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Sue Fuller has served in Russia since 1996. She ministers at a local orphanage and teaches English to some of the residents. Here she describes her ministry and how a simple outreach can have a big impact.

Our team serves in an orphanage in Khabarovsk, Russia. Our main goal is to be with the kids, to do normal things with them that they would get to do as part of a family, and for them to trust us.

Most of the orphans here are social orphans, meaning they have parents who are unable to care for them. Many of these kids have parents who are in jail or on drugs, and a lot of the kids have fetal alcohol syndrome.

One of the things I love to do with the girls is to paint their fingernails. The girls feel pampered and it gives me a chance to sit and talk with each of them. During those times, the girls open up and share what is on their hearts.

The boys in the orphanage wanted to do something special, so we planned an evening for them. The boys wanted to see what our apartment looks like, so we invited them over and made pizza. We also had chips and drinks and sang karaoke, something Russians love, into the night. We played cards and watched a movie and then took them back to the orphanage.

Afterwards, I looked at my teammate and said, “I don’t know if that went so well. I’m not sure they had fun.”

A week later, I was at the orphanage teaching English to a group of students. The sister of one of the boys who had attended our get together told me how he had described every detail of the night to her. She told me, “My brother said ‘It was the best day of my whole life.’”

Being invited into someone’s home, being treated as an honored guest, and feeling like part of a family was this young boy’s best day. There are simple ways to reach out to vulnerable children, show them the love of Jesus, and make them feel valued. It can make such a big difference in someone’s life.