More HopeCenter Camper stories

Here is another installment in our stories of the kids that visit us here.  I know it's long but I got very favorable response from my last post, so get out the hankies and read every word.  This is taken directly from Andrey's email updates which I will soon be helping to write.

On July 12 the 3rd camp started.  85 children from Russia and 5 different part of Ukraine gathered of the bank of two seas  - the Black Sea and the sea of Azov.  International team (lead by Bob Bender) was comprised of people of different ages and professions, but were joined by a huge desire to give children the saving message of Jesus.  From the very beginning of the camp the quality of the team was evident.  Well-organized activities as well as bedtime stories made the time interesting and unforgettable for each child.
Members of the international team organized cheerful morning activities for the kids.  The girls danced and the boys worked on strength and stamina. Every day  Bible lessons were an interesting event for each child.  Both adults and kids took an active part in the Bible lessons, beginning with the singing of joyful songs.  They not only sang and danced, but also listened to songs about God, prayer, kindness and love.  Each child received a new Bible to bring with them to every lesson.  It was not only a very important gift for the children, but also a kind of lesson book for the week.  Kids were making their first steps in their understanding of God.
Different crafts: origami, painting, drawing and making masks and bracelets were much loved by kids and adults.  Every one could make their own unique item; demonstrating their talent.  The music station was the most popular among the interest stations.  At this station children could learn to play the recorder and dance to the tunes of skilled  guitar-player Jacob Boyd. As usual, the game of "biffer" was enjoyed by all.  Children enjoyed new rules which made the game more dynamic.  All ten days of camp were action-packed.  Children were impatiently waiting for the talent show to demonstrate their skills.  Dances, songs, skits and recitation were big hits with the audience due to their passion and originality.
Children were deeply moved by the skit about the sacrifice of Jesus as a demonstration of God’s love for us all.  The tears on the children’s faces testified that the process of spiritual birth had begun.  During bedtime stories the children shared their impressions and many gave their hearts to God, accepting Jesus became their personal Savior.  It was a true victory!
We would like to tell more about children who stayed with us.  Every child has his or her own unique story and we would like to share some of them.

Russia, the Vladimir region

This group of kids from Russia came to the Hope-Center for the first time this year.  These children, ages 10 to 14, are part of a specialized school for mentally handicapped children. At first the teacher, who brought these children to our camp, worried if they could adapt to a new environment of the Hope Center.  Their fear soon disappeared.  The children lived in different wards, in different rooms and were surrounded by unfamiliar children.  It was very important for them not to withdraw into themselves and to their own circle of friends, but to communicate with the other kids.  The friendly atmosphere and attentive concern of the counselors and international team helped these children not to feel different from the rest of the children and take an active part in all the activities.

Vanya

Two boys Sasha and Vanya are rather aggressive in their school. They argue and fight with the other children.  Knowing the story of Vanya’s family helps to explain his behavior.  Both his father and grandfather were in prison, where his father died while serving a sentence for murder.  The boy has grown up in an atmosphere of physical violence between his relatives.  But here in our camp, both boys began to change.  They were so interested in all camp’s activities and they were trying to take part in all of them; visit each of the interest stations, play tennis, basketball and football.  These children were in.  Thanks to the special approach to each of them and a favorable environment without emotional tension, these children felt that they could flourish as unique individuals.

Diana

The majority of the kids from Russia come from families broken by alcoholism.  When she was only a little girl Diana lost her father.  Her mother resorted to drinking, eventually losing her home and becoming a vagrant.  When the girl’s mother was deprived of her parents rights, Diana was taken to a specialized school.  Her mother wrote her letters infrequently but recently arrived at the school to visit after three years apart. Diane was shocked at what she saw.  Her mother was dirty with no teeth and wearing only rags.  The child was deeply impacted and she worries about her mother very much.  Diana often has nervous breakdowns which often lead to her cutting herself.  She has many scars on her right arm as evidence of her emotional instability.  At the beginning of the camp Diana was locked inside herself during nightly discussions in her ward.  She kept silence and paid no attention to us.  After a few days however, she would come up to tell us good night with real pleasure.  It was the beginning of her transformation.  At the end of the week, when we asked during bedtime storied who has invited Jesus in their hearts, she raised her hand with the other girls.  It was right after the salvation skit.  It was a victory for love over disappointment and emptiness.

Ukraine

Lviv

Children from Lviv have been coming to our camp for a few years.  They are all from a rehabilitation center for social orphans whose parents cannot or will not care for them.  Children are of different nationalities – Ukrainian, Russian and Gypsy – but they all lack parental warmth and care.

Roza.

Roza is very sociable and cheerful Gypsy girl.  Her mother is in prison for dealing drugs.  Roza’s sister moved to Kyiv where she is engaged in prostitution. The girl lives with her uncle, who is not even her guardian.  She does all the house work only to try to please him.  She comes to the rehabilitation center to be with people who understand and can help her.  It is her second summer in our camp and here her eyes burn with joy and happiness.  Her adult responsibilities are a thousand kilometers away and at camp her childhood is returned, leaving grief and sorrow behind.   Roza loves singing during Bible lessons.  Her natural artistry and musical talent compelled her to get involved.  As she left camp, Roza cried silently.  In her eyes we could see the sadness that everything was over so quickly.

Ruslan.

Ruslan is 11.  His sad diagnosis of cerebral spastic infantile paralysis as a result of birth trauma is belayed by the boy’s joyful attitude.  From the very beginning of the camp, Ruslan shone like a little sun.  He was so happy to find new friends, be by the sea and to have people who protected and took care about him.  Ruslan especially enjoyed outdoor games.  He spent plenty of time on the basketball court  playing with his new friends.  At home his mother has been drinking heavily for the past few years and his father is being treated in the T.B. prophylactic center.  He has many problems he does not want to think about.  Ruslan impatiently waited for the bedtime stories, as this was the time when he could ask the questions that developed while reading his new Bible.  Ruslan is sure that God can and will cure him and he will be able to achieve more.

Kiev

The children’s rehabilitation center for orphans and street children as existed for several years.  Currently, 25 children live there permanently and 15 of those were brought to Hope Center for a summer vacation.  Many of the kids lived on the streets for years and it is very difficult for them to forget about the law of the street so quickly

Kristina

Kristina is a recent addition to the center and she arrived with serious psychological trauma.  At the age of six, she suffered not only from physical, but also from sexual violence.  Her mother, being a chronic alcoholic, did not care about her three daughters.  The children were not only suffering from hunger, but also at the hands of the men in their mother’s life.
In the children’s environment, Kristina always tried to get the adults’ attention.  She often yelled, acted out and beat the other children.  This was followed by remorse and desperate cries of: “No one loves me and no one wants to be my friend”.  Very often, she spent time in her room playing with her invisible friend and talking to herself.  Adults saw what was happening with this child and they prayed  for her every day, played and talked to her, tried to help her understand that she is special and that she has a friend –Jesus - who is always here for her and who loves her so much.
We were interested to note that Kristina always asked to eat.  Even during bed time stories, when members of the international team came, she would ask if they had food.  But as time passed “wild Kristina” became completely different.  She regulated her relations with other children and she met her new friend Luda, who she playing with all the time.  By the end of the camp she had stopped taking bread from the canteen and asking the adults for food.  The salvation skit and message about Jesus brought a lot of questions to mind and she was always trying to ask adults about them. The slow process of spiritual healing has began.

Kerch

Maxim

Maxim’s story is a tragic one.  He became an orphan less than a month ago when his mother and father died in a car crash.  His father suffered heart problems while driving and caused the accident that killed them both.  At the young age of 12 he and his older brother and sister lost both parents in one day.  His brother took the boy to the camp in a tragic emotional condition.  The boy was hiding behind buildings and crying.  Members of the international and Ukrainian teams, full of God’s love and compassion, didn’t abandon him without attention and very soon Maxim started participating in singing during the Bible lessons.  He enjoys singing and has a good voice.  At the closing ceremony he (together with the international team) sang his favourite song.  Everyone fell in love with him.  After the camp, he still comes to the Hope Center to visit his new-found friends as God helps to overcome his grief and loss.

God gave us the privilege to affect children’s futures, serve them and bring Word of Salvation.  For those who are exhausted, hungry and grieving about irreplaceable loses; for those who look for and can’t find love; to the children who don’t know God but yearn and seek Him: your prayers can do wonders.  Don’t miss your opportunity to take part in the redeeming of souls for God.

Since our last post on Maxim we have hung out with him 4 times and have arranged to start reading the Chronicles of Narnia together in our own languages.