The Smelly Girl:
A Story of Redemption

by Jaimee Langeland
Co-Director of Operation Lazarus
Sevastopol, Ukraine

God did so many amazing things at the orphan summer camp this year but we thought you would might be most interested in hearing the story about the “smelly girl”. This is a story of redemption. But to tell it honestly, we must tell you some facts that are rather unpleasant. So if you are faint of heart, do not read any further, just move on to the next article.

You could literally smell her from at least 10 feet away. She smelled so bad that it was seriously a challenge to minister to her. And of course, she was longing for physical touch like all the orphan children, and would come and smother us with hugs. Veeka is 15 years old and has been in the Ukrainian orphanage system since she was a baby. Her father died in prison when she was only 1 year old and her mother drank herself to death.

Andy and I have known Veeka since our very first summer at Camp Gorney. Because of her rough character and her potent smell she wasn’t one who left the memory quickly. For two years now, we have seen her attach herself to different Americans from our teams, share her story, gain their pity, and yet never change. This year was different.

After having spent already a month at the camp with two different teams, the camp schedule was beginning to feel a bit tedious, both for the kids and for those of us who had been there for the entire summer. We continued to trust that the Lord had us there for such a length of time for a reason and did not give up believing for change in the kids’ lives.

Several days into our third and final team, one of our team members noticed some wounds on Veeka’s arm. She and I began asking Veeka what they were from. Veeka explained that she had taken part in a “bet” and had to burn herself with a cigarette (this wound was larger than the size of a quarter). Then we asked Veeka why there were cut marks on her arm. This conversation led into the details of her past and the anger that manifests itself in these self destructive behaviors.

We explained to Veeka that if she doesn’t stop doing things to hurt herself she will die just like her mom whom she clearly did not admire. We also explained that if she doesn’t respect herself no one else would. As we were dealing with the deeper more spiritual issues, I began to feel prompted to address the obvious hygienic issues. At the time, her feet were caked with mud - not just from the day, but probably a months worth of not showering.

I told her to look at my feet, and then look at hers. “What’s the difference between our feet?” I asked. She began saying “I know, I know, I just….” I stopped her and explained that the difference was not that my feet were better, it was that I cared about myself and she did not care about herself. I reminded her of how beautiful of a girl she was (which was not a lie) and gently yet firmly told her she needed to wash her feet. It was now time for lunch, so, we prayed with her and parted.

Later that night, we saw Veeka... and guess who had washed her feet! So, it was time to step things up a notch. At the time we were giving the girls “make-overs” just for fun. Veeka became interested in this. She wanted us to do her makeup. After she had her makeup done, one of our team members noticed some large black-heads inside of her ear that needed to be extracted or they would continue to grow and become painful. She informed Veeka and asked her if she wanted her to help get them out. She complied. (Talk about an act of love!)

While they were in the bathroom taking care of this, Veeka asked, “Why are they there?” This was the perfect opportunity to explain the importance of showering and washing inside her ears. Our wonderful team member said, “You need to go and take a shower and then come back to me and I am going to smell you to see if you smell better.” She gave Veeka all of the shower items she needed and sent her on her way.

When she returned, we saw an amazing sight. Veeka was clean and for the first time since we have known her, she DIDN’T smell!!! Not only did she not smell, but she was beaming with pride and self confidence from what she had done. Veeka showered every single night after that.

The transformation in Veeka’s life this summer was far more than physical. She asked Jesus into her heart and received a new life in Christ. And for the first time in years, she began to love herself. This was truly a miracle.