Sojourner #044: Let The Children Come

"But Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of heaven.'" (Matthew 19:14)

In a world where childhood is too often interrupted by war, poverty, or neglect, Jesus’ words, “Let the children come to me,” remain as radical and relevant as ever. In this deeply personal piece, Allina Robie reflects on her work within Ukraine’s orphan care system, sharing stories of both heartbreak and hope.

Through the lens of war-torn families, forgotten institutions, and a vision for small group homes like Blossom Cottage, this article is a call to every believer: to step into the gap, to care without conditions, and to remember that loving vulnerable children is not just charity – it’s Gospel.

Let The Children Come: What Jesus' Words Still Mean Today

We don’t enter the world ready to fight, we arrive needing to be fought for.

None of us entered the world capable of protecting ourselves, advocating for ourselves, or meeting our own needs. We relied on someone else to see us, feed us, hold us, fight for us, and hopefully, love us.

For many of us, that care came, even imperfectly. I know it did for me.

Something I don’t talk about often is that I, too, was one of those vulnerable children. I grew up in a difficult family situation – the kind that, had it not been for the support of extended family and a few faithful friends, could have easily led to my sister and me entering foster care. 

My mom worked tirelessly to care for us, but it was the support system around her that helped keep our family together. My grandparents stepped in financially and practically. Friends opened their homes to us when we needed a safe place to land. They probably didn’t realize it at the time, but those acts of kindness may have changed the entire trajectory of our lives.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was love. And it was enough.

That lived experience has marked me. It’s the reason I believe so fiercely in family preservation. My mom is my best friend, then and now, and the thought of being separated from her would have ruined me. So when I advocate for vulnerable children and families today, I do it not only from compassion, but from memory. I know what it means to be held together by the village. And I know what’s at stake when that village is missing.

That’s why, when I meet mothers who remind me of my own – strong women facing impossible circumstances – I feel a deeply personal call to step in. I know the difference it can make. 

The Power Of Showing Up

In 2022, I met a baby girl in a Ukrainian orphanage – tiny, quiet, and overlooked.

I'll call her Dasha.

She had a disability, and like many children with additional needs in Ukraine, she was passed over, not out of malice, but out of a system too broken, under-resourced, and outdated to give her what she deserved. Soviet-era institutions still linger here, their structures rooted in separation rather than nurture. Children with disabilities, in particular, fall through the cracks, and the cracks are wide.

I spent time with her, held her, sang to her. Then one day, she was gone, as many children are. Moved. Replaced. We rarely get follow-up stories. We’re left hoping our time with them mattered, praying God keeps a hand of protection upon them. Sometimes forgetting, He loved them first and more fiercely than I ever could.

But three years later, I met Dasha again.

A single mother with three children, the youngest with cerebral palsy, was in desperate need of help. A friend told me about her, and something inside me nudged me to show up. When I had the opportunity to meet them and saw those same big brown eyes, I nearly wept. It was Dasha. Still here. Still growing. Still beautiful. And now? Back with her family.

This mother fought hard to bring her children home from the orphanage – a rare feat in a system that doesn’t often support reunification. And even now, her fight isn’t over. Every day, she works to keep her children safe, to stay above water, to raise them with love.

Answering a nudge of conviction and a call, I now get to be part of her village. I help with caregiving, but mostly, I just show up. And every time I do, I remember: this is what it’s supposed to look like.

Where Systems Fail, Love Must Step In

This is why we are building Blossom Cottage.

At Shade for Children, our team is wildly aware of the deep systemic need for a different way. While we’ve spent years supporting local orphanages, advocating for medical care, and coming alongside vulnerable families, we saw a growing urgency, especially for children with disabilities, who are often left behind by both the system and society. We knew we needed to build a stepping stone between broken institutions and the ideal of every child in a family. A home that bridges the gap.

Blossom Cottage is that bridge.

A small private group home in Western Ukraine, Blossom Cottage will welcome 8–10 children who have been orphaned or deprived of parental care, offering not just shelter, but holistic care. Not just structure, but love. It will be a place where we advocate fiercely for reunification whenever possible, and where every child is treated with dignity, regardless of ability.

We didn’t want to build another home. We wanted to build hope. And while we long for the day every child has a family, we also recognize that until then, love must live somewhere.

But we’re not there yet.

Blossom Cottage is still in progress. To bring this vision fully to life, we’re currently raising the remaining $100,000 USD needed for construction, staffing, and startup costs. Every dollar goes toward creating a place where children will be known, nurtured, and protected. It’s more than a building – it’s a declaration that these children are worth fighting for. And we can’t do it alone. We need partners, prayer, and people willing to step into the story alongside us.

Why This Work Matters

Ukraine’s orphan care system is a dark relic of another time – vast, impersonal, and deeply broken. Over 740 orphanages still operate across the country, housing tens of thousands of children, many of whom could be reunified with family if the right support existed. For those without family, the path forward is often a lonely one.

Since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, the war has intensified every weakness already present in Ukraine’s orphan care system. Families that were already struggling now face unemployment, displacement, trauma, and grief. Thousands of children have been orphaned, separated from caregivers, or displaced to unfamiliar institutions far from home. Some have been forcibly taken into Russia. Others live in occupied territories, cut off from support. 

The trauma of war is not just on the battlefield – it’s in the classrooms, the basements, the bomb shelters. Children jump at loud noises. They ask if the thunder means a missile is coming. And those without family? They have no one to help them make sense of it. The urgency is not theoretical, it’s now.

We dream of family-based care for every child.
But for many, that dream is still out of reach.

I think of M – a sweet six-year-old girl living in a heartbreaking institution for children and adults with disabilities. Not only is she neglected in her daily needs, she has been entirely forgotten by the system meant to advocate for her. She has grown up in institutions, never knowing the care of a family. She doesn’t know any different than the cold blocks that make up the massive building meant to serve as “home” to over 200 individuals.

It was never meant to be like this.
This is brokenness with the highest cost.

This work is heavy. I won’t pretend otherwise.

There are days I feel gutted by the weight of it, the kids I’ve lost touch with, the systems that feel too broken to fix, the moments when love doesn’t feel like enough.

But I also hold tight to hope.
I see it in mothers fighting to reunite with their children.
In churches opening their doors to adoptive families.
In people across the globe saying, “Yes, I want to be part of this.”

That’s how change begins.

James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.”

This isn’t a suggestion. It’s a call. A mirror held up to the Church, asking us not just what we believe, but what we’re doing.

Caring for vulnerable children isn’t the work of a few – it’s the work of the Body.

It’s the call to protect what’s precious to God. To stand in the gap where families are fractured. To build bridges where systems fall short. Whether it’s through supporting orphan care in Ukraine, fostering a child in your hometown, mentoring a teenager, or giving sacrificially to those on the ground, there is a need for everyone in this story.

So, what’s your part?

Maybe you pray.
Maybe you give.
Maybe you speak up.
Maybe you remember that once, you too were vulnerable, and someone cared for you.

Now, it’s your turn.

Let’s raise a generation of loved, seen, and safe children, because that’s how we bring the Kingdom to this wildly broken, yet beautifully redeemable world.

About The Author:

Allina Robie is an American missionary, orphan care advocate, and writer currently serving in Western Ukraine. With a background in trauma-informed care and a deep belief in the sacredness of every child, she works alongside local leaders and families to bring dignity, reform, and hope to Ukraine’s orphan care system. Allina is passionate about building bridges between global communities and vulnerable children through storytelling and the love of Jesus. You can follow her journey at @allinakay on Instagram.

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PRAY & ACT: For The Children Of Ukraine

The care of the vulnerable is not peripheral to the Church’s mission, it is bound up in the very heart of the gospel. As those redeemed by grace, we are called to reflect the mercy of our covenant-keeping God, who defends the fatherless and sustains the broken. Let this guide move you to prayerful dependence, generous stewardship, and faithful witness.

PRAY

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” - Psalm 34:18

1. Pray for children in Ukraine’s orphan care system, especially those with disabilities who are often forgotten by the world - but never by the Lord.

These children are among the most vulnerable - cut off from family, dignity, and often basic care. Yet Scripture tells us that the Lord Himself draws near to the brokenhearted. As you pray, ask God to protect these children from further harm, to provide them with caregivers who reflect His steadfast love, and to raise up homes where they are seen, known, and valued as image-bearers of God.

“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.” - Psalm 82:3

2. Pray for mothers and fathers striving to keep their families intact in the face of war, poverty, and trauma.

Many families are fighting a quiet, daily battle to stay together under impossible conditions. These parents are not neglectful, they are often desperate. Pray for God to provide housing, food, and emotional healing. Ask Him to give the Church wisdom to come alongside these families with both compassion and conviction, that generational cycles of brokenness might be interrupted by grace.

“You are the helper of the fatherless.” - Psalm 10:14b

3. Pray for the building and funding of Blossom Cottage, that it would become a place of covenant love and gospel hope for children who have suffered loss and neglect.

Blossom Cottage is more than a shelter - it is a vision of Christ-like hospitality in a broken world. Pray that every stone laid and dollar given would be done in dependence on the Lord, and that the home itself would become a refuge of restoration where children encounter the mercy and safety of Christ.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” - Psalm 127:1

4. Pray for lasting reform in broken systems, and for the Church to lead not by worldly power but by gospel conviction - offering truth, justice, and mercy in Jesus’ name.

The orphan care system in Ukraine, like many around the world, is plagued by bureaucracy, corruption, and indifference. But our hope is not in policy - it is in Christ. Pray for just reform, yes, but even more, pray for the Church to rise with courage - to advocate, to model sacrificial care, and to pursue justice with humility and truth.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” - Micah 6:8

5. Pray for bold advocacy for Ukraine’s children.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” - Proverbs 31:8

The Church must not be silent when others look away. Pray that we would stand firm and speak up with gospel clarity - not because it is fashionable, but because it is faithful.

Ask God to keep our hearts tender in a cynical world, that we might champion the dignity of every child, even when doing so is inconvenient or costly.

Awareness leads to action. May our prayers stir both.

6. Pray for a just peace in Ukraine, and for the Lord to restore what has been shattered. Ask Him to establish righteousness, healing, and true reconciliation in His time.

We long not just for the end of war, but for the presence of righteousness and peace that only God can give. Pray for national healing. Pray for justice and restoration - not as the world gives, but as Christ brings through His rule and reign. Pray for the Church to be an agent of reconciliation, pointing a weary people toward the true Prince of Peace.

“He makes wars cease to the end of the earth... He breaks the bow and shatters the spear.” - Psalm 46:9

GIVE

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.” - 1 Peter 4:10

Shade For Children is currently raising $100,000 USD to establish Blossom Cottage, a gospel-rooted home for children deprived of parental care. Your giving helps build a refuge marked by compassion, structure, and Christ-centered nurture. Your support goes toward construction, staffing, and long-term care for these children.

You may also give to support Allina Robie, a missionary in Ukraine who labors daily as a caregiver, advocate, and gospel witness within the orphan care system.

Visit the links above to give faithfully and securely.

SHARE

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” - Philippians 2:4

• Share this article with your church, small group, or missions team. Let the testimony of God’s work in Ukraine stir the hearts of others to prayer and action.

• Raise your voice for vulnerable children - not only abroad but also within your local context. Engage with foster care and adoption ministries, remembering our adoption in Christ.

Follow and share updates from @allinakay and @shadeforchildren to help raise gospel-driven awareness, for His glory and for the good of His people.

About Shade For Children:

Before the war, over 105,000 of Ukraine's children called an institution home. Within their walls developmental delays, reactive attachment disorders, and behavioral struggles often plague innocent young lives, all while the shadows of abuse and neglect loom ominously, unnoticed and unreported.

Shockingly, merely 8% of children living in orphanages hold "orphan status." The remaining 92% have parents or other kin, yet they are trapped in the web of government custody due to circumstances like extreme poverty, substance abuse, neglect, medical conditions, and domestic violence. And today, the ongoing war continues to exacerbate this crisis.

Disturbingly, one orphan with disabilities faces death every 3 months due to a lack of medical intervention. Some reports indicate that this is as frequent as every 3 days. Still, countless children are surrendered to state orphanages due to a lack of resources and support to raise a child with disabilities at home. Unfortunately, the care at these institutions rarely provides beyond the basic necessities.

At Shade for Children, we have a clear mission: to unite churches and communities to cherish orphaned and vulnerable children in our region. Through collective effort and boundless love, we strive to provide a nurturing and caring environment for these children, empowering them to reach their full potential.

Shade for Children continues to serve the children in our region through partnerships with local orphanages, providing consistent and intentional visits with the children - along with hosting summer camps, supporting local at-risk families alongside Social Services, and engaging churches and communities in the conversation of adoption and foster care.

About Blossom Cottage:

Building Blossom Cottage is a significant step in changing the destiny of orphaned children and future generations. Encouragingly, Ukraine is gradually dismantling the Soviet-era orphanage system and embracing more effective social services for families, including plans to eventually close most of the existing 740+ orphanages.

It is a good plan. It is an improvement from the current solution. But we also want to communicate that none of us wanted or envisioned creating a home like this. We have and will continue to advocate for children being placed in families above all other solutions, but the reality is that Ukraine simply isn't ready to move to 100% family-based care. We need a stepping stone. We need Small Group Homes to serve as that step from large institutions to a family.

By creating a loving and family like environment, our primary ministry goal is family reunification. We strive to facilitate the return of children to their families whenever possible. For those without this option, we seek to offer a more "normal" childhood experience, fostering engagement within their community - while advocating for their placement in a family through adoption.

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