August 12, 2002
Veritsa, RUSSIA – Buckner volunteer Rodney Henry, a member of First Baptist Church of Longview, points to the correct answer during a mix-and-match Bible memory verse station designed to help children from Orphanage No. 2 in St. Petersburg remember the verse. Each station, including crafts and story times, underscored a biblical truth every day. St. Petersburg, RUSSIA – Susan Henry of First Baptist Church of Longview helps Dr. Anatoly Zhelesnov, director of Orphanage No. 15, spread out one of dozens of quilts made by Buckner volunteers and transported over by the missions team. The bags of humanitarian aid brought over by the team also included medicine, hygiene supplies and children’s needs.
Justin Henry and family minister to children
who have none in St. Petersburg
___By Russ Dilday
___Buckner News Services
___ST. PETERSBURG, Russia--Tall and tan, Baylor University junior Justin Henry looks more at home onan athletic field than in the dark room at St. Petersburg Orphans' Hospital. Small and frail, one of the four babies in the room cries for food as the duty nurse sticks a bottle in Justin's hand, inviting him to feed the child.
Veritsa, RUSSIA – Kevin Henry finds it hard to part with Alosha on the final day of the Vacation Bible School camp held by Buckner in July.
___Gingerly--and on unsure ground--he props the baby boy up with his hand and administers the bottle, talking softly to the infant. For the tiny boy, who is just 28 days old, Henry's hand is one of the few to have shown him love. Abandoned at birth, he is being monitored closely at the hospital because doctors believe he has HIV.
___Happy squeals come from nearby rooms as Henry's parents, Rodney and Susan, and younger brother, Kevin, play with the older children at the hospital. They are among volunteers from First Baptist Church of Longview, First Baptist Church of Haskell and other churches who have come to lend a hand at the hospital for abandoned, abused and neglected children.
___In addition to bringing smiles, the Texans also brought much-needed humanitarian aid to the hospital in the form of medicine, health supplies, clothing and warm quilts.
___The ministry to the hospital capped a week of hard work by the volunteers, who also provided dozens of children from St. Petersburg's Orphanage No. 2 with a Vacation Bible School-type camp. The team was one of four that conducted camps or worked in orphanages as part of Buckner Orphan Care International's summer ministries in Russia.
___The Henrys, members of First Baptist in Longview, said doing ministry as a family allowed them to extend the love of their family to children who have none.
___"I think it's pretty clear when we work with these kids that they don't have the kind of family love we experience," said Rodney Henry, a cardiologist and a member of the Buckner board of trustees. "Being able to share Christ with them as a family and show them that kind of family love in this sort of situation has meant a lot to me. It strengthens my feelings toward my family. It is another one of things where I get more out of this than the kids do."
___The camp allowed the Longview family to develop deep bonds with several of the orphans, said Kevin Henry. "I've latched on to a couple of kids. It's real fulfilling. I don't have a younger brother, so it's really shown me what being a older brother is all about. It's just really humbling."
___ Mrs. Henry fought back tears of pride for her sons as she noted the trip changed how she looks at her own family.
___ "This mission trip has made me especially proud of my family," she said. "We've worked very hard to share God's love with our own children. And then in turn to be able to see them pass that on to other children, it's the most incredible feeling that you can experience as a mom."
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