Our families loved Family Camp in June! And we’re already hearing stories of healing, change, and hope.
Camp gave a fresh start to a broken family
Two weeks before camp, one of our Stop the Cycle moms, Katerina*, ended up in rehab. Her boyfriend Dima* filed a petition for her parental rights to be removed.
This young family was in a place of painful brokenness. It looked like their little boy would grow up without his mom.
Our staff prepared to welcome Dima and his son to camp.
But Katerina had been struggling in rehab. Two days before camp, she returned home. She said she “understood her mistakes and really wanted to get her family back.”
So Katerina went to camp after all. She showed a real desire to learn, and both our staff and the other moms welcomed her without any awkwardness or shaming. Staff member Yuliana talked with her about how God “can restore things that have been destroyed.”
After camp, Dima saw big changes. “I withdrew the petition from the guardianship service,” he said. “We want to build our relationship anew.”
This young family still needs your prayers. But we’re encouraged to see the first steps of transformation. Yuliana writes, “When it seems everything is lost, God gives a chance for a new beginning.”
Camp brought a teen mom from isolation into community
Katya* almost didn’t come to camp. She’s only eighteen and she’d given birth just ten days before. Her doctors were concerned about the travel. Plus, her husband (on active duty) was against it.
But our staff didn’t want Katya to remain isolated.
Yuliana, a former nurse, promised Katya she would take care of everything.
And she did. She arranged to be Katya’s roommate at camp. She taught the young mom about breastfeeding and caring for an infant. Day and night, Yuliana made herself available.
She also advised Katya about having a good long-distance relationship with her husband. Yuliana had experienced a similar time of separation when she and her children were refugees in Europe.
At camp, said Yuliana, Katya found “peace, support, and new strength.” The support of a loving community gave her confidence as a mother.
Camp brought healing in the midst of war
This year, our staff invited a few Stop the Cycle graduates who’ve been impacted by the war to join the younger moms at family camp. They were very grateful:
“I was finally able to breathe and relax from the stress associated with the war…. It was pleasant to talk together in groups with other moms. I gained new knowledge about raising children. It was a vacation for the soul. Thank you!” – Olena
“It was a great opportunity to relax from gray, everyday life – being together, soul and body, with good people. I learned a lot of new things and became a little closer to the Lord.” – Svitlana
This summer, your generosity gave orphan-led families a place where they could make a fresh start, find strength for parenthood, and rest from grief and anxiety. We’re so grateful for the care you show them!
| “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18, NIV). |
*Names changed to protect privacy.