This Child Here

2011-11-11T14:22:00.001-08:00

FOR LATEST NEWS, YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE AT THIS CHILD HERE http://www.thischildhere.org/latest-news.html

NEWS FOR PAST YEAR

2011-01-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

November News

By Robert Gamble on November 18th, 2010

ON THE STREETS

This video “On the Streets,” is 2 minutes and 22 seconds. It’s not for children to view. Filmed in a location where street kids live in Odessa, Ukraine it shows the needles, condoms, drugs and living conditions in an abandoned building. I narrate it and close it with a statement of goals for 2011. (see goals listed farther below)

IN AMERICA

I am writing you from the States. I have taken a postion as the Interim pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Cumberland, Maryland. It is a beautiful church with a history that goes back to 1810, with wonderful people, a progressive theology and an overseas mission program that rivals churches of any size. Any pastors reading this, please be watching for a CIF to be circulated this Spring. While serving with this congregation as they seek a new pastor, I will raise support for This Child Here from churches and individuals in the Western Maryland, Baltimore-Washington DC area. Here’s a photo of Yulia and I from the local newspaper and photo of the church. We will return to Ukraine for several weeks in the spring and in the fall to meet with staff from The Way Home and check on programs.

MARIAM IN UNIVERSITY

Below is Mariam, the first student to go to college from The Way Home. And the first student This Child Here is funding in university. Alla, our psychologist, is serving as a mentor for her. Christ Presbyterian Church in Ormond Beach Florida gave funds for her tuition this year.

NEW DIRECTORS OF THE BOARD

Please welcome Mary Brueggemann, Margie Schlageter and Gary McAtee as our newest Directors of the Board for This Child Here.

Mary Miller Brueggemann is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ. She is presently working as a Pastoral Assistant at Morningside Presbyterian Church PCUSA. Mary lives in Decatur, GA. She has two sons: Jim Brueggemann and his wife Lisa who live in Davidson, NC with their children Ana and August, and John Brueggemann and his wife Christina who live in Saratoga Springs, NY. They have three children, Emilia, Anabelle and Peter. Along with her support of This Child Here, Mary is on the Board of Directors for Our House Inc in Atlanta, an early childhood education center for homeless children..

Margie Schlageter is an elder at the First Presbyterian Church of Daytona Beach, Fl, and is retired after 30 years with The Daytona Beach News-Journal as a columnist and staff writer. Aside from having two handsome sons, Chris and Matthew, she has two precious granddaughters, and a husband, Tom, who is retired as a math professor at Daytona State College and never gives up on those Seminoles of Florida State.

Gary McAtee is a realestate developer from Dallas, Texas. Gary came to Ukraine in the summer of 2010 with plans to stay three weeks. Instead he stayed three months. Here he is with a hawke on his arm at the park in downtown Odessa.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Would you like to give a gift on behalf of another this Christmas? This Child Here is offering a list of gifts you can give for the holidays; the form and photos at the bottom of this email give you a better idea of what we buy.

Gift Cost Qty Total
School supplies: $5 Buys a package of school supplies.

After-school activity: $5 Pays for one class. Children are allowed to select one after-school activity
to participate in. They are currently taking dance, breakdance, piano,
parkour, and guitar lessons. ( $25 pays for a full month.)

Toilet Articles: $10 Pays for one plastic bag filled with soap, shampoo, tooth brush, hair brush
and toothpaste.

Birthday party: $20 Donation includes a gift, food and refreshments.

Alternatives to Violence seminar
$20 Pays for one seminar session for children who live in an institution or
shelter. For more information about the Alternatives to Violence seminar,
please visit www.thischildhere.org.

Winter jacket: $25 Donation buys one warm winter jacket.

New shoes: $35 Donation buys one new pair of shoes or boots.

Sport Supplies: $50 Pays for Basketballs, soccer balls, table tennis, bicycle parts, garage rental.

You can send a check and indicate what you would like to give, or you can go to www.thischildhere.org , click on the donate button and send a message with your donation. Note: you dont have to join paypal to donate by credit card.

In Ukraine, there is a great opportunity with … BICYCLES. We have former street kids, social orphans and kids from “at risk” families who can clean, repair and sell good used bicycles, learn a trade, make some income, and enhance their self-esteem.

If you live in the southeast USA, can you donate at least one good used bicycle? THIS DONATION IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE. We are looking for good used bikes; they can be many years old, with flat tires, broken cables and bent rims, but they need to have good quality frames, ie: Trek, Schwinn, GT, Giant, Nishika, Cannondale, Specialized, etc, aluminum or light weight frames. We cannot take Huffy, Sears or Walmart brand bikes as they are heavy, they soon break, and the market here is already flooded with them. I am hoping to collect 200 bikes between Sept 2010 and February 2011.

Please email me if you can help. robertgam@gmail.com

GOALS FOR 2011

-Support of street kids and social orphans of Odessa: clothes, medicine, after school activities, camp supplies in cooperation with The Way Home.

-Sending teams into Orphanages and shelters throughout the Odessa region to work with children on issues of personal Boundaries, Addictions, Self esteem, Identity and Love or (life in community).

-Training of trainers and funding of foster families; I hope to place as many kids as possible. Essentially, the government has many new laws promoting foster care, but no one seems to be doing anything about it.

-Opening of a bicycle shop to repair and sell used bicycles donated from the states.

This sustainable business will support itself, provide income for kids who work there and prepare some youth for a future in bicycles–a rapidly growing means of transportation in Ukraine.

GRACE AND PEACE,

ROBERT GAMBLE

I close with a poem by Rilke

Go to the Limits of Your Longing”
by Rainer Maria Rilke; translation by Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows

God speaks to each of us as he makes us,

then walks with us silently out of the night.

These are the words we dimly hear:

You, sent out beyond your recall,

go to the limits of your longing.

Embody me.

Flare up like a flame

and make big shadows I can move in.

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.

Just keep going. No feeling is final.

Don't let yourself lose me.

Nearby is the country they call life.

You will know it by its seriousness.

Give me your hand.

bikes bikes bikes

By Robert Gamble on August 22nd, 2010

bikes bikes bikes

Dear Friends,

Can you donate a good used bicycle? It is tax deductible. These should be used bikes and can be several years old but they need to be good quality, mountain bikes or road bikes: Trek, Schwinn, GT, Giant, Nishika, Cannondale, Specialized, etc, aluminum or light weight frames. I am asking also, each donor to give $10 with the bike to help cover the cost of shipping to Ukraine. We cannot take Huffy or Walmart brand bikes as they are heavy, they soon break, and the market here is already flooded with them. I am hoping to collect 200 bikes from individuals and churches. If you have a bike please email me: robertgam@gmail.com

(The first Central Florida Presbytery collection point is the September 14^th meeting of CFP in Satellite Beach, Fl.)

At the end of this email is my dream budget for 2011… can you give $5 a week?

Street kids injecting drugs, image by Robert Gamble

1. I begin with these graphic photos of street kids. Normally, they do not allow me to photograph them while they are injecting drugs. Baltushka, it is a mixture of Ephidrim (taken from cold medicine), vinegar and potassium permangenate.

mariyam in the middle

2. This image of Mariyam in the middle, along with four photos of mine were chosen for this year’s UNICEF publication, “Blame and Banishment — The underground HIV epidemic affecting children in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.”

http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/

Paul Nary of UNICEF wrote,

”We used five excellent photos from you and are very grateful to you for
your help and permission in allowing us to use them. Please note that the
photos are all used as part of “collages” and with captions that present
them along with other adolescents and children in the Region, so there is
no reference or implication that they themselves are living with HIV.”

Boys orphanage a place for bikes

3. Fifty kids the director, Dagna, Alla and I gathered for this photo taken at an orphanage that has the unique responsibility of caring for kids who have problems in other orphanage. I will start a program with Alla, my psychologist, to provide individual and group counseling. I hope in the spring to introduce the project with bicycles. Lord knows they need it. I think I’m the only one smiling.

Four girls from The Way Home at camp, King Neptune Day

4. Kids from the Way Home are at camp by the sea. Most photos speak for themselves. King Neptune Day is still a mystery to me, but everyone seems to enjoy dressing up like they live under the sea. Note the volunteers also.

wrestling at camp of The Way Home

thomas from oxford

Dagna from Cambridge

Duccio, Italy; Gary, Dallas, Jess and Emily, Cambridge, Claudio, Italy all leave for camp

camp schedule

with ann at church camp

kids at church camp

5. Four of our boys went to a Church Camp (and certainly surprised me if not others by being so helpful) Ann arranged this. It is the first experience of a Christian camp for these boys. The camp is well run, with activities all day, the staff and volunteers, loving and considerate. Im so pleased they could attend. Next year we plan for more.

6. Yulia and I will be spending 6 months in the states, coming the end of August and returning the end of February. Most of that time, hopefully, at a church where I will serve as a part time pastor. I am still seeking this position. Under this arrangement, we can stay longer and use time off to raise further support for This Child Here. I am ambitious about the year to come.

7. These are the current and forthcoming programs of This Child Here:

-Support of street kids and social orphans of Odessa: clothes, medicine, after school activities, camp supplies in cooperation with The Way Home.

-Sending teams into Orphanages and shelters throughout the Odessa region to work with children on issues of personal Boundaries, Addictions, Self esteem, Identity and Love or (life in community).

-Training of trainers and funding of foster families; I hope to place 6 kids next year.

-Opening of a bicycle store to repair and sell used bicycles donated from the states.

This sustainable business will support itself, provide income for kids who work there and prepare some youth for a future in bicycles–a rapidly growing means of transportation in Ukraine.

Grace and peace,

Robert Gamble

robertgam@gmail.com

My dream Budget for 2011.

Programs and material for street kids-social orphans $20,000

B.A.S.I.L. teams (28 wkshops) $11,200

Foster care training and funding for familes $8,200

Bicycle workshop shipping $4,500

Garage rental $3,600

Travel to the states $7,000

Office expenses $4,000

Taxes to US GOV $5,000

Volunteer expenses $500

Russian lessons $1,380

Bank charges $600

Director Salary $22,000

Housing $6,000

IRA $2,400

Total Budget $96,180

From what's impossible to what's in a ukrainian church parking lot

By Robert Gamble on July 4th, 2010

Andre does a back flip off the stairs, don't try this at home

Stay with me for a moment in this letter as I introduce you to the cycle of feelings in the face of the impossible, to the reasons, for some teens, normal life is nearly impossible, and finally, to what’s to be done that seems impossible. By the end, you will see a real Stork nest and what’s parked in a Ukrainian village church parking lot. It’s a good feel, I promise.

Now this: Everything I am trying to do is impossible.

Im trying to learn Russian. It’s impossible.
Im trying to get kids to leave the streets. It’s impossible.
Im trying to help former street kids imagine a future and pursue it.
It’s impossible.
Im trying to write a book. It’s impossible.

You don’t know something is impossible until you are well into it….

Lera today

At first you think, this will be difficult. My first reaction is to push harder against it. To do the impossible, that is. That lasts for several months or years, and then — depression… resignation…these feelings come and go without our conscious awareness of them.

I think what is true about American culture, is we are unable to accept the impossibility of things. For a while, we might live resigned to the idea of impossibility and then something like this happens:

I was crossing a street with a child in a region on the north side of Odessa, a neighborhood street. We were headed to the market for food. A car bore down on us, an old Russian Lada; the driver breaking just before our ankles and laying on the horn.

Gate to the Orphanage at Ivonovka, a reminder of days past

Something came over me like a wave of heat. I walked calmly to the half open window and told him to eat my shorts–not nearly with the same kind of calm that I now write about it. That’s when I knew a different feeling was breaking through: rage.

When I think about what I am trying to accomplish and the impossibility of it, I soon remember for street kids and most social orphans, a normal life is nearly impossible. Without the support of a loving family, LIFE–just living normally–is next to impossible. Kids who live on the streets, kids who live in orphanages often swing back and forth between resignation or depression on the one hand and rage on the other. Hence, they do stupid things, like living under streets and buildings.

At the heart of the problem, of course, with kids, is abuse. These kids were left alone in the crib; they were ignored; they were

beaten; they were molested, fondled, raped, kicked, whacked. There is a laundry list of ways to abuse. By twelve, they were boy or girl enough to run away. If not, they were either thrown out or given away to the orphanage because they were so difficult to manage. Here’s a sample:

When I was one year old, my mother gave me to my grandmother. In four years my mother took me back. We were living in a very bad situation, and I don’t wish to tell all details. Mother was beating me and hitting me. I don’t want to live there any more. My father left us. I ran away from home with my brother to live on the streets. I was running away from home many times and I was in shelters and with the police many times also. Now I have the intention to stay at The Way Home.

Kids in workshop at Ivonovka

I was sniffing glue on the street. I don’t like anything in myself. I want to stop cursing and smoking. -Girl age 12.

Any child can walk into an orphanage, but they don’t. In the Stalin years and later, the state built orphanages across the country: massive concrete buildings to house 100-300 kids, with little heat in winter and lesser warmth from the staff that run them. By outnumbering the adults, the teens in those facilities can be cruel. You went to middle school; you know what I mean. Multiply that by 24 hours a day and take away loving parents. Kids get depressed, angry; they run away and run back again.

But…

boys marching to breakfast at Ivonovka

For an emotionally healthy person, a little anger can be a good thing. Anger motivates. I’ve used that motivation. It works better than depression. If more people got angry about child neglect, the impossible might be accomplished in this country.

Sometimes, to cool my anger, and get a better perspective, I look at how far I have come.

This week I picked up my first Russian lesson book. Those first months, it might as well have been Sanskrit. How easy it is now for me to read the dialogue and conversation in those early lessons. I’ve come a long way.

This week also, Lera, age 18, came back to visit (see photo). I

have perhaps a hundred pics from when she was a street kid, age 14. Now she lives with her grandmother. She’s come a long way.

If I start counting volunteers, I know how far I’ve come. Igor, Rick, and Josh, all students at St Andrews college in Scotland, came to do a documentary on street kids. Igor grew up in an orphanage in St. Petersburg, Russia, was adopted and moved to California. It was his second trip here. Ethan came brought a nice donation from Alma College. Sen represents Brazil. Gary McAtee, from Dallas, Texas is here, (see photo, surrounded by kids on the bus to camp). It’s the fourth year I’ve been to camp. I have been in Ukraine now almost as long as it took me to get my college degree (which at the time seemed impossible).

Igor Chapman inspects an abandoned building

Josh and Ricky filming at the beach

If I look bravely at how far there is to go. I see us going into those massive orphanages. Our team went last week to work with kids on issues of friendship, trust and life together. This particular orphanage, two hours by bus from Odessa, is located in a tiny village. Kids there get better treatment than at most. In the photos, you see their faces, our workshop, and a squad of them marching to breakfast. So far this year, I have funded 8 workshops. There are thirteen orphanages in the Odessa region. There are hundreds throughout Ukraine and thousands of children in them. We have a long way to go. It seems impossible. What I have come to believe, though, is:

Perhaps some things are only worth doing if they are impossible.

Ethan from Alma College MI, Sen from Brazil

Gary and the bus to camp

And near the bottom of this email, Melusine Mallender a young lady from France is riding her Honda 125 from Paris to Tokyo. The trip has taken her through eastern Europe to Ukraine and will take her on through Kazakstan, Russia, Mongolia and finally by ferry from Vladivostok to Japan. It was a short visit, just a few days, enough to tell her story to kids and give them rides (she found us through UNICEF). For me the most unbelievable part of it is her motivation. Out of gratitude, for almost 9 years of service and well over 100,000 kilometers, she will be giving her motorcycle back to Honda. See: www.backtojapan.fr and read the blog about Odessa.

Melusine and her Back to Japan bike

Look up top to see Andre, who left the streets within the last month, demonstrating a backflip off the railing of our steps, a feat I consider for myself to be impossible. (I was told, btw, not to encourage this behavior as he can get hurt)..

I meet all kinds of people here; If I’ve said this once, I’ve said it a hundred times: No two days are alike.

Finally, the Stork, yes they really exist, at least in villages of Ukraine, and cows can be found parked in the local village church parking lot.

Grace and peace,

Robert Gamble.

A real stork, babies in the nest

See what's parked at a village church parking lot.

Are you a sponsor? Could you give $5 a week? Here’s h0w.

If you attend church, does your mission committee know about This Child Here?

Here’s a look at churches and organizations who have contributed.

a warmer spell, as of weather

By Robert Gamble on May 29th, 2010

Igor nov 08

Friday, May 21st; Igor died. It was a shock for me. I saw him this week on Tuesday when I visited the ruins of an apartment building where he and eight or nine other kids were living. I first met Igor in the fall of 2008. A photo from those days is below. He was living then with another group of kids in the limestone and dirt basement and beneath a bank. He had a scar on the side of his forehead from when he had fallen from a building. As he tells it, other street kids had nursed him back to health. Our worry about him this week was an infection between his nose and eye from a nail he had walked into. But last night, along with a bottle of Vodka, he took a handful narcotics that are opium based and used for treating liver problems. These pills are available over-the-counter at pharmacies in Odessa. He died at 3am this morning.

street kids deciding

The photo of the boy on the chair was not taken by me but by a professional photographer who has traveled much of the world and spent two weeks here. The boy’s head is turned, perhaps, because he does not want his photo taken. This happens sometimes. Even with his head turned, I can see enough of him to know I do not know him. There are always new kids coming onto the streets. This boy, in fact, may now be deciding, as there are days he is with street kids and days he is at home.

Things are changing on the streets, however, as the police, we think at the orders from higher government, have been moving kids from the streets to local lock-down facilities. This happened once before without success as kids eventually escaped..

Sasha is a volunteer from Atlanta, GA. She was born in Kiev, Ukraine, and immigrated to the states at the age of 5. She can still speak Russian fluently and has therefore been doing some translation work at the center. Sasha is currently on sabbatical from her full-time consulting job and hopes to incorporate some of the skills she applies there to the office at This Child Here.

Sen from Brazil

Sasha, me, Ildar, Dennis

Andre, age 9, new to us.

Sen is from Brazil. He has always been interested in Eastern European culture and Russian language, That’s why he chose Odessa. He hopes to learn more about the reality of street kids in the region and ways of effectively reducing the problem.

Here are two new boys at The Way Home: Andre, age 9, came when our volunteers,

Sasha and Sen, invited him to visit The Way Home, and he stayed. Vova came back to us, see the photo of him taken three year ago.

Chris Connolly

Chris is a volunteer from the University of Cambridge in England. He speaks Russian, and in addition to helping with translation work for both This Child Here and partner organization The Way Home, he has been assisting with fund-raising projects and teaching English and French to the kids in the centre.

The next two photos are poor in quality but for us, hopefully, historic. One is taken during a workshop in which we focus on the areas of personal boundaries, addictions, self-esteem, and life in community. The other shows Vitaly (psychologist), Ann, Alla (psychologist), Chris Connolly (translating) and me, as we hammer out the costs of doing these workshops throughout the Odessa Oblast (or state). The grant we are seeking is from the Presbyterian Women’s Birthday Offering.

working on the grant

The Total Cost of Project is $201,872.00

ПРОЕКТ ПОТЕПЛЕНИЕ - PROJECT POTEPLENIA (POTEPLENIYA), this coming from the russian noun indicating “a warmer spell as of weather”. It refers to a change of climate as a metaphor for the change experienced in culture.

Ukraine is a country suffering from a crisis of care for her indigent children. Children in orphanages, shelters and other facilities suffer tragically. Staff assigned to these children do not know how properly to care for them. Children are emotionally and socially unprepared for life.

It is difficult to get reliable statistics on the lives of children following life in institutions, but estimates of one in seven turning to prostitution or drugs and one in ten committing suicide are common. It is certainly true that most graduates lead unhealthy and unproductive lives.

Our target population is children with difficulties of adaptation to society: violent children, aggressive children, children suffering from apathy, children who do not know how to handle their emotions and feelings in times of conflict, children who do not know how to live in a community respect and care, children who suffer from attachment disorders, children who are emotionally four to five years behind their physical age.

In Ukraine, most of these children live in orphanages, boarding schools, children’s homes and shelters; a smaller percentage attend public school and would be classified as “at risk”. Some have been taken away from or have run away from non-functioning parents; some live in boarding schools because of disabilities: the deaf, the blind, physically and mentally disabled. All live damaged lives. These are the children we wish to help.

In the three years and a half years I have been working with street kids and social orphans, I have learned that building buildings, giving presents, food, clothing and medicine, even providing for tutors and after-school activities does not solve these issues. And systemic problems such as the existence of orphanages rather than foster care programs, alcoholism, the current and former economic crises, must be addressed at another level. Yet children can be equipped for living emotionally stable and productive lives and able to manage the issues stated above of relationships and learn to live in community. This is the help we wish to provide.

We wish to provide this not only by working directly with children in these locations but by working with the teachers and staff who manage them to change the culture and climate of staff and teachers’ educational approach to children at these facilities to create a conducive environment for experiencing a life with values and a life children value. We intend to become the resource center for facilities that house these children first in the Oblast of Odessa, and then throughout Ukraine.

Our project takes teams into these facilities and locations to change the climate of child management. Workshops use the shared experience of participants, interactive exercises, games and role-plays. Activities, based the Quaker Alternative to Violence model, are carried out in group settings with children and staff. Learning is based on the history and experience of individuals. Trainers work toward a transformation of children AND staff through cooperation and mutual understanding.

Our focus is on:

creating an atmosphere of cooperation;

avoiding co-dependent behavior;

forming positive self-esteem;

teaching teens how to respect and preserve personal boundaries;

training both staff and children in processes of mediation.

At the heart of this project are two central questions: Can we, through proper interactive workshops, experiential education and training,

(1) actually help children manage personal boundaries, avoid addictive behavior, improve self esteem, manage conflict and live as contributing members of a community?

(2) And can we modify and transform the environment and methods of supervision by staff in these facilities to sustain and promote these concepts?

We believe we can.

Grace and Peace,

Robert Gamble

New faces, Meet Mariyam, newspapers, things needed, coming to the states and ... Getting Married!

By Robert Gamble on March 17th, 2010

Welcome to the newsletter for This Child Here. Below and to the right you will find:

lena age 13

… new faces at The Way Home: Lena chewing gum, Vika, Sasha, Anton

… Mariyam, a teen who is succeeding.

…news about THIS CHILD HERE published in Stuttgart and Frankfort Germany, and in Vienna, Austria: …and in Vantage, the magazine of Columbia Theological Seminary.

….a request for what we need: Digital cameras, cell phones and a car

…an invitation to write a review for the Publishers of How to Achieve A Heaven on Earth

…the return of David Gilliland, Scottish Photographer

…my schedule for a trip to the states

… and my big news: Im getting MARRIED

New faces at The Way Home

vika age 9

Sasha, Vika's brother

Kolya holding up Anton

Now, Meet Mariyam

In the drama of kids arriving and leaving for the streets and neglectful parents and a litany of problems sometimes so unique and unimaginable, one child is succeeding. Her name is Mariyam.

: Maggie left and Mariyam

Mariyam is 18 years old; she is Russian. This is her story as she tells it: I was adopted right after birth by a single woman in Russia. I lived along with my adoptive mother, aunt and cousin (who I call my sister). When I was six, we moved to Ukraine and bought an apartment in Odessa. In a while, we decided to sell this apartment, but we were deceived by the buyers who took everything, the apartment and all documents. We were forced to live on the streets, all four of us. Soon, my sister and I were taken to a temporary orphanage. I was still six. My adoptive mother found a job hoping to get the apartment back in court. She never did. After a time, my sister and I were required to leave the temporary orphanage. For the next two years we lived on the streets. I stared to work at ten years old. I was selling plastic bags (shopping bags for the market). My adoptive mother started to live separately because no one wanted to give her a place to live or a job with a child. I stayed on the streets with my aunt. Tired of life on the streets, my sister and I were taken to another orphanage, but the director of the orphanage did not want us because he thought we were prostitutes. We were both 14. Not wanting to stay on the streets, my aunt asked for help and was given the address of The Way Home. My aunt wrote the application for her me and my sister to stay.

Mariyam in the middle

Mariyam is now finishing school. Her hope is to attend college. On the day of this interview, she received a passport as a Russian citizen. Her hobbies includes reading and sewing. Her plans are to enter university and to be a psychologist. It will take five years to finish this education. In this time she will also get a job and begin a second higher education, two more years for a masters degree.

Thanks to a donation by the Presbyterian Women of Christ Presbyterian Church, I have funds to pay for her tuition.

When asked what adults that she respects, she replied Ina (the housemother) and Oksana (the dance teacher); she can always ask them for advice. Does she have actors or musicians she admires? No. she says. Only silly girls want this. She does not want to try to be like anyone else. She wants to be herself.

At this time, I am unsure of the process, but I know that Russian citizens can come to the states easier than Ukranians. I believe it would not be difficult to obtain a one year visa for Mariyan to attend High School in the states. If you are interested in providing her a home and taking care of her for a year in High School, please contact me.

Risen Indeed! A Post-Easter Adventure in Ukraine

Roma once lived on the streets; now lives at The Way Home

This appeared as the front page story of Columbia Theological Seminary’s magazine Vantage. The photo to the right comes in the printed edition, you can read about David Cameron’s adventures with us at This Child Here by clicking:

http://vantage.ctsnet.edu/Feature.aspx?ID=53

: Dave Cameron in Ukraine

In the press, Ukraine: Odessa’s abandoned children

In early February two journalists arrived.

From left to right: Igor, Roman (Roma), Knut Krohn from Germany, and a Swiss journalist

Knut Krohn’s article about This Child Here has recently appeared in newspapers in Frankfurt and Stuttgard Germany, and Vienna, Austria. If you wish to see the photo click : http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/welt/542902/index.do?_vl_backlink=/home/panorama/index.do

Here is a rendering in English, which is the best I can do with an online translator and my doodling, as I attempt to preserve the mood and methaphors.

26.02.2010 | 18:43 | By our correspondent Knut Krohn (The Press)

They live in abandoned houses or in the sewers: Hardly anyone cares about the street children of Odessa.

“Die Presse”, Print-Ausgabe, 27.02.2010):

Odessa. In a gentle curve stretches the dark red line on the inside of the thigh over the ashen skin, makes a small arc, which changes color in a very dark purple, almost black, and ends in a knot. There, Igor put his dirty syringes in the vein, filled with a drug cocktail on the basis of cheap amphetamines, and vinegar, known as “Baltuschka”.

“Is there a cure for it?” Mutters the 18-year-old barely comprehensible and looks inquiringly at Robert Gamble, who sees the swelling. Gamble shakes his head. “I can not help you,” he told the boys, ‘we have, unfortunately, nothing for it. It takes long seconds until Igor has understood the sentence, the drugs have seriously damaged him. Even the icy wind, whirling the snow between the slabs in this seedy district of Odessa, seems not to notice.”How many are you down there?” Asks Gamble, pointing to an open manhole. Igor thinks a small eternity. “Nine,” he squeezes out indistinctly. That is the signal for Roman and Aleksander. In their former lives they actually lived on the street, but they’ve done it and are now social workers. CONTINUED BELOW……………

Would you like to donate a cellphone, digital camera, a car?

Because of the generosity of Bill and Syliva Zaun, I have been driving a Volvo for the past three years. It now has about 260,000 miles on it and I am thinking toward the future. If you have a car you would like to donate to This Child Here, please write me robertgam@gmail.com or call Nancy Gard at 386 252 5269.

Also, if you have an ATT cell phone (or any cell phone with a SIM card) or a digital camera you would like to donate, please email me. The collection place to mail these is my sons’s house:

Griff Gamble, 30 Stewart Rd, Asheville, NC 28806.

All donations are tax deductible.

The publishers of Achieving A Heaven on Earth

are actively trying to get the word out about HOW TO ACHIEVE A HEAVEN ON EARTH. They are asking any who’ve been reading the book to comment about it on Amazon.com. If so, go to the book’s Amazon page http://tinyurl.com/yzu8htc then scroll down to customer reviews and click on the button to the right that says create your own review.

Planning for the future

planning with ann (left), alla and martha the cat

Here is a common scene… me , Ann, Alla and Martha (the cat) Planning. We are writing for a grant from the

Presbyterian Women’s Birthday Offering. If received, we will send teams to work in Orphanages in the city of Odessa and Odessa Oblast (or state). This workshop, founded by the Quakers, is called Alternatives to Violence. The aim is to help children with personal boundaries, addictions, self esteem and life in community. Money would not be available until October of 2011.

David Gilliland Photographer returns

camera and feet

David Gilliland, photographer from Scotland

David Gilliland, best known here for having taken UNICEF’’s photo of the year in 2005, a girl on the streets of Odessa, returned this month to spend several days with street kids; this photo of his feet and camera was taken by me from under a building, the second (wearing the hat) when we were on the streets of Odessa.

Now my big news… Im getting married!

Julia Sheludko is the Public Relations Manager for The Way Home and sits across from me in the office. We work together, and it seems we will be working together much more in the future, not only as a family, but on our visits to the States where she will be contacting the Ukraine diaspora. It will be a small wedding, my sons, a few friends and the Rev Dave Cameron officiating at a pretty spot in the mountains near Asheville, NC.

Julia and I in the social patrol van

My Schedule in the States

March 22 arrive in the states Charlotte Airport

March 23 drive to Chapel Hill then to Asheville

March 27 Wedding

March 29-April 4 Daytona , Deland, Orlando area

April 5 Vero Beach Fl for lunch, West Palm Beach in the evening

April 6 Lunch in Ft Lauderdale on to Ft Meyers and St Petersburg Fl

April 7,9 St Petersburg, Fl

April 10-12 Atlanta Ga

April 13-15 Memphis

April 16-20 Portland Or

April 21-22 Dallas ft worth TX

April 23 Asheville NC

April 26,27 Washington DC

Apri 28 drive back to Asheville

April 30 fly back to Ukraine

NEWS (Die Presse) CONTINUED FROM ABOVE…..

The two go to a white minibus. “Social Patrol ” standing on the rickety vehicle, Roman places nine plastic plates on the floor in front of him, in which he draws gently steaming soup. Then they carry the plates to a barred basement window, a dirty hand reaches out of the darkness and takes the food. Robert Gamble hands Igor finally, two plastic bags filled with food and some medicines in his arms and rises with two of his colleagues to return to the bus.

The next stop is the port of Odessa.For three years, the Americans takes to the street in Odessa. “This Child Here” is the name of his organization launched. “Not all want our help,” says Gamble, and some have refused, he has accepted this.These children are not lonely, he says. In contrast to the adult homeless, they form themselves into small groups. The older youth fill the role of parents and provide for the younger ones. “In return, the little ones go begging in the summer,” says Gamble, of this symbiotic system, “because of the tourists get a lot more money.”

How many children in the port city on the Black Sea living on the streets no one knows for certain. Sergei Kostin, head of the charity “Way Home”, estimates that there are currently around 700. In the chaotic period in the mid 90’s, when poverty and social neglect were everywhere, there were over 5,000, he says.Kostin and Gamble have set up their makeshift offices in a renovated house in the Sofiejskaja Street. “The government only cares for orphans,” said Kostin, others were left to themselves. Therefore, the organizations are on site for financial assistance from abroad, such as by Unicef, dependent. “The money is missing in every nook and cranny,” said Kostin, “but we have learned to fend for ourselves.”Then the bus slows down and comes to a halt in front of a ruined house. Roman and Aleksander jump out of the car and walk purposefully towards a rotten door. Gamble follows the two into a room, unbearable stench in the air.Roman turns on a flashlight. Only now we see the dirty boy who stands motionless in a corner. The glassless windows are taped up because of the cold with cartons. On two beds piled musty blankets, along with a matted stuffed animal. Gamble sees the toy and make a questioning gesture. “We live here four of us, one of the girls is pregnant,” says the boy flatly in the corner.

Gamble falters. “Pregnant,” he mutters and shakes his head almost imperceptibly. He is here to help, and reels off a program well targeted questions: “In which is it? She has medical care? “There is not much heard from the boy, he would just like bread and drink. The pregnant girl should sign up, said Robert Gamble. The boy nodded and thanked him politely for the bread.
Gamble knows the girl will not come. Silently, he goes back to the bus and plops down in the seat. Thousands of times he has been confronted with such a fate, but he still can not understand how a young man can throw away his life just like that.

( “Die Presse”, Print-Ausgabe, 27.02.2010)

February News

By Robert Gamble on February 11th, 2010

some characters in our office don't do a dang thing... my desk is behind

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:

1. What these kids think: a conversation with one child

2. Alyona returns

3. I have one of 101 essays in new book: How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth

4. Russian backed candidate wins presidential election in Ukraine

5. Leah, our former volunteer writes from Haiti, it’s quite interesting

6. My current volunteers: Will from England, Chris from Belfast, Ireland

7. Thank you… and a list of all those who gave in 2009

Dear Friends,

1. Each week, Alla, my psychologist, writes reports of conversations with children. The following is an entry from Dec 1, 2009. Conversation with Alyona:

Alyona

“Today I have casually seen how Alyona copies phone numbers of the organizations which dealt with problems of children. This list of phones is on a wall near an armchair of the secretary. I have asked, what for she does it, she has refused to answer. I said, that I can make the copier of this list, and we shall talk; she agreed. We talked, about why she has decided to escape from the shelter. She has said that she was ill, today and one more girl from the shelter, were at the doctor. They have bronchitis, and they should go tomorrow to the hospital. Soon, will be Alyona’s birthday, December, 6th, and she does not wish to celebrate it in hospital, therefore she has decided to escape. I have asked, if Alyona wishes to celebrate it in the street and is this more pleasant? She fell silent, and said that she got used to life on the street, and cannot live in a shelter. Again, she was silent. I asked, how long she lived in the shelter. She said it was almost a half a year. I said, that it is the big term, and the reason was because of a friend (I think she speaks here of Diana). She said that she wishes to help her brother who lives in the street. I answered, that if she remains in a shelter only then can she help her brother if he will live on the street and requires help. She said, that she is assured if any vagabond living in the street reaches for something, he can have it. I have answered, that she can reach for what she will very strongly want in a shelter; for this purpose it is not obligatory to go on street to prove something. She did not wish to talk, and asked whether from me there are still questions. She said she, will be silent. I said, that she always has a choice, and the choice always has consequences..

She is still small and to her things are complex for her to explain it. She has a difficult character; she is very obstinate, I talked with her rigidly. I hope, that she will not give in to this impulse.”

Alla,

Alyona turned twelve on her birthday, December 6th and that night left for the streets with an older girl, Anya. For nearly two months there were only rumors of where she was. At the end of January, another girl, Rita, from the shelter saw her alone on the streets and invited her back. She returned.

2. Alyona’s return was a wonderful surprise for me. We found Alona and Diana on the streets on June 15th; I was so proud of our team when they came to live with us. Here she is to the left at a bike rally. Things went fine through the summer and into the fall. When she left to live on the streets, we tried looking for her, two television stations ran photos and stories. But again, it was the same lesson, you can’t go after them; they have to come to you.

A chance meeting with Diana after school

Her friend, Diana moved back home to live with her mother (a success for us); as long as things are healthy at home, it is by far the best situation. Here I am on the right with Diana. It was a chance meeting last week. We were on the streets looking for kids, and she had just left school to go home. Don’t let the makeup fool you, she’s only 13.

How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth is a book of 101 essays by some well known people like Barack Obama, George Bush, Al Gore, Tony Blair, Ted Turner, Walter Wink and Thomas Friedman, and some unknown people like myself. It is for the most part, about good people trying to do a good thing. “…. Focusing on the large problems of the world without losing sight of the little challenges people face every day, this collection of essays encourages readers to find meaning in their own lives and share it with others for the betterment of the world. Religious and secular, liberal and conservative, old and young, the luminaries who have contributed to this work offer their voices and thoughts to inspire movement toward creating a more harmonious world community.”
It’s available through Amazon or Barnes and Noble. I have a copy and I have been reading it; some of the most interesting essays are by people you never heard of.

Russian backed candidate wins in presidential election. Six years after the Orange Revolution ended Russia’s predominant influence in Ukraine, people here are dissatisfied with the promises unkept. Viktor Yanukovych the candidate with strong connections to Russia won in Sunday’s election. The results suggest, “a Yanukovych victory could restore much of Moscow’s influence in a country that has labored to build bridges to the West .”

I don’t know what this will mean for me as a US citizen, but I suspect I may have more Visa problems in the future. I doubt the US Navy will be invited back to park any destroyers in Odessa’s port. On the other hand, this may mean more opportunity for small businesses and the majority of people who live well below the poverty line and are hoping for a better life.

Our former Volunteer Leah Nevada Page in Haiti. Before coming us in Odessa to volunteer, Leah worked with nonprofits in Portland, Oregon, and in Haiti. Because of her many connections and language skills, she was a natural to return to Haiti after the earthquake. I have the greatest admiration for this young lady who will soon take a job at the UN. She did everything here with us from spending time on the streets, to redesigning my website.

Since arriving in Port au Prince, I’ve been working with Sasha Kramer (of SOIL) and a small group of friends and volunteers who all know Haiti well. We’ve been riding moto taxis and our pick up truck into neighborhoods and speaking directly with people there to discern how immediate the need is and, if necessary, paying for a water truck to do a delivery ($50) or for people to buy food. Yesterday morning Sasha and I helped to bring an intrepid doctor (Don) and a nurse (Lynn) from West Tennessee up into a steep ravine (just below the Hotel Montana) where many of the buildings have crashed and where people are too isolated and too poor to afford transport out for medical care. We drove the SOIL pickup truck through the shallow river (more passable than the old road that used to be there) and then hiked up the side of the ravine. We announced our presence and about two seconds later the first patient arrived - a girl carried in to us on a stretcher made out of a door. Don and Lynn assessed that her leg was broken and we’ve moved her to the shade so that we could bring her out with us and transport her to a hospital later. Other patients that Lynn and Don treated had deep gashes and scrapes from blocks that fell in the earthquake. In addition to helping to translate as best I could (crash course in medical vocab), Don enlisted me to start giving antibiotic shots to the patients with deep infections and to help hold together a large foot wound so that he could tack it together (it was too late for stitches). I always thought I’d get nervous about blood and needles, but in the moment this all seemed reasonable.

Update on the man on the dining room table. It turns out he’s an escaped prisoner. But I guess he’s not going anywhere fast.

Anyway, I’ve had reservations about small NGO’s before but all my reservations have disappeared in the past few days. The UN has been unable to quickly respond to the disaster even though they’ve been here for years because they have no contact with actual Haitians (a partial result of them speaking French rather than Creole and of their “security concerns” that limit them to armored compounds). SOIL, AIDG and the other small NGOs like them, have no red and green zone restricted areas and we can go everywhere. On top of that we have contact with community groups that collaborate to successfully bring in aid. When we told a couple of community leaders that we met with that we were anxious about security during distributions they laughed at us. They basically responded with “we need food and water, if you bring us that we will make sure it gets out. It’s the guys in guns that block us from the food and water that cause problems”. And its true. All of the distributions we have assisted with have gone very smoothly. I still hold out hope that the Red Cross and US AID and the UN and other acronym groups will start getting food and water aid to all the camps that have been set up in every square inch of open space in the city, but until they can get there it’s the small NGO’s that are.

Some of you have asked if your donations are going to be used right away (apparently it takes the Red Cross 45 days to receive a text message donation into their bank account) so I will tell you a funny story. The banks here are for the most part closed. The ones that opened today in Port au Prince have a limit on withdrawals and multiple-hour long lines. In order to get your donations transformed into food, water and medicine Sasha Kramer’s mom has been sending them as cashier checks to Ft. Lauderdale and the owner of a small airline who flies to Cap Haitian has been cashing them and bringing them on a plane to Cap Haitian. My first day back in Haiti Sasha called me and asked me to go on a motorcycle taxi to pick up $10,000 in cash at the airport. That $10,000 was then immediately used for the relief effort.

As I go through my day I keep making mental notes of unbelievable situations that I want to share with you all but there are too many to fit here and this email is strange enough already. There have been many difficult moments, a lot of tears and a lot of desperation but I realized last night as I was falling asleep that I have no worries any more. The small things I used to fret about in the states and in europe this year are gone. I can only remember that I used to sometimes experience the feeling of worry but I can’t remember the content. I’m incredibly happy: so joyful to be around close friends, so grateful that my friends are okay, and so honored to have the opportunity to take all of your good will and run around Port au Prince with it bringing water to people who need water.

Much love,
Leah

6. Two current volunteers with us are: Will King from England (left )and Chris Connelly from Belfast , Ireland (right), both are students at Cambridge University in England. Both speak Russian. Chris actually smiles all the time….

7. Again, I wish to express my gratitude to those who gave last year. Given the crisis, I thought giving would be down, but I was surprised:

Income for 2007 - $37,159 Income for 2008 - $53 , 611 Income for 2009 - $61,685

With additional funds, we will move now into seminars for children living in orphanages in the Odessa region. The goal of these programs is to address the issues of self-esteem, personal boundaries, addictions and life in community.

Below is a list of the donors for 2009; if you gave and your name is not there, PLEASE EMAIL ME!!

grace and peace,

Robert Gamble

robertgam@gmail.com

Kay Acquaro

Roger and Pat Albee

Alex Fund – Leslie Hawke

Thomas and Kathleen Allard

Alma College

Warren and Darlene Anderson

Leslie Armstrong

Eme Asztalos

Wade Balsey

MJ Blankinship

Mary Brueggemann

Jim and Tara Bryan

Calvin Presbyterian Church, Tigard, OR

Randy Calvo

Dave Cameron

Steven and Kimberly Carlson

David Carr

Luis Casaus from Spain

Central Presbyterian Church, Atlanta

Christ Pres. Women, Ormond Beach, FL

Christ Pres Church, Ormond Beach, FL

Beyond Our Borders-Christ United Methodist, Chapel Hill NC

Sienna, Italy fundraiser – Claudio Corbelli, Organizer

Tom and Susan Clayton

Richard Coates

Susan Coleman

Garry and Kathy Collier

Collierville Pres, Collierville, TN

Marjorie DeLisle

Barry Digman

James Dotson

Julie Ellison

John Evans

Madeleine Evans

Fellowship Pres, Tallahassee, FL

First Pres, Cumberland MD

First Pres Ft. Worth, TX

First Pres, Brighton, MI

First Pres, Covington, GA

First Pres, Daytona Beach, FL

First Pres Farmington, NM

First Pres, Vero Beach, FL

John and Ann Fitch

Matt Fortune

Jim and Eleanor Frye

Bea Gamble

Nancy Gard

Allen Gibbs

Alfred and Martia Glass

Grace Covenant Pres, Asheville, NC

Dick and Bunnie Graham

Jim and Charlotte Hogan

David Hopper

Lee and Sylvia Jenkins

Wendy Kahn

Steve and Nancy Knight

Krista Koch

Terry and Lynn LaRue

Lynda Lasseter

Elizabeth Lockhart

Susan McDole

Michael Mears

Paul and Judy Miller

Ann Mische

Becky Montgomery

Lynn Morris

Newnan Pres Church, Newnan, GA

Northwest Pres Church, Atlanta, GA

Rindy Nyberg

Tommy O’Pray

Orenco Pres Church, Hillsboro, OR

Ormond Beach Pres, Ormond Beach, FL

Gabriella Oroszi

Jim and Ginny Phillips

Pres Church of the Lakes, Orlando, FL

Mary Ann Richardson

Sheri Robbins

Rockfish Pres Church, Nellysford, VA

Deb Schlageter

Tom and Margie Schlageter

Max Schober

John Shelton

Judy Smith

Paul Smith

Bob and Phoebe Smith

Terry Smith

Lyudmila Sorokina

Speedwell Pres, Reidsville, NC

Ron and Diane Spence

St. Charles Avenue Pres Church, New Orleans, LA

Karen Sutton

Mary Lou and Bruce Swinburne

John Tarrant

Deryl and Lenore Torbert

William and Theodosia Wade

Patsy White

Jim Willits

Leah Wyckoff

from the desk of Robert Gamble

By Robert Gamble on December 29th, 2009

A Christmas Message

The Christmas story is about the birth of God into humankind. The details of it include Magi from the East, a homeless couple, a pregnant woman, the birth of a child, shepherds, a wicked king, and a barn or stable, essentially a place to stay when there is no other. Read on and it includes also the slaughter of innocent children, as Herod seeks the Christ child. Listen to it on any Christmas Eve, and you can be caught up in the wonder and mystery of the story as it is acted out with manger scenes, choirs and infants. Even in the barest of settings in any sanctuary: a manger made of a wheelbarrow, sheep made of cardboard, children in bathrobes serving as shepherds, we seem to find our place in the story, imagining ourselves in the roles of Joseph or Mary, Magi or shepherds, fleeing Herod with our child. It is our nature to seek our place and in so hearing, to make sense of our lives.

Every year at Christmas, I try again to make sense of the Christmas story for my life here. The story has sharper edges–lighter lights, darker darks in a place like Ukraine, where homeless boys and girls kids live in abandoned buildings and in the sewer systems. Life is more extreme. Abuse of all forms more common. Last summer a boy killed himself by hanging, two months ago another boy died from injecting drugs near his neck. I know two girls who are pregnant, one is due this month. Police roam like the soldiers of Herod in search of children.

Disappointment is deeper. Recently, Alyona, age 12, one of my favorite kids (one should never have favorites) left for the streets with an older girl (age 16). I fear they will become sex workers.

There is no evil king Herod here; the face of evil is spread across a culture that has been beaten and abused over the past century or more of its history. Abuse breeds abuse and the slaughter of emotional and spiritual lives.

But moments of grace shine.

When new kids arrive at our shelter, they often seem shy and grateful. But soon they are running and playing like the others.

I have learned there’s no American messiah either, to save this world of street kids. The face of the Savior is spread across the faces of churches and individuals who support me and ministries like This Child Here in a places where light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. And this is true all year long, not just at Christmas. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of this truth.

So I end with two epiphanies:

a boy jumps from an abandoned building

The first is this photo of a large abandoned building and a boy caught by the camera, mid-air. I don’t know his name. I just met him last week. At first, he did not want his photo taken, later he allowed me. After talking to him, he climbed up to the second floor and to my surprise, ran and jumped, landing on a mound of dirt in the center of a pile of brick and twisted metal. The second time he did it, I made this photo. He did it yet again, for more pictures, coming down to see on my camera how he looked. Even here on the streets, the will to live and experience life is strong. I think this boy will make it.

The thank you award

The second is an odd moment of humor and grace. I was typing the list of churches (the full list of churches and organizations can be found on our website) that have donated over the past three years. At the same time, the office of The Way Home was printing Awards for Service. We share the same office printer. You know what’s coming, but I didn’t at the time. And when I clicked “print” on my screen to see on paper the list of contributing churches, I heard the printer in the next room whine. Then I heard shouting in Russian and the mention of my name—a combination that always sends a chill down my spine. I had printed my list of contributing churches on their special Awards paper! So there you have it on the attached photo, now pinned to my wall of street kid’s faces: the names of Presbyterian (and one United Methodist) Churches and Russian word for ‘In Gratitude.” How appropriate for saying Thank You.

Grace, Peace and Gratitude this Christmas,

Robert Gamble

February News

2010-02-11T07:23:00.000-08:00

: some characters in our office don't do a dang thing... my desk is behind

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:

1. What these kids think: a conversation with one child

2. Alyona returns

3. I have one of 101 essays in new book: How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth

4. Russian backed candidate wins presidential election in Ukraine

5. Leah, our former volunteer writes from Haiti, it's quite interesting

6. My current volunteers: Will from England, Chris from Belfast, Ireland

7. Thank you... and a list of all those who gave in 2009

Dear Friends,

1. Each week, Alla, my psychologist, writes reports of conversations with children. The following is an entry from Dec 1, 2009. Conversation with Alyona:

: Alyona

"Today I have casually seen how Alyona copies phone numbers of the organizations which dealt with problems of children. This list of phones is on a wall near an armchair of the secretary. I have asked, what for she does it, she has refused to answer. I said, that I can make the copier of this list, and we shall talk; she agreed. We talked, about why she has decided to escape from the shelter. She has said that she was ill, today and one more girl from the shelter, were at the doctor. They have bronchitis, and they should go tomorrow to the hospital. Soon, will be Alyona’s birthday, December, 6th, and she does not wish to celebrate it in hospital, therefore she has decided to escape. I have asked, if Alyona wishes to celebrate it in the street and is this more pleasant? She fell silent, and said that she got used to life on the street, and cannot live in a shelter. Again, she was silent. I asked, how long she lived in the shelter. She said it was almost a half a year. I said, that it is the big term, and the reason was because of a friend (I think she speaks here of Diana). She said that she wishes to help her brother who lives in the street. I answered, that if she remains in a shelter only then can she help her brother if he will live on the street and requires help. She said, that she is assured if any vagabond living in the street reaches for something, he can have it. I have answered, that she can reach for what she will very strongly want in a shelter; for this purpose it is not obligatory to go on street to prove something. She did not wish to talk, and asked whether from me there are still questions. She said she, will be silent. I said, that she always has a choice, and the choice always has consequences..

Alla,

2. Alyona's return was a wonderful surprise for me. We found Alona and Diana on the streets on June 15th; I was so proud of our team when they came to live with us. Here she is to the left at a bike rally. Things went fine through the summer and into the fall. When she left to live on the streets, we tried looking for her, two television stations ran photos and stories. But again, it was the same lesson, you can't go after them; they have to come to you.

: A chance meeting with Diana after school

How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth is a book of 101 essays by some well known people like Barack Obama, George Bush, Al Gore, Tony Blair, Ted Turner, Walter Wink and Thomas Friedman, and some unknown people like myself. It is for the most part, about good people trying to do a good thing. ".... Focusing on the large problems of the world without losing sight of the little challenges people face every day, this collection of essays encourages readers to find meaning in their own lives and share it with others for the betterment of the world. Religious and secular, liberal and conservative, old and young, the luminaries who have contributed to this work offer their voices and thoughts to inspire movement toward creating a more harmonious world community."
It's available through Amazon or Barnes and Noble. I have a copy and I have been reading it; some of the most interesting essays are by people you never heard of.

Russian backed candidate wins in presidential election. Six years after the Orange Revolution ended Russia's predominant influence in Ukraine, people here are dissatisfied with the promises unkept. Viktor Yanukovych the candidate with strong connections to Russia won in Sunday's election. The results suggest, "a Yanukovych victory could restore much of Moscow's influence in a country that has labored to build bridges to the West ."

I don't know what this will mean for me as a US citizen, but I suspect I may have more Visa problems in the future. I doubt the US Navy will be invited back to park any destroyers in Odessa's port. On the other hand, this may mean more opportunity for small businesses and the majority of people who live well below the poverty line and are hoping for a better life.

Since arriving in Port au Prince, I've been working with Sasha Kramer (of SOIL) and a small group of friends and volunteers who all know Haiti well. We've been riding moto taxis and our pick up truck into neighborhoods and speaking directly with people there to discern how immediate the need is and, if necessary, paying for a water truck to do a delivery ($50) or for people to buy food. Yesterday morning Sasha and I helped to bring an intrepid doctor (Don) and a nurse (Lynn) from West Tennessee up into a steep ravine (just below the Hotel Montana) where many of the buildings have crashed and where people are too isolated and too poor to afford transport out for medical care. We drove the SOIL pickup truck through the shallow river (more passable than the old road that used to be there) and then hiked up the side of the ravine. We announced our presence and about two seconds later the first patient arrived - a girl carried in to us on a stretcher made out of a door. Don and Lynn assessed that her leg was broken and we've moved her to the shade so that we could bring her out with us and transport her to a hospital later. Other patients that Lynn and Don treated had deep gashes and scrapes from blocks that fell in the earthquake. In addition to helping to translate as best I could (crash course in medical vocab), Don enlisted me to start giving antibiotic shots to the patients with deep infections and to help hold together a large foot wound so that he could tack it together (it was too late for stitches). I always thought I'd get nervous about blood and needles, but in the moment this all seemed reasonable.

Update on the man on the dining room table. It turns out he's an escaped prisoner. But I guess he's not going anywhere fast.

Anyway, I've had reservations about small NGO's before but all my reservations have disappeared in the past few days. The UN has been unable to quickly respond to the disaster even though they've been here for years because they have no contact with actual Haitians (a partial result of them speaking French rather than Creole and of their "security concerns" that limit them to armored compounds). SOIL, AIDG and the other small NGOs like them, have no red and green zone restricted areas and we can go everywhere. On top of that we have contact with community groups that collaborate to successfully bring in aid. When we told a couple of community leaders that we met with that we were anxious about security during distributions they laughed at us. They basically responded with "we need food and water, if you bring us that we will make sure it gets out. It's the guys in guns that block us from the food and water that cause problems". And its true. All of the distributions we have assisted with have gone very smoothly. I still hold out hope that the Red Cross and US AID and the UN and other acronym groups will start getting food and water aid to all the camps that have been set up in every square inch of open space in the city, but until they can get there it's the small NGO's that are.

Some of you have asked if your donations are going to be used right away (apparently it takes the Red Cross 45 days to receive a text message donation into their bank account) so I will tell you a funny story. The banks here are for the most part closed. The ones that opened today in Port au Prince have a limit on withdrawals and multiple-hour long lines. In order to get your donations transformed into food, water and medicine Sasha Kramer's mom has been sending them as cashier checks to Ft. Lauderdale and the owner of a small airline who flies to Cap Haitian has been cashing them and bringing them on a plane to Cap Haitian. My first day back in Haiti Sasha called me and asked me to go on a motorcycle taxi to pick up $10,000 in cash at the airport. That $10,000 was then immediately used for the relief effort.

As I go through my day I keep making mental notes of unbelievable situations that I want to share with you all but there are too many to fit here and this email is strange enough already. There have been many difficult moments, a lot of tears and a lot of desperation but I realized last night as I was falling asleep that I have no worries any more. The small things I used to fret about in the states and in europe this year are gone. I can only remember that I used to sometimes experience the feeling of worry but I can't remember the content. I'm incredibly happy: so joyful to be around close friends, so grateful that my friends are okay, and so honored to have the opportunity to take all of your good will and run around Port au Prince with it bringing water to people who need water.

Much love,
Leah

7. Again, I wish to express my gratitude to those who gave last year. Given the crisis, I thought giving would be down, but I was surprised:

Income for 2007 - $37,159 Income for 2008 - $53 , 611 Income for 2009 - $61,685

Below is a list of the donors for 2009; if you gave and your name is not there, PLEASE EMAIL ME!!

grace and peace,

Robert Gamble

robertgam@gmail.com

Kay Acquaro

Roger and Pat Albee

Alex Fund – Leslie Hawke

Thomas and Kathleen Allard

Alma College

Warren and Darlene Anderson

Leslie Armstrong

Eme Asztalos

Wade Balsey

MJ Blankinship

Mary Brueggemann

Jim and Tara Bryan

Calvin Presbyterian Church, Tigard, OR

Randy Calvo

Katheryn and David Cameron

Steven and Kimberly Carlson

David Carr

Luis Casaus from Spain

Central Presbyterian Church, Atlanta

Christ Pres. Women, Ormond Beach, FL

Christ Pres Church, Ormond Beach, FL

Beyond Our Borders-Christ United Methodist, Chapel Hill NC

Sienna, Italy fundraiser – Claudio Corbelli, Organizer

Tom and Susan Clayton

Richard Coates

Susan Coleman

Garry and Kathy Collier

Collierville Pres, Collierville, TN

Marjorie DeLisle

Barry Digman

James Dotson

Julie Ellison

John Evans

Madeleine Evans

Fellowship Pres, Tallahassee, FL

First Pres, Cumberland MD

First Pres Ft. Worth, TX

First Pres, Brighton, MI

First Pres, Covington, GA

First Pres, Daytona Beach, FL

First Pres Farmington, NM

First Pres, Vero Beach, FL

John and Ann Fitch

Matt Fortune

Jim and Eleanor Frye

Bea Gamble

Nancy Gard

Allen Gibbs

Alfred and Martia Glass

Grace Covenant Pres, Asheville, NC

Dick and Bunnie Graham

Jim and Charlotte Hogan

David Hopper

Lee and Sylvia Jenkins

Wendy Kahn

Steve and Nancy Knight

Krista Koch

Terry and Lynn LaRue

Lynda Lasseter

Elizabeth Lockhart

Susan McDole

Michael Mears

Paul and Judy Miller

Ann Mische

Becky Montgomery

Lynn Morris

Newnan Pres Church, Newnan, GA

Northwest Pres Church, Atlanta, GA

Rindy Nyberg

Tommy O'Pray

Orenco Pres Church, Hillsboro, OR

Ormond Beach Pres, Ormond Beach, FL

Gabriella Oroszi

Jim and Ginny Phillips

Pres Church of the Lakes, Orlando, FL

Mary Ann Richardson

Sheri Robbins

Rockfish Pres Church, Nellysford, VA

Deb Schlageter

Tom and Margie Schlageter

Max Schober

John Shelton

Judy Smith

Paul Smith

Bob and Phoebe Smith

Terry Smith

Lyudmila Sorokina

Speedwell Pres, Reidsville, NC

Ron and Diane Spence

St. Charles Avenue Pres Church, New Orleans, LA

Karen Sutton

Mary Lou and Bruce Swinburne

John Tarrant

Deryl and Lenore Torbert

William and Theodosia Wade

Patsy White

Jim Willits

Leah Wyckoff

2009-11-14T04:27:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

I begin with a photo of Taras who died several weeks ago on the streets. My first photos of Taras go back about two years. Even then he couldn't talk or walk properly because of a drug which damages the nervous system, causing neuropothy. Taras was a long time user of Baltushka, a drug made from cold medicine that contains ephedrim, vinegar and potassium permanganate. They stir these three things together in a small plastic cup , draw it into a needle and inject it into a vein. Taras had it injected into a vein near his collar bone; it was an artery to the heart. His heart stopped.

I arrived back in Ukraine a week ago to +2C temperatures and was surprised to see many people on the streets and at the train station wearing masks. Swine flu hysteria. Schools are all closed for the next three weeks, public gatherings canceled. The government is contemplating a restriction of travel. Pharmacies have run out of masks and medicine. There are signs on pharmacy windows: NO MASKS OR MEDICINE (but in Russian, of course). I think Ukraine is asking for international aid. How great is the real threat, I don't think anyone knows.
With temperatures just above freezing, the city had still not turned on the gas to heat water, to heat apartment buildings throughout Odessa. I asked when the heat would be turned on, someone in the office said, "They are waiting until it gets REALLY cold."

We still attended a bicycle rally, though, the first for kids at The Way Home. From Odessa, about 50 cyclists participated. See photos below. Four of our boys rode and since there was a requirement for a girl. Alyona, our youngest, age 11, also rode. Seconds after I shot this photo of her coming down a hill, she pulled the front hand brake and went over the handle bars. All was well, though we couldn't get her back on the bike for that particular race.

I'm so pleased with Vanya, the boy you see in the white t-shirt and helmet. He is only 18, lived on the streets for a time and then came to us. Currently he is enrolled in a class at a local maritime academy; Im not sure of his vocational choice, but he will graduate with the ability to work for a living wage. i started buying used bicycles and he has been the force behind the success of my bicycle project. He's full of energy. You see him here working on a bike.

This photo of Ann with two boys was taken at a Narcotics Rehab center. Currently, I am paying for medicine that will help repair neurological damage done by use of a drug called Baltushka. This damage makes it difficult for kids to speak and to walk. Studies have shown that some motor skills can be revived with medicine. For me this is a one-time project. I am hoping if I am successful with these two boys, who have been off Baltushka for over a year, that another funding program in Ukraine will take on additional teens.

Will is a volunteer from Cambridge University in England; he speaks Russian and is doing the translation work for Ann and Alla. He is helping to connect This Child Here with Russian speaking volunteers from universities in England.

Leah, another volunteer, comes from the Portland area (Reed College) and has worked with SOIL in Hati, Mercy Corps in Portland, and for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in DC. She is in Odessa, teaching English and also learning Russian as well as helping us as a volunteer. She’s a wizard with web site construction and editing.

Through a sermon I wrote and other contacts, I recently met on-line, Allen Hingston, a Canadian living in Ukraine, who describes himself as: "Father, husband, agricultural consultant, beef cattle specialist, dog owner, reluctant gardener, amateur photographer, history buff and wandering soul who has at last found home and happiness in Ukraine."

You may enjoy his blog:

http://dablogfodder.blogspot.com/2009/11/working-with-street-kids-in-odessa.html
What follows are just a few shots of my time in the states,

-a person you don't often see photos of: Nancy Gard. Nancy is an elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Daytona Beach, is the Vice President of This Child Here, handles all donations and paperwork.

-the historic sanctuary at the Newnan Presbyterian church in Newnan, Georgia
-the more modern sanctuary of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Tigard, Oregon,
-after coffee with Danny Dieth of Christ Presbyterian Church, Tallahassee, Florida, a pastor who has been to Russia.

-these pink flamingos were part of a fund raising project of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville, NC. The youth placed them (no they are not real) in the yard of one family in the church and that family can give a donation to have them moved to someone else's yard. (actually, you pay to get rid of them :-)

-a common scene, me online at Paneras.... this time studying Russian with online flash cards.

-the photo exhibition in Farmington, NM. This exhibition was arranged by Tina and Linda Pacheco. Tina also arranged newspaper and television interviews and three interviews on local radio programs. The exhibit was held at their business, Homeworks, as part of an Art Walk Day in Farmington. Most of my time is spent speaking at churches, this was the first photo exhibition in the states for This Child Here.

-on the radio in Farmington, NM

-I always end my time in the states with my sons in Asheville, NC.
Grace and Peace,

Robert Gamble

the last shot of Taras

working on bikes

Kolya

seconds later, Alyona tumbles

someone must have fallen...Vanya?

Vanya

These guys are professional

recovering from Baltushka

Will from Cambridge

Leah from Portland

with Nancy Gard

Newnan Pres in Newnan, Georgia

Calvin Pres in Tigard, Oregon

With Danny Deith

Pink Flamingos raise funds

studying Russian in Paneras

photo exhibition in Farmington, NM

on the radio in Farmington, NM

with my sons and friends:

For those trying to make sense of life: What does a bad day on the streets, Ingmar Bergman, and John Calvin have in common?

2009-11-14T03:50:00.000-08:00

What do a bad day and a good day on the streets, an Ingmar Bergman film and John Calvin all have in common?

1When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (Love).

To match the film title, I chose the King James Version.

My life is not divided into work and play. I don't spend all day in the office or even working, but life appears seamless in this work with street kids in Ukraine, all things happening in relation to one another.

Not long ago, three things happened that got me thinking…. A fourth pulled them together.
One of the lowest moments of my time in Odessa, Ukraine, came on a warm August day, with the rain; strange it should not come in winter with the cold and gray…. We all felt the heaviness of it, me and my small team of volunteers from Poland, Italy and Ukraine, hardly speaking about it on the return in the bus. We had just seen a group of kids living on mattresses under trees, injecting themselves several times a day with Baltushka, a wicked narcotic that damages the central nervous system.

Hopelessness, like a wet dog, seems attached to this band of teens who do not care if they live or die.

For several days after I was depressed about it, resigned to the absurdity of our visits and the truth that some kids on the street are "terminally ill," because they will not give up the drugs or the way of life.

Later that week, I was watching a film. It is an old film, one I had not seen before, Ingmar Bergman’s “Through a Glass Darkly” The title of it comes, of course, from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, "Now I see through a glass darkly, then face to face, now I know in part, then I shall be fully known."

And at end comes this scene….. Karin , the mentally unstable daughter has been taken to the hospital suffering from a breakdown which the psychologists say will only get worse. Karin’s brother, the son, is speaking to their father.

Son: Reality burst open and tumbled out, do you understand?
Father: Yes
Son: It’s like a dream, anything can happen, anything
Father: I know
Son: I can’t live in this world
Father: Yes you can, but you must have something to hold on to.
Son: What would that be? A God? Give me some proof of God. You can’t,
Father: Yes I can, but you have to listen carefully
Son: Yes I need to listen
Father: I can give you only a hint of my own hope. It’s knowing that love exists in the world.
Son: A special kind of love I suppose.
Father: All kinds, the highest and lowest, the most absurd and the most sublime, all kinds of love.
Son: The longing for love?
Father: The longing and denial, trust and distrust.
Son: So love is the proof?
Father: I don’t know if love is the proof of god’s existence or if love is God himself.
Son: For you love and God are the same?
Father: That thought helps me in my emptiness and dirty despair.
Son: Tell me more Papa
Father: Suddenly the emptiness turns into abundance and despair into life, it’s like a reprieve … from a death sentence.
Son: If it is as you say, then Karin (his sister) is surrounded by God since we love her,
Father: Yes.

It wasn’t the part about God is love that struck me. Everyone has heard that. And I don't wish to enter the debate over whether God is just love. It was the idea that all kinds of love, the highest, the lowest, the most absurd and sublime, the longing for love, the denial of love, trust and distrust… all these things are evidence of God. And somehow in the acceptance of that, the realization of that, emptiness turns into abundance, despair into life.

The following week I opened my email to read a bulletin from Columbia seminary inviting me to join the online dialogue on John Calvin. Just click the link.

What could be more exciting than a chat room on John Calvin?

You probably don't know it’s the 500th anniversary of Calvin’s birth. One of the founding fathers of the protestant reformation, he taught John Scott who started Presbyterianism in Scotland… the Scotts brought it over here, along with a certain stiff drink , … and golf.

So you know how it is when you receive an email with a link. Do I click the link or not? My cursor hovered for a moment. I clicked. And I read several blogs along with the commentary that was offered each week by Calvin scholars.

I began to wonder what would Calvin say about the church in Ukraine.

Were Calvin to be a tourist in Ukraine, he would be wagging his bearded head, glaring at the images of god in the Orthodox church. Calvin abhorred images that represented God. Icons on the dash boards of taxis, hanging from the mirrors; Icons like bumper stickers; Icons the size of decals, the size of book covers, or painted on vast canvases or the walls and ceilings of domed churches.

Or the furniture: Calvin was more austere, the strictly Calvinistic sanctuary has nothing on the walls, the biggest thing there (metaphorically speaking) is the Bible. I imagine it furnished by Ikea. Even the communion set is minimal; Calvin’s looks like it came from Dollar General.

The Orthodox Church is a place to escape the world and meditate or feel like you are in the presence of God given all the gold around you, the icons and paintings on the walls and the priest who appears from behind a golden door to chant and recite then disappear again. The aim of orthodoxy is to make you more like God, to transform you to be more like the transcendent God. But the Orthodox church seems to have little relevance to the practicalities of the real world. I see people lined up for a blessing, that is, to get their food blessed at 5am on Easter Sunday… I see them buying candles and scarves for their heads and trinkets, but I don’t see much in the way of engagement with the world. Don’t show up in pants if you’re a woman (well Calvin might have said that too.

Calvin may not have been the kind of guy you are going to find having a beer with the boys at TG Friday's, but Calvin was socially involved. He brought cleaner toilets to Geneva, and balconies and better dentists … he opened the doors of Geneva to a parade of refugees from France. (read: Calvin the Constructive Revolutionary).

Calvin was a lawyer. He seemed consumed with what makes us right before God. And Calvin may have landed heavily on the side of God's election of those who are "the saved" against the party in favor or "works righteousness," but Calvin saw God at work in all of life. Calvin affirmed "all things work together...." Writing his way through the Institutes, wrestling with the debate between what we do and what God does, Calvin affirmed the Sovereignty of God. Calvin wanted his faith to matter in the market place as well as the sanctuary, on the streets and in the homes of God's people as well as in any Sunday school room. Broken and flawed as we are, it is our lives, not icons that reflect the image of God.

Now, I am going to conclude with a fourth thing that happened... this again on the streets. Because it seems to me to pull together that low moment on the streets, Bergman's film and the blog on Calvin.

I am thinking of the day on the streets when we found two girls age eleven and twelve living with this band of heavy drug users I mentioned above. These girls had not been experimenting with drugs, which is why I was so eager to get them away. I called my psychologist and put her on my cell phone with them. That conversation, some food and clothes were enough to motivate them to ride in the van to our dormitory--and there they stayed.

They don't know it. They are just little kids. It would not have been that week, or even the next. The next month, perhaps.... certainly in the next year... They would started with the needle. And then they would have been HIV positive. That status over here, for kids on the street, leads to an early death.

What they don't know, is that in a moment's decision to leave the streets, they chose life.
When I think about this moment, I am glad there exists all kinds of love: the highest to the lowest, the most sublime and absurd, for the longing for love and denial of it. Whenever I see these girls, I think about their reprieve from a death sentence, I think how quickly this memory helps me in my own emptiness and despair, how it is this emptiness turns into abundance and despair into life.

grace and peace,
Robert Gamble

august news

2009-08-22T05:52:00.000-07:00

www.thischildhere.org

Dear Friends,

On a wet Friday afternoon in August, I saw the worst of it: We had come by ourselves in a bus and not in the “Social Patrol” van as we usually do. There were six of us: Ann, my translator and assistant; Claudio, the Italian; two polish girls recently out of college; Alex, a college student from Holland, and myself. We came upon them from the other side of a wall: a small band of five boys and one girl living next to a tall, concrete wall, gathered like wounded soldiers under a tree.

I looked first, standing on my toes on a board, placed there by them to crawl over. With one arm I hooked the wall and with the other hand I held my heavy camera high and began making images without looking through the lens. ”Robert, no photo,” they said, and I knew it was because they were using the Baltushka.

The wall was not difficult to scale, but I took care because of the rain and wetness. I was careful also because I had injured my shoulder and left arm in a bicycle accident, and the grasp of any object sent pain from my elbow up and down my arm. I climbed over first, then Ann, Claudio and Alex. The polish girls walked some two hundred meters to find a break in it and then back across an empty lot to where we gathered.

Lena, the girl, and three of the boys sat on the mattresses, the rain coming down lightly, not like earlier when it fell in a steady shower. Their blankets were wet and mixed with the dead branches and leaves of the tree; beneath the mattresses and branches, the dirt was turning to mud. There in the dirt and mud, fallen through the branches I saw the empty plastic bottles and wrappers for food, discarded needles and syringes. I saw t-shirts and pants hung on branches in the rain; I saw a large sheet of plastic taken perhaps from a local building site. They could have held it over their heads but they did not; they did not care.

One boy, Tolik lay, his pants half down to his crotch, readying himself with the needle in his hand for when we would leave. Then he would slide it into the thick vein on his upper thigh, and Lena or Miroslav would attach the syringe and drive in the Baltushka. “I am finished,” he said, looking up at Ann.

“I am using Baltushka ten or twelve times a day,” Lena said to Ann, as they sat together later when the rain came in spits and the sun burned between the clouds. I stood first at a distance, photographing the group, but the tree blocked my view, so I climbed a mound of dirt and stood some six or seven feet above the group and shot the kids as well as the volunteers who came. Then I came in closer. They were not shooting the Baltushka, but they had the needles in their hands and I could see they were looking around as if to convey some impatience with our being there.

For the Polish girls and Alex it was their first time to see boys and girls living on the streets. They moved carefully, standing at first a little apart, and then moving in to squat on the dirt and blocks of concrete. They could speak some Russian and began conversations with the boys and Lena.

I lose all sense of time in these situations when I am photographing and conversing and thinking of what to do. It could have been ten minutes or thirty before we decided to buy food and juice for them and some antibacterial ointment for one boy with a gash in his head. We parted promising to return.

We walked across the concrete and mud expanse of the lot, through the break in the wall, to the food stand first where we bought two liters of mixed juice, bags of fat brown cookies; we had already given them water and bread. At the pharmacy, the girl recognized me from times before buying medicine. She told us of a priest named Michael who also came to buy medicine for this band of homeless youth.

As we approached the wall again to pass over the food and medicine, I could see through the spaces between concrete slabs. One boy held another’s arm with the needle inside. I centered the viewfinder so that the automatic focusing would spot the needle and the arm, leaving the walls out of focus on both side. But he moved so that I got only his face and a cigarette; I had made only one frame before my batteries died.

Now my schedule in the states for the fall of 2009

Aug 31- Sept 9 Central and North Florida
Sept 10 Atlanta
Sept 11-14 Ft. Worth Tx
Sept 14-21 Portland Or
Sept 21 Atlanta
Sept 22 Birmingham Al
Sept 23 Athens Ga
Sept 24 Reidsville, NC
Sept 25-28 Washington DC area
Sept 29 Wellington Fl
Sept 30 Vero Beach Fl
Oct 1 St. Pete Fl
Oct 2 Daytona Beach Fl
Oct 3-4 Newnan Ga
Oct 4 Decatur Ga
Oct 5-7 Memphis Tn
Oct 8-10 Farmington NM
Oct 10-11 New Orleans
Oct 12-19 Asheville NC
Oct 19 Fly back to Ukraine

There are also photos from Camp and pictures of volunteers from Holland, Poland, Estonia. Claudio from Italy, came back for most of the summer, brought his brother, Duchio, and also 3,200 euros raised at a rock concert he orgainized last summer in sienna , italy.

Another volunteer, Igor, an American, adopted from St. Petersburg, Russia at age 8, is great to have because he speaks some Russian. He's a former Marine, having served two tours in Iraq. He now studies International Relations in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Tanya Foltz also came, she's from DC. She looked at the problem of violence against women, met with women interested and designed an instrument for interviewing women who have been abused. It is sad and remarkable that in a city the size of Odessa, there is not one shelter for abused women. Eleanor Clegg came from Wales to do an art project using only material from nature.

In one photo I show you Olya, who ran away from us last year. it's a long story but she's back. In another you see me and a family and a boy with a crutch. There is a young woman also. That's Gallina, the former Ms. Odessa. This was the first partnership between This Child Here and local business people. We split the cost of a new prosthesis (leg) for Sasha. in one photo, I am trying to explain the next shot.

Finally, those aren't my hands and finger... or my ears.

grace and peace,
Robert

the group at camp

bicycles

alex from Holland

up on the top right is where kids are living

2009-07-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

July News

to see homepage click:ww.thischildhere.org

Take a look at these photos of Alyona age 11, and Diana age 12, two girls I found on the streets.

They were staying with some kids who are heavy drug users. That was June 10th. They said, they had been on the streets about 4 months. They have probably known street kids for longer. After getting them on the phone with my psychologist , Alla, I invited them to visit the shelter (The Way Home). They agreed and got in the van. After a much repeated, “Are we there yet” we arrived and, to my surprise, they stayed. Farther down at the end of the photos, there is a photo of me with them at camp. It’s hard to describe the feeling of success when it happens because you are so afraid that the next day they will run away, but no, they are still with us. Soon it will be a month.

Listen to this all you medical professionals out there: Lena, pictured left, was back in the hospital. Again with a blood infection and low blood count, so low the doctor said she might need blood. “Do you have a blood bank?” I asked.

“Yes but the blood is not good…do you know anyone who would donate,” he asked. I shook my head.

“My nurse, Natasha, has the same type.”

“Do you mean she would give her blood? What would that cost?”

“Three hundred Grievna.” (Or about $40)

“Can I take a picture of your nurse doing this?”

“No, it’s not legal.”

So far Lena has not needed it.

Alma College students (Rick Allen and Sarah Bechtold ) came in June and brought $1000 in cash, plus a bag of t-shirts and sweatshirts. Here they are with Dima who just got his head shaved. Ina, our social worker does it for free when they ask. And here is a line up of kids with shirts, trying to look tough for Alma.

Camp is so much better than last year. We have toilets, showers , running water, trees for shade, the beach 2km away, and a barnyard of animals next door to wake us in the morning. Here are some shots. In one shot, you see a boy from Moldovia. Four came to camp this summer, but sadly, all four ran away.

Here is an unusual photo: me in my Coast Guard Academy cadet drill uniform. I never dreamed I would wear it again. But when I gave it as a gift to a local Maritime academy, they insisted I wear it and speak at graduation. About 250 graduates stood in the hot sun for a lineup of speakers, so I think I had 5 minutes. And after, many cadets wanted their pictures with me. The uniform still fits.

The final shot takes some explaining. Yesterday I sat down at about 3pm and began planning my trip in Sept-Oct to the states. Each post-it is a day with a place to be. Trying to match places and times, appointments already made, and get everywhere with a minimal airfare and driving time, takes some time. At 9:30 pm i think i have a plan. There's the dinner i made, my russian books; that white thing with a cable attached gives me internet anywhere in Odessa, even at camp. And, yes that's Enya in the CD.

Grace and peace,

Robert Gamble

2009-06-22T05:51:00.001-07:00

2009-05-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

In lieu of a newsletter for June, I offer this slide show with my thoughts. Pass it on.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16062665@N00/sets/72157618997422916/show/

grace and peace,

Robert Gamble

2009-04-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I begin with the photo of these women, Alla the psychologist and youth worker on the left and Ann, my part-time secretary. Taken in my office, it captures the mood of the moment. This is was the day we learned that Lena, one of our girls at The Way Home was pregnant and would be marrying her boyfriend and moving to live near family in western Ukraine. I had planned to pay for her university. Now that won’t be happening. It’s not like the states where we would figure a way to meet child care and study requirements. Life for Lena is going to change; it’s going to be hard.

I don’t know the name of this boy from the streets who is enjoying soup. A group of seven came that day to eat with us. Zolushka whose name means Cinderella, was the one I was happiest to see. For the past three months, no one would say where she was living.

I know most of this group of street kids sitting on the pavement, but I had been looking for the one in the middle named Vovichka.

You see also in this sequence, Oksana, a translator for Aids Alliance from Kiev, climbing out of a hole; she travels with Caitlin from YOUTH RISE, a Canadian agency that provides funding for AIDS Prevention and reduction work.

Ruslan is a boy from the Way Home who goes with us on street patrols. I think that rainbow behind is a bus. Monika and Sharka are two volunteers from Czech Republic. There have been with us over a month. They left yesterday.

Here too is a photo of Michael from Rochester and Ed from Los Angeles, two volunteers on street patrol.

Here also are two young boys who live on the streets.

In this photo, Andre seated in the middle has run away twice from our shelter but come back, Vlad above,just wants in the picture.I end with a photo of Vitya. I carried a lifesized carboard backed photo of him around the country. This is my last photo; his mother came from Moldova to take him home. It’s not the best situation, but she’s his mom.

Below is a sermon. It’s what I have been thinking about.

THIS IS MY LIFE
Robert D. Gamble
March 20, 2009

I want to speak to you as if you are destined to do something remarkable with your life. Some of you will or have already in an obvious way, others have or may in a small quiet way…. I want to speak to you as if you are “called” to do something and you know it, you feel it. If you don’t believe this about yourself, well,… you will just have to overhear.

When we think of calling here in Ukraine, we think of cell phones… Everyone uses cell phones, there are several different companies that sell minutes…. In America, we have AT%T, Nextel-sprint and Vorizon; In Ukraine, we have Kievstar , MCI and once called, LIFE, Whenever you meet someone, you trade cell numbers… you can text msg the cell number…

When I think of calling, I think of vocation, jobs and careers,

I hired a secretary… her name is Annya, but I call her Ann. She is part time, well supposed to be, 4 days, 4 hours a day, $50 a week; she actually worked overtime. She’s between jobs and going back to school. I met her at church, she volunteered for a day on Sunday and then I asked if she would come to work with me until she started another job.

At the end of the first day in the office and it was quite an eventful day with kids on the street and buying clothes… she sent me message, “This is my Life.”

Oh, I thought, how nice of her to say this … she must have had some epiphany about work and vocation… she’s leaving the business world forever and spending the rest of her life in nonprofits helping children…

So I sent a text msg back. “Welcome to my life!”

But then she came over to my desk … “Robert I was just sending you my cell phone number with the telephone network called LIFE …..”

We joked about it…. later the story got turned around ; she started kidding me….”Robert, you are the only person who really understood me…. Everyone else thinks im just a secretary.

Ukrainian humor can be quite subtle sometimes.

What’s your life? … I hope you are alive.… I am sure you know what I mean when I say, you can be living but not really alive.. Life is out there waiting for you. I don’t care how young and inexperienced you are or old and tired you are. I meet people who say, oh down the road some day I will do it… or if only… and so many people whose lives are a cycle of work, the grocery store, home, eat sleep, get up and do it all over again.

When I come back to the states, I feel the urge to upset the routine, I want to poke people, stir them for a moment…

Jesus did that. If you read the opening chapters of the gospels you will see this phrase repeated, “The Kingdom of God is near.” Jesus disturbed people with that notion. Scholars argue about what he said. What does that mean to say the reign of God is “at hand.” Does it mean he knows something we don’t know? Is something going to happen? Im going to suggest that Something needs to happen, can happen… inside you.

I want to disturb you with the notion that there is something you do not have, and it’s not a minicooper, It’s not a mac air, that fits in an envelope, it’s not i-phone or a Blackberry, (dear Lord please give me a Blackberry) its not something you can buy, or grasp, or own…. It’s a way of living. It’s a way of feeling about your life… and that’s a problem in America: the way we think and feel about our lives.

Here’s an interesting truth: In America, everything is large. We have big cars and houses and highways and buildings. In Ukraine, the roads are narrow and cramped , the apartments small. People squeeze into buses.

But in America, our lives can be narrow and cramped. My life was getting too small, even as the pastor of a large church. I felt squeezed by forces I could not identify. By contrast, in Ukraine I live in a one room apartment, I ride on smaller streets, cramped into buses and trains…. But my life is large. My life is huge. There are no limits or boundaries to what can be done.

I don’t watch television. The Discovery Channel came three weeks ago, the whole idea was show people the glamorous side of some eastern European cities and then a look at what tourists don’t see. I took them to the place below a local Bank where 8 kids were living. And this is a very interesting thing, because I used to watch that channel. In a couple of months, Im going to be on the Discovery Channel.

The world is shrinking; I mean we are getting more and more closely connected, and that’s a really interesting thing because at the same time, it means that opportunities are expanding. You don’t need to travel to Ukraine like I did. …. but the whole world is out there , its at your fingertips; it is live on the monitor of your laptop and in your ears with a headset and microphone. Read The World is Flat by Thomas Friedmann. Just read the first chapter, stand there at the bookstore and read it. It was just multinational corporations, but now Individuals are acting globally. It’s the internet , of course. Try Idealist.com . Im on there along with thousands who are doing something interesting with their lives.
My life is probably not what most of you are interested in doing… Who wants to go to Ukraine? What I am saying is that there is life out there… What I am probing you with is the question, How much would you give to have a life that is large? How much would you pay to have a life you feel that way about? If you saw that film, and it is a dark film, “Revolutionary Road,” you heard Leonardo Di Caprio say that line, “I want to feel really, really alive…”

Well you can… feel… really alive.

Now we have to shift the conversation…. Lets assume you want this life that is large… you have something you wish to do with your life… and you don’t feel prepared to do… more than that, you feel you haven’t the energy to do… . you want to do this thing, but… it just seems too fantastic. What do you need to do? go back to school? Or just change your routine so that you start volunteering somewhere… or you want to start a new business or non profit or be an artist or a writer. Im just throwing things out there… whatever… its massive when you look at it.

We had these huge sand dunes on the California beaches. it’s not hard sand ; it’s soft deep sand and you are walking up and looking at the distance you have to go, you are saying… I’ll never get there. It’s the first year of college and you look at the schedule and all the classes you must finish to graduate and It’s impossible.. . or you want to leave your construction jobs and be an artist…. You want to make a significant change in your life, new job, new career, new everything…

How can I do this?

You have to believe something….

Im a Presbyterian , and I highly recommend the Presbyterians….. but whatever belief system you have , it helps to believe something. I encourage you to believe God gets involved. I encourage you to believe in yourself, there is something at hand, near… the time is at hand, and opportunity.

I am talking about faith. That sounds trite, but I don’t think you have to be this tower of faith. You don’t need the faith to believe it’s all going to happen. All you need is enough belief to take a little step in that direction. Just enough faith to make a phone call. Just enough faith to do a google search or buy a book …. Just enough faith to sit down with pen and paper and write down five things you would need to do.. not actually do them, just to write them down.

Frederick Buechner has a beautiful line in his sermon “A Sprig of Hope” in which he describes the call of Noah then gives us the picture of Noah standing there after the conversation with God, the wheels in his head turning… .”and then Noah took a few steps,” Buechner writes, “in the direction of… the lumber yard.”

When I knew it was time for a change in my life after being the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Daytona Beach for 9 years, I knew only that I had to have time to think. I needed a sabbatical. University professors get a year, I just wanted three months. It was a very difficult thing to ask for, but I was desperate. I didn’t need the faith or believe in myself or courage to make a change in my life, just the enough of the above to say, “Can I have three months for study and thought.” I asked and I got it.

Then enough faith to buy the ticket to Ukraine

Then enough to get on the train to Odessa, Ukraine where I knew NO ONE. And then on the first day there in the lobby of the working man’s hotel where I was staying, I met a woman. When I told her I was interested in working with children in orphanages, she took me to the people I work with today, The Way Home.

Just enough faith, just enough, just enough… and then …. Things begin to happen… and pretty soon you can’t stop it.

I don’t know where the threshold is, when it is that you stop climbing and climbing like everything is a struggle, but at some point you start sliding forward, or skiing or sledding…. Riding the wave… if you surf during a storm in Florida, you know that you have to fight the waves to get out. But when you get on a wave… there’s nothing like the ride you get back in.

Just faith the size of a mustard seed. Jesus said…. And in another parable, the farmer plants the seeds and then rains and sunshine come the seed grows, first the bud then the stem , then the kernel , the farmer knows not how….

Now I want to shift your thinking a little from “how can I do this thing I want to do?” to “What can we do?” Because this is where I am at right now…. You will get there too.

Sometimes, it seems, there is nothing you can do. You can make a person, by force or money, do what you want them to do, but you can’t make someone love you. You can’t make them believe what you believe. You can’t make them make the right choices in their own lives. This is the frustrating thing about work with street kids, they constantly disappoint you. Even when you say, “tomorrow, I will be here and bring you food, or buy clothes for you,” often, they don’t show up. They choose the streets, they choose to this downward lifestyle, no job, no education, no future, and one day they are no longer a child begging for change, they are an adult, a homeless adult. They chose an early death.

Alla is a psychologist who works with me. She is an Evangelical Christian…. She’s been Orthodox, Catholic and now goes to the Pentecostal church. And normally, in the states we might not talk about these categories, but in Ukraine, they become more important to understanding someone. Alla is wise person. Unshakable in times of crisis.* She knows kids. I trust her and her commitment.

We were sitting in a café; we were at a point in the conversation about street kids in which there seemed to be no answer. These kids often will not leave the streets, will not take care of themselves, they can live like animals. We bring them into the shelter and they run away. What are we going to do? What can we do? I said.
What she said was, “We can be near.”

This word, “near” in Greek comes from a primary verb …there’s a humorous side to it, “to squeeze or throttle.” You’re that close… but it also means, “the curve or inner angle of the arm, anything closely enfolding, as the arms of the sea.”
Sometimes it is all you can do, it is enough for the time, just to be present, just to be near. Be those arms, enfolding, like the sea.

And when have been underground, down the man holes or in abandoned buildings, and we are walking away and nothing got fixed, no kids changed their lives, I have to remind myself that for a little while, we were there, we were near….

This takes us full circle. Back to the reign of God which is at hand, back to the thing that has to happen inside you. And how you make that change in your life and do this thing that seems on the front end impossible. Think about nearness. Those near to you. Those you can be near to. The nearness of God. I leave you with the words of a man named Paul about nearness and living a life that is large.

Phl 4:4-9
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, sisters and brothers whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

*Once, early in the morning, we were underground in the darkness, under a bank actually with 8 kids who still sleeping, Alla, myself, a producer and cameraman from NBC. The police came down. We stood against a wall, Alla first, me then the two from NBC. We didn’t speak or move or use our cell phones for light. The police were shouting, cursing, telling the kids to come out. There was a little passageway to get into the room, you must bend over and it’s just wide enough to squeeze though. A policeman came in shined his light, the first face he saw was Alla’s. “How can talk like this to these children!” she barked. She shamed them for the way they spoke to street kids. Outside, on the street, the three of us men quietly walked away from the scene and stood across the street, leaving Alla to deal with the police who were taking all eight kids into custody for questioning, We men, of course, were like disciples fleeing in fear.

INFO FOR VOLUNTEERS

2009-03-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

I am getting several queries a week now from people who have found my website and are interested in volunteering. So basically, i sat down and tried to answer some questions that keep popping up. First of all, im sure you have seen my website, but please take a look through all the pages www.thischildhere.org and especially at the "volunteer opportunities" link.

The most important points I would like to make as you think about volunteering is that
-you can get out of this experience as much as you want
-it’s all about relationships with kids
-and no two days are alike.

Some volunteers come to dive right into this kind of work because they hope someday to make a life of it. Others have jobs back home and careers and want the experience and want to do what they can with whatever skills or gifts they have.

(to talk to other volunteers on facebook go to http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=70264935896&ref=nf

It is not possible for me to give all my attention to volunteers. I am a busy person. But I am glad to have you. At the end of a week or two weeks or even a month, you may feel like you haven't done much but your presence says you care and that counts. In addition you may have something to offer because of your talents and abilities. It might be with program design for childhood development, or website design or sports or (if i can ever get them here--bicycles). Some of the best times we have are sitting around the office or in a cafe talking about what is possible and using our imagination. I have some wonderful people working with me--you will be quite impressed.

Having said all that, a regular day for me starts after lunch. ( i study russian and write in the mornings) you can come to the office at 10 am and hang out with kids or check email if you like (we should have enough notebook computers-but bring your own if you have one) . We all touch base till about 2pm when it's time to go to the streets for the "Social Patrol." This is a couple of hours of meeting kids on the streets and sometimes we end up with a hospital visit and other errands like the police station or state offices for documents. We get back about 5 or 6. You can eat with kids at The Way Home (we have 25 kids living at the dorm) or wait and eat with any of our staff who going somewhere to talk, or take off and meet other friends or see some of Odessa.

This is a town with a night life and plays and opera and art exhibitions and music. the summer is of course, more busy.

Please know that you come and go as you like. It helps me to know that you are independent enough to get around and take care of yourself. If you have other things you are interested in, you can step into our program at any part of the day. The program here will run with or without you. It runs fine, im sure when i am in the states. I believe though, that inviting people to come enhances what we do. Everyone who comes here, has something to offer. Out of the miracle of dialogue, come some great answers.

Now about where to stay. There are choices. Sometimes in the summer, if they have room, volunteers can stay at the dorm because kids are camping. Camping with kids is also a great idea, but it's rustic, no toilets or showers, just tents in the woods. If you are here in the summer, you want a place back in town. Two or three nights in woods and you need a break... well, some of you will.

One option is to contact Catherine Kemp and Charlotte Payne "catherine kemp" , "Charlotte Payne" , they have been here and have someone looking for rentals for volunteers. We can also check the papers prior to your coming. Apartment rentals can be as low as $30 a day. A month would cost $300 to $500, or more if you really want something nice. But i don't know what two weeks would be. But apartments are the cheapest way to go. There are hotels, of course, but the lowest prices are around $50 a night. There is a chance also to rent from the Catholic Monastery. If you have a group that's a possibility because it can be for $7 a night with 4 to a room.

About food: you can eat for about $15 in a nice place for dinner. Lunch can be as little at $1.85 at the market or 6-7 bucks at a nicer place. You can cook in your apartment too.

About learning Russian : get Pimsleur for starters. they have it at Barnes and Noble. If youre really interested get Rosetta stone, but its expensive. I can find you a tutor and you can spend your mornings learning russian if you like. You can also go to http://www.verbalplanet.com/ and start learning with a tutor online with SKYPE.

We get around by walking to taking buses ( mashutkas) they are called. I'll explain when you get here. it's quite cheap, fast and confusing.

About getting to Ukraine, go to cheap flights and the rest of those search engines. oddly enough, flying from california can be cheaper than the east coast. You can fly to odessa, or you can fly to Kiev and take a flight with ukraine international down to Odessa,the search engines don't always pick up this last leg. you will have to google Ukriane Int Airlines to see about flight times.

About communications: bring a cell phone that takes a sim card. when you get here (at the airport) buy a ukrainian sim card from the network LIFE. it cost about $5. Then you can call me. +380636117928

When you write me about volunteering, tell me what your interests and skills are, what you hope to accomplish, and how long you plan to stay. If you are planning to camp with the kids you need to send me the phone numbers of two references; you also need to tell me if you have any criminal record. We would need to talk about that.

About health insurance: technically, you need health insurance to enter the country. if you want travel insurance you can go to www.sevencorners.com they are reasonable and good. Im not sure if they service only US citizens. Otherwise health care is cheap here, you just need someone to translate when you go to the hosptial.

About churches, I have been to a Roman Catholic Church, Lutheran church, a Pentacostal Church ,an independent Evangelical Church, and a Presbyterian PCA church. There are, of course, many Orthodox churches. I go to the independent Evangelical Church which meets in a factory. They are interested in helping with volunteers.

About calling here or home. Get skype. It's free to download. You call other computers for free and call phones for a low fee.

You can call me in Ukaine (Im back march 19; im in the states till march 16th )
Grace and Peace,
Robert Gamble
robertgam@gmail.com
cell in ukraine +380636117928

sometimes a great notion

2009-01-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

Sometimes a thing happens and you know when you are doing it and when it is over, you have done such a thing that has made you in your own mind, a hero. Over the years, stories can get bent and stretched and pulled to be grander, the characters more resolute and indomitable, danger heightened. One day I will write about in detail, But the simple facts are:

-Early in December three children, Andre, Olya and Anya ran away from The Way Home.

-There were phone calls and rumors, but no one really knew for certain where they went.

-On Jan 9th, Andre returned.

-At 11pm that night, Alla, a psychologist who works with me, the boy, Andrea and I, took an all night train to a city called Venitsya. Arriving before daybreak, we traveled by a bus to a remote village outside the city at six in the morning in the dark with tiny snow flakes falling, we knocked on the door of an old cottage about the size of your living room. Along with several cats, a man and a woman, an ancient stove and metal sink, we found the two girls, Olya and Anya. I know it was their choice to run away and they wouldn't say it, but they were glad to see us. We took the train and brought them home.

Total cost of trains and food at café's and grocery stores and taxis $128

Total time taken: 19 hours and 30 minutes

Feeling of satisfaction: priceless

I need good used digital cameras and laptop computers (mac or pc). These are the kinds of things I don't need to buy new, if you have any to donate, please write to me.
Madeleine Barab from DC and also Eckerd College just finished about three weeks volunteering with us... and flew home. Here's a candlelight photo and one with Ann who is from Odessa and works with me.
Many of you have asked about my time with NBC… they have been to Ukraine twice now to film. I have an appointment with Ann Curry for Monday, Feb 9th but she's a busy lady. I'm thrilled to be working with these folks, they are busy professionals but with heartfelt interest. While Im in New York , I will be attending Leslie Hawke's fundraising event and visiting the church my mother grew up in, Madison Ave Presbyterian Church. I didn't learn till a few months ago that I was named Robert, by my parents, after Mr Robert Lewis who was the church administrator at Madison Ave many years ago.

Yesterday I arrived back in the states and plan to be in:

Asheville NC till Wednesday jan 27

Florida first two weeks of Feb

New York feb 7-9

Back to Florida

Atlanta for day

Portland Oregon feb 14-19

Memphis area maybe feb 20-22

Then Atlanta and North Carolina, feb 23-26

Virginia and Maryland, Feb 27-early march

Back to North Carolina till march 16 when I fly back to Ukraine.

Grace and peace,

Robert Gamble

--
--
We do not Believe in
Ourselves until someone
Reveals that deep inside us
Something is valuable,
Worth listening to, worthy
Of our touch, sacred to our touch.
Once we believe in ourselves we can
Risk curiosity, wonder, Spontaneous
Delight, or any experience that reveals
The human spirit.

e.e. cummings

Dr. Robert Gamble, D.Min. Th.M.
www.thischildhere.org
cell in states 828 301 7104
in Ukraine +380636117928

If you are interested in donating, visit: www.thischildhere.org

You can scroll down the page and click on donate. If you don't have or want a PayPal account click on "continue" for "Dont have a PayPal account?" It will take you to a page to enter credit card info.

or you can mail a check to This Child Here, 245 Seaview Ave. Daytona Beach, Fl 32118.

Either way, I would like to thank you, so send an email to me. robertgam@gmail.com

My address in Ukraine:
This Child Here,
C/O Doroga K Domy (The Way Home)
Str. Sofievskaya 10
Odessa, 65082,
Ukraine

2009-01-01T08:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes i am asked how it is that children take a bath when they are living on the street. Sometimes they find a hose or fawcet either outside a building on in the pipes below, Most times they use a large bowl. More than two weeks ago a group of children living under a bank, asked for a bowl to bathe. Only a few days later, the producer (Justin Balding standing with me) and cameraman from NBC, spotted such a bowl, left behind by kids who abandoned another location underground. They made it a present to the group under the bank.

But in the passing of time, after raids by the police and one kid beaten by someone on the street, this group abandoned the location under the bank. three times i returned to the bank to find the space beneath empty. but each time, I spotted the bowl.

Two days ago I woke up thinking, I have to get the bowl! A light snow was falling as I walked up my street to the bank. the police were there again, i saw them going down and back up again... searching for street kids. not eager for an encounter with them, i waited in the local food shop, when they left I went down for the bowl.

Now, of course, this bowl has taken on a kind of sacred status. All those street kids used it to bathe, i am imagining a rich history behind it's ownership... some of you may remember the film, the Red Violin.... I am imagining a documentary The Red Bowl,

I am reminded too, of what i would do in worship once a year, place a bowl of water in the sanctuary, invite all to come forward and dip their hands in while i repeated, "Remember your baptism." or of the time Jesus washed the feet of the disciples...

for either , i've got just the bowl..

attached is the exciting photo of me holding the bowl.
grace and peace in the new year

Robert Gamble

for the first time, now, people can go online to donate, visit:
www.thischildhere.org and click on donate
if you don't have or want a PayPal account click on "continue" for "Dont have a PayPal account?"

2009-01-01T07:53:00.000-08:00

It’s almost OK.

Today I sat down to talk to Ina who is in charge of our street patrol. My intention was to let her know my hopes and plans with certain street kids, Zoluchka, for example, whose nickname means Cinderella. She is thirteen and looks to be about ten. She has ten sisters and brothers who live I don’t know where, and I am trying to get her to come to The Way Home and find out if there is room at The Way Home should she decide to come… but Im getting away from the point of this story. When I sat down with Ina, I said, “OK….”

And she interrupted by saying, “(and this was all in Russian) Robert, you always say ‘Ok’ at the beginning of what you are going to say and it’s not OK; I know it’s not OK because we wouldn’t be sitting down and talking unless something was NOT OK. We haven’t gotten to OK yet, It’s not until we get to the end that you are supposed to say OK!”

So, it is almost Christmas too, it’s not quite OK. We wait, Advent suggests, We live in hope.

I’m guessing that what is on your mind this Christmas is the economic crisis. Spending is down in the States. Americans wait and hope… as do many people across this world, for an end to this financial crisis.

Here, even, I am feeling the crunch. Two banks refused to give me American dollars; only one bank in the city center will take my visa card and draw dollars from my account. I pity those who do not have a foreign account. “Nyet” is what they get. So people are losing cars and other items bought on credit if payment is due in dollars. The reason is clear. The dollar has gone from 5 grievnas to 10 in the past six weeks; now it is back to 8. People want dollars because they can put them under the mattress and make money a month later when they exchange them for dollars.

Here, they wait, for an end to the “Creesis.”

Here are some things I am waiting for:

I am waiting for Andre, Anya and Olya to return. Two weeks ago they left for the streets and They left The Way Home two weeks ago to live on the streets.
“We are grown up now and don’t need The Way Home or This Child Here; we can make it on our own.” Olya just turned 13.
These are pictures of all three attached from the last time we went shopping for clothes.

I am hoping to bring several kids, like Zolushka, Igor and Artur into the shelter of The Way Home. In this new band of children that I discovered two weeks ago are some kids who are younger than most and they are sniffing a lot of glue. There are usually 8 to 10 kids living under the Privat Bank. Below are Artur 13 and Igor 15.

Then below that Tanya, Vika and Zoloushka on a mattress where they were living below the Bank.

Sometimes I have seen as many as 15 when other street kids come to visit. It is an odd arrangement, the Bank representing the market crisis on top, the band of street kids representing that crisis, living below.

grace and peace this Christmas
Robert Gamble

September News

2008-09-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

SEPTEMBER NEWS

Dear friends,THE GAP VOLUNTEERS! About 10 days ago, THE GAP clothing in the United Kingdom contacted me. Beginning next March, they will be sending volunteers to work with street kids and our children at The Way Home.

MY PHOTOS IN ITALY…. Claudio Corbelli who worked as a volunteer with our children this past summer has arranged an exhibition of my photography as well as the photography of Aleksandra Zhavoronkovain the city of Terra di Sienna, Italy, as part of an annual film festival.
See the link: http://www.sienafilmfestival.it/?page_id=91&langswitch_lang=en
The opening of the photo show is on Tuesday Nov the 4th. Claudio is trying to negotiate some time during the conference for me to give a 15 min presentation. This is an opportunity for fund raising and to speak of the issues of street children in Odessa.

BIKES, BIKES BIKES.... I want to send 20 bicycles to The Way Home in Odessa, Ukraine. I believe I can get used bicycles donated by churches, but i am having a difficult time shipping them there for a reasonable price. My best quote so far is $2,000 for 20 bikes. I know you are wondering why i don't buy bikes there: Bicycles are just now coming to Ukraine, there are no good used bikes. A new cheaply made bike is $100 and it doesn't last 6 weeks. i know; i bought one. A decent new bike starts at $300. If you can help please email.

LENA…. In my last newsletter I wrote about Lena, a girl from the streets who was revived with 10 days of antibiotics in the hospital. She eventually went to the Tuberculosis Clinic. She is doing well, photo is above.

PHOTO,SOME OF THIS SUMMER'S VOLUNTEERS: In the other photo above, from right to left are Jorge Piedra, from Spain, Magda Malarosa and Dagna Drzażdżewska from Poland (students at Cambridge UK, Sasha a boy from The Way Home, myself, Aleksandra Zhavoronkovain (Sasha), a native of Odessa and photographer from Italy, and Claudio Corobelli (organizing the exhibition) from Italy. TRAVELS: right now I am in the middle of a tour around the states: It is Sept. 22nd, and I am on the plane from New Orleans to Atlanta. I preached at St. Charles Ave Presbyterian Church yesterday, a church now known across the country with the program RHINO, Rebuilding Hope In New Orleans. Since people returned to New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina, St. Charles PC has hosted groups from churches across the nation to help homeowners and now to build houses for Habitat for Humanity. The pastor, my longtime friend, Don Frampton, and I have known each other since we entered seminary. This is an important time for me, not only because I talk to churches and individuals who support This Child Here, but because I come away with new ideas and a great feeling of self-renewal.At the bottom is the schedule.

Robert Gamble

MY SCHEDULE:st pete, orlando daytona bch fl, sept 5-12; dallas sept 12-14;portland till sept 19;New orleans sept 19-22;atlanta sept 22-25;memphis sept 25-18; mich city IN and Alma, Mich sept 18-oct 1 ; farmington Nm oct 2-5; nyc oct 5 princeton oct 6-10 asheville, nc, oct 10-12virginia Oct 13.15 asheville, nc. oct 15-25

Dr. Robert Gamble, D.Min. Th.M.http://www.thischildhere.org/

cell in states 828 301 7104in Ukraine +380636117928

You can always give. Could you donate $25 a month. Make out a check to "This Child Here," and send it to This Child Here, 245 Seaview Ave, Daytona Beach, Fl 32118

My address in Ukraine:This Child Here,C/O Doroga K Domy (The Way Home)Str. Sofievskaya 10Odessa, 65082, Ukraine

This Child Here

NEWS FOR PAST YEAR

November News

Go to the Limits of Your Longing”by Rainer Maria Rilke; translation by Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows

bikes bikes bikes

From what's impossible to what's in a ukrainian church parking lot

a warmer spell, as of weather

New faces, Meet Mariyam, newspapers, things needed, coming to the states and ... Getting Married!

Risen Indeed! A Post-Easter Adventure in Ukraine

In the press, Ukraine: Odessa’s abandoned children

February News

from the desk of Robert Gamble

February News

For those trying to make sense of life: What does a bad day on the streets, Ingmar Bergman, and John Calvin have in common?

august news

INFO FOR VOLUNTEERS

sometimes a great notion

September News

Go to the Limits of Your Longing”
by Rainer Maria Rilke; translation by Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows