Orphan Camp:
A Story of LOVE and TEARS
By Jaimee Langeland Co-Director of Operation Lazarus - Sevastopol, Ukraine
I was quickly reminded why I chose to move to Ukraine upon returning to Camp Gorney for the second time in two months. A week prior I had been asking God if I was ever going to have a normal life. My questioning thoughts followed two of the most challenging weeks Andy and I had ever experienced in our whole lives, on any continent. However, the moment we arrived with our awesome team and began interacting with the orphans at camp, all the questions and discouragement was washed away. I was once again reminded of the precarious existence these children experience from day to day and how desperate they are for love and attention.
A prime example of this was a boy named Kolya, a 12 year old who is seriously physically underdeveloped (he honestly looks like an 8 year old). On our second day into this trip he began telling us how thankful he was that we had come. Though outwardly undersized, Kolya was surprisingly intuitive and wise beyond his years. He  expounded to us that he was grateful because when we were at the camp he felt like he, “had more brain waves.” Although this statement was quite entertaining to us later in the privacy of our cabin (and still is for that matter), Kolya was quite serious. He explained how happy he was when we were there at the camp (our 3rd time with various teams in a year) and how hard life was when we weren’t there (mind you this is at a recreational summer camp in the mountains run by a very good man). After our team had been there for several days, Kolya came knocking on our cabin door while the rest of the kids were at the nightly “disco” dance. When we asked him what he needed, he said he wanted prayer. We asked him what he needed prayer for and he answered, “I want a mom and dad.” Reality hit me like the softball that once sent me to the emergency room; no matter how tough these kids act, they have no desire as strong as their desire for someone to love and care about them.
Another boy, by the name of Sasha, who also looks about four years younger than his actual age of 14 and is the younger brother of Nastia (the girl whose apartment we renovated), told our interpreter Sergei that he wanted to stop smoking. Sergei, who has had extensive experience in this area, asked Sasha to give him his cigarettes, if he was serious about quitting, knowing this was pointless talk without action. By the end of their first conversation Sasha said he would “think about it.” After several days of the team praying and Sergei and our good friend Malu (from Orange County) talking with him and loving on him, Sasha finally decided to give up smoking. He was so happy when he made this decision that he begged Sergei to use his mobile phone and called his girlfriend to tell her about the decision he had just made. It is appalling to think of a 14 year old being completely addicted to cigarettes, period. However, I realized that just one week of loving on this kid was all he needed to give up this terribly common, disgusting and life endangering habit. The impact on these two boys’ lives was evident by the tears in their eyes as we waved goodbye from the bus windows. Love is power!
One of the most exciting events of the week was developing relationships with the kids between the ages of 14 and 17. There were about 40 of them in this age group. It was interesting to see the drastic difference between this age group and the younger children. The older teenagers (our target group) were not exactly the warm, receptive type as is often the case at first. Despite their serious faces and their cold demeanor we were able to break through to some of them. By the time we left the camp we had exchanged emails and phone numbers with about 10 of the older teenagers and invited all of the older teenagers to join our weekly “family night.” Although there were 30 others who didn’t act as interested in us, we are certain that we made the message very clear that we care for them, that we live in Sevastopol for the purpose of helping them make it in life and they are welcome in our home and our lives if they desire. We are waiting with anticipation to see them again when they return from camp this week.
Seeing these kids eat up our love was awesome and yet sobering. The need far surpasses what Andy and I or any short-term missions teams are capable of giving. It is clearer to us than ever that only Jesus Christ is big enough to meet all their needs and change them from the inside out. Please pray with us for supernatural wisdom, ideas, solutions and resources to help these kids in a life changing, lasting way.
If you would like to help support the work of HWC missionaries Andy and Jaimee Langeland, they are in need of monthly support as well as one-time financial gifts to assist them in remaining on the mission field in Ukraine.
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