Meet the Children

Yaroslav Dixno
Yaroslav is a uniquely tender-hearted 12 year old boy. He cares for people out of love and leads among the children at the orphanage. If there is a fight, he wants to stop it; if a child is crying, he tries to comfort him. He loves to make other people laugh and his smile remains pure even after years of pain and hardship. His loves include animals, break-dancing, drawing, and listening to music.

Yuaroslav is the youngest of 10 children. At 5 years old, his mother’s parental rights were fully removed due to neglect and Yaroslav was placed in the orphanage system alongside his brother Greesha who was 11 at the time. In August 2007, Greesha completed his time at the orphanage while Yaroslav currently continues there in the 6th grade. Years had passed since he had last seen his brother and it has been 5 years since Yaroslav had heard from any of his other siblings. He has only heard from his mother once in all these years. These realities have proven the most difficult aspect of life for Yaroslav. He desperately desires to have a family, to belong and be loved. Some of this reality changed for Yaroslav when his older brother Greesha showed up at the orphanage in July 2009. This event was an answer to many prayers and a day of celebration for Yaroslav. This reconnection has brought about a rekindled relationship with one of Yaroslav’s older sister’s. He hopes to spend the Christmas holidays with her and her family. As much as this is an exciting turn of events, it also brings about a great deal of questions for Yaroslav as he sifts through years of emotions. He struggles to understand why he remains at the orphanage, why they never came to him in all these years, and why he continues to feel so alone. Our Open Arms team in Ukraine is doing their best to support Yaroslav in this process; spending time with him and continuing to show him God’s unfailing love.

Yaroslav works hard in his classes; he loves to recite his English vocabulary and hopes to play soccer on the school’s team in the next few years. From the outside, Yaroslav is what any 13 year old should be. He seems to grow an inch taller every day, he loves sports (watching and playing), break-dances at the schools dance parties, falls asleep to his favorite music, and loves swimming in the river everyday during summer. But behind Yaroslav’s amazing smile is a broken heart desperately seeking God’s healing touch; a 13 year old who has seen and experienced more heart-ache than one heart should have to take alone.

Weekly visits are made to the Pravdinsky Orphanage as our relationship with Yuroslav continues to grow. Join us in prayer that Yuroslav will open his heart to God’s healing grace and allow God to be the Father that he has never had.

Yaroslav is a part of our ministry to the Pravdinsky Orphanage. Learn more about this ministry here.

Sasha Pevniv

Sasha is a rare kid – he is hard not to love when first met simply because of his radiating smile. His charm and charisma make him an irresistible person to be around and he seems to be able to make everyone else in the room light up simply with his presence. He has a zest for life that is hard to match and has been gifted in countless ways with intelligence and athletic ability. Break-dancing and listening to music are some of his greatest loves, but the thing Sasha loves most in the world are people – the friends he considers family and holds so dear.

At 7 years old, he was abandoned by his mother and placed in the orphanage system at the 1st grade. His older sister was in second grade, but quickly adopted by a Ukrainian family. Prior to the orphanage, Sasha experienced years of neglect and abuse; making his enduring smile even more remarkable. At 15, Sasha’s abilities were recognized by the orphanage faculty and he was sent to a better school to finish his high school years. Relationship was such a high priority to Sasha that he repeatedly ran away to return to his friends at the Pravdinsky Orphanage – years of growing up together causes a unique brotherhood among these children. His punishment for running away was a month long stay at a mental hospital; undergoing shock therapy and being drugged in solitude. Finally, he returned to Pravdinsky, where the Open Arms Team met this amazing kid.

After finishing the orphanage following the 9th grade, without even a high school diploma, he was sent to a trade school in the nearby town of Krasnapolye. Within his first 3 months, Sasha made, what will hopefully remain, the biggest mistake of his life. After stealing with a group of boys, Sasha found himself sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison. He was sent to the Sambir Juvenile Colony in Western Ukraine to carry out this sentence and we have been privileged to continue our ministry with him. Monthly visits are made with hours spent talking, laughing, and sharing about God’s love. His thirst for truth is astounding and God continually works in this process of prison. For all of us, Grace is a free gift, but for Sasha it is something he desperately seeks as his faults have been placed so clearly before him.

In March 2009, Sasha completed the first year of his prison sentence. Though the time is wearing on him, he remains strong in desiring to do what is best with his time and receive early release on his good behavior. We are exploring the possibilities of Christian transition programs that may help Sasha in his process following his time in Sambir; that these years in the juvenile facility would not define him, but help him become a better person in following Christ. Ultimately, the Open Arms Team gets the astounding privilege of being Sasha’s family throughout this process while supporting him emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Please join us in prayer as Sasha explores what it means to love and life for God. We pray for a miracle – for Sasha to find freedom both spiritually and physically.

Sasha is a part of our Prison Ministry.  Learn more about this ministry here.





Dusya Sityuk

At 20 years old, Dusya is a tiny young woman, not even reaching 5 feet tall. But what she lacks in size she makes up for in strength – physically and emotionally. As a child, after her father had left her family, Dusya and three brothers, one older and two younger,  were abandoned by their mother for long periods of time. At as young as 6, she was left to care for her siblings alone in their home until they were eventually taken to the orphanage. She and her brother Misha spent about 10 years in the orphanage system, even with both father and mother still alive – their father was in jail for a number of years and no one knew exactly where their mother was. It was at Pravdinska during a summer camp, that Dusya understood God’s love and forgiveness and accepted it in her life. But without a church or many other Christians around, her faith has struggled to grow on her own. After her graduation for the Pravdinska orphanage in summer of 2006 she and a young man named Sergey (from her graduating class at the orphanage) had a baby girl named Vala in April of 2007. Dusya had been attending a trade school in a nearby village until she had Vala. She and Sergey have worked hard to be a family for Vala and give her the love they didn’t receive in their own childhoods.

Dusya’s uncle owns a home in the village Ivanivka that is right next to the orphanage, and they were blessed to live in it until September of 2009 when they were able to purchase their own home in a village called Krasnapolye. Dusya has a way of making anyone feel welcome in her home and sharing her love with anyone who needs it. For the two and a half years living in that home, Dusya continued to remain a friend and act as an older sister and mother to many of the kids still at the orphanage. Her hospitality seems to be endless and even when they don’t have much of their own, she is always making sure to feed and care for anyone who comes to visit.

While she has never had much opportunity to be taught, have Christian fellowship or visit a church, God’s work in Dusya’s heart is evident. Living with Sergey and Vala (and often her brother Misha, her father, and other graduated orphans they know) Dusya is always taking care of more than just herself. At 21, Sergey’s addiction to alcohol and gambling has continued to make life exhausting for Dusya. She is always trying to help Sergey and hold their little family together “for Vala’s sake,” knowing what its like to grow up with alcoholism and brokenness in your home.

Despite the pains of her lonely childhood, and the constant trails of her life today, Dusya’s strength, resilience, and love have remained strong through her relationship with her Heavenly Father. Whenever the team visits her house she shares about her desire to raise Vala in Christian home and teach her about God. With Vala now in pre-school, Dusya is back trying to finish her trade school education in Krasnapolye. She does her best to remain encouraged, find her strength and keep her faith in God.

Dusya is a part of our Post-Orphanage Ministry.  Learn more about this ministry here.