I recently watched a disturbing online video about human trafficking, but what appalled me most were the comments some people posted. With vile profanity, they cursed Christian groups for “converting people,” insinuating that it would be better if those young girls were left in desperate conditions and exposed to the horrors of trafficking.
I confess, it made me mad! Stella’s Voice will help any girl in Moldova at risk of being trafficked, but if that’s all we do, we will have failed. . . .
It’s not enough to provide homes for vulnerable teenage girls and boys, or feed and clothe them, or ensure they have everything they need to complete their education. We will do all these things, but they need more . . . They need Jesus!
In Moldova recently, one of the girls in Stella’s House (we’ll call her Gabriela), was preparing for a mock business presentation she was to give at school. Gabriela found some smart looking business attire in our supply room, and she asked us if she looked ready for the task at hand.
Well, she looked very professional and well prepared for the assignment. As she talked, Gabriela mentioned her family. I don’t want to give many details, but there had clearly been a lot of abuse in her home. Gabriela was almost offhand about it, and I soon realized why. . .
Gabriela knew she was loved by everyone around her in Stella’s House, that Jesus had brought her out of that hell-on-earth, and that He will be with her for the rest of her life! Gabriela is whole again, and only Jesus can do that!
That’s why we keep doing what we do in Moldova. And I couldn’t care less whether any dark-hearted internet commenters like it or not!
Highlighting the hopelessness in Moldova, a recently published article tells the story of Karina, a teenager whose young life is broken by abuse.
The article offers little hope: ‘“She is so traumatized, she is a potential target for traffickers,’ said [Karina’s psychologist, Lidia] Gorceag, almost as if such a fate is inevitable.”
At Stella’s Voice, our mission is to change this fate, and thanks to the support of people like you, we are. Every day we are protecting the world’s most vulnerable from traffickers—girls and boys just like Karina.
And just like Gabriela, we are seeing over and over again the transforming, healing power of a real relationship with Jesus!
Maybe you think you can’t rescue every vulnerable child in Moldova, but will you provide enough support to help one? When you give, you are helping to change and shape a child’s future.
Standing With the One,
Brian Paterson
CEO
P.S. Your monthly and one-time donations help save girls and boys just like Karina. Simply click the button below to give online. Thank you!
Photo by Zach and Jenny Hoffman