Taking the Christmas Story into Orphanages!

Ukraine Children's Project has been taking teams to Ukraine for Ukrainian Christmas for four years. But last year when I went to my church for the Family Christmas service I saw the Christmas story with my daughter through this magnificent puppet performance. I knew right away this was what we needed in Ukraine to teach the children the story of Christ’s Birth. It has taken us a year but finally January 2006 was the beginning of our puppet ministry to orphans in Ukraine. God provided a wonderful team to interpret the script, translate songs, record the music and bring life to the Ukrainian version of this puppet performance,as well as a team of puppeteers from Kempsville Presbyterian Church led by Angela Daw. Here is Angela’s account of their time in Ukraine…

Recently, I had the great privilege to lead a team of puppeteers from KPC consisting of 6 teenagers and 3 adults. (Sarah Dozier, Paul Ellison, Laci Huddleston, Chandler Klein, brothers Douglas and Wesley Lawson, along with their mother Elaine, Paul’s older sister, Deb and myself, Angela Daw.) While there, we trained 8 Ukrainians in the art and skill of puppetry. Together, our two groups presented a puppet show telling the true meaning of Christmas to approximately 1,000 children in nine orphanages throughout the Vinnista Oblast. The impact on the lives of the children who had never heard the Christmas story, was tremendous.

Initially, I had expected to encounter great sadness at each orphanage. Instead, God released tremendous joy to the children in every puppet performance. We were all astounded at the overwhelmingly enthusiastic, positive, and happy response to the puppet show by the children everywhere we visited. Most of the children had never seen anything quite like the puppets we brought with us. I thought at times that the wonder & awe expressed by the children at each performance must have been similar to how I felt when I saw color television for the very first time as a child. A camera just could not capture the pure delight I saw on each little face. The puppet shows also deeply touched the directors and staff members present at each performance. Many thanked us with heartfelt speeches, fond embraces, and sometimes even with tears of gladness.

Another unexpected, yet precious aspect of the trip was the love that grew in the hearts of the American team members and the Ukrainian team members for each other as we performed together throughout the week. It was a special blessing to develop such treasured friendships with our Ukrainian co-workers in such a short time. A sweet gift from God!
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As the trip came to a close, I was happy that we had accomplished our goal of raising up a trained, skilled, Ukrainian puppet team who would continue performing the Christmas puppet show once we left. Through the generous gifts of so many here in the States, we were also able to leave the newly formed team with puppets of their very own, plus costumes, and a deluxe, portable puppet stage with beautiful red curtains (lovingly sewn by our own Elaine Lawson on New Year’s Eve!)

However, one thing I was not prepared for was the birthing of a big vision for an extensive puppet ministry in the hearts of our Ukrainian friends! Their excitement over all that they believe God will do with puppets was contagious. They desire to have two more puppet teams quickly trained so that even more orphans can be told of God’s love for them with this amazing tool. They are also making plans now to use puppet ministry at every summer children’s camp this year! And more urgently, the Ukrainian team now earnestly longs to present an Easter puppet show in each of the orphanages throughout this coming April and May. An Easter puppet script is currently being written to meet this need.

All in all, the Christmas trip to Ukraine was such a wonderful experience for everyone involved…. those who went, those who were trained and especially for those who watched. I am so very thankful that Ukraine Children's Project invited me to bring a puppet team to Ukraine. I am even more thankful that God, in His gracious goodness, made it possible for me to go. Truly, the blessing was mine.

  Actress, Puppeteer & team leader