Orphan's Promise
Sweet Sixteen - Natasha's First Birthday Party Ever
- Natasha on her Birthday
- Celebrating
- Celebrating
- Natasha and sister Olya
- Enjoying New Friends
- All Camp Attendees
By Karen Springs, CBN Ukraine
CBN.com – UKRAINE –Natasha and Olya are sisters who have been in an orphanage in a remote part of Ukraine since they were little girls. They used to go home to their parents on summer holidays, but that was before their father died and before their mother drank herself into a life on the streets. Now the girls remain behind the walls of the orphanage with 63 other children.
In partnership with a local ministry, Orphan's Promise organized a summer camp at the orphanage where the two sisters live. During the camp, Natasha was to turn 16-years-old. When I asked her about any past celebrations on her birthday, tears filled her eyes. At the orphanage their birthdays aren’t celebrated individually. When she lived at home she could only remember one occasion when her birthday was even recognized. Her older sister Olya, who stood by listening, chimed in as well, “I have never celebrated my birthday.”
Images of birthday parties throughout my life flooded my mind as Natasha spoke. All the cakes that were made, the various themed birthdays I had throughout my childhood, the phone calls, the cards- my birthday has always been a very special day and has never gone unnoticed.
When I asked Natasha what she’d like for her birthday, she couldn’t even answer. Instead she put her head on my shoulder and cried. I don’t have any idea what she was thinking; all I know is that this topic alone brought up a flood of emotions and memories…or perhaps a lack of memories. I made up my mind right there that our team from Orphan's Promise would give Natasha and her sister Olya a birthday party they would never forget.
Two days later on Natasha’s birthday, I presented her with a card and told her I had asked for and been given permission from her caregiver to have both Natasha and Olya spend the afternoon at the house where our team was staying and have a birthday lunch. Natasha beamed- she threw her arms around me and just kept saying, “Thank you!”
We brought the sisters to our little house for a home-cooked lunch; and by the looks on their faces it was clear that this was the first time in a long time that they had eaten such a variety of food. After lunch we surprised the girls with a beautiful dessert, covered with candles - especially for Natasha to blow out. She turned red in embarrassment as we sang to her and presented her with a cuddly teddy bear as a gift; but I could tell she was enjoying it at the same time!
What struck me as I watched Natasha sitting there with our whole team singing to her was that these kids are so rarely singled out, so rarely given the opportunity to feel special, to feel noticed. Instead, Natasha is just one of many. Her birthday isn’t June 26th - it is just a ‘summer birthday’ that gets a ‘congratulations’ at the end of summer with all the other children.
That night as I said goodbye to Natasha and asked her about her birthday, she thanked our team profusely and said it was a day she’d never forget. I know that the day wasn’t life changing for Natasha. We didn’t pluck her out of the orphanage and give her a fresh start at life. No, at the end of the celebration she still had to walk the familiar path back to the orphanage. But I think her step was a little bit lighter that night and her smile seemed a little brighter. From the simple act of celebrating her birthday, Natasha will remember that God is a God who sees - a God that sees HER. The people around her may not know it is her birthday, but God knows and he is using his people to celebrate her life.
Thanks to Orphan's Promise, Natasha's 16th birthday will be one she'll never forget!
When you partner with CBN, you welcome orphans from many countries into your heart by sharing God’s love with them. You also provide clean drinking water, medical care, cleft lip and palate surgery, disaster relief, and broadcast the gospel to over 200 countries. Please partner with CBN today!
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