen (no presents please). Staff will translate letters and encourage your teen to write—though some may choose not to
• Visit and meet your teen during a camp trip or discovery trip
• Contribute monthly to ensure that Last Bell Ministries' staff can meet your child's physical needs

Financial assistance is crucial for the Shelter doors to be open and for the Last Bell staff to take care of the graduates from Orphanage #4. The cost to care for each graduate is approximately $150 per month. For $50/month, little more than $1.50/day, the support from three people provides for the physical needs of one graduate.

Already a Prayer Partner? Support a graduate at $50/month:

Become a monthly supporter at $50/month

Why so much for a non-residential program?

• Six full-time staff oversee all the Shelter activities, provide one-on-one counsel, and come alongside kids during crises night and day
• Two meals for each of the four days the Shelter is open — in other words, eight meals for about 25 people each week; food costs have almost doubled in Ukraine in the last year
• Medical assistance that the government or family should provide, such as financing surgeries, medicine for any illnesses, and extra support for mothers and babies
• Special family times and events, such as extra costs when kids live at the Shelter during school breaks, holiday meals and birthday parties, and field trips like ice skating or using a gym