The Power of 5 Years of Stop the Cycle Camps
May 22nd, 2018
Dear Friends,
Sixteen generous donors have kicked off our $10k matching campaign with gifts of $4140 – doubled to make $8280. Thanks, all!
We still need your help to fund our Educational Outreach and Stop the Cycle camps, and we’ve seen firsthand that Stop the Cycle transforms orphan families.
In 2016, we “graduated” our first Stop the Cycle group at their fifth camp. Relationships that began in 2012 had blossomed into full participation in our community. Of the 25 moms and 35 kids in that first group…
- 12 children were saved from orphanage life when we assisted in true crises
- 20 moms are stable, safely housed, and able to provide for their children with some help
- 8 moms became Christians
- 7 moms are leaders or volunteers with Last Bell, including one staff member
Orphan mom Nastya is part of our new Stop the Cycle “class.” At camp in 2017, she was closed-off and hard to read. But during the slideshow on the last night, Oksana Pankyeyeva saw tears streaming down her face. “All of Lena’s life I hated her,” Nastya said, “and blamed her for all my problems. Only here and now do I understand how much I love her.”
Nastya doesn’t come to Stop the Cycle meetings regularly (yet!), but we believe something is growing in her heart. The most astonishing transformations can happen when we faithfully pray and act.
Will you help us send orphanage graduates like Nastya to camp this summer? Thanks to our matching grant, your gift of $115 doubles to send TWO of our youth!
With gratitude for the work of God, who “was, is, and is to come,”
The Last Bell Team
Click here to read the full, moving story about Nastya at camp last year.
Click here for our earlier story about Sasha at youth camp.
Four Camps in 2018
This summer, we have four camps planned:
- Two for younger orphanage graduates, including some who are new to Zhytomyr. Camp helps us bring these teenagers into our caring community.
- Two for Stop the Cycle parents like Nastya, who have an impossible task: to raise children well, without models. At camp, we offer parenting training and family bonding activities.