Then and Now

                I wanted to write a little about the changes I observed at my former orphanage from the time I lived there (Oct 2001-Sep 2002), the time I visited (June 2009) and my recent internship (Dec 2012-Jan 2013). 

                When I lived in Dom Miloserdiya, it was a faith-based orphanage operated by the Russian Orthodox Church.  Within the building itself, there were dormitories, a home school, and a fully operational church used solely for the resident children (and staff).  “Chapel” was an integral part of daily life.   The orphanage strongly believed that children should be exposed to the arts and had a well-developed theater program for the children.  They also believed that children should have a bigger view of the world than their little neighborhood; they owned a ‘dacha’ (coutry house) outside the city, had contacts with a monastery in Novgorod and the loan of another dacha in Sochi.     

                DM was what is called a ‘priyut’ (roughly ‘first’).  It is the first place children are taken when they are removed from their homes.  The children stay there until the court determines whether they can be reunited with their families, given into a relative’s care or whether they will become wards of the state.  Most children live there for only a year, maybe two, while the court determines their fate.  A few children are adopted directly from the priyut, but most are transferred to state orphanages after their parental rights are terminated (which is what happened to me).

                When I visited in 2009, Dom Miloserdiya was still a faith-based orphanage and you could feel the love and caring atmosphere the moment you walked in.  My former caregivers Antonina and Masha still worked there and not only remembered me, but they found some photos of me when I lived there.  What a blessing!   

                The orphanage had recently completed some internal remodeling to allow for expansion; my former bedroom had been transformed to a school room, a new stairwell had been added and the 3^rd floor attic space finished which included a studio for the resident icon painter, Victor.   Apart from that though, I can say that it was just as I remembered it.  Entering the orphanage, there was the same doorkeeper to the left and wide staircase straight ahead.  I remembered you had to go outside and down some steps to access the kitchen and the playground was just opposite.  There was the blue and white delft tile fireplace and the windows overlooking the Neva.

                Sometime after my 2009 visit, a lot of things changed.  The biggest change is that the state assumed control of the orphanage and has slowly separated the children’s care from the church so that not only are they no longer given Christian teaching, but they are not allowed access to the chapel that is on the premises.  While some of the administration and staff are (devout) Christians, employees are no longer required to be and those who are are limited in what they can share with the children (similar to how our American schools work).  The church inside the building has become a neighborhood parish and the majority of the building is given to church administration.  Two dormitories for the children remain, but the goal is to relocate the children into another building nearby.  The offices that support the orphanage and group homes have already been relocated.  The dacha has been sold and the children now attend state-sponsored summer camps.  All of this seemed so sad to me because Dom Miloserdiya is where I first learned about my Heavenly Father. Knowing Him gave me hope and a purpose, Dom Miloserdia is where my walk with the Lord started. It is where many seeds were planted. 

 God led me there to continue planting seeds, so I'm certain His hand is still upon that place.