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Little Girls Learn of God's Love The 14 girls living in the Girls’ Town in Lviv, Ukraine are truly becoming like a family. It all began in August of 2004 when five 7 year old girls joined us from a government home. Then, in March of 2005, two more girls joined us, having both been left on the street. Two other girls are 13 years old, and are a real blessing to all of us. The father of one of them had thrown her and her mother out of the house. The other 13 year old is from the Carpathian mountain area where she had been living with 160 other children in a home with no running water. Just this past August, 2005, we were given five more girls from a government home in Lviv because they had reached the age of seven. You see, in Ukraine, at the age of seven they must all be moved to a large government institution with over 300 children. Many of them run away from these such institutions, thus one of the reasons that there are so many young children on the streets of Eastern Europe. In the large institution they receive no religious instruction or special attention. However, when girls come to live at the Miles Jesu Girls’ Town they are baptized and receive religious instruction and formation. They also make their first Communion and see the life of faith lived out by all the other members and girls. It becomes a family for them, so crucial to their feeling loved. The fact is that these girls don’t feel loved, their harsh life experiences have not shown them any love. So it is in this family that they can truly feel the love of others and learn that indeed God also loves them tenderly. One of the newest seven year old girls, Anastasia, is very pale and all skin and bones. Her grandmother related to us that, sadly, Anastasia’s own mother had tried to poison her twice. For some time she could not keep down any food, and even still it takes so long for her to get down just a bowl of soup. One can tell that she feels that she is not loveable. Our dear sponsors in the States have been sending peanut butter, which she loves, and hopefully little by little she will eat normally and know our real love for her and her worth in this world. The parents of another little girl, Elmira have both been in prison for several years for drug trafficking. But Elmira, is smart and affectionate and has been doing very well at our home. Most of the girls’ parents are addicted to alcohol or drugs and are willing to do anything to buy drugs or alcohol. Roksalana, the youngest of seven children, was for some reason the one that the mother did not want, and she gave her away at the age of two. Perhaps she had a different father? But for whatever reason, nobody in her family shows any interest in her; no one from her family ever comes to visit. She, however, has shown such a big improvement! She really loves us and is very happy. It is a complete turnaround from the little girl who used to tell such inventive tales of how her family comes to visit her, as if it had indeed happened. She used to cause a lot of trouble, but now she is so happy. She feels loved and knows that God loves her; it is a total change. This past August, 2005, Father General went to visit the girls in Lviv. He was most warmly welcomed by all 14 girls, who beautifully performed and recited traditional Ukrainian verses and songs for him. Dressed in all of the traditional costumes, the girls charmed Father and the other visitors who had gathered for the very special event. Father’s visit really made a deep impression on them, and it was noted that, afterward, the children were even spending more time in prayer.. It is beautiful to see the transformation of the girls at our home, they are doing so much better, even just after one year! They feel loved and they are becoming like a real family. They look out for each other in school and take care of one another. They know that they are important and that indeed God does love them. |