Broken, chipped, uneven, missing pieces…these are the good things I can say about the floor in the dining hall for the kids.  When we first visited Barskoe Gorodische, the whole kitchen /dining hall was unimaginable, by American standards.

No school, not even a prison could have operated in like fashion here at home.  From the kitchen equipment, sinks, eating utensils, and such, even to the very building itself, it was a nightmare to think children ate there, when there was food.

Over the last few years, God has enabled us, through our supporters, to do a complete overhaul.  You have seen past reports of building repairs, restaurant quality kitchen equipment, and the rest being replaced.  The last vestige of filth was the floor.  You see the old floor in the bottom four pictures.

I remember our first banquet with the kids, years ago.  They all came in from the rain and mud.  That nasty floor was a mud puddle. Someone knocked a slice of watermelon off the table.  When it hit that filthy floor, I thought, “Yuk!”  I was going to pick it up, but several little hands clamored in the filth for it.  The winner shot it straight into his mouth. Whoa! I wasn’t expecting that!

When I think back to our beginnings, that image always appears in my mind. That dirty floor was always dirty, even when it was clean and dry. It was sickening just thinking about it.

But, that was yesterday, and yesterday is gone! Praise the Lord.  Now, they have a steady supply of good food.  Table manners and social graces have come a long way with them.  And, just look at the floor now!  Now, there is a floor that can actually be cleaned.  No, I mean really cleaned.  It’s a floor that after being mopped, it looks like it has been mopped!

The greater benefit of all these improvements, however, is the kids, and the staff, see there is a God who loves them, and remembers their plight.