April 2012 trip to Ukraine-Vendy Newsletter

Hello Everyone, I am sending photo of Beregovo kids eating on the church floor :-) happy to be warm. Our Mukachevo soup kitchen is preparing food for them for now so they can receive nutritious meal before the Beregovo soup kitchen start working! For the children is not just "Dream come thru" but also the only chance to get good food and some basic care. They are more than excited!!! :-)

  I am leaving April 25th for a short trip to Ukraine with a small team to delivery spring clothes and blankets for Beregovo and Mukachevo children. If you like to send a small present to your gypsy child please contact me or drop off at the Barkley lobby with my name and the child name and number and I will delivery everything in two weeks :-) Please only small light things this time because our team is very small and our space is limited ...but the kids love to know you are thinking of them so even just a card with family photo will make them super happy! :-) The kids love to hear that you care for them...they love to belong to a family....

    Also if you contact me before about the Summer mission trip in July or you submit the application ...we are having the very first info meeting for people who is interested to go with us.The meeting is in Calvary community church next Thursday (April19) 4PM .You can also contact me for more info :-) 

  Thank you so much for your continuing support and care. Because of your heart.....the gypsy kids are having hope for better life! :-) 
  
 Vendy

Beregovo Camp

Hello Friends 

Quick update about Beregovo Camp....

Last December 2011, I was able to travel back to Mukachevo, Ukraine with a small team to support our work in the Mukachevo Camp.  While we visited, we discovered a opportunity to sponsor another soup kitchen outside the city of Beregovo.  I have visited this camp before and know there are lots of orphans and poor children in great need at this camp.  We visited the camp and my heart was broken.  If you could see the horrible condition these little ones have to live.  There are over 100 children in need who are hungry and many without a winter jacket or shoes.  We managed to help with some things while we visited but my heart said just a little help will not do!

Once I returned to California, we decided to fundraise and buy small house and begin a new soup kitchen in the Beregovo Camp.  We need approximately $10,000 dollars to buy a small home that will be the soup kitchen.  We will need another $3,000-$4,000 to buy new appliances, utensils and funds to begin feeding the children. 

Its below 0 temperature right now with lot of snow..... :-( super cold.  We need to move fast so we can provide hot meals and a place for kids to escape the cold during the day.  Would you please consider a donation today?

Once the soup kitchen is running we will need to cover monthly costs to feed and care for the kids.  We raise the funds needed for each months expenses by doing a child sponsorship program.  $30 a month feeds a child and provides other care and support.  We will need between 50-60 monthly sponsors to keep the kitchen open and feed the children.

I believe the children will have place to get warm food every day and survive... 

I believe all the children will have warm and clean clothes ...and will go to school soon...and have hope for life!  I really believe this will happen :-) and this will change the life's of the little ones forever . :-)

We are still working on the children profile info (not easy to find out full names and age sometimes) but we have some photos and an ID number for each child.  If you like to add little Beregovo angel to your family, please click HERE and you can see the first 22 kid’s photos we hope to have sponsored soon. Sponsoring a child is only $30 per month...that is $1 per day so we hope to have you as a sponsor soon.  

If the new soup kitchen is on your heart and you would like to help buy the property, appliances or tableware...please let me know...any donation will help! :-)  Thank so much to everyone who already give for this new “Project of Hope" :-) Thank you so much for using your "privileged” life for sharing with a little gypsy orphan children.

Blessings to you!

Vendy

December 2011 Outreach

 Hello Everyone!!!

We are home from our "speed trip" to Mukachevo, Ukraine.  We arrive 2AM Friday morning in Mukachevo...after 17 hours flight and 6 hours van drive from Budapest to Mukachevo...... :-) Slept for little bit and 10am we dri

ve to Mukachevo Gypsy Camp . All kids was sooooo happy to see us......and only 5 kids from 200 was wearing winter jacket from last year... :-)  We work very hard and dress up 112 gypsy orphans on Friday with warm jacket, hats and gloves ...some of them also receive warm pants and blankets donated by Blanket Ministry (Calvary Community Church) 

On Saturday we dress up the rest of the soup kitchen children... about 230 total... so much more than we had this past summer... the food from our soup kitchen is often the only meal they have. Sometime the specific jacket from you was small or to big..so we change it... please forgive me for that... we did it because all the children will wear the jackets all winter and size is very important. Sometime the kids swipe the jackets between each other... :-) but all soup kitchen kids was warm and ready for winter... THANKS to YOU!

On Saturday we also visit the NEW house for the "baby with flies"... When we enter the house... I was crying the whole time... so emotional for me... all kids CLEAN and HEALTHY... HUGE change... simply amazing change! When the grandma saw me... she also start crying... so joyful!!!  Afternoon  half of our little team was working with the kids on Christmas cards for you...and me, Josef (our photographer) and Doty from Calvary interview the family in the NEW house... we are making video for all of you so you can also enjoy the "moment"- this happen because of your love and care!!!

On Sunday we visit Chomonin camp... rescue a little puppy from abandoned shack... :-) (can't help it) and Christina visit her little boy Stephan. She is sponsoring Stephan more than one year... what a joy to see them both face to face!!! He was soooooooo surprise and overwhelmed ...and happy!!! :-)

On Sunday afternoon we visit second biggest camp BEREGOVO .There is a opportunity to build also Soup Kitchen for local orphans (about 100 ). My heart was broken again to see all the kids without jackets... shivering... hungry... almost same picture when I saw the Mukachevo orphans the very first time.  We take photos of all the Beregovo orphans and hopefuly add them to the child sponsorship . I am preparing to send email news letter and will update the website again with more news about the Beregovo camp.

On Sunday evening we was driving back to Budapest...and back home to California... :-) We took about 1000 photos!!! We have photos of all kids with jackets... :-) We will be putting them on our site hopefully this week and I will also email you individually photos of your sponsored child.  

Stay tuned for more emails and a website update....coming very soon!

Thank you so very much for all your support and care...this will never happened without you.. :-)

Merry Christmas! 

Vendy and Team Gypsy Kids

Move in Day!

Hello Everyone,

I just got more photos from the "Sunday Move" to the new house we got for the babies and children and I need to share with you :-)  Very joyful moment for all the children who first time in life slept in warm and dry house.  The fact that we got the new house for the kids bring so much hope and joy for the whole gypsy village....lot of people was helping with the move on Sunday.  You can see some of the little kids helping too :-)  and all this happen because YOU care ...because of YOUR heart for children's who can't defend them self's.

Thank You!!!!

Thank you to everyone who bring already winter jacket....we are leaving in 4 weeks to deliver them to Mukachevo Gypsy Camp, so please if you are planing to send something to "your"child please drop off at Calvary Community Church inside the main entrance where you will see several bins and our bin is labeled “Ukraine" or drop off your stuff at Barkley-Pet Hotel.  PLEASE make sure you label everything with your child’s name. 

Thank you so very much for loving and caring for our Gypsy kids!

Vendy

PS...

We would like your help with providing gifts for some local children. We are collecting new toys for the "Christmas Shoppe" which is a project led by Action Ventura County (non-profit) for local low income children and kids in foster care.  I put two boxes inside Westlake Village Animal Hospital and one in Barkley-The Pet Hotel. If you want more info about Action Ventura County or the “Christmas Shoppe” you can visit their website at http://actionvc.org/

Thank you again... :-)

New Housing for two Gypsy Families

Hello Everyone!

I just like to share fantastic news on the "house project” for the gypsy orphans in Mukachevo, Ukraine! We are blessed to have fundraised all the money and two weeks ago Calvary Community Church wired the funds to Pastor Misha.  This past Sunday all the babies. toddlers and teens moved into the new house with a kitchen, heating and three bedrooms. We have posted some photos to show you the contrast between where and how they lived and a couple recent photos of their new home.  You can see how horrible it was in the old house.  Actually, the old house was an old horse barn.  It is freezing cold already, so I am happy and so very thankful all of you because this week all the children will experience clean, warm house....the very first time in life!  THANK YOU!

I also included one photo from rainy day and two photos from this week so you can see our teachers are working very hard.  We also included one photo of our soup kitchen girls wearing new clothes we left for them in Summer.

Truly amazing...I can't wait to see the kids in December to be warm, safe and have food.....such a basic for us...and miracle for the gypsy kids.

Here are our current needs....

• We still need to purchase furniture, blankets and sheets for the new home. If you would like to donate financially please email us directly at teamgypsykids@gmail.com

• We need to supply 150 winter jackets.  Winter jackets can be new or used and must be water proof as the winter rains can soak thru a regular jacket in seconds.  I will be going to Ukraine and delivering the winter jackets (December 7-December12). If you would like to donate a jacket you can bring it to the large bins at the walk in entrance at Calvary Community Church.  Please make sure you put a Ukraine label on the jacket or in one of the pockets.  You could also email us and we can arrange to meet you and receive your jacket donation.  Donations should be made no later that December 1st.

• Last thing....I am adding all the  children from this house project (17 total ) to our Child sponsorship program. 6 of them are already attending soup kitchen every day so if you know anybody who like to sponsor a gypsy orphan from Ukraine...please email us and we will arrange to let you see all the kids photos so you can pick one out.  It is $30 per month. I just start working on all 17 child profiles and the youngest one is a 6 months old girl..... :-)

Thank you so much again!!!!

Vendy