Waiting for Visa

Once again it has been too long since I have posted... My friend Ron his now home with Sam and Pete from their extended stay... it was good to touch base with him again, also I had a good visit with Lynne and Ruby this week.... they are up at their cottage for a few days, and it is very close to our home in Canada..

All is not well in Central Asia, we have faced many difficult situations in the last couple weeks.. one of the most distracting for me is the health of a very good friend. Aigoola has not been feeling well for a while ... she is Mom of beautiful family in the village ...

Over the weekend she ended up in the hospital, and when nothing was done to treat her, Sergey and Talant moved her this morning to a Dr in the city ... they ran tests and found two large Gull stones, and will be operating tonight... I have assured the family that we will help, I guess that will have to come out of another pocket... We also heard that some of the orphanages are having a hard time providing enough food for the kids .. to put it lightly... we are looking into that to see what needs to be done there... With the end of the school year, there is always a lot of disruption in the regular pattern of life.. especially for an orphan... as a result there are just so many other situations that are arising that are requiring the time and resources of all our workers...

I think it was around this time last year that I was writing about the need for us to build a strong foundation that can weather these storms... As we approach the "Stormy season" I think now more then ever I need to start focusing on strengthening the system... The pressures that we have placed on Sam and the rest of his team to deliver when a crisis occurs is emence, and some how with a little help, they have always risen to the call...I am so thankful for their support, for there covering, and their generosity, and desire to help those with no voice...

We receive donations regularly to help with projects, needs, and special requests, and PI is extremely careful to make sure that all these donations are accounted for and the dreams met, but what is seldom taken into consideration is the mechanism behind it... as you know we have 22 friends working full time to care for, and over see the projects that we are involved with... We work hard to provide for their salaries separately through fund raisers and through making personal connections... One of the ways that we do this is to bring some of our friend over to Canada to personally meet those that are supporting them... This summer we are hoping for a little different twist...

We are waiting to hear back about a tourist visa for Altynai...which in itself is amazing as it was not long ago that Altynai did not even have any documents, but today she is not only registered, but even has an international passport.... you see Altynai did not start as a "worker", She has been sponsored through a child sponsorship, as well as having people sponsor her University education.... In her spare time she has helped PI on the ground, both with helping others and working as a translator for us... Here is a photo of her here with some of her siblings ..

Altynai has agreed to share her story, to tell of the impact that PI has made in her life and in the life of her family and friends... she has not just witnessed the impact of bringing hope to the hopeless, but she lives it every day...

Altynai is old enough now that she understands that someone has to pay the bills, and some one has to pay the salaries of those that are doing such a fantastic job... and now she wants to do her part in "giving back" . As soon as we receive the visa, we will book her on the next available flight out.... this summer she will share her storey and the experiences she has witnessed first hand... If you would like to help her with this quest. please consider making a small donation using the links on the top right of this sight... In the memo on the donation page just put "Giving back" I can just imagine the impact this summer will make on not just her life, but the lives of thousands like her that will benefit from her sharing from the heart...