Medical Update

 

From Stella’s Voice Board Chair,
Brian Paterson

Dear Friend,

Being in Moldova with the kids in our homes and sharing with people about what’s being achieved there are two things I love to do, but there has been quite the interruption to all that lately. 

Without going into a lot of details, my doctors, moving with what I can only call breathtaking speed, scheduled me for open-heart surgery. I am so grateful to them and for what I know is God’s guiding hand in making sure things were taken care of so quickly. 

They knew they’d have to bypass at least three blood vessels, but it turned out to be six. As my doctor joked, I got the 2-for-1 special! 

The good news is that everything went really well. I’ve been home for about a week now and I’m getting stronger by the day — thank you Jesus!

There are lots of things they won’t let me do for a while, and I won’t be able to travel to Moldova for eight weeks. That’s going to be hard, but I know it’s necessary. Meanwhile, other members of our team are working hard to make sure our kids have everything they need. I’m so grateful for all of our dedicated staff, both in Moldova and here in Canada.

Your support has never been more crucial. If you’ve ever wanted to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable young people, the time is now! Thanks to you, they live safely in one of our three care homes — over 40 teens as I write. They enjoy nutritious meals, have good clothing, transportation to and from school and much more.

And because your giving allows these precious kids to complete their education, they’ll be able to embark on good careers, break the cycle of poverty that grips so many in Moldova, and not face lives of helplessness and vulnerability where traffickers and other criminals can prey on them. And of course, so many of them find the joy of following Jesus as their Lord and Savior while they’re with us — what a blessing and privilege it is to be part of that!

I may have to sit out a lot of things for a couple of months or so, but that doesn’t mean others won’t be springing into action. With all my heart, I urge you to join them and send the very best gift you can right now!

Again, I’m so thankful for God’s help and comfort through these recent days. And I’m thankful for great doctors and nurses stepping in to make sure I got great treatment. And I’m especially grateful to you and to all those who give and pray to make sure these kids have all the help they need. Please help today!

With thanks for all you do,

 
 
 
 

Brian Paterson

 

LIFE UNDER OCCUPATION IS FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY...

You’ve recently heard about our trip into Ukraine. Here is an account of what it is really like from someone who has lived under the occupation.

“It is much worse than watching a horror movie because you can turn it off and go back to reality-here you cannot do that because it is your reality. The fear that at any moment everything can be taken away from you - your health, your honour, the life or lives of your loved ones, your home, your car, and more.

Fear of expressing your opinion and position because you and your loved ones will suffer. Fear when children are frightened and crying from explosions. When you hear the whistle of a flying shell. When all the pharmacies and hospitals are closed, and your child has a fever and you don't know what to do.

When kids want to go outside, tired of sitting in a dark and damp basement and you let them out for five minutes, shuddering at every sound. When you are cooking food over a fire because there's no electricity, no gas, no water.  The uncertainty of not knowing what will happen to you and your loved ones the next minute. When phones are cut off and you cannot reach your husband for 5 hours, who is standing in line for bread with two older sons (10 and 12 years old), because the bread is sold one loaf per person and his heart leaps out of his chest at the sound of an armoured personnel carrier passing by and machine gun fire.

When every goodbye feels like the last one.  When you don't know how long to make food last because the stores are empty and you don't know what to feed your children.  When you don't know how many more nights you'll have to spend hiding in basements, sheltering from bombs and raids by soldiers. When you don't know which of your acquaintances have gone over to the side of the occupiers.

When we were leaving the occupied area, we were very scared.  My husband was driving, I was sitting next to him and my 2-year-old son was in my arms.  We thought that if we were shot, everyone would die together.  When we passed Russian checkpoints (there was about 14 of them), we were treated rudely.  My husband and brothers were stripped down to their underpants and poked with machine guns.  When we passed the last checkpoint, the Russian military fired shells at us – thankfully we were unharmed.

On 6th June 2023, there was an explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, which led to the flooding of our city ... Many people drowned.  Mothers with children, the elderly who could not get out on the roof or open the doors, (because the frames on the doors had swollen).  The water has caused many land mines to lift and are now floating in the water.  Dead bodies of people and animals and even coffins of those recently buried are floating everywhere – there is a foul stench in the air.

Having escaped to Odessa we still experience frequent shelling and the lingering threat of a nuclear disaster at the power plant.”

We thank God and our faithful donors who provide the opportunity to help so many refugees from our base in Moldova.

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