Don't believe me? Then ask anyone who was at the Christmas meeting of the SMS club.

The auction and the sale of home-made treats were the idea of the organizers to raise funds for a rehabilitation center in the village of Bolshaya Rublovka. In fact they were able to raise 2046.70 grivna. We hope that it will be enough to fix the heating systemm at the center in preparation for the cold winter. Recall that it was during the cold weather that the boiler broke in the room that the rehabilitants occupy.

Certainly, we are all interested in finding out what was being auctioned; for what, in fact, were Poltava students paying from their modest means?

The answer is simple. The members of Salvation Church decided to offer their professional services for auction. For example, the Golovash family offered several individual voice and drum lessons. And Olga Golyuk offered to teach the most generous bidder the basics of playing the piano. A talented hairdresser, Marina Nikolaeva, will give the winner her services for a New Year hairstyle. An American, Kera Krestel, will give the successful bidder two free English lessons. Eugene Konvisar, a master of the sport of shooting, will teach the benefactor to shoot with a rifle and pistol.

It's hard to count all of the people who offered services and otherwise helped in this event. It's also worth noting that some performers and businesses gave tickets to various shows and entertainment events for the auction. So thanks are due, in fact, both to those who agreed to provide services, and not only to those who bought them.

The bidding at the auction and the festive Christmas Fair was covered by the local Poltava TV station "Ltava." Below in the article you can see the on-line video of the program that includes the report and photos of the event. We hope that these good works of God's Church will cause non-believers to glorify the Name of the Most High and seek peace with Him! (Matthew 5:16)

* CMC - Christian Ministry Center (Poltava, Prospekt Mira, 24)

Tanya Varyanitsa