Category: Sasha’s Story

Russia, Sasha's Story, special needs

From Russia, With Love

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Did you know Ting Ministries is in Russia? Through the help of Sasha’s biological family (sister pictured above) we have: helped an animal shelter, supported families with groceries, participated in medical outreach and family care, shared the Gospel, participated in Christmas programs for children with special needs and more. Sasha’s sister leads a dance class for children in the village!

From Russia with Love!

To support Ting Ministries in Russia, please consider a financial gift of any amount! You can give:

By check: Ting Ministries, 29 East Poplar Street, Lebanon, PA 17042

Online: http://www.paypal.me/Tingministries

Completed Projects, Russia, Sasha's Story

FULLY FUNDED: RUSSIA! $1,600 NEEDED THIS WEEK!

tingministries
UPDATE on Russia Medical Need: May 28, 2021 FULLY FUNDED!
We would like to send a big thank you (спасибо огромное!) to everyone who gave towards the cost of my dad’s medical needs! Thanks to some generous supporters, this week we were able to send my family the funds needed for the wound vacuum and related materials! My dad will be able to receive his device soon!
Please keep my family in your prayers – for healing, wisdom and comfort! We were so blessed to meet this need through Ting Ministries and both my families were so thankful!
Pictured: My sister Lera, the day of her 9th grade graduation ceremony. Her outfit is a traditional Soviet dress worn on such days, known as последний звонок, that is “the final bell.”
Dear friends, this is Sasha coming to you with an urgent plea for fundraising! My step-dad in Russia has been suffering with severe leg pain, several (unsuccessful) surgeries and is now in need of a wound-vacuum and bandage sets, costing a total of $1,600! Much like our ministry partners in the Philippines experienced, doctors will not offer the necessary treatment until it is paid for. My family is afraid that without the wound vac, my dad will pass away! To many families in Russia, such a sum of money would be an unthinkable cost – but we at Ting Ministries know that nothing is impossible with God! Losing my dad would be devastating to me and my family, along with their farm and livelihood. My birth family has carried out ministry in Russia, serving special-needs children, animal rescue and family’s in-need since we found one another. How incredibly special it would be for the Ting Ministries family of supporters to support my family in their time of need, both for them, myself and my adoptive family.
So, if you can give even $5 – I humbly urge you to SHARE this post! You will be an answer to prayer and living example of Jesus Christ. To Give:
1. Donate Online (FASTEST!): www.paypal.me/Tingministries
2. Send a Check: Ting Ministries, 29 East Poplar Street, Lebanon, PA 17042
Thank you all very much! Please pray for my dad’s health, for the doctor’s wisdom and for comfort during this very difficult time. May God bless you!
Pictured: My birth family from over a year ago
Adoption, Eastern Europe, International Adoption, Russia, Sasha's Story, special needs

Spirit of Adoption Radio Interview with Sasha Carpenter: Abortion Survivor, Disabled, International Adoptee & Reunified with Birth Family!

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From Stephanie Carpenter, co-founder and co-director of Ting Ministries:
“In our current culture where identity is such a hot topic I encourage you to take a listen to my oldest daughter’s testimony/story. Click HERE  to listen to her interview with Spirit of Adoption Radio.
This is her story and that of her birthmother. I have had the privilege and honor to meet and hug Sasha’s birthmother and I love her with all my heart. She is my family. This is also her story. Out of her trauma, heartache and grief I was given one of the greatest joys of my life. Every life is precious. Be careful of judgement particularly when answering your adopted children’s questions regarding their birth family because often we do not know the WHOLE STORY!
Our God – because of Jesus Christ – has allowed Sasha to bring 2 mothers together from opposite ends of the world. This is their story!
Sasha ‘s name is Natalya Aleksandra ( we each gave her a portion of her name)
and the verses that go with the name Natalya are from Psalms 9:1-2:
‘I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you.
I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.'”
From Sasha Carpenter;
“I had the honor and blessing of speaking with Spirit of Adoption Radio about an important topic in the adoption community: My identity as an abortion survivor and disabled, international adoptee who found my birth family, but most importantly, who knows that all the questions of “Why?” and “Who Am I?” adoptees often struggle with can only be answered by the Great I AM – my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Pictured Left: Sasha in the arms of her adoptive mother as a baby in Russia
Pictured Right: Sasha in the arms of her birth mother, 21 years later
International Adoption, Sasha's Story

Read Sasha’s Published Book Chapter in the Latest Adoption Story Anthology

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Ting Ministries is excited to announce the publication of Sasha’s book chapter, “Lessons I Learned as an Adopted Daughter.” Sasha was one of 28 voices in the adoption community to come together in the newest adoption anthology, “Hope for the Adoption Journey.” Compiled by Katherine Piper, the collection features stories of struggle and joy, a collection of stories meant to comfort and encourage readers from all parts of the adoption community.

Here’s an excerpt of what Sasha had to say about her chapter. You can read more on her blog HERE.

Natalya

[…]My chapter [in the anthology] focuses on exactly what the title suggests: lessons I’ve learned growing up as an adopted daughter and sister to other special-needs siblings. I believe that my parents have raised me with a different perspective on many issues adopted children face, such as: questions of identity, birth family, dealing with trauma and more. It has given me complete freedom from the struggles commonly faced by adopted kids. This freedom, rooted by an identity in Christ alone, has given allowed me to pursue my God-given passions to be a Voice for the Voiceless.

Started in my junior year, it is incredible to now see the finished book in front of me. A lot of things have happened since then – including the adoption of my two newest sisters and finding my birth family in Russia! As I wrote my chapter, I wanted to provide mothers, families, and other adopted kids a taste of the kinds of things my parents taught me, that have shaped who I am today. These lessons are hard. They take time and effort, patience and prayer. I remind myself of them every day.

But I also know these lessons are the truth – because Christ is in the center […]

You can read reviews and order Hope for the Adoption Journey: 28 Stories to Comfort and Encourage, on Amazon HERE.

 

Eastern Europe, International Adoption, Sasha's Story, speaking engagements

Let’s Talk About Moses…Guest Post from Sasha

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Sasha, the Administrative Assistant and Web Designer for Ting Ministries, speaks about a Biblical adoption story we may tend to miss, and her own journey to finding her birth mom.

 

My Story: Russia & Redemption

Thank you for your encouragement, support, and prayers for Ting Ministries. In this month’s update, I’d like to share a few words the Lord has laid on my heart. Some of you may know that this coming fall, I will be a senior at Bucknell University. Next fall, I plan to pursue a Master of Arts in Religion (Biblical Studies track) at Evangelical Seminary. This spring, i am blessed to share about the open door the Lord has placed in my life. At the end of April, my Russian TA helped me find my birth mother, younger half-sister, and relatives in Russia! After I did an interview in Russian with my friend Maria, she helped me look through my adoption documents. After less than an hour of searching, she found my mom on Russian social media. Since then, it has been an incredible privilege to video call my mom, tell her I forgive her and that Jesus loves her, and learn more about the previously unknown circumstances surrounding my adoption. Just a small excerpt from my story follows and you can read more and watch the interview on my blog here.

My mother was very young when she was pregnant with me and when her dad (my biological grandfather, after whom I am named) took her to get a very late-term abortion. The force of the procedure is what caused my very mild Cerebral Palsy. When I was removed from the womb, doctors thought I’d be dead – but the Lord preserved my life! My mom stayed with me in the hospital until one day, when she came to visit me, I was gone. They had moved me to an orphanage, but didn’t tell my mom what had happened. For 21 years, she thought I was dead. On his deathbed, several years after my birth, my grandfather asked for my mom’s forgiveness for making her give me up. What a beautiful story of redemption the Lord has been writing and is continuing to write, for everyone involved…

 

Let’s Talk About Moses: What We Miss about this Biblical Adoption

As this new chapter in my life is unfolding, I find myself turning to the story of Moses. One thing I realized we don’t talk about when we talk about Moses is that…Moses was adopted. The Lord chose him to be saved from the life of a slave and to be given a life of privilege, so that one day, he would return to his people, his family, and lead them out of bondage (Exodus 4:18). We know that the Passover in Exodus foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice through Christ’s death on the cross. This new realization of adoption in Moses’ story only serves to add more assurance that adoption is at the center of God’s heart. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are adopted into God’s family (Ephesians 1:5). I’d love to share more about my story and God’s Word with anyone individually, or at Bible studies, prayer meetings, a Sunday service, or other venues! Please don’t hesitate to contact me and Ting Ministries.

The Story Continues: Return 2 China

Not only does my family celebrate my adoption story the Lord is continuing to write and pray for my relatives, that they may come to know Jesus. We are also soon bringing home my two sisters Hope and Brittan! We plan to travel at the end of June and are only $3,000 dollars away from completing the adoption. If you feel led to help us in the final weeks of Hope and Britt’s adoption, you may give online at: www.paypal.me/Tingministries or send a check to our mailing address at the top of this letter. Thank you, dear friends, for your continuing encouragement and support.