Sunday, May 30, 2010

Chicken soup

Many of you will recognise Vera and Oleg... they have the outreach centre in the village... Vera has taken ill and is now in the hospital in the city... Oleg has stayed back in the village because they have so many seniors that they are looking after... This morning Emma and Acel went into the city, picked up Christy and some food and went to see Vera.. she was so happy to see them and to meet Christy. Christy found out that Vera would like chicken soup, so she will make a batch and bring it in to her next.. It is such a blessing to have Christy back in town and able to help us like this.

Yesterday , Sergey and Anya took Emma and Acel and family for a picnic to the mountains...



It's nice that Emma can take a bit of a break and relax now that classes ore over for the summer..




I got a letter from Olga at the school She wanted to get her 2 cents in for anyone that might be considering helping us get back to Central Asia...

Education center “Knowledge store”:

Hello Everyone
Public Fund “Society of Cornelius”, is very pleased to have an oppertunity to communicate with our International supporters and leaders about John and Julie , Emma and Becka Wright. This wonderful family has such a blessed and long experience of being and living in Kyrgyzstan. Their work has a deep and long history, which follow from long work and people with open heart who support Kyrgyz people through the Wright family. They have many people who wait for them and already love them and who worry for them not come back . The people of Kyrgyzstan, actually members of our community and organization and government have very trusting and lovely business relationship, we are together works on touching people hearts and to up their social life. Mostly because of you, our supporters help, donate to help the Wright family help people to overcome their social troubles. though these they see love and they change .
Our organization works with children, many who has different diseases, and our field of work helps people. We would like say thank you to Wright family and to all their supporters, who keeps us in prayers. I can not share how important it is that we will continue to work together for our mission development and change people heart and change their life. We don't know what I should do so we can get help to have John, Julie Emma and Bekah be here it is so important.... All I can do is ask... please help...
Director : Olga Lavrinovich

Friday, May 28, 2010

Updates from Emma

Emma wrote today... she has had a busy week with all the year end stuff from the schools .. but it was also a lot of very special events... She went to one of the orphanages and threw a birthday party for her little friend Tolic, and one other girl having a birthday this month ( oops I forget her name.... but then I often get Emma and Bekah mixed up...hahaha) she developed photo's for all the kids... we had never done that with this orphanage before so they were thrilled... Emma is thinking that she will get them all small photo albums and help them fill them over the next couple years...


This was the graduation for Torat... he is easy to spot... he is the best dressed one there... this is a real victory for us... what are the odds of a poor boy from an orphanage every completing school.. and not going of to find a labour Job... trust us ... it has been a constant pressure for him to quit school, but we have been able to convince him to continue ... He will go on to college in the fall....
It was graduation for a few more of our kids on the other side of town.. they were all so happy to have Emma there to represent a family to them ....

I then got an email from my friend Christy in the Capital.. we do a lot of help in the hospitals there, and she is one of the key people that makes sure people are looked after when they are in the hospital... We help get them surgery, then call Christy, and she loves them from there... She heard that we were trying to get back , and wanted to add in her words of encouragement if any one was considering sponsoring us... .( as I am writing this , I had to pause and send word to Christy about a friend that has just gone into the hospital and needs help with food... )


''John and Julie's remarkable approach to the hurting in this land is beyond amazing. We have worked together countless times the last 2 years on the behalf of the '' untouchables''.Every time ,I walk away in awe of their ways. I truly want to be like them when I grow up.:O) Please consider helping them return. to continue what they have started ...
Christy

Letter to you... from Acel & Talant


The Wright's have very big hearts, enough to fit everyone here in our city , and all the villages around. Not just here, but everywhere. Even when we were able to help needy people around us and our family, we didn’t because we are thinking about our own needs but when we met John & Julie and when we saw how they were acting and trying to help people, our life is changing and our families life is changing and whenever they are here we know that they will come back and we have a hope that they will come back and we can work together and serve. It’s important to have them here . John has a big heart, it seems like everyone is waiting for him, it seems like the whole town is waiting for him. Every time he comes here his heart is getting greater and he has more people in his heart and people are asking from us because they saw us together. Orphans and seniors even the people from the bazaar ask about him. John is a very smart man he knows how to help and he knows who is a really needy person. There are a lot of people, but God is leading him to the right person to help. If there is a great man of God, of course there is a great woman and that’s Julie , and of course the girls who have beautiful gentle spirits. We all need your help. Please help bring them back to us.
Acel & Talant

Monday, May 24, 2010

turning up the heat!

There is just so much to do to get ready for our next adventure.. in a little more then 2 months Julie will begin her 1 year ....gulp ..unpaid leave ... we have been working hard to rearrange our home and our life to live on a much smaller salary. We start work tomorrow morning on the apartment in our home that my mom will move into .. this will help off set some of the house hold expenses as well as have someone here while we are away. Our goal is to be able to live on a salary of $1000 a month... The part that can be scary is that when I look at the totals including air fair ..insurance.. visa's and on the ground related expenses .... here is our plan.

The plan is for Us to be in Kyrgyzstan by September and stay till mid November and then back to Canada for three months. We will use the months of December, January and February to raise funds for our second term of three months in Kyrgyzstan. That is right....the Wrights will return from March to May 2011.
While we are in Kyrgyzstan we will be overseeing projects in orphanages, seniors homes and helping the poor and needy.We will also supply PI with dreams, and oversee the fulfillment of those dreams.
At PI they have worked with us on a budget for us for the year. This budget will not only take care of us while they are overseas but will also take care of us while we are in Canada. We need to make sure the funds are in place to make sure that we are their and effective in what we do. The budget for the year is $62,000. The goal is to have the first half raised by the time we leave. You can help by donating to "The Wright Stuff - One". If you are able to make this happen, please follow this link .
There are a lot of things we can do for the hurting helpless and the lost in Kyrgyzstan , but the greatest gift I know to give them is ourselves.... but we need your help...

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Father to the Fatherless


We have all heard the saying "A father to the fatherless"... I believe it, and I know it is... but it does my heart good when I see it... I am so thank full for everyone that supporters our work so that not only can we help meet basic needs, but so that at special times ... like graduation, We are reminded that they "they have a Father"


Thank you too Sergey for filling that role today ....

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Update from John


I have been busy this week getting everything ready for Emma to bring the girls home with her for the summer...
I have a ticket booked for Emma to return on Tuesday, but needed to move that date to June 14 when they will travel to Kiev to visit the Canadian Embassy to apply for their visa's... Ukraine is natural ground for us, and neither Emma or the Girls need a visa to get in there, so it is the best place for us to work on the visa applications from... So all that to say that I had to change Emma's ticket and purchase the tickets for the girls... we are not certain that we will be able to get the visa's so we start by purchasing the return tickets from there home to Kiev.. One stop in Moscow... We determined the dates, Buy the tickets, making sure that there will be lots of room on the flights so that unless 200 people suddenly book that flight , Emma will be able to fly with them when I book her flight in the next ten minutes... or so you would think...
I contacted Expedia ... " Can I please change this ticket date and location of the second part of the flight, not going to JFK" ... "certainly... that will cost $165 to make that change... just one moment"... then rather then putting me on hold, ... they hang up.... So I call back and try again.... "OH I am so sorry .. you are mid trip, ... you can not change that from expedia you will have to contact Aeroflot directly" ... That should be no problem... so I call them .. wait on hold for 15 minutes with them continually telling me that they will be right with me.. then they come on the line, and tell me to leave a message..then hang up with out an opportunity to leave a message... So I try again... and again.. then I try the NY office... same thing... so I try Washington... they tell me to try calling back in 20 minutes... I call LA ... out of service... I call Seattle... 15 minutes then hang up... so I think OH well I will try tomorrow...
We return home from being out that night, and I check my email... a message from Aeroflot...whom I have never spoken to... Dear Mr Wright we thank you for your choosing Aeroflot..blablabla... As per your request to change the date and destination of your flight itinerary.#65324764784 ..we are confirming that Emma Wright is now booked on Turkish Air to Istanbul flight #253 on June 12 .......
So since the only person I actually spoke to was Expedia ... I call them ... "No we did not change that flight ... we had nothing to do with it.... " I asked where Aeroflot got the idea that I even wanted to change a flight if not from them.. they said that it was just a coincidence that Aeroflot decided to change her flight ... so after arguing that for 10 minutes, I ask for a supervisor... she admits that they had started the flight re routing, but " because you did not give us the date and location that you wished to fly to, you made it very difficult for us and we had to decide that on our own....."... suddenly this was my fault... then to make it worse.. it would be $200 to move it back, but that I would have to do directly with Aeroflot ( who is not answering any phones in North America right now) because they can not change a flight once it is on route.." I asked well then how did you change this one... to which she replies... well actually AEROFLOT DID THAT ON THERE OWN .... It must have just been a coincidence... So on to the next supervisor....at which point my call was dropped... I get back on with them... asking to go to the supervisor of Lea
and we start the whole thing again... Mr Wright Clearly you could not have expected us to get you the correct location and date if you did not give that information before you hung up... STOP RIGHT THERE... This time I want to speak to a real supervisor and stop passing the phone around to all your co workers.... And I loose it.... by 2 am a real supervisor comes on ....
Yes Mr. Wright... Certainly Mr Wright ... No problem Mr Wright I have put it back the way it was for you Mr Wright. Certainly your Daughter does not need to go to Turkey ...... Then she thanks me so much for choosing Expedia and asks if there is anything else... I figured that was enough for 1 day.... My friend Dan always says to me.." If you are going to laugh about it in a year from now ... you might as well laugh now... so that what I will chose to do .
Yesterday morning I started again... but this time it all seemed to work, and Emma is now booked on the same flights to Kiev... and even the same day...hahaha... I made a few more calls around and found reasonable medical insurance for the girls while they are in Canada......

As soon as we get word that the Visa's have been approved, then we can go ahead and book the flights from the Ukraine... it will be last minute and may cost a bit more, but if we buy them in advance and they do not get the visa, we are out the value of the tickets...

I just know it is going to be worth it all when they walk through that gate... We have a lot of people waiting to see them some for the first time and many that have met them at the orphanages... we are excited... I have even had an incredible donor that has come forward to sponsor the trip for one of the girls... they understand that this is not just a "Fun Trip" , but it is an incredible opportunity of sharing , and learning for them... What ever does not come in we are committed to pay ourselves, but we are just so blessed ...and overwhelmed that we are not the only ones that see the opportunity we have here ... I really was concerned about looking for support for them in case the visa's did not come through and we could not complete the journey. But support has started to come to us.... so if you would like in on it , you can make a donation by using one of the top right donate buttons... If for some reason the Visa's do not come through , we will try to find some volunteer work for them in the Ukraine orphanages for a few weeks before they head home ... but we BELIEVING for Visa's

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Social Responsibility ....

One of the things that we HOPE to instill in the people of Central Asia is a social responsibility... we do that in many ways... the first is to find people that are stepping out and making a difference , then getting behind them and "putting the wind behind their sails"... so to speak... This not only continues to build them up and motivate them , but also provides the necessary funding to continue... Another way we bring HOPE is mearly by our presence... people that would otherwise be considered the out casts of society or the forgotten, suddenly have a spot light on them when A foreigner stops to help... It makes people stop and realize that there should be dignity in all life... The third and most important thing that we like to do is to bring that work to an area of self sustainability...

Not all programs will ever be able to support themselves by making mattresses, or keeping bees... their is a lot that can be done, but some times sustainability comes by our example... and the Social Responsibility that we develop in others... I was so blessed to see the out come of the luncheon sponsored put on By David and Jayne from LAMb... If you go over to there blog and have a look, realise that the video was not asking you for support, but was to develop that social conscience I have been talking about ...They have been working on a plane for some time now... it is a plan to bring the community together and develop in them that desire to bring HOPE to their own communities... The hardest part is done... the Seniors home is open.. the basic needs are met... it is furnished and heated... I believe that is the work and sponsorship of many people like yourselves that there is a HOPE for this place... it is because of your support that the community can come together and catch that vision....

One of my main objectives since coming to work for Possibilities International has been to actively seek out, then restore HOPE and Dignity to those that have fallen through the cracks and are living in the dark corners of society ... when we do that... something incredible can happen... those dark places become light... and in that light... a community can be changed.. and a social responsibility can be birthed.... why not take a look over in the iam1ru "dream machine" and you will find a several more dark corners needing a little light shone on them ... Lets continue to set that example to the nations... lets challenge them with that question..... iam1ru?

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The girls are coming to town !

Over the many years that we have been going to Central Asia, we have met some incredible people and we have met people with incredible stories... In one of the orphanages we met 2 young girls who had both ... They each had four brothers and sister that were living in the orphanage with them... As we have worked with them over the years , through PI sponsorships, and the help of our friends , we have been able to go along way in bringing hope and dignity to their lives... They are both now living with their families in their own homes, and are both attending post secondary schools... of their choice...

The amazing part is that they have both gone on to exemplify everything that they have learned.. they not only are examples of HOPE, but they bring HOPE to those around them ... Over the last couple years, they have not only been recipients, but have seen first hand how we have been able to impact those around them... and now they want to tell their storey...



They have seen first hand the importance of our family being on the ground in Central Asia, and feel that if people could met them and hear there stories that they would be compelled to help us go back...


This was my favorite photo of Altynai.. it was taken when she translated for us at the dump when we were doing a food drop... imagine a dump as the back drop for such a beautiful shot ...

My favorite of Aiperi was taken in front of a map showing all the places in the world that people emailed to her to wish her a happy birthday a couple years ago...


Here is my new favorite photo of them both... it is their new international passports... this means that they are registered "people" and that they have all their documents in place to be able to travel.... we will purchase their tickets this week and they will head for Kiev with Emma around the 14th of June... when they get there they will get their Visa's, then travel the rest of the way to Canada....

I know a lot more about the history of these girls then I have ever actually discussed with them..or shared on the blog.... and they know I know... we have just sort of never came right out and discussed it... When I was talking to Altynai about coming, I told her that she did not need to share anything that she was not comfortable with talking about... she looked at me , took a deep breath and said " Dad .. I need to do this .."... I believe that along with the excitement of travel, and an opportunity for them to meat so many of those in Canada that have been such a big part of what we do, It will be a great time of healing for them, and a great opportunity for them to help raise support and awareness so we can return to help their families and there friends .....

They will be with us here in Canada for about 2 months , then we will all return together... We are now booking house party fundraisers all over Ontario and western Quebec... If you would like us to come and visit you, drop us a line and we will try to fit you into the schedule... The girls are packing their traditional dance costumes as well as bringing some of their favorite recipes...

Taking a lesson from Mimi ...

I told you that I was going to share another exciting update, but I just read the blog of a friend, and it touched my heart so much that I had to re post it here.

it's never to late to leave a legacy!

Monday, May 17, 2010
Thanks, Mimi...We'll Never Forget


She was the reason we were able to bring her home...
And she was so upset with me when I came home from the first trip without her! She was slowing down, and just could not understand why we would leave her there...try explaining that without crying!
She wasn't well enough to be at the airport when she flew in. But, she was the first stop we made ! She could see hardly see at all, but she could see well enough to know how beautiful Anara was. And then she cried...and cried...and hugged and kissed all of us. She held on long enough to see her come home.
And almost 3 years have passed since we first showed her the picture of the little girl that would be her 6th great grandchild. The day they told us we could have Anara was exciting and terrifying. How were we going to get that kind of money in one business day?! When my mom went to Mimi's room and knelt beside her chair so that she could hear her and shouted, "They said they can have her!" Mimi was so overjoyed. Mom went on to explain to her, "There's a problem. Tim and Hil need a large amount of money, in cash, and they need it now so they can be on a plane in 2 days." Without skipping a beat Mimi said, "There's enough my account is there not?" Mom nodded. "Then why are you still sitting here talking to me? GO!" We could've never gotten a loan like that in one business day...1st National Bank of Mimi is the reason we were on the plane 2 days later. Patient, gracious, loving, kind, gentle, and wise. I miss her.

I remember well when all this took place... I have since had the opportunity to get to know Tim and Hillary much better, as well we have a deeper understanding of Anara's life... We stand in the baby hospital and see beautiful babies arrive... we have followed them through into the same baby orphanage that Anara called home ... I know the love and care that the workers had and showed for her, and have watched the very same workers give the same loving care to other babies... but it is nothing like the love of her forever family ... I have continued on the path of what ifs and followed children into the orphanages for older kids... and I have worked with them on the streets when they turn 16, we have seen the institutions that they live out there days in... I wonder if Mimi had any understanding of this at the time....

I't made me stop and think ... where are my treasures laid up... hahaha... that will just have to be hypothetical..since I don't have any treasure... but really I want to take a page out of this book... I want to be like Mimi..it's never to late to be a philanthropist... iam1ru ?

OK so I promise ... later tonight some exciting news

Updates from Emma

It has been a few days of technical glitch with a crashed computer then Internet down, power off and cell phones dead... buy hay it is what it is .... but Emma is back at it now with some updates and photo's .

A couple more Banana party photo's ..

This is teaching English at one of the government offices.. our friends have just moved this class out and into one of the schools we have set up in a neighboring apartment complex.. they will use this room now for conference and seminars... it was becoming to political now to have a children here regularly

The next couple are at the school in the apartment with the Art class



This next photo is one of the boys at the orphanage that she does English lessons and art lessons at. There are a couple young kids there that have been waiting for the adoption process to start up again for them to go to their waiting families in the U.S. , so Emma has been spending a bit of extra time there teaching English to try to help them get ready...

If you remember a couple weeks ago, Emma received a donation from a couple special young ladies who had raised money for her to do something to help in Central Asia...
Well Emma and Acel tried to think of something that would be fun for them to do.. the thought and they thought, but kept coming back to the terrible needs that they see around them with so many families, and decided that the best thing that they could do now is to buy big bags of flour and big jugs of oil.. then travel around the village giving them to people in need ...
Now that may not seem like a lot of FUN for us , but let me assure you that when there is no food in the cupboards and you have not eaten for a couple days, food is ALWAYS appreciated... I wish it did not have to be this way, you want to shelter your children, but I am glad that Emma recognizes the importance of this...The amusement park will have to wait for another day....
This last recipient of food went to Anvars family... Anvar was the recipient of a simple dream last year... he had a sinus / facial reconstruction after a saveer burn... today he is much better, and is infection free... Emma just took him to the Dr for a check up, and all is well... they have given him some cream ( that he is holding in his hand) that will help the scaring go away, and in October when we are back, we will be able to take him for a final plastic surgery to help with that last bit of scar tissue...
Then the best news ... ... Well I will save that for the next post... maybe later tonight...

Monday, May 17, 2010

Feasts and Festivities

Yesterday would have been a great day to be in Central Asia ... It was a day of celebration all around... the day began out in the village where there was a special celebration bringing official recognition to the work and training of our dear friend Oleg... many from the village as well as surrounding villages came out for the celebration... and as usual one of the focal points was the play ground that was built by a team our youth from Norwood Ontario 2 years ago... the center itself was busting at the seems , but fortunately it was a gorgeous day and they all moved out side.
(if you notice the lady beside Anya in the second row, .. she was the recipient of donations from many of you 2 years ago when she had cancer in her jaw... she is doing great.)
Oleg and his wife Vera represent HOPE to so many , like this older gentleman here with Rahema... Rahema you may remember from a couple years ago was giving a home by PI, it has a small summer kitchen...which has been turned into an apartment ... just perfect for an man with one leg...
After lunch, it was a quick drive across the valley for supper with another incredible family... Isar and his wife Axanna had Acel and Talant, Sergey and Anya , and their families join Emma for a feast of bish balmak... I have said it before, but Isar has become so much more then just a driver for us .. he has become a true friend... I am so glad that Emma had a chance to fit this time of sharing into her schedule...
Meanwhile back in Canada we have been busy preparing for the next year... Possibilities International has just posted a support link over on the iam1ru site .. as well we are preparing for the summer when Emma will be returning home ... with a couple of very special friends ( come back tomorrow for more information).... As well we are working on a special project at one of the larger orphanages... we will be posting more information over at http://www.iam1ru.com/ as soon as we get all the wrinkles ironed out...

Friday, May 14, 2010

Happy Birthday Emma

Tomorrow our time ... Now in Central Asia ( with the time change ), our little Emma turns 19 years old... She celebrated with Acel and Talant and family as well as Sergey and Anya and family ...
Happy Birthday Emma ... I know that you are right where you want to be... but we still miss you...

Blessing Baski

What an awesome thing has happened here today... only a few hours ago I shared the need of GOOD man in a life threatening situation...He and his family living on less then $150 a month, faced with an emergency need of $1000 to remove a dangerous brain tumor... I am just so thrilled to share that that need has been met... not just by one or two people, but their has been an incredible outpouring of people all doing their part to let Baski know that he is not alone in this... I just got off the phone with Jengish to give him the instructions to pick up the money that has just arrived in Central Asia for this need... He asked "How much" in a very sheepish voice... when I told him " All of it " , he was just totally overwhelmed .. a few minutes later he sent me this response


I would like to thank everyone that gave through iam1ru , to save our Bazki's life. He has been a faithful worker to the rehab centre , and a father figure to many of the men that came through the program.

Bazki has been the glue that kept the center through the rough times. He was there to make sure that work gets done, and the discipline is in place. He loves his job. He has stayed with us through the roughest of times. He was there when we couldn't pay wages .

I love this guy, and I'm so very thankful for your generosity.

Thank you,


Jenish



If you were wanting to be a part of this blessing, I am sure that over time there will be much more that we can do... please check out www.iam1ru.com from time to time for updates, and other opportunities to support...

URGENT HELP NEEDED !

Bazki preparing Ploff for us.
I have just found out about an urgent need .... I was going to focus on raising funds for our next year.... but unfortunately life does not always fit into our schedule... Life goes on, and so do the trials and the hurts faced by those around us... and just because we are in a place of need ourselves, I can't forget why we are doing this.... it is when I get letters like this from my friend Jengish that I realise how fortunate we are.. and at the same time I feel such a responsibility to help , especially when we have a personal relationship with those most closely affected...

May 12....
Hey John,
How are you? How are the preparations for the "Jump without a parachute?" hehe.
Hey John, do you know Bazki. It's the guy that is in charge of work projects at the rehab centre ..
So when I came back from US, I noticed that he had a bump on a left side of his head. I didn't really think anything of it. I thought he might have bumped his head on something.Then when I asked him how he got it, he said that it just appeared right after he buried his mom. I thought, maybe it was stress related.
A week ago, I noticed that his bump was not just an outside thing. I noticed that something was pushing his left eye out.

I took him to the doctors, and they told us to get an MRI.
We went to the MRI place, and got a picture taken of his brain. They secretly invited me inside, and told me that it's serious and it needs a surgery. When I walked in, I noticed the photo before the doctor took it away. The tumor looked pretty big. He told me it needs to be surgically removed. I cannot pay for his surgery. Can you please help us? Raise some support for him?
He is like the dad for all of us . He is the guy that disciplines us, and encourages us. He is that older guy that serves as a father figure for all the students at the centre.
I'd hate to lose him. He such an awesome guy. He doesn't know he has got a tumor in his brain yet. I'm going to have to tell him tomorrow. He has got wife and kids, and without his support they won't do well. His youngest is 11 years old.
Please, can you help with surgery?
I attached his photo on the message




May 14...
We went to the Neurosurgeons office today. He said that the tumor is huge, and he was amazed that Bazki still could walk and talk. he said that it was there for quite a while, but the tumor got some blood in it, and it caused it to start growing.
It's size of a big peach. His brain is all squished to one side.
The surgeon said that Bazki will not be able to use his right leg, and his right hand for a while, and his speech is going to slurred for a while.
Bazki just found out about it, and he seems very shocked. He keeps touching his head where the tumor is, and keeps moving his right leg. I think he realizes soon he will not be able to use it.
Anyway, the surgery and after care is going to cost about 1000 dollars. I hope we can raise enough. He'll go for tests on Monday, and he'll go into surgery on Wednesday if we can find the money .. Hope that the tumor is not malignant. Hope that he comes out fine.

Jenish

Bazki posing with Julie and some of the men


I will only have the weekend to figure out where this money is going to come from if I am to get it to them in time for the operation... If you are able to help us, please don't wait....

Thursday, May 13, 2010

All is well at the Baby Hospital

Anya was busy making her rounds today..one of the stops was to deliver food to the Baby hospital.. we have been supplying food there for about 8 months now ...It was a little difficult to find the right formula for a couple weeks after the riots because many of the stores were closed or looted, but fortunately things are back on track now...
She was also happy to see that they are down to just two babies waiting to be moved to the baby orphanage, not like the bag log we have seen in the past...

we were also able to get some nice new receiving blankets in for them as well....... Thank you to everyone that has continued to support these feeding programs....

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Update photo's from emma and more .......

Over the years, we have seen many children enter the orphanage system... we have watched them grow, and we have watched as they have timed out and have had to strike out on their own... every single step of this progression has been heart breaking for us, and I can assure you that there have been many tears shed. I think of the little one that Emma painted shown here below...

now siting patiently waiting for the powers to be to allow them to go home to their forever families... We are thankful that these kids are in a very well run orphanage , where they are feed well, and their basic needs are met... We are thankful that we have permission to visit regularly and bring special treats like today when Emma brought banana's ( a treat that many in this country have never experienced) to celebrate the birthday of her friend that she painted so long ago...

But more importantly we are blessed that we can be there to hold them and tell them that they are loved...and maybe for them be that relative that comes for a visit and gives them the attention and love they deserve.... Some of these kids are awaiting international adoption... but the majority sit without hope... I don't know which are which... really I don't know which I feel the most sorry for.... I guess I don't really want to know..as long as they know that we are there for them .
I love the fact that we can take kids on outings and they can forget for a moment that they are orphans ... when we leave the walls of the orphanage behind and go fishing, swimming, shopping, have a BBQ complete with water fight ..... or simply show up at the orphanage and take them all on a horse cart ride around town....







I feel blessed that a couple weeks ago , a young girl only weeks from turning 16 and being out on her own could come to us and get her teeth fixed so that she will have the confidence to face the world....... But it scares the death out of me when we took her out for lunch, and handed her a menu and find out that she has NEVER had a choice of what she will eat in her life ..... There is so much that our friends have accomplished over the past few years , but it is not enough... I stop and think... what is she going to do when she has been on the street for A FEW MONTHS... AND HAS NO JOB AND NO HOME...Just because they are no longer in the system,does not mean we no longer need to continue to advocate for them..


This morning I sent money over for a ventilator for the Baby hospital.. money to take one of the kids from the dump shopping ... I sent money for an operation for our little friend Arafat... and money for feeding program in one of the villages... I sent more money for fruit and banana's , and more money for food.... all things that have been sponsored.... Over the last couple days I have even responded to half a dozen emails inquiring about dreams that have already been sponsored.... the system is working...Now I have to navigate my way down a very fine line... I do not want to deter even one cent from meeting someones simple dream, many of them I know personaly... we have a endless supply over at iam1ru.com but I know that it is time that we take the plunge... and our dream is not such a simple one... Our not so simple dream is to be in Central Asia... full time... it is to do what we do best... and that is to be your representatives ..bringing HOPE and Dignity to the most vulnerable in society ... We have put it all on the line... and and we need your help...