Check out the articles from our latest newsletter below:

Coffee House 2010

Host a coffee house in your area!   Advance work is minimal, and it provides a fun venue for those familiar with The Boaz Project to catch up on the latest news and introduce others to the ministry.   If interested, please contact David by writing him at david@boazproject.org.

10 Days of Prayer 2009

Impact orphans around the world by joining us for The Boaz Project’s Festival of Prayer, Feb. 16-25.  A brochure which includes specific topics of prayer for each day can be downloaded from www.boazproject.org.   If you live in the Greenwood, IN area, please plan to pray with our staff at 9:00 a.m. in our office any or allof those days.  Also, we’d love to have you attend the closing prayer service at Southport Presbyterian Church on Feb. 25 at 7:00 p.m.

Walk for an Orphan 2009

Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you’ll be…helping orphans!  The Boaz Project’s Walk for an Orphan 2010 will be held Saturday, April 24 on the Greenwood walking trail.  But if you aren’t in the Greenwood area, you can walk where you are!  To get details and sign up online, visit www.boazproject.org.

Sponsor one of this year’s events.  You can choose from Walk for an Orphan (April 24), the Fore Orphans Golf Scramble (May 14), or our volunteer appreciation dinner (Nov. 13).  Or, maximize your giving by taking advantage of our multiple event discount incentives!  Sponsorship information is available online at www.boazproject.org by clicking on the event, or contact cathy@boazproject.org for details.

Speaking of sponsorship, we’d like to thank last year’s volunteer appreciation banquet sponsors, Grace Assembly of God Church, Bioslife, Veal Insurance Agency, Arthur Murray Dance Studios, and Buca di Beppo.  They enabled us to express our gratitude to the many volunteers who make the ministry of The Boaz Project possible.

Gift delivery at the Vladimir Orphanage 2010

Encourage your church, Vacation Bible School, or other group to participate in the orphan gift bank program.  This year, nearly $22,000 was raised through this program alone.  We are redesigning our banks so they aren’t just for Christmas anymore! We can send you banks to collect monies for orphans’ birthday presents anytime of the year.  Write to cathy@boazproject.org for details.

Help us cut costs AND keep you up-to-date on Boaz events by sharing your Email address for prayer and news updates.  Just send a note to don@boazproject.org, letting him know you want to stay in the loop.  We have already reduced costs greatly by converting one third of our newsletter recipients to an Email version of this newsletter.

Explore other ways to get involved by visiting www.boazproject.org.  Choose the “Get Involved” tab and click on “Ways to Help.”  There’s something for everyone!

Children in Barskoye open their presents

As children, many of us have wondered just what it would be like to be one of Santa’s elves, helping prepare toys for children and magically travelling from home to home, leaving surprises for boys and girls.

Well, The Boaz Project’s Christmas trips are probably as close to that dream as one can actually live out.

This year, a team of six Americans flew to Vladimir, Russia.

Their sleigh, a Boeing  767.

Once there, they purchased toys, slippers, bath towels, tooth brushes and toothpaste, athletic equipment, socks, gloves, and mittens.  Then they began assembling gift packages for 400 orphans and delivering them in rapid succession.

Of course, the analogy kind of breaks down there, as I’ve never heard of Rudolph losing any of the bags along the way, while our team had three duffels lost to the abyss of commercial airlines.  But in due time, they were returned, and the contents were distributed among eight orphanages.

And a Boaz team member stayed longer than to just “lay a finger aside of his nose.”  In most of the orphanages (those not under quarantine due to the H1N1 virus), the team stayed to play with the children, learn about their lives, or be entertained by their concerts.

Most importantly, the team brought joy that will last beyond Christmas morning.  They brought the  hope of a Savior who loves each child

While in the Vladimir region, The Boaz Project’s December team visited the children of Sobinka.

Sobinka Ripe for Harvest

Boys in Sobinka

Nearly everyone who’s traveled to Vladimir with The Boaz Project has a vivid memory from Sobinka.  Most who joined us on teams in our earliest years recall the stench that permeated from the building before even entering it.  Some remember boys fist-fighting over gifts we had just delivered and girls who could look no one in the face.

And then there was the team that prayed for the director to be removed from her post…which would take a real miracle.  Within weeks of their visit, word came that a new director was in place.  They also prayed for the Bible Discovery class teacher, Ira, that her words of hope would reach the orphans’ hearts.

Those who’ve come more recently see Sobinka in a different way.  Thanks to construction Boaz teams, the orphanage no longer smells.  The newer director has improved living conditions, food quality, and extra-curricular options for the children living there.

But erecting new walls and giving the place a good coat of paint can be accomplished so much more quickly than healing the heart.

Today there is openness in Sobinka we’ve never experienced before.  Our last team to hold a VBS in Sobinka discussed deep matters with the older kids, who were willing to expose their wounds for just a moment.  The children appear hungry for adult interaction, for guidance, even for knowing the God who created them.  And we at The Boaz Project are eager to seize the opportunity to share Christ’s love with them.

But for purely financial reasons, the church that has supported The Boaz Project’s work in Sobinka has recently been forced to reduce their giving, eliminating the support they can give to this particular orphanage.

That’s why we need your help.

To continue helping the children of Sobinka, The Boaz Project must find $425 per month in new gifts.

Enclosed you’ll find a card asking you to consider making a financial commitment to these children.

Or, you can give online at www.boazproject.org Click Donate and be sure to designate your gift for Sobinka.

If you know of a small group, church, or organization who may be interested in sponsoring the Sobinka Children’s Home, please present this need to them, as well.

Financial gifts will enable The Boaz Project to build on the relationship developed with orphans in that home over a ten-year period.  Now that the harvest is ripe, we can’t stop our ministry to these children and teens!  Please pray The Boaz Project will be able to continue offering hope to them.