Success story- our Maxim Boradin

We like to say that the trade school makes a difference in the lives of our students, that they have a safe haven from the world, learn some life and work skills, are introduced to Jesus and see what a family is like to live with, but sometimes we can do all those things and even more for the students who come. It is always interesting to compare our new students to Maxim, but he is one of a kind.

Here is Max at Providence University College in Manitoba where he is enrolled as a English Language student for this year. He plans to eventually study Church Ministry there. This was Thursday when our daughter-in-law dropped him off for International student orientation, and to move into the dorm.

We first met Max as the youngest student the first year of the trade school, in September 2012. He had just graduated from the orphanage in Molochansk (the old Mennonite colony of Moloshkina) and had a dim future since he had been in the disabled orphanage, apparently because his mother was a drug addict who gave him up at birth. Garry was worried he wouldn't fit in because the other students were older.

Max with Garry and one of the other students

He quickly became Garry's favorite student because he was so eager to learn everything. He became a saved Christian during the year. Once Garry asked him if he was like the little kids trying to sell papers by Mc Donald's growing up and he said before he came here, he did't know that stealing was wrong, so he used to take stuff instead. Apparently the market stalls at the bazaar closed quickly when the orphans came running.

However, he always had a heart for helping people. When Garry took him back to the orphanage last year to visit, he was eager to check on some old babushkas that he used to help with their gardens. Garry's favorite story about Max from the first year, is about the time he took him somewhere, and on the way home, Max wanted to stop at the store and buy bread. Garry was anxious to get home, but Max ran up the street with the bread, and gave it to an alcoholic walking up the street, and then ran back to get in the car.

At the end of the first school year, Garry invited him to come to work for us on the farm and live in the house. He went from only knowing a few words of English to being able to talk to almost anyone and attending an English Bible study with us.

He had a job working in a greenhouse while at the orphanage. Max will even keep working when it's time to eat, because there is so much to get finished. Max's social skills have improved also, although he'd much rather eat fast food than sit and wait for an order at a fancy restaurant!

 last summer at the village church after Max's baptism

Max may be a little hyperactive, if anything, because he always needs something to do. Two years ago, when we took him on vacation in Egypt, he was walking and talking to the locals about God in English or Russian when it wasn't time to swim or eat.

We knew it was almost impossible for Max to attend university here in Ukraine, because of the labels he acquired as a child, so Garry worked on getting him accepted in Canada. Everyone was amazed when it all worked out with his visa last month so he could go. I am sure he will be both a challenge and a blessing to everyone he meets at school, like he has been to us.