Beginning in 2008, the areas God allowed PC3 to participate in grew to include Belarus. With the help of the American Belarussian Relief Organization (ABRO), several PC3 families welcomed children into their home for six weeks during the summer. This is an amazing opportunity to reach out to people around the world and experience their culture without ever leaving home. If you have a desire to participate in missions outside this country but aren’t able to travel abroad, consider hosting a child from Belarus this summer.
Belarus is a small country in Europe that experienced 70% of the after effect from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in April 1986. Everyone there, including the children, has been affected by the radiation left in the environment. This host project is a unique way to help people recover from their unfortunate circumstances. Additionally, it is a chance to experience and share God’s love for others. ABRO brings children to the U.S. each summer (mid to late June) for six weeks to escape the physical and emotional stress of living in their contaminated environment. Host families are needed for each child and an adult chaperone. The cost for becoming a host family is typically $2000, which covers the child’s travel expenses from Belarus and back. Assistance may be available through group funds, support letters to family and friends, and/or host team fund-raisers. Host families are responsible for ensuring the children receive dental, medical and eye exams during their stay – this is typically provided at no cost by local medical professionals.
This is a serious commitment, and the most ideal situation would provide an environment in which you would be able to spend a lot of time with the child. It is not intended for these children to spend any considerable amount of time in daycare. Group activities and time with the adult chaperone are planned so that the children can occasionally be with others who speak their language: Russian. Some of the children speak a little English, and the local chaperone can also assist with translation. Most families do not have too much difficulty communicating. The boys and girls are between the ages of 7 and 17. ABRO tries to accommodate host family requests in gender and age. Some of these children have families in Belarus, and some are orphans; however, this hosting program is not an avenue for adoption.
Read more about ABRO or take a look at some of the testimonials of those who have participated on the Wilmington ABRO group’s website.
Go/Serve
If you have specific questions or if you are interested in hosting a child this summer, e-mail missions.
If you are e-mailing with serious interest in hosting, please provide the following information:
- Your name
- Your contact information (e-mail addresses AND telephone numbers)
- Tell us about your family (are you single?, married?, do you work?, full-time/part-time?, do you have children?, tell us their ages, etc…)
- Tell us who the primary care-giver will be for the child (we just need to determine that someone will be at home with the child for a major portion of the day)
- How long you’ve been attending PC3
- Whose small group you’re in – provide leader’s name, and how long you’ve been a member of that group
- Where you serve at PC3
- If you are not in a small group, or do not serve in a ministry at PC3, tell us at least two people you know at PC3 and/or tell us who we might contact as references
Or, if you would prefer, you can complete the preliminary application form and submit it to the Information Center on Sundays.
Send/Support
Please pray for:
- Potential host families to be raised up, and that God will enable the host families to care for and minister to the children in ways that will reflect Him.
- Sufficiant finances to bring as many Belarusian children as there are willing host families to the U.S.
- The children who will come - that God will be preparing their hearts and their families' hearts for the children's time in the U.S., for travel safety, for health and safety while they are here, and for healing of any harmful effects of the radiation on their bodies.
- The children to grow in their relationships with God through this experience.
- Continued favor from the Belarusian government to allow this program to continue.
If you are interested in contributing beyond your tithe to this project, make your check payable to "ABRO", and write 'Wilmington ABRO Group' in the memo line of your check. You may place your check in the offering or mail it to PC3, 250 Vision Drive, Wilmington, NC 28403.
