Children's Hospital in Chop

Last, last Sunday, our friend, Volodya, invited Mike to join him as he went to preach at a Roma (Gypsy) church in the evening. Solomiya and I decided to go also. This was a perfect opportunity because this church is involved with helping out the Children's hospital in Chop (a small city just this side of the Ukrainian border, about 10 miles away). I had really wanted to go back, but we were so busy getting ready for our trip to the US, then we were in the US, then I was a chicken about calling Ernesto (our contact) because he doesn't speak English and I didn't think I could communicate clearly enough with him, blah blah blah.
So- we all went to their church and I used Mike to be my translator. We set up a day to go to the hospital with them.
This past Friday, we met Ernesto and 2 of his friends: Alyosha and Kostya, and headed to Chop. We bought some fruit for the toddlers and diapers and wipes for all!
For those of you who remember my first post about the babies in Chop, you might recall a picture of a little baby with a huge head. We found out when we arrived that that baby had passed away not too long ago.
We delivered the supplies, chatted with the nurses a bit and played with one of the little girls, Larisa. She was also there the first time I visited. Her mom had dropped her off a few weeks prior, deciding that she did not want her because of her physical and cognitive issues. She's about 3 years old.
Larisa began calling each of us "Mama" when we walked into the room and wanted to be held.
We're planning on making this a weekly trip. This hospital has so many needs and no funds to get supplies. I am hoping that as our relationship with the nurses strengthens, they will allow us to be more involved with the care of the babies and that I can incorporate some OT.