Not such a dark day when the Son is shining,

Rainy days like today , they have a Russian saying for .. " черный день" which means a dark day... but when you add a little Son into the day , all you see is the light .  and that is what happened 

for 20 students today . 

We had bags of rice from when Jeff was here , and Bekah and her friends at iam1ru took a gift of plain rice , and went exceedingly and abundantly more then could have been asked or imagined.    It was fun to see how excited Bekah and Camala were to be able to help these students like this .  It is the end of a long year, and these kids need the little extra food to finish strong. 

The day started with a trip to the bank machine 

Bekah and Camala in the back of the car 

ordering packages of carrots, garlic and onions 

Candy , soup base, Calbasa , tomato past ,

Sugar and oil 

we then found a place in the bazaar under the canopy that was not being used .. 

we set up an assembly line and made packets right there in the market 

then started deliveries

our friend Vataly will hand them out to the kids in the dorm when they get home from school.

two more apartments with about 8 students between them 

some kids were harder to find then others .. Bekah has been getting names from the University as they find kids in need , so we don't know them all personally.. but we know there is a need ... imagine the excitement when a hungry student gets a call from some one they don't even know , asking them where they are so they can get a food pack .  I always say that the miracles can be found in the unexpected more then the expected .  

another student found 

one girl was in class, but sent her family out to meet us to get her families pack

700 lbs of packets delivered .. now on our way home .what a beautiful day today as the Son shines .

11th hour .. needs met

Another beautiful day today ... And once again we have witnessed God shining through .

Yesterday I posted about some needs as we come down to the wire . One in particular had a very sensitive time line, but today, God  moved and needs were met.

We met up with Kanjei, here beside Bekah ,   she was scheduled for surgery at 10 am , so we met up with her and her sister at the hospital to meet the Dr and pay for the operation .  

We also brought her some groceries for here time in the hospital.  

A special thank you on this one to everyone over at  www.iam1ru.com  for stepping in on this one and helping Kanjei 

Getting ready to go, and so much to do .

It always happens .. as we see the end of a trip in sight, with so much left to do , and the resources diminished .   I have learned in situations like this  to make the list , and then let the peace of God in....

 I can remember on my first trip to Central Asia, one of our friends who lived here told me that when things get overwhelming , just remember " If we start by doing what we can do, before you know it we will be doing what others said could not be done "  that has stuck with me over the years , and as we have trudged away at what we can , we have seen accomplished thing that others could not.  Even in the last week we have seen some amazing things accomplished . 

Last week we saw their completion of the new windows and doors at the Baby orphanage, we have fixed and repaired the walls and foundation at Bacute, and have seen the completion of the repairs and revitalization of the playground at Ivonofka  children's treatment centre  But that's just the tip of the iceberg.. other things have been accomplished at the same time .. things like 

-times of fellowship and encouragement with those working on the ground here 
-times of fellowship with many that we have worked with and supported in the past
-Samaritans purse boxes given out to over 200 kids 
-food drops to the seniors home and those living at the dump
-building community in the mountains
-new shoes for the men at the mens home 
-new ventilator for the baby hospital 
-birthday party with an intire orphanage 
-team retreat and encouragement at the hot springs 

we also had several meetings in the past week that will be great connections for the future work here in Kyrgyzstan .. people here in Kyrgyzstan making a difference, that we can come behind and support, like the local police building a homeless shelter and youth drop in centre,  a small mountain orphanage doing incredible things with the children they are supporting, along with a women's shelter for women and children,  We sat with this family to hear their heart and about the work that they are doing .. the first picture they showed us was the baby girl that they sponsor in Kenya, and showed us a photo of the  cow that they raised funds for and gave to her community when they were on a missions trip to Kenya last fall.  people that get it !

 We are now on the home stretch for this trip.  still with so much to accomplish .  a couple things that we need to get started before we go, just praying that the funds will come in .  things like the wife of my friend Joldosh who passed away last year going for surgery tomorrow , but we still do not have the money .. I have to bring $300 to the hospital in the morning .. I guess it will b an 11th hour thing... Another project we would like to get started before we go is the fence and the first swing set materials for the playground in the village .  All the documents are in place and they are ready to begin work .  The entire village is behind it and prepared to do the work and look after the children there .   our plan is to even have a small classroom / community center there as well, but for now if we can just get a start so that they can continue the excitement .

one of the kids waiting for a playground 

We have lots of other projects identified that we would like to do this fall.. Last night I lay awake , allowing myself to get a little concerned ..  things like continuing the scholarships for about 40 kids , A waiting room built for the baby hospital so that families don't have to line up in the elements, work on the playground, helping to provide more equipment for a medical clinic. building a green house to go along with the bio-desil plant, school supplies and food drops for several orphanages we work with ... and the list continues .. this does not even include basic support for our own expenses ..   It is easy to get overwhelmed, but when we stop and look what we have accomplished so far, I can see Gods hand and can know to trust him for the future ... 

Last day around the valley

ordering decorations for Ann from Svetly Put 

shopping at the Bazaar this morning 

checking out the new doors at the Baby orphanage 

Happy kitchen workers at the orphanage with new windows 

completing the documents and paying the last instalment on the windows and doors 

front wall repaired and foundation fixed at Bacutre orphanage 

lessons on how to make Monty

Jeff saying good bye to Vlady

new laptop delivered to Hospital / orphanage director 

Saying good bye to the kids in the new playground 

arrived at a mountain picnic .. Jeff was showen to the hammock 

I got the bed in the orchard 

Jengish got the baby 

Our friends birthday celebration 

Kids in the orphanage sang for us 

Saying good bye to to Acel and Talant and the girls 

final good byes to Sergey and Anya's family 

Playground for the village

while in the village yesterday, the ladies brought out the documents that they worked so hard to obtain .  They are the registry of a playground committee , including the tittle and deed to a small parcel of land that they hope to build on.    the funny part was when they shared the storey of how they sent a delegate of mothers and grandmothers to the city to get the approval and documents ... on Donkey's .. I sat there imagining the site that must have been . 

last fall , one of the 110 children in the village died when he drowned in a drainage ditch while out playing with his brothers.  That is when the village knew for sure that something needed to be done to provide there children a safe place to play.

This village has no money, but they are committed to the project.. they sat around the table yesterday and  talked about how the playground should look , and most importantly how it needed to be a community effort , and how they all needed to have a part in the work .  

the first thing they will need to do is put up a fence to keep the kids in and safe .  then we will begin with the swing set , and go from there .  Jeff brought with him some great seats for there swings , as well as a baby swing..

so here is the problem .. they have no money .. but they have seen God move in there village in the past .. they saw Him provide the finances for water , they saw him provide finances for operations, and the solution to this new need .. prayer  and wait on God.

My guess is that the total cost of this playground when complete , including a small building that we can use as a class room / community centre  will be about $5000.   this seems like so much for us at this time , but like we have seen in the past, if we just step out in faith and begin the work, we are sure that God will provide .. So we will start with the fence and the swing..   We are looking for $500 to get the project rolling .. This is a great opportunity to reach out to so many kids for years to come , as well as continue to build community ..  I know a lot of our readers are involved with summer kids camps and programs in Canada and the US.. perhaps your group is looking for a project to support , if so maybe building a playground would be a good project .. We could provide lots of follow up pictures , and maybe even letters to and from the kids  ..  We are open to do what ever it takes .. I just want to see this project move forward while they are all so excited .

Here are the photos .. story to follow

Banana's delivered to the Baby Orphanage .

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