Filed under: Team Romania 2010
Valer (Vali)
Vali has been in an orphanage since he was a baby. He is now 28 years old. In 1997 Heart of Hope Ministries started to work with his orphanage. The dental ministry started to work on his teeth, the ministry provided special gifts at Christmas and Easter. By the way, these gifts were the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas and Easter shoe boxes! Heart of Hope Ministry also began to do some renovation work the orphanage.
Vali came to Camp of the Good Shepherd in 2000. This was the opening year of Camp of the Good Shepherd. He came to camp for four years. Vali also has a brother with mental disabilities and is visual blind who has been able to come to Camp of the Good Shepherd. In 1998 he found out who his mother was but was not allowed to meet them because he was not 18 years old yet. In 2004 he was sent out of the placement center at the age of 18. He found a job in a sock factory. In 2007 he found a job in an airbag factory. Vali has taken his brother to live with him in his apartment to care for him. Vali is an extremely caring and loving young man. He receives a small pension of about $75 dollars a month for his brother.
When he found his family in 2004 he discovered that he has two other young sisters, ages 9 and 12, name Mihaela and Ana Maria. His mother is living with a man who is an alcoholic and abusive. They have no jobs and no electricity. Vali takes care of his two sisters as much as possible. He hopes to one day save up enough to provide for them. He brought them to Camp of the Good Shepherd this year. He bought them sandals for camp which is quite an amazing thing for him to do. They were so proud that their brother got them shoes. When they were here they experienced safety, fun and laughter like never before in their life.
It was extremely humbling to see their joy when they received absolutely anything. We found them play shoes for them because we didn’t want them to get their sandals dirty since they were so special to them. The gratitude they expressed when they received a bar of soap and a toothbrush is almost divine when you understand their background. They were shocked when they were able to have their own bed. And they asked to sleep with a sheet because they weren’t used to blankets. In fact, they got car sick on the way to camp because they just never drive in cars.
Although Vali is 28 years old he seems so much younger emotionally and socially because of the lack of nurturing in the orphanages. This makes it very difficult to find jobs. We grow in emotional and social health naturally, almost by osmosis. In the orphanages, the workers don’t provide any nurturing. It is only a job to them. In fact, they often steal from the children.
Vali has a beautiful voice. He has great potential and is extremely caring in a fatherly way. He sees caring for his brother and sisters as his mission.
One last note on his experience at Camp of the Good Shepherd. In 2004, it was his last year he would be here. One week after that experience here he was going to be sent out of the orphanage. On the last day of camp he stole food from the camp. However, a week later he had someone drive him back out to camp to apologize. Debbie Marshall, the president of Heart of Hope Ministries, of course, forgave him. But them gave him a bag of food. He was one of only two children who ever apologized for stealing from the camp.
I’m hoping to post a video interview with Vali and his two sisters so you can hear his story. This represents the lives of the kids we’re ministering to here at Camp of the Good Shepherd.
As I became aware of his story, I reflected on my time last week. Although I hugged a lot of kids, listened to them and played games with them, I wished I hugged them more, listened to more of their stories and played more games with them.
Thanks to my church and to many, many people for helping to send these kids to Camp of the Good Shepherd. You are literally raising up a new generation of Christ-followers that have the potential to change Romania and even change the world.
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This story is so much like the stories of thousands of orphans through out Eastern Europe. They are social orphans, having a mother or father, but were given up to the state to let the orphanage raise them. Their past is heart breaking, but if they learn and embrace the fact that God is their Heavenly Father who loves them deeply then they have a chance. Blessings to the teams that serve at the Camp of the Good Sheperd! (Love you Vicky … mom)
Comment by Juli Peterson July 26, 2010 @ 9:44 amGreat post Carl. Very touched. I will be sure to share with the kids!
Comment by Jennifer Bibbo July 28, 2010 @ 1:35 am