As I prepare to depart

As I prepare to depart for Belarus tomorrow, I invite you to share in a very special (secret) birthday celebration.

Our beloved Lydia Danielevna, second-in-command in our “Response of the Heart” team in Minsk, will turn 74 while I’m there. (That’s her in the photo, with her goddaughter, our own Lydia Charlotte.)

They’re planning a great birthday feast in her flat on that day.

I’d like to surprise her with a special gift from you.

Anything you’re able to donate to New Thing between now and May 19th, I’ll present to her for her birthday on May 20th … not as a gift for HER, but for her to GIVE toward any need, in any institution served by our ministry in Belarus.

I can tell you with confidence, it will be the most thrilling birthday present she has ever received.

And it will help people, somewhere in Belarus, in real need. I’ll let you know how your gift is being used — and we’ll do our best to get photos, of course!

You can use this link to donate online — or send a check to New Thing at 403 Linebrook Rd., Ipswich MA 01938, and we’ll wire your gift to Belarus.

Lydia Danielevna is giving her life to meeting the crying needs of her people. We’ve saluted her dedication many times. But this unusual birthday gift will make it really personal.

I hope to hear from you soon. Thanks for journeying with us!
Much love,
Doug Brendel

P.S. She doesn’t look 74, does she? 🙂

You did it!

Thank you to all who gave toward our campaign to provide 10 “talking stick” units for the blind children at the boarding school in Molodzyechna, Belarus.

We made the goal, and when I visit the school on the 19th, I’ll have the joy of giving the director and staff the great news.

The children and the workers will be thrilled!

Much love,

Doug Brendel

For the homeless of Minsk…

Our “Response of the Heart” team just received an amazing shipment of donated aid, designated for Pastor Sasha’s ministry to the homeless in Minsk. “The Great Kozovaya” oversaw delivery of 4,760 lbs. of secondhand clothing, bedding, and footwear, plus toys, soap, toothpaste, and more: 237 boxes in all, with a value of $6,551.77. God bless every person who gives faithfully to New Thing: you make this kind of ministry possible!

 

Some have asked…

Some have asked where we stand in our efforts to provide 10 “talking sticks” for blind children at the boarding school in Molodzyechna. Amazing friends have given a total of $3,364.20. We only need $379.04 more to meet the goal. Thank you again to everyone who has participated in this important project. If you haven’t had a chance to help and you’d like to, I depart for Belarus 3 weeks from today so I’ll be happy to hear from you asap. Thanks again!

Much love,

Doug Brendel

 

How much pizza is enough?

Sometimes you just have to laugh.

“The Great Kozovaya” got news that a pizza truck would arrive in Belarus the next day from Germany.
Not the kind of truck you buy a slice from at the beach, or on a city street.
This was more of a … semi. 
Loaded with pizza. 
Lots of pizza.

Seven tons of frozen pizza.

There was no place to store it, no way to keep it refrigerated.
All they could do was give it away — fast.
Kozovaya and her team swung into action.
They called institutions all over Belarus with the amazing news: Send a driver now, and we’ll give you all the pizza you can carry!

“We started to give out the pizzas at 6 p.m.,” interpreter Katya reports, “and finished at 3 p.m. the next day, non-stop.”
21 continuous hours of pizza distribution.
PIZZA FOR EVERYBODY! 
Imagine the incredible surprise, the unthinkable blessing, experienced by the poor, the disabled, large families, churches, and people served by institutions all around the country.
Pizza went to Vitebsk in the north, Grodno in the west, Kobryn in the south, Polotsk, Brest, Minsk, and elsewhere!

Thank you to all who give so generously to New Thing — you make it possible for Kozovaya and our “Response of the Heart” team to take advantage of the occasional unexpected bounty, for the sake of people in need.
Much love,
Doug Brendel

P.S. Some have wondered about our “talking stick” campaign for blind children at Molodzyechna. As of today, friends have generously given a total of $2,985.16 … so we only have $754.04 to go, and we’ll be able to deliver 10 units to the boarding school. Thank you again!

Talking Sticks? We’re on our way!…

I’m happy to report that generous friends have given a total of $2,410.16 toward “talking sticks” for blind children at Molodzyechna in Belarus. This is enough for 6 of the 10 units we hope to provide. Thank you to all who have given. If you haven’t participated in this project yet, we’d love to have your help. A single talking stick, at the current rate of exchange, costs $373.92. If you can give $93.48, we’ll combine your gift with three others to purchase one talking stick! But any donation you can make, large or small, will be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

Much love,

Doug Brendel

A Talking Stick?

Greetings! I’m still smiling about the magnifier we provided for the 102 blind and visually impaired children at Molodzyechna in Belarus 🙂 But now there’s a way we could help the blind children move around the school — or anywhere. Blind people often use a walking stick — but now there’s a “talking stick.” It’s not really a stick at all — it’s a lightweight pocket-sized electronic device that runs on a pair of regular AAA batteries. It uses ultrasonic waves to sense what’s ahead — more than 9 feet ahead. Then it warns the child of the obstacle! Or — if the area is too noisy (or hush-hush quiet, like a church or a museum) — it can communicate by vibration only. (It also comes with optional headphones.) The talking stick can see better than you or I! And there’s an “escape” mode that helps the child find small gaps, narrow passages, to get through even a crowded room or other congested area. There are too many blind children at the school to provide a talking stick for all of them. But if the boarding school had 10 units, they could train all the children to use them — and then provide talking sticks on an “as needed” basis — like when they take the children out on field trips and the like. A single talking stick, at the current rate of exchange, costs $373.92. I wonder if you would like to help us provide one of these. Not many of us could give $373.92, but maybe you could go halfway, with a gift of $186.96. Or three friends could give $124.64. Or four could give $93.48. Of course, whatever you give will make a huge difference for a blind child, and the 95 workers who are giving their lives to care for them. I would love to surprise the children at Molodzyechna with this amazing gift when I return to Belarus. But I depart on May 14th, which doesn’t give us much time. So please let me know right away what you feel you can do by then. And I thank you, from my heart. (If you want to go back in time and experience our very first visit to this school, here it is.) Much love, Doug Brendel

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