The founding members of Last Bell Ministries first served orphans in Ukraine on short-term trips. As their relationships with Orphanage #4 in Zhytomyr strengthened, so did their concern for the kids as they reached adolescence and graduated from the orphanage system. A vision grew through many long discussions, and they made a commitment to discover how to best serve the graduates.
During 2004 and 2005, an informal program with two graduate girls was started. A partnership with a local church was formed, with a church advisory board in authority over the kids and program. A family system with houseparents directly caring for children was deemed most effective, and this desire was expressed to the church.
In the fall of 2006 an American board of directors was established and it was determined that Liz Millikan would become the Field Director; she moved to Ukraine. Liz expressed that she felt a direct calling from God to lead the work with orphan teens. At that time conflicts with government agencies made it impossible to take guardianship of the kids.
Through prayer and waiting for God’s direction, we understood that God’s will for the house was a Christian family day center. This center would serve the large numbers of teens graduating from Orphanage #4 while providing the warmth and stability of home and family relationships with houseparents. A house was purchased and the family day center model was implemented. Ukrainian house parents began living in the home to provide Christian models of marriage and successful child-rearing. The home was named The Shelter and officially opened its doors in October of 2007. The Shelter opened several days a week, with a full staff available each day. The staff also worked individually with the kids outside the Shelter. The Shelter program included Bible study, English lessons, and independent skill classes. Students helped with meal preparation and upkeep of the house and grounds. Discipleship classes were offered to new believers.
In January of 2009 EECO/Last Bell Ministries became an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States. In the fall of 2009 a second home called The Haven was opened with a full house parent staff to accommodate the classes of 2009 and 2010. The Haven began a program similar to the Shelter’s, and kids became active in Central Baptist Church in Zhytomyr. The Haven and Shelter worked in a rotation system. An independent living program for girls was started in 2009. Five girls lived in an apartment together, contributing to finances and upkeep. They followed house rules and had minimal supervision.
In the spring of 2010 a boys’ independent living program was started under the supervision of a Shelter houseparent couple. In March of 2010 Last Bell Ministries became registered as a social organization with the Ukrainian government.
Class sizes have been getting smaller due to foster care and wonderful family-style children’s homes, as well as foreign and national adoption, and in the spring of 2011, the doors opened to begin a transition to residential care. In the fall of 2011 a Support Center opened and research into residential care began.
A three-year plan implements residential care beginning in the fall of 2012 for the Shelter and in the fall of 2014 for the Haven. This includes renovation to the Shelter and the purchase of land and construction of a new building for the Haven.
The founding members of Last Bell Ministries first served orphans in Ukraine on short-term trips. As their relationships with Orphanage #4 in Zhytomyr strengthened, so did their concern for the kids as they reached adolescence and graduated from the orphanage system. A vision grew through many long discussions, and they made a commitment to discover how to best serve the graduates.