Joanna Mangione of SOAR spoke to us about their recent trip to Russia for Stuff a Stocking. The team arrived in Ryazan just hours before the new year.

“We rung in the year with the church there. Actually, the tradition is that the church prays that last hour into midnight. So we got to do that with the church.”

That week, the team helped their church contact in Ryazan run a day camp for children in the church and the local community.

(Photo and header photo courtesy of SOAR International)

“It was a three-day long camp program that we did alongside the church [with] crafts and games and Bible stories and Bible lessons and English lessons. And it was basically a whole day program for the kids for three days in honor of the Christmas season.”

Over the next few days, they began distributing the stockings. These stockings contain necessities like gloves and shampoo, as well as toys and a Bible. In total, the team was able to distribute the gifts to four different children’s homes and a bedridden home in Ryazan. On January 7^th, they celebrated Christmas with the church according to the Orthodox calendar.

After Ryazan, they were off to St. Petersburg.

A surprise in St. Petersburg

Mangione says, “The church there is doing some amazing work with rehabilitating men and women. And we’ve known them for quite some time– have been doing this project with them for many, many years, and just last summer helped them with their summer camp. So it was really fun to get to see them again.”

Here, they participated in eight distributions. Many of these locations were children’s homes and transition homes, but Mangione says their outreach is growing beyond that.

“We went to even a few detention centers. We went to a sports school for kids who are brought into that opportunity. And then, we were incredibly surprised to get to actually get to do a small distribution inside a police station which even surprised our Russian brothers and sisters.

“We arrived and initially, we were under the impression it was a detention center. And when we arrived we realized it was the police station and we would be doing the distribution and the Gospel presentation for the children of policemen.”

Mangione says they were quite surprised and a little wary. But because they had been invited in, they went on with the distribution.

“It was actually a wonderful time. It was a couple of families who came into a room that they set aside and we were able to present the Gospel. We gave them their gifts, handed out Bibles. Both the parents and the children were there.”

(Photo courtesy of SOAR International)

The team praises God for his protection during this unexpected visit.

As it turns out, the policewoman who invited them to this particular distribution has been making a way for Stuff a Stocking to grow in this area.

“She loves the project so much that she has been the one to help open the doors into some of these transit homes and detention centers that we might, just on our own, might not have gotten into without her influence and invitation, and paving the way there for us.”

And so, Mangione says, “God definitely worked this January and is working in Russia and through that policewoman. We are so blessed that we got the opportunity to work with the church together in getting to bring gifts and getting to bring the Bible, and getting to bring the Gospel to the kids, and the adults for that matter, that we got to meet while there.”

It’s never a bad time to give to the Stuff A Stocking project, or to start sewing stockings for next year. For more information, click here.

Also, stay tuned for a look at SOAR International’s next project, Baskets of Hope. This project centers around Easter, the largest religious holiday in Russia.

This year, the team has a goal of handing out 2,500 stockings to children in Russia. These are children who are orphaned or come from impoverished or otherwise difficult backgrounds. The stockings will be distributed in Ryazan and St. Petersburg the first two weeks of January.

Joanna Mangione of SOAR says, “We’re really excited for this year. Again, our goal this year is 2,500 stockings to reach all of the kids. And included in the stockings are the hygiene products, and the small toys, and gifts like hats and gloves, and then the Bible as well. And as we visit each of these locations, the Gospel is shared. So that’s a huge impact there that you can be a part of.”

They still need sponsors for the stockings and Bibles, as well as for people to write letters and sew stockings.

The eternal impact of Stuff a Stocking

This project began as a bridge project to help local pastors build relationships with orphanages in and around their communities. The Christmas outreach continues to be a launching pad for other ministries throughout the year. And because it invites the global Body of Christ to help, it also serves as a great encouragement for churches in Russia.

(Photo courtesy of SOAR International)

So, what does it mean for a child to receive one of these stockings?

“You’ll hear from some kids, ‘I’ve never received a gift in my life. This is the first time I’ve ever received a gift.’ And that is such a big deal because not only is [it] wonderful to see that they’re getting their first gift, but [also] that their first gift includes a Bible and their first gift includes the Gospel message in letter form, in a puppet show, and in little tricks that our director does as he tells the Gospel.”

And because the gifts are thoughtful and include a personal letter, it communicates love to children who likely have never felt love before.

“This is their time when they are acknowledged and loved and they just soak it up,” Mangione says.

But the impact doesn’t even stop at the children. The directors have been impacted, too. First of all, they often see a change overcome the children after the Christmas season. Somehow this gift of love and the teaching on Jesus changes how they act. And secondly, some of the directors are even engaging with the Bibles given to the children.

“We have heard from directors ‘I finally understand the Bible. It was difficult in the adult Bibles but I have borrowed the youth Bible that you gave, and I’m starting to understand.’”

Mangione says they hear stories like this year after year. This kind of impact has also opened doors for SOAR to go back and plug into the community in other ways throughout the year.

Stuff a Stocking made possible by people like you

Projects like these require a number of pieces to come together. In other words, people need to step up to pray, give, or go. And it’s God who brings it all together. SOAR has seen this time and time again over the years.

“We have been in the middle of a project before [needing] additional funds. And, you know, we’re coming up with different fundraiser ideas and a check will come through and it’ll be this huge amount of money that will help cover the costs.”

They will also receive volunteer help from small groups from the community who come to help at SOAR headquarters in Alaska.

(Photo courtesy of SOAR International)

“We have been immensely blessed… We’ll get volunteers and they just work hard. And they just put all their effort into it.”

International teams as well are constantly exemplifying what it means to serve sacrificially as they give up rest and time in order to pour into the kids.

“It’s a daily thing that we just see how God has blessed us through the people who are around us and the people who make this ministry possible because we couldn’t do it without everybody who has donated their time, their money, their effort, and their prayers.”

If you’d like to be part of this divine recipe for blessing children in Russia, there are a few ways you can do that. If you’re a crafty person, consider helping with sewing stockings. You can find the pattern and information, here.

If you’d like to sponsor a stocking or to write a letter, click here.

The deadline for the stockings is December 20. Donations will be accepted for this year through December 25^th.

(Photo by SOAR International)

Russia (MNN) — Many people consider Christmas a magical season. Christians remember Christ’s birth, the most magical event in all the history of mankind. Because Christmas connects people from all walks of life, it would be a shame to let it pass by without sharing the love of Christ with someone–even if they’re all the way in Russia.

That’s the reason for the  “Stuff a Stocking” project through SOAR International says SOAR’s Joanna Mangione.

Stuff a Stocking is a unique opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child in Russia. Stockings “are stuffed with hygiene items and school supplies, some gloves, hats, snacks, some small toys,” says Mangione. “We bring these into the orphanages, along with other pastors that we partner with, to visit with the orphans and give them these items.”

Each year SOAR raises money to give as many stockings as they can; they shoot for around 2,000.

Each stocking costs $50 to sponsor.

Mangione says this amount pays for the stocking as well as the items purchased to include in the stocking. In addition, each stocking sponsor is encouraged “to write a letter to the orphan who receives their stocking. And this, at times, is something that the orphan looks for first.”

On the back of each letter they receive, the Gospel is written in the orphan’s language. This is extremely important because along with the items included in the stocking, the child can receive a Bible, too. The orphans are given an opportunity to write a note to the sponsor of their stocking.

(Photo by SOAR International)

Manigione describes what it’s like to give these children gifts: “It’s almost overwhelming because, being from America, I guess I’m not used to seeing such joy from such a small thing. It’s nothing huge, and yet to them it is the greatest treasure. You can’t help but want to cry or just hug them or hold them or just be with them because they feel loved.”

This act of love, made possible by volunteers like you, helps the children understand Christ’s love for them–and it opens doors to continue ministry to them.

Mangione says many Russian Orphanages disallow evangelical pastors into their orphanages, believing Christianity to be a cult.

But because of SOAR’s reputation in this area, “As Americans bringing in gifts, they will allow us to come in; we can [also] bring in pastors with us so that after we are gone, the church can follow up.

“So it’s so much more than just westerners coming in with these awesome gifts: it’s a bridge so that the ministry can continue. It doesn’t end when we leave from there. And when you sponsor a stocking, you are also helping the ministry to continue even after that stocking is emptied.”

There are several ways to help with this project. If you want to give financially, you can visit SOAR’s Web site here and give directly to this project. This also includes a written letter. If you prefer to give by check, you can send it with the letter by mail. Information for that is right here.

If you’re a crafty person, you can sew a stocking (or a few) and send them to SOAR. The template and instructions can be found under the “Get Involved!” tab here.

And finally, click here and select the PRAY and GO tabs to get involved that way. A small team is heading out the first or second week of January to distribute the stockings. (Christmas in Russia is celebrated the first week of January.) You can participate in the distribution on a 10-day trip costing about $3500 per person. If you’re interested, get your application in right away.

For more information on “Stuff a Stocking,” you can contact SOAR at 907-283-1961.

Share your story: have you ever received a gift that’s impacted your understanding of the greatest gift, Jesus? How would you encourage others to repeat that gifting? Respond in the comments section below.

Speaking from just outside Moscow,
SOAR's Greg Mangione says, "We have been welcomed with open arms. There's been some cautiousness–not wanting to step on toes of leadership, but the orphanages, the directors, and teachers have been very grateful."

Working with the local church, the team has a Gospel magic show while the church has "a Gospel puppet skit put together. So it's been a great time of evangelizing these kids and just spending some time, showing them love."

SOAR is nearly half-way in their goal of delivering 1800 gifts to orphans as part of their "Stuff a Stocking" campaign. 

Pray that the churches will be effective in following up. If you'd like to help SOAR with their upcoming Easter Basket outreach, go to www.MissionNetworkNews.org.

Greg Mangione with SOAR International Ministries is leading the team. "We'll be spending about eight days there traveling between at least five different cities and numerous orphanages around each of those cities, bringing the hope of the Gospel and gifts filled with needed items, candy, toys, and such."

It's all part of SOAR's Stuff A Stocking campaign. They were able to raising funding for 1,800 stockings this year.

While the ministry is primarily for the kids, Mangione says it does have an impact on the caregivers, too. "Often they only have a budget for one bottle of shampoo to share with 20 kids for a month or several weeks. They're used to having to stretch things just so thin. So, just bringing in those basic items is huge, both for the kids and the orphanage director and teachers."

This kind of ministry doesn't happen without the local church. "One of our primary goals is to [help] the local church and give credibility for them to be able to serve their people," says Mangione. "Unfortunately, a lot of the perception that the local people have is that the church is something weird or a sect."

Stuff A Stocking gives the community an "opportunity to meet [Christians] and see that they are people with a loving heart –there to serve without their own agenda."

While this is the conclusion of their Stuff a Stocking campaign, SOAR is now gearing up for their Easter basket ministry. Funding and volunteers are needed for this program.

If you'd like to help, click here.