Isolated From The World
The first snowfall of the year had just fallen
in Ufa as our vehicle pulled up to the gates
of the detention center. The three-meter (9
feet) high grey concrete walls with double barbwire
trimming encircled the compound.
There was one iron-gate in the wall. It did
not open. We had to enter through a door that
was guarded by a police officer with a submachine
gun. Off to the left side of the yard was a
two story concrete building to which only security
personnel had access. Any attempt to escape
from this compound would prove futile.
If you wish to know more about this special
gesture of God’s love in children's prisons in Russia you may
contact our staff at 
or call toll free: 1 877 674-5630 (Canada) or 1 877 640-5020 (USA).
Click
to view video of Russia's children in prison (60 seconds, 8.3 MB)
Brochure created for the Christmas Campaign :
Your Love is their Miracle pdf
To give a tax-deductible gift visit ON-LINE DONATIONS
Warm Winter Clothes Needed
Inside the building we were introduced to 16 children, ages 10 to 14.
The boys heads were shaven. Their clothes
resembled oversized rags. For footwear they had running shoes that
barely held together. Laces were nowhere to be seen.
The smell of urine was in the air. The supervisor explained that the
boys urinate in their beds every night. This is due to the traumatic
conditions at home. From home the boys had been forced onto the streets
and eventually wound up in prison.
Pastor "Oleg" from the Ural Mountains recalled that they had frequently received calls
from the authorities appealing for humanitarian aid. “ Bring bread, no
fruit, vegetables or butter – just bread!” had been the heartbreaking
message. They had run out of food and allocated government subsidies
had long been exhausted. The subsidies had been insufficient to begin
with. Because of its own poverty the Church has been powerless to
respond in a meaningful way.
Christmas is a Myth
For these children and thousands of others already in Russian prison
camps and interim places of detention Christmas is a myth. They have
never seen a Christmas meal or a Christmas present. They have never
heard a Christmas carol or the Christmas story for that matter. It was
evident that these children would never know the Lord Jesus who came to
make life meaningful for them as well.
With IRR/TV chief producer Laura translating for the boys one of our
team members, Kosti, an ex-convict himself, shared an experience from
his life.
“My dad came home drunk on Christmas Eve. Instead of getting Christmas
presents and singing Christmas carols dad tore up our home. As he
barged through each room smashing furniture, he took a thick leather
army belt and beat me and my sister until we bled.
In desperation mom tried to intervene to intercept the horrendous blows
from dad’s belt. Dad grabbed a bread knife and struck mom repeatedly.
Bleeding uncontrollably mom had slumped on the kitchen floor and with
her last ounce of strength had pled for mercy on behalf of her children
“do not harm these children!”
Miraculously Kosti and his sister had managed to escape the house.
Fleeing into the winter night they found shelter by a heater in the
hallway of an apartment building.
“Our greatest celebrations can turn out to be nightmares” added Kosti.
“But God can restore a life that has been smashed in a thousand pieces.
For God there are no hopeless cases. Your life may seem like a curse
but God can make it a blessing to others—no matter who your parents may
have been!
If you wish to know more about this special
gesture of God’s love in children's prisons in Russia you may
contact our staff at or call toll free: 1 877 674-5630 (Canada) or 1 877 640-5020 (USA).
To help with a tax-deductible gift visit our ON-LINE DONATIONS
Orphans and Outcasts
In rare cases some of the convicts are
only 10 years of age,
others are just
beginning to learn the alphabet at age 14.
I remember one boy, Ivan, especially well.
Passing by the prisoners lined up before us we stopped in front of him.
Ivan had been brought to Kamyshinskaya six months earlier.
“How much time do you still have to serve?”
“Six years.”
“What about your mother and father...?”
“I don’t
have a father or mother.”
I could see pain in the boy’s eyes. They begged for warmth, love. He
was astonished at our unannounced interest in him—as if he was saying,
“I can’t believe I really mean something to someone!”
No Kisses!
Ivan knows when he walks through
the gates of the prison camp years from now no one will be there to
meet him. There will not be a warm embrace or kiss or teary cheek
pressing against his from his mother. Ivan is alone. True, someone knew
him six years
ago, but not anymore. On that day the only moisure on his face may be
the
pelting rain driven by an autumn wind...
“Boys don’t leave this prison camp as good men,” admits Colonel Sankin
with a painful sigh. This matter is heavy on the chief administrative
officer’s heart. Few officials really care. Sankin is an exception.
“After their release many of these boys turn up in different prison
camps.”
Please help us to provide these children with the basic necessities they lack such as winter clothing, food and love and continue with their care in the long term. Make your tax-deductible donation at our ON-LINE DONATIONS
