Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Try Packing This !

If you have ever had the opportunity to walk through some of the orphanages in Central Asia, you may notice something a little out of place. Beautiful modern wheelchairs in an old run down orphanage ... they are certainly not the norm, but they are showing up more and more all the time... Most of this is because of a very special couple ... They are Loren and Joanne... Every year they work tirelessly raising funds and support for their project. They bring new and remodeled wheelchairs to Central Asia, then custom fit them to those that are in need... Here is a photo of them with PI's very own Jengish as they are fitting wheelchairs in Jengish's home town in the mountains....
I had the privilege of meeting them last summer. They day they arrived, they came for a visit with us to one of the orphanages we support... It's funny Loren was shy about getting his photo taken here because he had been up for over 40 hours at this point.... Hummmm not sure he looks much different in the photo above taken a week later......lol They had so much to do themselves, and such a busy schedule, yet they took the time to make the rounds with us that day... With all the needs that they face, they still recognized the need for mattresses that we had, and actually sponsored 20 beds and sheets... This year while we were there, A load of wheelchairs arrived that they had just sent... what a blessing it is for those that may have thought the world had forgotten about them ...
I just got word that they are ready to travel again...they have another load of wheelchairs that are destined for our kids in a few weeks. As you can imagine, there are many logistical difficulties when traveling around the world with a load like the one shown above, some times things can get a little tight....but nothing a little $ GREASE $ can't help... If you would like some more information about what they will be doing this trip, or how you might be able to be a part of it, feel free to drop them a line at hartmanuct@yahoo.com

1 comment:

Christy said...

Loren and Joanne,
Were so excited that your coming back in the fall.
Thank you!
Live Loved!