Be sure to check out our other “Just a Thought” episodes →

Be sure to check out our other “Just a Thought” episodes →

Be sure to check out our other “Just a Thought” episodes →

Be sure to check out our other “Just a Thought” episodes →

Be sure to check out our other “Just a Thought” episodes →

Water and heat. Are there more basic necessities than these?

I am a communicator; it’s what I do.

But I am stunned at how hard it is for me to explain to you what we found just a few miles from Stella’s House.

We found an orphanage for 124 mentally disabled children. They are housed in six buildings that, on the outside, look great.

But on the inside we found these children living without running water. The little water they do have access to is brought in by a truck at a cost of $2,000 a month! It is the single greatest cost they have.

Meanwhile, each of the heating units in the buildings is so old that they are on the verge of literally exploding. A disaster like that could leave helpless children dead in a flash, or worse, freezing to death in the coming winter.

I am not asking that you help me adopt this orphanage as we have others. I am asking for a one-time gift to give these children two things that they cannot live without:

Water and heat.

I realize this request comes at a time when I have been talking to you a lot about the need to open two more Stella’s Houses, to open more rooms at Providence House for orphans whose lives are at risk.

I wish I knew how to say “no.”

I take that back. I never want to say “no” when God shows me a need that He wants me to meet. I didn’t go looking for another home filled with children in need. But now that I have been there, seen these girls and boys, witnessed the pain of their loneliness, their fear of the coming winter, their need for water… how can I turn around, get back in my warm truck, and do nothing?

Alone, I can do nothing. But if God is speaking to your heart, will you send a special gift today to help us do more than care for those in our keeping? Will you help us reach out to these handicapped orphans?

Thank you for all you do for the weakest of the weak.

- Philip Cameron

As we ushered them inside, their eyes grew wide with fear not knowing what to expect. And who could blame them? They had learned at a very young age to anticipate neglect…

Their mother was, and still is, a prostitute. She left her two daughters, each having a different father, with their elderly grandmother and disappeared. But their grandmother didn’t use her small income to feed and clothe the two sisters. Instead, she spent all she had on wine.

Liuda and Victoria were left to fend for themselves.

While their grandmother spent all hours in a drunken stupor, the two sisters would wander outside in search of food. The bathroom was a few feet past the withered garden and the girls only managed to bathe themselves once a week with a bucket of cold water.

They were so thin; they had no memory of eating a warm meal. And to make matters worse, their grandmother was forced to shave their heads to rid them of lice.

That was a few months ago. Now, Liuda and Victoria are happy, healthy, and eager to share a smile. And they have hair!

So many children suffer at the hands of their parents. There are so many lost in darkness, waiting for someone to rescue them.

And if you feel called to give to help little ones like Liuda and Victoria, click here. Your gift will allow us take in more children and give them love for the very first time.

For the children,

Philip Cameron

When they first arrived at Providence House, we took them to take showers and throw away their old clothes. (That’s the first thing we do when kids come to Providence House.) They were very afraid of our indoor shower and warm water… We clothed them and gave them everything they needed. They were so happy when they first walked into their room and saw their clean beds. They never had their own beds back home. That first meal, they ate more than the adults because they were so hungry. We took them to see a doctor to make sure they are healthy, and unfortunately, Maria was diagnosed with stomach problems because she was not fed properly. We put Maria in fifth grade and her sister Nina in fourth grade. They have a lot to study if they are going to catch up in school, but they are so happy to live at Providence House!


All this would not be possible if people like you—from all around the world—did not care.

The Bible says in Matthew 25:35, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.” The same compassion that was given Jesus is expected from us daily. God calls us to extend pity, compassion, and kindness to those in need. Thank you for doing just that.