Going away Party / Fundraiser

For those of you in the area

Time is rapidly approaching when we will begin our adventure to Central Asia. Julies’ last day of work will be the 25th of January and the girls will be done School around the 4th of February. That will give us a couple weeks to get things ready and the bags packed for our departure sometime between Feb. 11th and the 18th (depending on flight availability).
The total cost for this six month adventure will be around $30,000, this will include flights, accommodations, all projects, and keep the home fires burning in our absence. At this point, with what we have saved, along with many donations from family and friends, (thank you to all that have supported us) we are only about $4500 away from our goal.
We did not have any major fundraisers or banquets for this trip, but we did think that it would be fun to incorporate a fundraiser with a going away party. You are invited to join us on Saturday January 26th at 7 pm at the Norwood Pentecostal Church . We will be going with a coffee house theme. Benjamin (son) and Don (brother) will be the feature entertainment. There will also be a silent auction… we are still looking for some good auction items, as well as a few people that have espresso/ cappuccino machines we could borrow for the evening. If you can help with any of these, please let us know.
We look forward to seeing you there and having the opportunity for a little visit before we go.

Blessings Julie & John

Touch down

Arrived in Kiev safely after a long flight, Tonight we take a train to KryvyRog . Keep us in your prayers
the Nelders

A McJoyful Christmas 2007 begins.....

In the wee small hours of Christmas morning, while most of the country was still sleeping, The Nelder family along with a few of their friends headed for the airport to begin the long journey. They are going out for supper... At McDonald's.....in Nepapatrosk (Ukraine). They are going to assist with the Mcjoyful Christmas program.

Every year, Loads of Love and Possibilities International take thousands of Orphans to McDonald's......or the nearest thing to it. Imagine the excitement when these kids , many whom have never been out of the orphanage before, get to go out for Christmas dinner.
While the rest of us may be considering whether or not to send $10 to pay for 1 orphan (this includes a years supply of vitamins) , this small group lead by Jamie has has stepped forward and answered the "Keith Green" Call..... "How about me not Just sending my money this time, How about me going."

As you can Imagine , taking 4000 orphans out for dinner does not happen all in one day.... the excitement will be continuing in countries all over the former Soviet Union for weeks to come... If you want to be a part of the blessing this year, you can donate at the Possibilities International Web sight....If you want to be a part of the blessings in the future.... why not GO ?

Sabira's first Christmas

Sabira experiences her first Christmas

because someone from

North America gave!

STAND

One of my favorite blogs is the LaJoy family blog. Cindy walks us through the daily trials of life from a unique perspective. Cindy's boys are from Central Asia, and "Kenny" in particular is from town. I have followed this latest adoption from the beginning stages . I have celebrated with them, I have laughed with them, and I have cried with them. Our paths have crossed in other corners of the cyber community as well. Although we are thousands of miles apart, our common goals and heart for the Helpless hurting and lost has drawn us to the same small corner of the globe. You see we both know and understand that it is never too late... That the resilience of a child can be mind boggling . Here is an excerpt from her blog today.



We sat around the TV watching a show I had never seen before on NBC named "Clash of the Choirs" in which choirs led by music celebrity directors compete for a large donation to a specific charity. We really enjoyed this show, and at one point Kenny snuggled in next to me on the couch warming ourselves under a blanket (It's Colorado folks, we are always under a blanket...either a down blanket or a snow blanket!). One of the choirs sang a song "I'll Stand By You" that many of you that are roughly...ahem...my age...might remember being recorded by The Pretenders. So here we are, this little 9 year old boy and I, barely 6 months into being mother and son together, and he looks up at me in all seriousness and quietly says "Hey cool mom! I stand by you. I like that. We family, I stand by you forever."WOW. Dumbstruck. Loyalty & Love.The abstract concepts of loyalty and togetherness and family are things that many adults in this world seem not to understand. Or if they understand it, they can not act on it. Here is this little boy, institutionalized his entire life with no real reason at all to even have a basic understanding of these things. They were not modeled for him, they were not experienced by him, they were not part of his daily life. How did the seeds get planted? Where did it come from?"I stand by you forever". Daily, I am humbled.It was Kenny who reminded us (as if I needed reminding) that tonight was a night for special prayer. So off went the lights, out came the candle, and by it's flickering light we all held hands as each one asked for God's guidance and blessing.Regardless of the outcome, Kenny put it beautifully. "I stand by you forever".


I cant help but think of Ephesians That says "after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace"

P.S. Cindy.... We received the camera. Thank you
so much. Beckah is so excited about this project.....she is my little techno-geek.....I picked it up to look at it last night, and what do you know....150 photo's of the dog!Thanks again
Blessings
The Wrights

A little laughter goes a long way !

I found this post on another blog and thought it was kind of funny...
Fitting in. It's easy. Don't smile. Look straight ahead or down at your feet. Wear only dark clothes. Carry a plastic bag. This photo features my favorite plastic bag: the Barf bag, advertising a laundry detergent. Barf... It means snow!



The other option is to try not to fit in.... Here we are on a trip with a team from Norwood ....By the time we traveled through the busy streets, no one was looking down, and everyone was smiling......

The Miracle Rope

When In town, we are looking forward to helping out at the training centre. I recieved an email from Ed today with a story about one of the students.... I thought you might be interested ....

In 1997 we started a small training centre in Central Asia, called Light of Asia, which we hoped would provide a new foundation for young people who really wanted to change their lives and their communities. Since then, over *500* students have graduated! This is one student's story that has to be told!
When Rosa was a young girl her father beat her mother so badly that she, in desperation, took her own life. At the funeral, little Rosa found out that her mother had doused herself with gasoline and set herself on fire. Rosa's father, then did the unthinkable - he threw the children out of the house. They moved to a small shack in a nearby field. Rosa's brother then left for Russia to find work. This left Rosa and her sisters on their own. Later on, Rosa tried to hang herself, but the rope broke.

In an amazing twist, in Russia, Rosa's brother was taken to a church and his life was changed forever. Excited, he returned home to tell his sisters. Rosa's father had disappeared. Rosa became a Christian and one month later, her pastor told her that she had the potential to be a real leader and asked if she would consider attending our college. Rosa later told me that she thought she wasn't holy enough! :)

While Rosa was at the college, her pastor called to tell her that her brother, sisters and a group of new believers were now meeting in their home every week! The house of suffering had become a *place of hope*! Then a few weeks later, her pastor called again, this time Rosa was not prepared for the news. Her father had returned home, asked the children for forgiveness, and was now the newest member of the Place of Hope! You know ... I thank God for that miracle rope! :)

For only $300, we can fully sponsor an amazing student, like Rosa, to live and study at the college ... and change the world!

Ed Dickson

To can contact Ed by folowing the links at the side of the page.

You know it is through people like Rosa that have "been there and done that" that we are going to make the greatest inroads in CHANGE in Central Asia..they come at things with a perspective that most of us will never fully grasp.....thankfully.

The shirt off your back !

Do you remember a few weeks back I posted a letter from Blair about his trip to Central Asia. Here is part of that letter.....

"On a visit to Anatoly to see the after pic of his home he mentioned that he needed a few things (pants, a sweater & some medicine). We took a collection amongst ourselves & gave it to Leyana who bought them for him. I don't know who was more thrilled Anatoly, Leyana or us. Needless to say we were so blessed to be there."

I thought I would fill you in a little about Anatoly. Anatoly and his wife live on $12 a month. His was one of the first home makeovers that was done in Central Asia .

in this photo Ed has taken off his own shirt

and put it on Anatoly

This is his Kitchen

Here is a photo of Anya working on his house

It's hard sometimes to think about the future that's in store for the kids in the orphanages..... but the future is still ahead of them... there's hope...but for these seniors their past is set in stone. The best we can hope for is to restore a little dignity.

Things we take for granted

My friend Tod and I made the drive this morning to Ottawa to pick up some friends who are here visiting from Xxxxxxxx. While in Ottawa, we made a couple of calls to our Member of Parliament, and 1/2 hour later we were in his office with his parliamentary secretary, and an intern . They took us on a full tour of the parliament. Even when we joined up with the regular tour, they stayed right with us and were ready to answer any and all questions for the girls. When the public tour was over, with the flash of a badge, we were in the inner workings of the government buildings. The girls were so excited. When it came time to go, we tried to thank our personal tour guides, at which point they both apologized to us that our Member of Parliament was not there personally as sits on the Justice comity and was in meetings all day. We were given passes to the gallery, but unfortunately did not have time to stay. Here is the ironic part... here with all our freedoms and privileges, I can't show you the un doctored photos of the time on the hill...... to do so could link our friends to this web sight, and in turn compromise their safety.

Calling all Camera's

I have been playing with an idea.... and I need your help.
Ever since the digital age collided with my household, I have been living in a virtual lightning storm.. I think we have close to 26 000 photos of the bird, and even more of the cat and dog. My girls have gotten hours of enjoyment taking photos. We have photos of the kids on the wall, we have photos in albums , we have photo on the computer, and now we have photos on facebook.
Last year I heard how our friends in Xxxxxx had purchased a small photo album for each of the kids in one of the orphanages. Last month I had the privilege of visiting that orphanage, and seeing first hand the excitement as these kids showed off their photos..... they each had about 3 or 4 pictures of themselves. Eight years old and there life's history is wrapped up in 4 photos.
I started thinking......If we could get our hands on a 1/2 dz digital cameras and a photo printer, we could teach photography and scrapbooking to some of the older kids at the orphanage. We could set them up and have them take photos of all the kids, and maybe even make some photo albums for the other orphanages in the region.
At this point I don't have it in the budget, but I got thinking that with Christmas around the corner, lots of you, or people you know may be upgrading their digital camera's. If anyone would like to donate their old camera or camera equipment (rechargeable batteries etc.) to this cause, you can send them to :
John Wright
2141 R.R.#3
Norwood Ont.
Canada K0L 2V0

Russian 101

After work tonight I meet Julie and the girls in town for supper , then it was off to Millbrook Ontario to give some Russian lessons. Millbrook is preparing for trip to the Ukraine where they will be meeting up with Ed. They will be leaving Canada on Christmas day to help with the McJoyful Christmas Program . They are going to have a blast. If you are new to this blog you might ask "What is McJoyful Christmas.?" well I will let Ed explain it..........

In the last few years, McDonald's has opened a number of flashy new restaurants in the former Soviet Union. In the city of Krivoy Rog, Ukraine, the McDonald's is the place where the "elite" folks eat! Poor folks and certainly the orphans in the city only dream of being able to enter the golden arches. One cold December day, I thought, "Why not take as many orphans as I can to McDonalds for a Christmas party?" What a thrill that was! The first Christmas there were 46 orphans, who had, of course, never been to a McDonalds before, taken out for the time of their lives!
The kids were so excited they were shaking in their seats as they waited for their Happy Meals! After the kids finished eating they put their cups, straws and wrappers into their bags to take back to the orphanage with them. I watched in amazement as they even folded up the little paper placemats.
As I was busy getting the kids to the bus, Olya, one of our workers came to me saying, "Ed, these two little girls have something to say to you." I thought they were going to thank me for the special meal and I didn't want them to say that because I wanted the kids to know that this was all done because GOD loves them. Then the two little girls looked up at me shyly and said, "We just want you to know that we had been praying together that God would allow us, somehow, to go to McDonalds someday."

That was in 2001. The McJoyful Christmas program has grown since then....and I mean grown. Now I have seen the excitement when we took 50 kids to an amusement park.....when we took 35 disabled kids out for supper....and when we took 45 youth bowling....or even cooked supper for 200 kids in an orphanage.... But for the life of me I can't imagine the excitement when they bring close to 4000 kids to McDonald's..... That's right ...4000 kids many of whom have never been out of the orphanage before.... can you imagine. Julie always accuses me of taking things to the limit, but 4000 kids. Not only that, but for every kid that goes, a years supply of vitamins is provided. When Ed started this, he funded it with his own money, but for obvious reasons, he would appreciate help. The cost of this Edventure is $10 per child......that's $10 per child . If you would like to help Ed this Christmas , you can contact him at edward_dickson@yahoo.com Tell him you found out here and be eligible for the actofkindness rate ....... 10 kids for $100...

Blessings John

Adopting from Central Asia / Xxxxxxxx

Julie and I were discussing today with the girls about how when they were young, we had started the process of adoption. We had gone through all the classes and had started the home study . We were preparing to adopt an older, difficult to place child .It is such a big step, and effects so many lives, we wanted to make sure that this was the right decision. About that time, there was this very old, and very wise pastor that would preach at our church from time time. I remember watching in amazement how he would almost have to be helped up to the pulpit, then as the power of God came upon him his entire countenance would change ,and in minutes he would be preaching like he was in his 20's again...clear, energetic...(all over the platform ) , funny, and spoke with authority..... then when he was all done, this frail old man would carefully return to his seat. We went to him after one of these services, and asked him to pray for us, that we would like clarity about whether or not to proceed with adoption.... with that same clarity and authority we had seen earlier, ho told us that this was not Gods will for us at this time, and that we should not be committing to adopting now, but that one day God would be calling on us to be helping many.
I think back to that time, and I never would have imagined that today we would be so involved with so many hurting and lost little soals. Every one of them, we could adopt if given half a chance. It is so hard to walk through the orphanages and see so many kids and know that there are people out there fighting for the chance to adopt and provide them a real home.


This sweet little girl here in the pink, has no parents, and no extended family. She is completely on her own. She is smart , gentle, outgoing and gets along well with all those around her. To her detriment, she has no medical conditions....... this means that in her country, she will not be eligible for international adoption and it is highly unlikely she will be find a "national" family. What does the future have in store for her.? Possibilities International pays two workers to maintain a presence in her orphanage,($130 / month) to provide counseling and positive instruction as well as any special needs.... They will do their part to "Protect her " as she gets older.....and maybe one day we can find a way to get her a real family.
To our friends on the Yahoo adoption groups, Please don't give up, please don't stop fighting through all the red tape , Please don't get discouraged, please don't let the continually changing regulations cause you to back down. You hold the course, And we will continue to pray for strength and encouragement for you, we will pray that the finances would be released to meet all your needs. I pray that one day I will see one of you posting photos of this little girl on a horse back, or riding lawn mower or dressed in a soccer outfit, or maybe at Disney land ....Just don't give up.
....looking after the orphans in their need......James 1:27

Right from The Horses Mouth

Not that I am calling them horses..... But you know what I mean.
Every year we try to bring some workers from Central Asia here to meet the people that support them ... It gives people here an opportunity to get to know them, an opportunity to see and understand the wide range of support that they receive, and is also a great way to raise awareness for there work....... We can tell people ourselves, but until they hear it from the horses mouth, it does not hit home. Here is one of the most common questions that we are asked, and the response received. It is part of an email from a gentleman that will be traveling with the AVP group in march.

Thanks John: It was great to see the videos and meet the Xxxxxx and Xxxxxxxx tell of their expriences with the orphaned and handicapped children,. When I asked wouldn't it be better to send the $2500 plane fare over instead of me she said "no we need and delight in the encouragement you can bring to our people.

joy to you!

will stoltz
-----

So it's like this........ if you really want to encourage me.... you can send me the $$$$$, but if you want yo really encourage them...... you can go!

Deja-vu

I remember my first missions trip. It was to the Island of Monserrat in the West indies, after Hurricane Hugo laid waste . I saw the devastation on the news, and a few weeks later I was walking the streets.... I remember the feeling of " I have seen this before" and realising that this was what I had seen.

I have also been on Missions trips , and even years later, I see photos on line or on posters and signs that I have taken.... Again it is a weird feeling.... You start to realise that we are a part of something that is bigger than the two of us!

The main reason that I continue to post on this blog is to encourage people, to realise that every day people can do extraordinary things....... and that whether we are here or there , we can make a difference. One of the side perks of this blog , is the friendships that I have started to develop because of it..... I find myself encouraged daily by those like minded bloggers.



I thought I would post part of a letter I received from a "NEW FRIEND"..........he knows my fathers will.....



When I found out in January I was going to Central Asia I googled everything I could find. That's where I found your blog. When I got there I was just blown away that I was actually able to see in person the people & the "after pics" of projects that were mentioned in the blog. I hadn't expected that. On a visit to Anatoly to see the after pic of his home he mentioned that he needed a few things (pants, a sweater & some medicine). We took a collection amongst ourselves & gave it to Leyana who bought them for him. I don't know who was more thrilled Anatoly, Leyana or us. Needless to say we were so blessed to be there. Although...when you were digging around the village last week, did you happen to find my heart? I'm pretty sure I left it there. :) I probably could go on & on with the stories. This trip was life changing for some of us in our group. I am wanting to go back soooooo bad. I'm not sure if our church is planning another trip there or not. In a couple of weeks they'll be announcing next year's trips & I'm just waiting to find out. After I got back I kept up with your blog & watched the team reports last week with great interest & was praising God for all of those accomplishments. As the Brits say...I'm just gob smacked at what was done.

Lord bless,

Blair1

Corinthians 16:13



Stay tuned for more accounts of Blair's journeys to Central Asia

Catching Up

Well so much has been happening that I seem to be falling behind. I thought it would be great to give a little recap of where things stand in the village.

It is amazing to me what can be done with small amounts of money here in Central Asia. I am told that inflation is causing the price of most things to increase 15-20%. In God's economy....the generousity of His people....how is this for a list of things that have been done, or that are being done by the investment of about $25,000.New Tile floor in kitchen, dishwashing room, and two side rooms...as well as tile halfway up the wall.All new plumbing under the tile floorAll new electrical in the new kitchenTwo countertop rangesMicrowaveChicken Coup(with fenced in area)and 22 six month old laying hens and a roosterBlock building to hold water heating furnace...and also a winters supply of coalTwo brand new windows (2 meters by 4 meters) in the dining room (installed)Three brand new windows for kitchen (2 meters X 3 meters...installed)Generator for Mission that works with orphanagesA financial blessing for a Bible College that trains leaders to help the hurting, hopeless and helpless.Partnership with Children of Hope (child sponsorships) that saw all 45 orphans have $50 spent on them for new clothes and shoes/boots.....and I am sure I am missing a couple things...Oh yeah...a Metric Tonne of Potatoes that will last the orphanage at least through the winter.Cleaning supplies for KitchenPaint for KitchenNew Shelving in Kitchen....C'mon! Somebody get off their hiney and do a dance or something. This is wild stuff! Thank you God...for letting me be part of it!Every last child in that orphanage is worth it!


Sammy Pi.

Host Family

Many of you may not know this, but when I was young, My parents owned a Motel and Restaurant / banquet facility in cottage country, and my formal education is in Hotel Restaurant Management. Several years ago when we began planning for an extended stay in Central Asia, I felt a real calling to take what comes natural to me and use it to glorify God. As a host family, we will meet and greet incoming missions teams and individual travelers. There are many different NGO's operating in the area, and wouldn't it be great if they had a friendly face waiting for them , helping them to acclimatize, and maybe even a home cooked meal from time to time. Something else I would love to do is to have the opportunity to have our many friends and acquaintances over for visits. I really look forward to this time. While traveling with a team on a short tum Trip, time is such a factor, and it seams that every minute is spoken for.... I look forward to visiting Gyanna, and having time for a game of Chess, or having the local pastor and his family over for supper....Can you believe I have never actually had the opportunity to sit down and have a visit with them.?... after all, we have always seen our role in missions not as an evangelist , but simply there to encourage our local Brothers and Sisters.

Cost : $200/month

Home makeover

While living in town, We will be staying at an apartment owned by Ed Dickson. Ed is seen here with some of the thousands of Orphans that he takes to McDonald's in the Ukraine every year . Ed is the director of Loads of love / Link 127 and is responsible for much of the work that we do in Central Asia.

His apartment is clean and in a good location. I has not really been lived in for many years. Ed provides it free of charge to missionaries and pastors who come time to time to teach at the local Bible college. I think that more than anything it gets used as an emergency shelter. In the past, along with staying there our selves we have moved people there while we are doing "Home Makeovers" .

You have to know Ed to know that he is so non materialistic. and as nice as the apartment is....it shows.

We would love have the opportunity to really bless Ed ... and in turn, all that use this apartment. We have already begun work on the apartment installing new windows, and adding some appliances to the kitchen. It is one of our goals while we are there to take the money that we are saving in rent, and upgrade the apartment, maybe some new beds, sheets, blankets , towels. A little remodeling in the Kitchen , a new fridge, and maybe even some cooking utensils.

When a people like Ed puts so much on the line , devoting his life completely to helping the hurting and the lost, doing the work that you and I should be doing, I think it is important that this apartment feels less like a "Room" and more like a home.

Cost $400/month

Orphanage projects

While in town, Emma and Bekah will be working with the kids in the orphanages. Using the art supplies they have brought from home, they will be using visual arts as a point of contact to reach the kids. They will also assist the newly hired English teacher 2 days a week. It is very seldom that the kids have the opportunity to get out of the orphanage, and we would like to take them on some regular outings.
Cost : $200 / month

Bus Ministry

We would like to hire a bus 4 days a week. . One day a week we would like to assist the seniors to the market. Once a week the kids from the orphanages could go on outings . We could use the bus to bring supplies to the various projects that PI and Loads of love are involved with . We would also be able to provide a bus to church with us on Sundays. By hiring the bus on a monthly , permanent basses we will be able to save teems money and provide subsidized bus service to other groups visiting the area . The bus will also be our primary source transportation.
Cost: $575 / month

Behind the scenes

As we are preparing for an extended stay in Central Asia , we thought it would be a good idea to outline some of the projects we will be involved with, as well as the costs associated with them. When you look at the total cost, it is easy to think " what could I do" , but by breaking the projects down into smaller pieces, maybe it won't seem so bad. Over the next couple of weeks, I will provide a breakdown of expenses.

A GOOD FRIEND

I think back to the first time I travelled overseas, there was a young man that even at that time was no stranger to the mission field. He is just a regular guy with a young family, a job and I am sure if fair share of day to day bills, but over the years, he has always been able to take the time
to make a difference. It is one of those things.... When you hear that Julius will be on trip with you, you feel reassured. He works so hard, and cares so much. He brings joy to all he meets, and rolls with the punches, and somehow always manages to stay humbly in the background. For me he has been an example and an inspiration.
I look forward to many more years of partnership.

displaying his new "Home made Canadian Flag"

giving out fresh fruit to the disabled


Despite lots of work to do, he always takes the time to give undivided attention to the kids.

A generous spirit, and a warm heart.

Never afraid to clown around a little if it makes the kids laugh.

I think that we could all learn a lot from Julius.....We can make a difference!

TRAVEL TIPS

Before I share some of the travel tips I have acquired over the years, I must first give a disclaimer. Although some of these may appear to be "Potty Humor" I must say that they have served me well . I wish I could take credit for them myself, but I have gleaned them from other experienced travelers.

Rule # 1
*"NEVER trust a fart"..........Bob Campbell

Rule #2
* " Finish every meal with a piece of a BANANA...They taste the same coming up as they did going down".........Julies Hofer

Rule #3
* "If irritated by the person sitting beside you on the plane.....get out your laptop make sure they can see the screen, then push this LINK...sit back and close your eyes." .......Mike Selby

now I am sure that there are other great travel; tips out there that we will all find very useful....if you know of any, please comment!

It's not all clowning around for Goderich

Sam and the team have arrived in a town in Central Asia. The church from Goderich has raised $25,000 that must be invested in the orphanage in the village. To date they have invested in new tile on floor and walls in kitchen ,A complete reno of water pipes feeding new kitchen and new electrical throughout kitchen and dining room..., New heating pipes and system for one half of building that they used in summer but never in winter....They are building to hold water heating system and a winters supply of coal. That leaves almost 1/2 the money left....they will be buying a new water heater for kitchen...putting in counters...tables..shelves.
This is serious stuff! No clowning around. But they also have two clowns with them...."Herbie the Hobo" and "Buttons"...What a hit they are with the kids....sharing the love of God in this special way...they are booked in orphanages, the hospital...playground program...local church. For more updates on this trip check out the following sites...

http://www.possibilitiesinternational.blogspot.com/

http://www.teamk07.blogspot.com/

Touch down

Friday, October 19, 2007

Team K07 has arrived in Central Asia
The team from Goderich has arrived in Central Asia.Sorry about no pictures as of yet but I will try to update everyday and from this day forward have a pic to go along with the post.Everyone is doing well to this point. Michelle Findlay borrowed my converter plug for her curling iron and the cover came off so she tried to pull the plug out of the wall socket....hello....you guessed it....220 volts baby! Shazzaaaam! Peter now finds his wife more "electrifying" than ever. She is fine folks...Connie MacVicar is missing one bag of luggage. We are working on getting it. Please pray...all her personal items are in it. Steve Root decided to have "beef tongue and cheese" today for lunch...hello....he is a "freakshow" with a gut of steel! I love the guy...he is hilarious and a real trooper. For some reason he and Pastor Scott enjoy picking on me...and you know me I never deserve any of that.Anyways...gotta jet....get some sleep....gotta get over my jetlag.Will update tomorrow with pictures.
Sam out
Posted by sammyweltenpi at Friday, October 19,

And the adventure begins

Today is a big day for the team from Godrich Ontario. They will begin the 22 hour journey to a village in Central Asia where they will be building a new kitchen for the Orphanage there. Just think, this winter, the orphanage meals will be cooked INSIDE.

So call me a coward....really I'm ok with that !

Check out my cool Outfit.... I was in the market picking up some supplies when I attract the attention of some of the vendors... Eying me up they determined I was a football player, and Eying them up I determined that I was in no shape to be tackled. I told them we could not play because we had no helmets, So out came the gold hats.... Then I explained that we had no ball at which point they stuffed a purse with cloths and were ready to go..... so I did the only thing I could and put on the "quarterback jacket" then explained to them the # 1 rule of football is You can not tackle the Quarterback....in fact that offence would put you out of the game forever..... You all know that rule don't you?... For the next 15 minutes I watched as these guys beet the tar out of each other....I am glad I had the special jacket on.!

More great news for the kids in the village

More great news for the kids in the village. I don't know if you have been following the posts over at http://www.possibilitiesinternational.blogspot.com/ Not only has the Church in Godrich come on board in support of the kids, but they have gone wild. They originally committed to $10 000, and now they have raised over $25,000. Whats even better news is that they have 12 people heading over to help with renovations. I'm telling you , things have sure come a long way from the first time we went there. You can check out some of the history of the orphanage at this previous post .... A Place In My Heart

PILE ON !

How many of you can remember playing Pile on with your Dad. This is something that these kids would never have the opportunity to experience if it were not for a team from Possibilities International..

One more reason that you can not gauge the success of a missions by the the physical accomplishments.

Smile

I have been around long enough to know that its a good photo of kids that bring in the support. It seems shallow, but I must confess that every now and then I or one of the team get the perfect shot of an orphan.... the " Money Shot". And its not just a ploy to gain support from others, I frame these shots and have them hanging on the walls on my own home. Fortunately there are supporters of PI that are deeper than that. For a few years now they have been working in an institution in Uxxxxxx for disabled and mentaly ill ladies. As we pulled onto the grounds, the reception was incredible. there were about 60 ladies waiting . They were all dressed up and had flowers for the team. As we walked through the institution we were shown all the work that has been completed by PI workers. every thing from a heating system to a craft room. (notice how I said a heating system and not a new heating system... that's because until PI got there, they had no heat at all.) There is a lot of work left to be done but you have to admit ,at least now there is life in their eyes.

Leave your fingerprints and be shot !

This is a clip I found amusing taken from an on flight magazine.

If I Had a Million Dollars !

Forget the $1,000,000...How about if I had $100. Well, we had friends from the U.S. Central Asia adoption group (God bless America!!!) that we met in a town in Central Asia that gave us $100 to do something special for about 35-40 orphans in the village. This picture you see is what we bought at the market for the children. We then combined it with 10 boxes of Kraft Dinner that our American friends brought us and......shazaam! It was the mother of all parties! We are talking fresh fruit, cookies, candies and some excellent KD! The Barenaked Ladies sang about what they would do with a millions dollars....John Wright and I did the party for $100. Now if we had a $1,000,000....Maybe now that the BNL are making millions they might want to donate to our cause.
Posted by sammyweltenpi at Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Speed 3!

Folks....I have never...I mean never been on a boat that moved this slow. The ducks were outswimming this puppy! However, to an orphan that has never been on a boat before it was like heaven. I had my fun telling the guy to speed the boat up (he had no idea what I was saying....and if he did he was not letting letting on).

30 orphans had a blast....first trip on a bus...first trip to the city...first time on a ride...first hamburg...first hotdog. James 1:27 all the way....and also a little of the last becoming the first.

Who said the couldn't do anything !

wait until you see the beautiful bead work these disabled orphans are doing .....

HAY MOM I FOUND THE BLUE SHIRT !

This photo is for my Mom

A Stolen Hug

From across a dim lit room, first eye contact is made. Seemingly alone in a world surrounded by other orphans. Eye contact is quickly shifted to a point just over your right shoulder so as not to attract attention. Like a wild cat with stealth like precision, he begins to make his way across the room. Weaving quietly and cautiously around others in hope of not being noticed or detained. Two fast he will be noticed and to slow, I might have moved on. Then suddenly he is standing at my side. I don't exactly know the point of contact, but there he is easing his way under my right arm. Contact is far from over... Like the precision of the Queen Marry docking , the process begins. Heart pounding he fixes his gaze in the same direction as me. His breathing is at a complete stop as he begins to make contact. First his foot then his ankle then knee...his breathing begins , but amazingly it patterns mine. I cane feel his heart rate begin to slow, until it too is beating with mine. Slowly the universe begins to fade from existence... the through the fog we here... OK lets go.... I can feel him draining every ounce of life from my body that he can ... Then in the crush of people connection is lost and we drift apart. Tired and week I climb back into the car.... Feeling guilty that I have just stolen a hug.

I spoke to soon

If you read the last post, you will see that just when I was thinking it was like home, I touched the wrong button and ...no more english for you!

Goodbye at the gate

Yesterday we had the opportunity to take a bunch (45) of kids bowling. They are a very special bunch. They are all part of the family and have all come out of one of the orphanages here. P.I. has a followup plan that looks out for these kids when they are out of the orphanage.
Imagine living in an orphanage your entire life, and for some of these kids, never being on the other side of the gate. It is your whole life, You hear it bang closed during the night, you see people come and people go, but that 8 foot high solid steal gate is a barrier between you and the rest of the world. Then one day you turn 16 and they come to you and hand you one change of cloths, and walk you to that gate. without the help of a few good people, where would you end up?

Tomorrow the team is off to one of the ancient cities, and Sammy and I are heading to Central Asia..... I will post photos from there .
Blessings John

Smiles All Around

Jolyanne Marcotte from St. Andre-Avellin has not been able to wipe the smile off her face since she arrived here in Central Asia. The wild thing is that she has not even really started working in the orphanage yet! That starts tomorrow. There is no doubt in my mind that the smile you see here will be like a cool breeze blowing on a very warm day when she steps inside the orphanage. The impact will be huge. No need to ask Jolyanne if she enjoyed her time here...just look for the smile...it will tell you all you need.

A Rose For The Babies

Hi
I've had the privilege of working in the baby orphanage this week. It is the only baby and toddler orphanage in this city. There are eight in this former Soviet republic. We accompany Nxxxxxx's workers. They usually work in the orphanage 3 days a week. They supply the babies with additional nutrition and teach them using KinderMusic. The additional nutrition is pablum just as we have in Canada. The toddlers are so well behaved and sit so still in their little chairs as we feed them. We also feed babies and children who are mentally and physically challenged. The youngest baby is 1 month old. After feeding them, we visit the different rooms doing KinderMusic with the children. We sit in a circle with them and to music do activities with them -- massaging their bodies, singing, teaching them social skills, bouncing balls, shaking rattles and so much more. The children seem to love what they're doing and are slowly adjusting to us. After that we feed the babies and children lunch -- mashed potatoes or rice mixed with broth, some carrots and ground beef and soaked up with bread in order to feed them. It looks nutritious. I've come to adore little Olga who is 6 months old; little Carolina who is very shy and is over 2; and little Umida who is about 2 and half. I was really blessed today when I had the opportunity to feed a little baby girl who was born without arms and can hardly see. How precious the time we had together as I fed her a bottle -- talking with her -- and then had an opportunity to hum the song "Jesus Loves Me" over and over to her before I put her to bed.
Rose Gass

Tapped Out

We had opportunity to go out to Sxxxxxxxx orphanage and home for mentally ill women. It was a true blessing to see the impact that we have had there already. The director was so excited to share about how for the first time ever; they had heat in the building for the winter. He says that ever since we started coming to that home, their life has improved..... For me it was mixed emotions. I had heard that they needed water inside,... but to be on the other side of the world,.... still patting myself on the back for having a part in bringing in the heat, the severity of the situation never hit home. ..... ok here is the scoop. There is One tap in the middle of the court yard that services all 250 adults and 30 some odd kids. This must provide for all washing cleaning and cooking. year round..... did I mention that it comes out at little more than a trickle........and if that was not bad enough, it only runs between one to two hours a day. .. I spoke with the girls and now understand that bringing in water is more than just running a line, they need a water tower built so that they can fill it when they have water, and still have water when the power is out, something that is a regular occurrence. The solution is simple .... $4000..... It’s no so bad if you say it fast, but a lot of money non-the less. One more thing we will have to trust God for. Blessings John

The True Banquet

Sorry to all that we have not had posts previous to this, but internet is slow and the blog sight has been blocked by the government, so this post is brought to you by a friend.

We arived in Xxxxx at around 4 am and got our visa's and cleared customs in no time at all. after a small nap we began the tour of all the places that we have had contact with 2 baby orphanages , an orphanage for "normal" kids, a disabled orphanage , an institution for the blind and for the disabled then to meet with the home support group for the blind and the disables, and to the adaption house.. It just never seems to end.

The impact that Possibilities International has had through these two incredible ladies is more than I am able to grasp. My Mom will be glad to here that we were at the adaption house. They share with us that PI had sent some money for them a couple of weeks ago. The girls bought all kinds of food. Nice meats and fruits and fresh veggies. When they got there, there wereonly a couple of people there. They then found out the the rest were at the city hall for a weding of one of the men. The reception was going to be back at the adaptation house, and all they had was clear soup and a couple loves of bread..... Instead they returned to a true banquet...

Tomorrow we will be heading for the mountains where we will be bringing all the PI workers for a night in a hotel... They are so excited. We will try to get some more regular updates out to you soon. Blessings John

"With a little help from my friends "

For years now, I have been telling people " If God is calling you to missions, it is God's responsibility to pay for it! Sounds good, but I still manage to get obsessed with how the bills are going to get paid.
A few Months back Sammy asked me if I would assist him on this falls trip to Xxxxxx. It was definitely not on my plans to go, I have been concentrating on a six month trip in Feb with my family.... I felt that any promoting I did would detract from this trip. At first I turned him down, but It did not sit well with me. I had made my decision based on economics.
Finally I set things right and contacted Sam , He gave me the same line that I give people..... Don't worry about the money.... It will show up.
Well we leave today, and I still have not even asked Sam if any support has come into Possibilities International for me on this trip. I have left it totally in Gods hands.... and did not see money come in...... I did not obsess....and did not see money come in..... I went on with preparing for next years trip......and still I did not see money come in...
Well by the end of the day yesterday .........The MONEY WAS IN.....Was there every any doubt?
It always amazes me the generosity of people. For me it is a very tangible thing. I have looked into the faces of the seniors, I have held the orphans in my arms, it is a no brain er, but for many of you who have supported team members, you have stepped out in FAITH. Faith in God is easy, It's faith in Man that can be difficult.
I am honoured to be on this team with so many outstanding missions minded individuals, the excitement , energy and enthusiasm that they bring WILL change a nation. I know I speak for them when I say thank you for being a part of that, thank you for making this trip possible.

Barf

As I mentioned I am in this packing nightmare...I will be in Xxxxx this month. We have friends there, so of course we want to bring some gifts for them. We can't lose track of the fact that this is a humanitarian aid trip, so of course there are plenty of medical supplies. We will be in the orphanages.....crayola crafts.......Seniors homes .....lap blankets...... In the second leg of the trip Sam and I will be in Central Asia. I will leave all my extra cloths there for when we come back, as well as some other personal items. We will be getting projects ready for a team coming from Godrich Ontario a few weeks later. They have graciously agreed to bring some hockey bags full of craft supplies and toiletries for us that they can leave for when we move there. This means that we must pack those bags now as well.
I was saying to Julie that the one personal bag, or as they say on survivors "luxury item" really might be something that we could do without...... I pointed out that friends of ours have just moved to Tanzania. they have 2 kids and they had 4 bags total to last them 3 years...Yikes..... Well we could do that. .... You know they say that to be effective in missions you have to completely immerse yourself in the culture..... I think that that is great advise ......Not that I am going to follow it, but nun the less great advise.....NOT.....in fact I think that we are doing well to willingly use the soap .....This is a photo of a few cases of laundry soap being dropped at the orphanage.

THE CRUNCH IS ON !

Literally .... the crunch is on....

With the new weight restrictions, we are having an awful time trying to get everything packed. I'm telling you... this is like the fishes and loaves.....The more I pack, the more there is. ... I was thinking that If I wore all my clothes at once maybe that could free up an extra space. Maybe we will have to give in and pay for an extra bag.....or ten.

If you have been praying for God to multiply our resources, you could add the phrase "as they unpack in Xxxxxxx" unless of course you are referring to the $$$$ to pay the baggage overage..... there I think we need all the prayer we can get.

The Wright Stuff

New leg for Gyanna

I don't know if you remember Gyanna .... check out Oct / Nov 2005.

Last Year, One year after renovating his home for him, and paying his power bill for a year, we went for a visit. He was very happy to see us, but even more excited to hear that we not only pd the power for another year, but we had brought money for him to get a new leg.

I can't wait to get there in a few weeks so I can stop in and have a game of chess with him, pay the power bill for another year, and who knows ... maybe go for a walk with him.