During our running around today, we were over at the containers that hold the stock that is ready to go to the refugee villages in Osh. It is amazing the items that have been collected , you can see all the mattresses and blankets that Aigoola has made, and that is just the start, her house is full of more mattresses as well as 3000 lbs of grain for them as well. We have been able to find a sponsor and on Tuesday the truck will be packed up to start the journey south. We have also been able to cover the flight for Sergey south to over see the distribution of the aid when it gets there. I was talking with him today, and he said that the original team he went south with right after the fighting was wanting to go back. They had made connections with the people there and really felt it was important that they return. I certainly know how they are feeling . I have always been a strong supporter in the need to send more then aid.. some times people need to see hope arrive with the skin on. It has just been the last few nights that it has started to get cold here at night and right away people are starting to worry about coal for the winter... just imagine the blessing it will be for the refugees when just at this time, a truck load of supplies including warm mattresses and blankets arrive... The new plan is that they will use the flight money for Sergey and put it towards the gas, and drive down ion convoy with the truck. Sergey has asked several times if I would go with them, but besides this feeling that I have that I am not to go, I justify it by feeling that if I was there, The people would see me and attribute everything to me and not the generosity and outpouring of love and support from fellow Kyrgyz. This time, I will be a sender.. we will likely have 3 or 4 others join Sergey depending on weather they can raise their expense money. It will be about $50 each... a far cry from the $2500 to $3000 that a trip like this would cost if it were Westerners we were sending .
Only a couple hours later we were sharing a meal with our Uzbek refugee friends that we have here . Such beautiful people .. they have lost everything. Their children have been traumatized and their greatest despair is that as parents they could do nothing to protect them from this or to comfort them. I simply can not imagine what they have faced, then I thought some more about those that are still in the south. We are trudging away up here , pretty much life as usual from one crisis to the next.. , yet only 10 hours away thousands are sitting in tents knowing that winter is just around the corner. They don’t move from crisis to crisis. They live it every day. We will be at the containers loading up and sending the team .. with them we send our thoughts and our prayers .. please join us.
Only a couple hours later we were sharing a meal with our Uzbek refugee friends that we have here . Such beautiful people .. they have lost everything. Their children have been traumatized and their greatest despair is that as parents they could do nothing to protect them from this or to comfort them. I simply can not imagine what they have faced, then I thought some more about those that are still in the south. We are trudging away up here , pretty much life as usual from one crisis to the next.. , yet only 10 hours away thousands are sitting in tents knowing that winter is just around the corner. They don’t move from crisis to crisis. They live it every day. We will be at the containers loading up and sending the team .. with them we send our thoughts and our prayers .. please join us.
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