God Never Forgets
One little orphaned boy heard about God years ago, and now his adopted family is helping him grow in Christ.
As the end of the year draws close, we want to appreciate the incredible testimonies that we’re receiving and thank you for your prayers and support.
Your commitment to James 1:27 in 2025 has expanded our care from 5,000 to 37,000 orphans and widows and made stories like Pasha’s possible!
Pasha’s whole life turned upside down when his parents died. He was one of the fortunate orphans who actually made it to a state orphanage, a growing rarity in Ukraine where such institutions are straining beneath the weight of a government in wartime and the influx of new children entering the system. Regardless, Pasha made it to a safe place.
While he was there, Christians from a nearby church would visit and spend time with the children. They told him about Jesus, prayer, and God’s unconditional love. Those moments made a deep impression on Pasha.
Then his life turned upside down again, only this time for the better.
A family adopted Pasha. He had a new home, new parents, and a new environment. They took him to their Orthodox church, but the hallway of icons and the distant statues of saints made Pasha long for the God that he had learned about while in the orphanage.
He surprised his new parents by saying, “Mom, can you find me a church without icons? I want to go where people just talk to Jesus.”
His mother, touched by his sincerity, started looking. That’s when she heard about a children’s camp organized by World Challenge’s partners. She decided to come and see for herself what kind of place her son was so drawn to. The first thing she noticed was that there were no icons or formal rituals, just sincere teaching about God, prayer, and genuine love for children.
“This is exactly what he is looking for,” she said.
Pasha spent all three days at camp, delighted by it all. He didn’t just attend; he participated eagerly in discussions, games, and prayers. At the end of every day, he asked, “Is there more tomorrow?”
Now Pasha is an active member of the children’s club at our partner’s care center.
Even though the family lives far away, his mom makes the effort to bring him because she sees how important it is to him. She sees the light in his eyes every time he comes home with a new story about Jesus.
“This isn’t just a story about a child,” our partners wrote. “It’s a story about a heart that was searching for God, and found him, even through loss, change, and pain. Because God never forgets even one Pasha.”
Being part of testimonies like Pasha’s is at the heart of World Challenge’s drive to reach orphans and widows worldwide.