From July 22 – July 28, 2022, 57 people, including mothers and children with disabilities, were in the Carpathian’s. We had an extremely active vacation and recovery. We traveled in a comfortable bus all days of the journey. For the first time, children with Down syndrome climbed Mount Written Stone; young people with Autism climbed the Hamster Mountain; all participants climbed the Velyka Rokyta Mountain.

All participants of the trip visited the History of the Earth Park, the Dinosaur and Insect Park; in Hutsul Land Park; on Lake Molodosti; went up to the observation deck in Verkhovyna, visited the museum “Hata Hrazdha”. All days, the participants of the trip took water and health treatments in the Prutets mountain river and the indoor pool.

The participants lived and ate exclusively healthy, tasty traditional food, drank clean, medicinal water, enjoyed and recovered in the clean mountain air.

Communication between the participants was extremely important on this trip, mothers look forward to this moment every year to be with others like them. It was very important for young people and children to communicate, play and rest together. For 12 years, we have been going on a joint vacation and rehabilitation every year, and this year the war made adjustments to the psychological and physical condition of children with disabilities and their mothers, so it was very important for us to implement this project. For the entire time we were traveling, we were able to sleep without air sirens, relax without worrying about the children’s safety.

People who were forcibly relocated from the city of Popasna were also traveling with us. They cried every day from happiness and joy. After all, until this moment, they had never been to our native Carpathian’s.

We believe that in partnering with other organizations help strengthen other believers in their ministry. Through partnerships we have blessed 57 wonderful people. We will not know what this week of time that they have spend, what they have heard and what they have experienced; but we have the confidence that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is smiling down on us and we will hear all the wonderful things in Heaven.

1 Corinthians 3:7-10
So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

Vitaliy and Natalia Smolin
Open Door Foundation

Thank you again Samaritan’s Purse for your partnership.