I'm going Banana's

But this time it's Ok... We have just finished another round of Banana parties. I so wish I could have been there ... it is such a blast to see how excited the kids get with a banana. did bring some other fruit with us as well... you can see more photos over on the iam1ru site in the small dreams section....

I asked if there was anything that we could bring them from Canada... Normally we would expect get a big list of special creams and ointments , vitamins etc.... this time it was the basics .

1. potato
2.rice
3. lure
4.buckwheat
5. baby food
6.juice
7.fruit
8.powdered detergent for automat mashin
9.soap

It's fun to provide the extras, but sometimes we need to just stop and make sure that the basic necessities of life are being met. Maybe we can get a "cabbage and potato club" drop for them...

Invalid home update

I wanted to give you a quick update on the home for invalid men...

Our friends at Lamb International have been able to pick up the torch, and have been bringing food into the Men. The men were so hungry that when they cooked chicken for them, they even ate the bones... Please continue to remember these men... I have a lot more I could say to turn this into a real story, but I am not going to let myself go there for my own sanity... Here are a few photos or Larisa and her other volunteers with some of the men .

This is going to be a long winter, and these men are going to need a lot more help

if they are going to hold on until we get there ... If you would like to help out, please go over to

"iam1ru" and make a donation, or you can sponsore a food drop from the "Cabbage and Patato Club" .

Roll over and play dead

Have I ever told you how much I hate the winter.... I know that there are people in need all over the world, but the thought of facing a winter when you live in the dump is more then I can comprehend...That is why I am drawen to the plight of those in Central Asia . Winter is a time when nothing can be taken for granted.... We live in an old farm house, and winter can be a trial ... if the wind blows from one direction, the pipes might freeze if they blow from another, the house gets too hot, ... it's a balancing act... I got up early this morning and when I got back into bed , Julie says..." How is everything down stairs.... It's like any thing could happen.... Up until last week, I always had in the back of my mind... if it got too bad, we could just go back into town.... where we are on town sewer and water.....lol.... like that turned out to be a good thing !!! .. When anything goes wrong... I always say... well I have seen a lot worse in Central Asis.... Well let me tell you... a few more weeks of this winter, and we will be better off in Central Asia.... Even the gold fish has been playing dead for the last 2 months.... I can't even throw it out... every time you touch it it comes back to life and eagerly waits for food..... May be that's what I should try.... just roll over and play play dead, until someone comes along with food!

I have been a litle distracted...

When Julie and I were first married, we bought a little old brick starter house. It is one of the oldest houses in town and is full of charm ( that's a nice way of saying it needed a ton of work.).. Over the years we have put a lot of work into it everything from all new pluming and electrical to a new roof and furnace.. about 15 years ago we moved to the House we are in now ... it too has the same "Charm". My mom moved into the little house in town, so we never really did get rid of it. Since returning from Central Asia, I have an office set up in a spare room there... it works well.. it gets me to the "Office every day, and I am able to get high speed there. As early as a couple weeks ago we discussed with Mom what she would like to do... stay living there , or start looking for an apartment or a condominium...We decided that maybe we should ask the question again in about five years..... I think maybe we were just being prepared for what the future had in store... Two days ago, on a freezing cold night, a 10 inch high-pressure water main broke, and rather then the water surfacing , it blew through the basement wall... with in about 4 minutes the basement was full to the top.... oil tank, hot water tank ... everything was riped from their moorings, that along with a couple paint cans and paint thinner has created a toxic soup that was forced through every crack and whole it could find..... even the electrical panel was completely submerged.... then as it was all pumped down every thing froze and caused more cracks and damage.
The hazard wast pumper trucks have just left, the power has been restored, and there are a team of inspectors and environmentalists there trying to decide the fate of the house... the foundation is compromised, the ground floors need to be hauled up and replaced, and the structural engineers are trying to determine whether the house can stand the necessary work.... The basement had a dirt floor, and now has at least a foot of contaminated soil in it. The inspectors asked where did they pump the first 4 feet of water... they then looked out into the yard that had been submerged.... Out came the camera's for more photos....
I missed the first part of the excitement as I was at the PI office at the time. My sister helped Mom pack her cat , parrot and bearded Dragon , along with her her Bible and work books that she uses to teach anger management. Life can through some strange curve ball at you at times.....I guess we just need to trust that God will remain true to his word when he says he will take every evil thing that has been sent to harm us and turn it around for his glory.... God this would be a good time to let your glory shine....

With The Skin On

Generosity is something that is a difficult concept to grasp when you have never experienced it before. I know, and have heard from others ,that trying to go through customs can be difficult if you say that the items you are bringing are to give away... that is translated as ... TO SELL... like you must be getting something out of this, or there is an ulterior motive to what you are doing. When helping people, we try to explain to them that there are many people that are supporting them and care for them. We share that we are the ones that are blessed to be able to represent so many , but in such an institutionalized life, that to is almost imposable for them to grasp.... A group of people that give stuff away ? ... and ask nothing in return ?... not easy to understand when you have nothing. When you have no HOPE and are not able to DREAM, how do you even imagine that someone you have never seen loves you.... Some times they need to see that love brought to them WITH THE SKIN ON. They need to have someone that they can relate to, someone that they know.... I realized this when I was at the Men's home for the grand opening of the activity room... One man came out into the hall to see me... he said "People come and see us and say they will help, and we never see them again.... You said you would help... and you came back" he then turned his face into the wall and started to cry.... Others may have helped, and he was just not aware... what he needed was to see tangible help... with the skin on... Now I am not using this as an excuse , and I know that I need to shed a few pounds, but I do stand out in a crowd, especially in Central Asia... I am not easily forgotten ... and as much as we try to make sure people understand that we are only there to support the front line workers, and we represent so many.... there comes a time when I need to just let them hang onto the little HOPE that they can understand.... so by John, I am sure they mean ALL that I have come to represent to them. Thank you to everyone that has supported these and many other projects... And to our friends at in invalid home for men.... You will be one of our first stops when we return.....

To see more photo's from this day, go to iam1ru .

An Evening DEDICATED TO HOPE:

We are really getting excited about our upcoming trip to Ohio.. we have had lots of interest from friends all over the U.S. that are planning on meeting us there... We are still working on finding a suggestion for a hotel so that those attending will be close to each other and have the opportunity to network themselves..

Here is the information off the flyer... if you contact us, we can send you a copy in Word format.

.

.

David and Jayne Schooler, LAMb International and Possibilities International invite you to

.

An Evening DEDICATED TO HOPE:

Highlighting the Orphan Care Ministries in Central Asia

.

Friday, January 30 – 7 P.M.

Crossroads Community Church
3500 Madison Rd. Cincinnati, Ohio 513-731-7400

Saturday, January 31 – 7 P.M.

Living Hope Community Church
1150 West Spring Valley Pike, Centerville, Ohio
937-433-2773

.

HOPE – that is all orphan children living in Central Asia have. HOPE that tomorrow will be a better day. HOPE that just their basic needs will be met. HOPE that someone, somewhere will hear their cry and respond.

We invite you to join us as we share that cry of the orphan and how you can partner in hope. You can make a difference. You can touch a generation to change generations.

LAMb International and Possibilities International are partnering together to meet the needs of children in orphanages and difficult family situations…needs like…
· Nutritional care
· Basic medical care, eye glasses, dental care, physical therapy
· Clothing and shoes
· Tutoring and other educational assistance

You will see pictures and hear stories that will not only touch your heart, but change you.

For more information, contact David or Jayne Schooler at 513-228-2303 or jayeschool@aol.com

WHO YOU WILL MEET:

Lynn and Ruby Johnston – Founders of LAMb International (Saturday only)

John, Julie, Emma and Bekah Wright. John is the Director of the Sponsorship program for Possibilities International.

David and Jayne Schooler, LAMb missionaries to Central Asia

WHO WE ARE:

LAMb International, the sending mission organization for the Schoolers is committed to helping children, families and adults grow and develop into healthy individuals, spiritually, physically, socially and mentally. LAMb’s defining Scripture: Ephesians 4:12,... “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…”

· Possibilities International, the sending organization for the Wright family is a Canadian based charitable organization that presently works in Canada, Central Asia, Guatemala and the Philippines. They desire to care for the hopeless, helpless and hurting children and elderly, and passionately connect North Americans to this cause! PI seeks out those who live on the edges of their society, bringing them hope, joy, laughter, love and a future!

What about the needs of people beyond orphans?

There are thousands of families and senior citizens living in extreme poverty in this area of the world. LAMb and Possibilities International are reaching out to families, senior citizens, people in homes for invalid men and women to help with basic needs.

You will hear how you can partner in hope for them as well.

The return of the Wright Stuff

This is a video that was put together for us at a send off last year... We know all the kids so much better now, and we can't wait to get back and see them... Hope you enjoy it.

For now it's LIFE .. Tomorrow it's back to HOPE.

I feel a little disjointed with this story, but it needs to be told... This is just one of the many needs that I was referring to at the end of the last post... you may need to read it first to better understand where I am coming from on this one.....

There are just so many needs in the world, and to meet them all is just not possible... I often tell people that the difference between Central Asia and Home is that when a need arises at home, some way or some how the need is met... very seldom do people fall through the cracks, and when they do, they do not fall far before the "Safety net" catches them ... and it is that Safety net that sets us here in North America apart from a Hopeless and Helpless world.I came to work with Possibilities International because of their fervent desire to make an impact... Through the iam1ru sight, that has happened... over and over... we have even been blessed by people that have just donated and said ..."You decide"... its with those funds that we have been playing the balancing act... Have you ever seen the carnival balancing act where the guy balances spinning plates on the top of a stick , and as each plate starts to slow down, he runs back and forth spinning them again before they all fall.... ? eventually they come crashing down.... Yesterday was one of those days for me...We thought we had a situation taken care of for a couple weeks, , and turned our focus toward Christmas... Little did we know that someone had moved in and stolen the food we had delivered... When our dream agents returned to make some more iam1ru dreams come true , they were met with great heart ache....This is part of the email I received Yesterday.... I have taken some liberty, and softened it slightly ....

It is a lot of pleasure we have received when have seen the answer to our prays
about the invalid house for men. Big Thanks John to your friends for your care. iam1ru gave us money . I
thank you for favour and care of these people. John it so in time!!!!!, because
of a cold and lack of meal has died already many persons and this is what our
friends which help have found out....We were interested what meal for men make
for a breakfast. And it for us was big stress.They ate for a breakfast hot water
with flour mixed and only one small serving spoon. It was similar as in wars
time . John you at all do not know what blessing you have given for these
people. All sick not walking men and children sit in this room you make with the
TV to look and are heated in it, the only warm room from a heater in this
home for men. And we have bought warm socks and have checked that they have
dressed socks on foots ..

..She goes on to give me a break down of how all the money was spent, and included photos of what she found.... If I was doing this on my own... I too would be Hopeless and Helpless at this point... This has underscored for me how necessary it is that PI remain strong... because it is at times like this that PI steps in and makes sure that while we are trying to get the story out, and figure out how to speak for those who have no voice, emergency funds have already been dispatched.... I don't know where it will all come from... but I know that we are not going to sit by and allow more of our friends to die... So for those of you who have donated with out designation.... For today you have saved lives... tomorrow we will focus on HOPE ...I promise !

HOPE

When we started preparing dreams for the iam1ru sight, a young girl named Gulnara had a special request. She had visions problems and could not afford to get glasses. Her vision had reached the point that it is effecting her ability to learn and work. Eyes tested and a pair of prescription glasses could be obtained for only $35 including transportation to and from the city … But when the choice is food or glasses. the glasses were just not an option for her .....Before even posting her need on the sight, some money came in and and we brought her to the city to get her glasses. We waited out front, and Kristina brought her in... about an hour later, they returned... Gulnara just walked right past us and went strait to the back of the bus and pulled her knees up into her chest and started to weep... When we asked why she did not have glasses, we were told that the Dr says that glasses will not help, and she will go blind.... Surely they could do something ... but they said that there was nothing that they could do...... well she could have an operation, but that would cost $300 ... more then she could possibly make in a year... even if she could see !... To see someone in such dis pare, and absolutely NO HOPE..what can I say ..... Where we might allow ourselves a little time to resign ourselves to a new situation, she just went strait to a HOPELESS state.... We talk about people living with out hope, but when you whiteness it , you can't help but be stirred.... hundreds of thousands of people spend $300 a month on lotto tickets alone, ... just to give themselves something to hope for ! yet for the majority of the world, even in the midst of a life altering disaster, there is no HOPE. Because of You, this need was met, and Gulnara know what it is to hope ....

here is part of a letter from her Mom ....

Dear friends! Greetings from our family.How are you doing we hope that you are all healthy............ We are so happy that she had eye surgery and eye glasses ............ Thank you very much! It Will be great to give..... not just receive...... We love you. Adilet.

Once again , we teach someone what it is to have Hope, and they are ready to teach others....

As I am writing this, I have just received new stories from one of our Dream agents.. I have to admit, that I am felling devastated... ... I feel like pulling my legs up into my chest and weeping ... I talk of HOPE and am in the business of HOPE, but at times I can get overwhelmed... just imagine what they are feeling ...It is going to take me a couple hours to finish translating and processing, then I will start to post these stories over on the iam1ru sight . they will likely be under iam1ru dreams... please take a few moments and go over to this sight and see if there is anything that you can do to help....

Lead by Example !

Time and time again I am amazed at how generosity multiplies... Do you remember Altynai ...

She is the young girl that was sponsored through PI to go to the professional institute in town... Without your support she would have likely signed on to a 10 year contract with the mining company, and her DREAMS never would have been fulfilled... Instead, she will have the opportunity to reach her full potential.. Altynai has a few weeks off school over the holiday's , and was eager to pitch in and help out Sergey and Santa as they spent a few days visiting families that you help support...

Like this young mother of two that many of you have been helping provide the necessary formula for her baby.

you can see her here as she appears over at iam1ru.com

Some times I wonder who will be the next Dream agent....the person that will impact the lives around them .... A person that will make the world a better place, What has dawned on me ,is that I would not be at all suprised if we saw them on the iam1ru sight today... we aren't just touching lives.... we are leading by example.

Sophie

Only days into our last trip, we introduced you to Sophie and her brother. They were abandoned by their mother and left to fend for themselves ... all by them selves in the coldest winter in memory... For over a week, they managed to survive before the police found them and brought them to the orphanage. We quickly fell in love with these beautiful children, Sophie was always on one of our laps, snuggled in for a hug... a few months later, she developed a bad cold, and one thing led to another and she and her brother were transferred to the TB hospital for testing and treatment... We had Isar bring all the rest of the kids for testing and x-rays at the local hospital, and we went for TB testing when we got home... We were all fine, and they told us Sophie and here brother were OK, but must stay for a few months just to make sure... Anya has been going in to the capital city to see them regularly, and we put together a great big bag of craft supplies etc. for them when we left. Like many of our readers...( I know because I still get regular emails about them ) They remain in our hearts.... That is why this Photo is so special to me.... Its the one that made my nose start to hurt...

This is Sophie at the McJoyful Christmas celebration in the capital city that was sponsored through "iam1ru" with the Lajoy family Christmas Challenge....

To see lots more photo's like this and the rest of the McJoyful Christmas storey, go to the "iam1ru" sight, www.iam1ru.com and scroll down until you see this picture then click on it.

tell me about the girl in the dump. The picture is haunting. I know you found her a home. How are things now for her?

This is the most recent update that I have for here . She and her brother are in a stable home now, back in school, and have a new sister...... who has a story of her own... They now live with our worker Larisa. They are receiving monthly support through the iam1ru .

Life is still very difficult for them. They suffered a lot of trauma, and have a lot to work through. They have issues with hording and with theft, the brother still prefers to enter in and out of the property by crawling under the fence... he will not use the gate, and is often found back at the dump. It is evident that the girls had suffered from abuse, and it is coming out in their play... Larisa has her hands full, but like I say if it comes down to a battle of the wills, the kids have met their match with Larisa.

We are so thankful for the on going support of our friends David and Jayne from Lamb International. They have been working with the family, and will be back in a couple months and will be able to continue counseling them... This is Jayne's area of expertise, and in fact her next book coming out is on the effect of traumatized children on the adoptive family....

Please continue to hold this whole situation up in prayer.

A year in Review

As we enter into the new year, I took a few munits and looked back through some of the photos from 2008, They all have a story to them, but I will leave the stories for another day, just thought you would enjoy some of these...

Now that we have you remembering , it's your turn.... Look through the last year in this blog, and tell me your favorite post, and I will do a re post and give a followup report.