The girls arrived all loaded up with their problems…
Last Bell Summer Camp is a crash course in joyful belonging where the love and compassion just keep pouring in. When we play, eat, and talk together, day after day, our orphan students and orphan parents grow exponentially.
Oksana is a graduate of Stop the Cycle who volunteered at camp last year. She went to youth camp several times, and Stop the Cycle camp with her husband. At camp Oksana decided to follow Jesus, which she calls “the most true and important choice” in her life.
Oksana’s life always changed after camp, especially at family camp, she said, “where I studied raising a child, building a relationship with one’s husband, and getting to know God.” She was drawn to the lives of our Christian staff. “I received from them a lot of love and warmth, which was unusual for me.”
As a child, Oksana felt like the whole world was against her. But at camp, her heart was softened by the love and attention she received.
For Oksana, volunteering was "a blessing from God... I saw how the girls arrived all loaded up with their problems, and how they flourished at camp and their attitude toward their children changed in a couple of days."
So many other orphaned youth and orphan-parented families experience joyful belonging for the first time at summer camp. And you make it possible!
Will you share with our youth the joy of belonging — to God and with each other?
Why is camp important for moms?
Oksana: For mothers, these camps are especially important, because those who haven’t had a good example of family life don’t know how to raise a child. In this camp you can learn and understand how to love your children, how to spare the time to help them, how to deal with various problems.
Why is camp important for students?
Oksana: In this place you begin to feel needed, to hear a lot about God and God’s love for you, to meet teenagers who are like you, to learn good advice about how to build your life. And you establish relationships with leaders who support you after camp. There is time to rest and to reevaluate your life.