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.

Over the last few months, we have been taking in more children. And just this past weekend, we were blessed with two more.

Vera is 14 years old and she has only attended first and second grade. She doesn’t know how to read or write. She also has a 9-year-old brother and he has never attended school. Their mom cleans houses, making $80 per month. Their small income barely affords food or wood for fire in the winter, let alone school.

When we held summer camp at Providence House, Vera and her brother came for 15 days. They came with nothing except what they were wearing. We clothed them and gave them everything they needed.

When camp was over, Vera came to me and asked if we take children in to stay permanently. That’s when she began to tell me about the bad conditions they were living in at home. I told her that she could stay with us if she wanted to.

When they left the camp to go home I lost contact with her and I thought that she and her brother would never come back. But last week, as I was visiting the city of Leova, I heard someone calling my name. I turned around and there was Vera! She and her brother had all the paperwork together and just recently they came to live at Providence House!

Without your support and steadfast prayers, I would not have been able to offer these two children a place to stay. I would have been forced to turn them away, sending them back to the horrible conditions they were living in.

Just recently, while I was teaching Vera how to read properly, she stopped me and asked, “Why do you care? Why are you helping me?” At first, I did not know what to say, but then I started to talk to her. I told her all about my story and how God changed my life; I told her that I knew what it felt like to be invisible.

Tears were coming down her face and she asked me another question: “Do you think I’m going to catch up and be like the other kids?” Although Vera is 14 years old, she is only in fifth grade. I promised her that with God’s help, she will.

You are following God’s heart when you give to the poor. Proverbs 29:7 says, “The godly care about the rights of the poor, but the wicked don’t care at all.”

These children now have a new home, a new family, and the opportunity to learn more about Jesus. Thank you so much. You have given these children the first hope they have ever known.

Sincerely,

Galina T.C.

All the kids we have gotten at our camp were from the poorest villages of the region of Leova. We’ve had 4 groups so far, and every group stayed for about 2 weeks (15 days). Most of these kids’ parents are alcoholics and most of them have left the country and never come back… so the kids live with their grandparents. All the boys of Simon’s House and most of the girls from Stella’s House helped run our camp.

Most of the kids came with what they were wearing and nothing else. We gave clothes to every child body from every group. The leaders helped the kids to take showers, and showed them how the bathrooms work because they have never seen an indoor bathroom or shower before. We taught them how brush their teeth as well. We saw the happiness on their eyes when they saw their own beds with clean sheets.

When they had their first meal at our camp, we told them that they can eat as much as they want and they kept asking us why are we giving them so much food… because back home they didn’t get to eat a warm meal. Every night after the night service at 10:00 P.M. we gave them snacks and drinks. Most of the kids would hide food in their cabinets, because they were afraid that the next meal would never come. So many times I tried not to cry in front of them. We tried to do everything to make them feel comfortable and to put a smile on their faces.

At the beginning all the kids were so mean, saying bad words, because every word that was spoken into their lives before was negative and dark, but we corrected them with kindness, and we showed them how God’s people are. We showed them their first Disney movie; Simon’s house boys taught the kids how to play table football and billiards; we taught them how to create a group and work/play as a team; we told them who Jesus is; we taught them how to pray before every meal.

Every night after the night service, the leaders had conversations about the Bible with the kids in their rooms. The first few days they didn’t asked us questions, but after some time they started to open up and ask us so many questions about who God is. It was so awesome watching the kids memorizing the Word of God and racing each other to be first or second to tell us their daily Bible verses.

Also we told them about our life experience in the orphanage and how God changed our lives completely, and gave us hope and a bright future. They couldn’t believe us at the beginning. Saying goodbye to the kids was the hardest part. None of them wanted to go home to their alcoholic parents and grandparents. They were looking for everything Providence House is… a place to call home, love and acceptance in the world!

For those who don’t know, a few years back I grew up at the orphanage in Cupcui. It was nothing compared to what it is now. Our beds were wet because the roof leaked. It was cold, dirty, and the walls were covered in black mold. The windows were broken; the only bathroom was a hole in the ground outside. The shower was in another building, and we used to take showers once a week with cold water. Every meal was served on a cold tin plate, and it was never enough… me and my friends were always hungry.

After I left the orphanage I made a promise to myself that I would never go back there. That place was like a nightmare for me. When the government gave Dad (Philip Cameron) this building to run, I was not happy. Every time we used to go to the orphanage I counted the minutes until we would leave. Then when the orphanage was rebuilt and opened with a new name, Providence, the children started coming to live there. They were left there, like I was once, by their parents. As the time passed by I fell in love with the kids! This wasn’t planned, but the first month after Providence House opened, I didn’t go home to Stella’s House at all. Whenever I went home I used to thing of the kids all the time, and maybe call a few times a day! Now I love giving them what I was missing when I was a kid!

God seeks and saves that which is lost in the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. God is the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine for the one; God is the woman who sweeps the house in search of the lost coin; and God is the father who runs to the prodigal son. He asks us to do the same… to go and search for broken lives and invite them into the kingdom.

All this is happening because of Jesus and people like you who care! Thank you for giving, praying, and loving. Without you, Dad could not do what he does, and neither could we!!!

Your gifts make an amazing difference.

God bless you!

Sincerely,

Galina Telescu

Visit our Flickr account with thousands more pictures from this summer at Providence. →

Constanza, 22, spent most of her childhood in an orphanage where the walls where covered in black mold. Though the children slept together in single cots to keep from freezing to death, she was isolated because she had lice in her hair when her mother left her there.

“Every night I went to bed hungry,” she remembers. “Every morning I put on clothes that were too large, shoes that were too small. It was all I had.”

But on Friday, June 24, Stella’s Voice brought her and 14 other former orphans—girls and boys who aged out of the Moldovan state-run orphanages—to minister to the children at Nashua Children’s Home in Nashua, NH.

The Nashua Children’s Home was first established as an orphanage in 1899. Today, the organization responds to the needs of at-risk children in the Nashua area. They are committed to the care, welfare, and educational achievement of children and youth unable to remain with their families and supportive housing for youth that have aged out of state care in New Hampshire.

In contrast to the “homes” in Moldova, the Nashua Children’s Home is a lovely facility containing all the modern conveniences. Located just off Main Street, the home offers warm beds, good food, and even a gymnasium for the children to play in.

Stella’s Voice Founder Philip Cameron, along with 15 Moldovan orphans, arrived on site with burgers, hotdogs, chips, and ice cream as a way to testify of God’s amazing grace and provision and to share hope with the young residents of The Nashua Children’s Home.
The Moldovan orphans were shocked as their van pulled into the driveway of the Children’s Home. “This is an orphanage?” one of them asked, confused.

Yet the Moldovan orphans where here with a mission.

“Jesus Christ changed my life,” said one orphan who calls herself Dasa Cameron (not her real name). “I learned of Jesus because of Stella’s Voice. Now I know I am loved, I am worthwhile, that God has a plan for me.”

Stella’s Voice began in response to Stella, an aged-out, handicap orphan from Moldova who was trafficked and died at 19 years old after contracting HIV. (See the article in the February 2011 issue of CHARISMA.)

An easy target, these orphans are often snatched by sex traffickers and sold for as little as $3,500. They are then used 30 to 50 times per day while their trafficker profits as much as $350,000 per year.

After working with orphans for 20 years in Moldova, in 2007, Cameron opened Stella’s House, a safe house for aged-out orphan girls. The home gives orphans a chance at a new life. They receive their education, learn life skills, and function as a family.

In 2010, Simon’s House opened to house aged-out orphan males who are often sold into Russia. In addition, Cameron opened Stella’s House Two and acquired Cupcui Orphanage in 2011. The state-run orphanage was recently renovated and named Providence House and has the capacity to house 130 children.

“My heart’s desire is to offer a loving Christian home for every orphan in Moldova—all 12,500 of them,” said Cameron. “There is a place for every aged-out girl and boy to go.”  In recent years, 400,000 women and girls have gone missing from Moldova.

Approximately 20 children between the ages of 12 and 18 gathered in the Nashua Children’s Home gymnasium to listen to the testimonies of these former orphans. Tears were shed as three of the girls shared alarming stories of their pasts.

The gymnasium was silent except for an occasional sniffle as many of the children had likely felt similar feelings of despair and hopelessness and were touched by the personal stories.

Natalie was the last girl to speak from Moldova. She told the children that the past does not dictate the future, that they can become whoever they want to be, and that Jesus loves them more than anything in the world.

Though she once believed the lie that she was worthless, she is now determined to share the truth with young people.

Despite a small crowd, the gymnasium erupted with applause as the girls returned to their seats on the linoleum floor.

Hamburgers, prepared and served by the Moldovan orphans and volunteers, were served immediately afterwards. While many kids found their way to the food stations, there were a number of girls who stayed behind wanting to talk with the girls who spoke. Hugs were exchanged and words of encouragement were shared.

“Our kids have been moved to tears over the visit in a very good and positive way.” said Residential Training and Recreational Coordinator Laura Benevides said. “I have spent the last four days meeting with many kids who have requested talking to me about the impact their visit had. The kids cannot put their books down and are sharing their experience with anyone who will listen—their social workers, our staff who were not here that day, their parents… Those girls and boys have certainly persevered and are a true testament to all things good!”

At the end of the presentation, one of the children, intrigued after hearing a number of testimonies, asked if it were possible for him to attend church that weekend. When given the name of the church, Christ Church, the young boy asked how to spell “Christ.”

Stella’s Voice will continue their tour, making many stops at local churches. To find out if they are coming to a town near you, visit www.stellasvoice.org/stellas-house/summer-tour-calendar.

REFLECTIONS ON AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY

It is not often that Trustees get to spend a week with Monmouth College students and staff, let alone a week in an environment that is so incredibly different from all of our "normal" daily lives. But, that was exactly the case for me last week as I traveled with six MC students in Moldova. The students included four May graduates and two returning students.

It was a life changing experience for everyone on the trip, but for different reasons than any of us had anticipated beforehand. The MC group had set goals in advance focused on citizenship, service and learning, which were met and often exceeded in unexpected ways.

Last September I was in Moldova working with the Cameron's who are striving to change the lives of orphans. Their work at Stella and Simon Houses focuses on saving the lives of teenage girls and boys who upon being forced out of orphanages in the year of the sixteenth birthday often end up victims of sex/slave trafficking.

The impact of the trip was not only in the service work or the historical-cultural learning but in the relationships and bonding that occurred between the MC students and the young men and women from Stella/Simon's Houses. The MC students saw firsthand the poverty stricken "homes" and conditions in which these kids grew up as well as the institutional state "care" orphanages where they all ended up living. They were shocked at what they saw and many of them thought they had stepped back in time....that was some of the learning part.

What impressed the MC group in a mighty way was seeing that these young people were not bitter, sullen or angry because of the love of God shown through the Camerons. These kids are truly part of the Cameron's family. They are caring. loving and intelligent people with hope, love and concern for each other, and the world around them. They want to change the situation in Moldova for all orphans, not just themselves.

They have "SPERANZA!" This is the Moldovan word for HOPE. They shared this hope through their actions and love toward the Monmouth group and the MC students were moved to share it with them. Friendships were forged, there were talks about future possibilities for each other both in Moldova and the US. They shed tears and prayed together. It was incredible to watch this spiritual and emotional bonding take place. It was global citizenship being created at the best level.

Many tears were shed as we prepared to leave on our last morning there. Tears of "SPERANZA AND JOY". One of the MC students put it best, "we came here because we thought they needed us....but we need them in America and at Monmouth.

Now that is learning on a global scale!

David Byrnes, 72

Chairman, Monmouth College

Board of Trustees.