Ырыс алды ынтымак

So last night I posted a video about working together and the impact that it has on the hurting .. Today we came across this little video from Kyrgyzstan. It has a similar message .. I am sure you will enjoy it.

In this together

One of the messages that we have been trying to convey to our friend both in North America and in Kyrgyzstan is that we are not doing this alone. With out the on going tireless efforts of or friends on the ground, and the burden that they have been given for the people around them, we would not even know where to begin to restore hope and dignity. At the same time, without the on going support, both toward projects, and personal, there is absolutely no way that we would be able to help our friends...
I think what we have all come to realize is that weather we are here or there, or somewhere in between ( like you Ed) we really are all "In this together" and that is a beautiful thing.
This video is a collection of SOME of the supporters and workers around the world that are a part of the incredible things that are happening . The song "We're in this together" was written by our son Ben..



There are just so many out there that have been an important part of what we do that I think I will have to get Benjamin to write us a 45 minute version of the song.

If you are not able to view the video from FB, you may have to watch it directly at http://www.actofkindness.blogspot.com/

As many of you know we have spent the last couple weeks traveling around the United states sharing our stories and experiences from our time in Kyrgyzstan. When we return to Canada on Monday, we will have just one week to get packed up and prepared to leave for another three months.. so you might ask what we are doing in the US.. Well it is becoming abundantly clear to us... we are preparing to go.. That's right.. we have been so blessed, and encouraged by the out pouring of support and interest that we have seen ever where we have been. If we can figure out a way of bottling up all this love and bringing it with us to share with our friends, I just know that spring will be an incredible journey..

A great time in Nashville

catching up photo's.

32 hours on the road, and some incredible sights , but more incredible is all the people that we have been meeting that share our burdon for the people of Kyrgyzstan. Pictures all loaded in reverse order, so here we are working backward... Traveling through the Blue Ridge Mountains

We had the privilage of meeting with many wonderful friends who have adopted from the region , and continue to carry a burdon for the kids.

Bob came to work with us last fall, and now we got to spend some time with his incredible family.

Channing came in to town to meet with us and the Delliles to work towards setting up an Orphan care ministry group.

Met Melvin, a great young pastor who has a real vision for his church and it's impact on the world...

spent time with the Dellile kids .

Bekah brought back this cool sweeteer from KG. it is from the Kyrgyz special forces.. We just knew that John Innis would appreciat it.

Pam and Ann hosted a great gathering in the DC area

We got to meet John and Lorri's new baby

Julie snuck a few photo's while I shared about what we are doing in KG

in Hanover NJ we had a great visit with Marleen and Peter and the girls.. We also had an opertunity to share at their school. Emma nd Bekah were invited back to share with the grade 7 and 8 class and answer questions for them .

Networking

Tonight was a great opportunity for those with a heart for Kyrgyzstan to get together for the sake of the hurting helpless and lost. There is just so much to do, but I was so encouraged to visit with others who share our burden. It was really great to spend time with some of our supporters, and have a chance to get to know them a little better. As well, I really appreciated the opportunity to to get to meet Tom and Rebecca from Joint council on International Childrens Services, and Gulnara from the Kyrgyz Children’s Future.

I am looking forward to seeing what comes out of this meeting in the months and years to come. I am sure that in the near future, you will hear of some of the projects that we will work together on...

Monday night in KY

If you are in the lower KY area and are available on Monday night, we would love to see you...

Destination Community Church
coffee and desserts at 630 and program at 7
161 E Court Street
Prestonsburg, KY

Great show tonight, and if you would like to know what the green stuff is all over the side walk beside us, you will have to watch the show tonight.. Dave will explain it for us.

Travel Update...

We had a great day yesterday with the kids at Saint Rose school. We will likely fit in one more stop there before we go. The older kids have asked if Emma and Bekah could come to their class for a question and answer period, so we will do that on our way out of town on Thursday morning.

Today we are on our way to Down Town.. The girls are going to do the bus tour of NYC and Julie and I will go to the letterman show.. maybe lunch at Rupert's Hello Delly. I will be wearing my big blue Hawaii shirt so I should be easy to spot..

Thursday we head to Ann's in Pennsylvania. She and Pamela have been planing a great time in DC. We will be meeting with many supporters, as well as the Kyrgyz Children's Futures group. We have worked in many of the same places, it will be fun to "compare notes" .. If you want to more info or are interested in coming , click here. If you can't make DC and you are in the area, the next stop will be Sunday in Richmond... well actually Mechanicsville. click here Monday night we will be in Pikeville Kentucky I will post some details about this soon. The next visit will be with our friends in Nashville . and then on to Ohio by the weekend.. you can read more about this part of the trip here .. I would like to point out that for next Thursday, if you would like to join us for supper, we will need to know the number of people by the 20th... so give Kat a call if you would like to come... $6 a person or $22 for a family... great deal... We will then meet up with the rest of our team in Ohio, including our friend Natasha from Tokmok..It will be great to see everyone, and set the course for the next few months on the ground.

If our rout is passing your door, and would like us to stop for a visit, give us a call and we will see what we can work out... our cell #'s in the US are ..315 608 0820 or 570 313 7184.

Down to the wire

Acel and Talant are hoping to get away for a little time away together before the Daysprings home is in full swing. Talant has to go to Turkey for a conference, and Acel has a chance to go with him..

If she is going to go, we still need to raise a little more money for her.. She needs another $550.

If you want to be a part of blessing such an incredible couple, please let me know right away.. I will need to get this rolling by the weekend if it is going to happen.

On another note, I was so blessed this morning when we got up and found that our friends from Lamb have covered the funeral expenses we posted yesterday.

fOLLOW UP..3:02
$50 for Acel to go to Turkey. She's going to NEED some memories of rest and relaxation after they get Dayspring going!
K.

We are in the New York Area!!

We are now in the New York area, If you are in the area and want to meet up with us here are our new phone numbers,
315 608 0820 or 570 313 7184

My friend will be missed

We are very saddened by the loss of our dear friend.. He will be missed
..

Hi John and Julie! Happy Valentine`s Day!
Are you going to ahead to USA this morning? Have a goodtrip! Larisa
came today over here and told me to write about that The radio mandied
2or 3 days ago he was in Kemin senior`s home. And Tania is asking
moneyfor his funeral. Actually they buried him already  but Larisa told
her that she doesn`t havemoney for that  if she will borrow moneyfrom
somebody Larisa would talk with you John, about that.So Tania did
so.While Larisa was here Tania called her about that money Larisa told
her thatshe is  siting with me and talking aboutthat . So Larisa thinks
100$ will be enough to give to Tania.
Larisa left with me some dreams to translate and send to youI will do
that soon. Blessings Acel.

Luba's Tuition is paid...

A couple weeks ago I shared that I had a little mix up with the tuition for some of our kids.. and was now behind the black ball for another $500. that works out to around $166 each or 7500 som. Luba was a little worried because the school that she attends is not quite as easy going about waiting to be paid.. fortunately for Luba she has some friends in Espanola that sent us some money last week , and she was able to pay her tuition to continue.. she is paid up.

now we just need to get Shakir and Jildez covered and we are all set .

Look out Virginia

We are sooooo looking forward to next Weekend. We will be in Mechanicsville Virginia, just out side of Richmond . We will be visiting with the De Lille's . You may remember Bob was over to work with us in Kyrgyzstan in September. On Sunday morning we will be sharing at the Grace Bible Church.. If you are in the area, come on out , we would love to meet you.

Kids helping Kids

I am always amazed by the power of "Kids helping Kids". I see the impact that my girls have had in Kyrgyzstan, and one of the best teams that we have ever had in Kyrgyzstan with us was a team of a dozen kids. There is just something special that happens and it is not just those that travel that amaze me. I know kids that make and sell greeting cards and others that raise chickens and sell eggs. We have had children organize and host family fun days and lemonade stands.. yard sales, and even asked friends to donate to the kids in KG rather then receive birthday presents.. It all comes down to a deep down understanding that if we all do our part the world can be a much better place. Just yesterday,

Bekah was speaking to a group of about 30 students who where interested in what they could do.So its only fitting that our first stop on our US Tour will be to speak at a school in NYC. There are some pretty special kids at this school. Kids that have demonstrated an eagerness to reach out to the less fortunate around them. They have a challenge that they are putting out there for the rest of you.. That is " To let no one look down on you because of your youth" They want see what they can do.To encourage this philanthropic spirit , we are creating the

"Saint Rose Birthday challenge"

The idea is that along with other fundraising, when having a birthday, they can ask their friends to donate to the fund on their behalf. This can be done by clicking on the link on the side of the blog. If you would like , you can print the certificate below to put in a card.

As the funds come in to this account, they will be used for everything from birthday parties to operations , to food hampers, and everything in between.., but the common factor will be

"Kids helping Kids"

As the funds in this account are used to bring hope and dignity to the less fortunate, we will post updates here, and mark them with a this small logo on the blog post.

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;

the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.

The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,

and a little child will lead them all.

Blessings for the Seniors home .

It is a message I share about all the time, but I am still amazed

myself as I watch it happen.... what am I talking about ?

Light in a dark place!. It is easy for us to look at a project and say

"That is too big... more then I can handle" and for that reason, many

people continue to live in darkness. No one helps because they are

scared to get sucked into a vortex of overwhelming needs...

I don't know weather we are bold, stupid, or just nieve, but I always

remember the words of my friend Dylia. She told me ."Start by doing

what you CAN do and before you know it you will be doing what others

said could not be done." So with that boldness, we have blundered into

many big , over our head , projects. When we step out, something

amazing happens... Others see the light you bring... When people see

things that are good, they want to be a part of it. We have seen that

in many of the orphanages and the invalid home, but no where is it more

prevalent then the Seniors home...

Remember when we went into that home the first time . The director had

nothing left but a striped down old building, no heat no running water,

no furniture, and no food... but what she did have was a bourdon to

provide a home for seniors who were living on the streets.. The task

seemed overwhelming to us at the time, but we just started where we

could... We bought them food... Over the next few weeks, others came

along and shared the bourdon.. LAMb team arrived, and together we began

working to bring dignity to the home.. people from all over the world

began to get involved as the light began to shine in and on this

place..

Furniture was bought , the kitchen was stocked, the water was brought

in, and the heating system has been put in one section at a time..

Even since we left in November, the blessings have continued to flow.

The folks at Lepta Plus.. ( a social fund operated by Sergey) brought

some of their sponsors there , and the last of the heating was

sponsored.. Just yesterday, another great blessing arrived. Lepta plus

has just received a container from Norway, and in it was many things

that are so valuable for the seniors home.. new floors, new winter

boots, cleaning supplies and much more...

I just sit in amazement as I watch such a dark place become a beacon of

light to the community around it...

I have said it before, but I will say it again... Thank you for

everyone that has had a part in this project... you have fanned into

flame a beautiful thing .

The pieces are comming together.

After leaving DC, we are excited to be able to spend a night of John and Lori Innis .. they have been great supporters of our work , and have become good friends of Jengish as well.. Then it will be on to Richmond Virginia... I will post shortly about where we will be when we are there, Our host is just working on a few details. What we do know is that we will be in Tennessee on Feb 23. It will be so nice to see all our friends again, as well as make some new ones. We have a meet and greet scheduled for the night of the 23. at: Meet at 5:00 pm supper at 6:00pm

Harpeth Presbyterian Church

3077 Hillsboro Rd

Brentwood TN 37027

there is a meal provided.. $6 a person, and $22 for a family. This is an incredible price, but don't worry , we will give you opportunity to get involved in one of our many projects as we share that night . If you would like to come out, please let Kat know so that she can get the numbers in to the kitchen by the 20th.
We will be in the area for a few days, then we will be heading for Lebnon Ohio. We will be joining David and Jayne at their church on Sunday Morning ..Feb 27th, the churches name is:

The Shelter Community Church
1541 John Glenn Rd
Dayton, OH 45410
service time 11:15

David will be preaching that morning... and I have been known to say a few words myself!
I was just talking to Jayne and we decided that on the Saturday night when we get to town, we will go out for supper at:

LaRosa's Pizzeria Lebanon
1871 Deerfield Rd, Lebanon, Ohio

for more onfo , contact

Jayne
Phone: 513-228-2303
JayESchool@aol.com

Look out NYC and DC here we come.

We will be heading to NYC on the 14th of Feb. We are all getting excited. We will be staying with friends that we meet a couple years ago when they cam to Kyrgyzstan to complete the adoption of their little darling. We are going to spend a couple days in the NYC area, and will be speaking at a school there. So if you live there and would like to get together, drop me a line.. Actually we are really hoping that the family of a young girl adopted from KG ( she would be about 14 now) will contact us. We got to know here very well while we there for the 6 months in 2008. we would love to see her again. So if you know who this family might be, please direct them to this blog...We are waiting for the day that They contact us...
Our next public engagement is one that we are again very excited.. Our friend Ann is taking the lead on this . It will be on Friday Feb. 18th in the DC area. We will be combining this event with the Kyrgyz Children's Futures. The are a great group of Kyrgyz that live in the U.S., but continue to raise funds and awareness for the orphans in Kyrgyzstan. We have had the opportunity to work at some of the same orphanages that they are working , so we are excited to see what will come out of this great night. If you would like to attend, please contact Ann for more details . flightyrn71@yahoo.ca



From there it is on to Richmond Virginia... details to follow.

Why should I expect any different?

I have been trying to set up Satellite TV for my mom before we head back to Kyrgyzstan next month. We get very few stations, and can not get cable out were we are. I called and worked out a pretty good deal and arranged for them to come last Monday to install. Of course they never showed up.. don't know why I expected any different.. so yesterday I Finlay called and asked what was going on.. They had no work order, in fact they said hat they don't have anything showing that they were it install the satellite.. I then started the phone bounce around their network.. all asking "Who where you talking to?" to which I would always reply.... Someone that Bell Canada had deamed competent enough to answer the phone and conduct business on their behalf." It's times like this that you begin to learn just how many different divisions and levels that the Bell has.. I am sure that it is not for efficiency sake but for deny ability sake.
I say Oh never mind .. lets just set it up again.. No problem... well yes there is a problem.. you see they can't set me up for the service unless I purchase it rather then rent... because I ALREADY HAVE A BELL DISH THAT I HAVE NOT PAID ANY RENT ON.. ya the one they had no record of... so finally I am back to someone at the Bell sales / accounts office.. After being told again that they have nothing on my profile about the satellite TV, and they start to claim full disconnect and question if it was even a Bell satellite I ordered, I say to him " Will you please go to the notes on my account, and tell me the last time I phoned your office." "Yes sir.. last Wednesday" ... " And now tell me what the notes say was the reason for the call" .. to which he replies .. " Yes it was to order Sate...l...i.....t........e... tv " "OK So now lets see how we can get the information from that screen to the one that tells someone to show up at my house".. Of course you know it was not that easy and the fun continued for another 10 minutes.. then the fool says .. is their anything else I can do for you today Mr Wright ... so I figure well I have him on the line.. I ask him to fix my phone because when I get a long distance call it now makes three short rings.. He starts to tell me that this is a good thing.. so I have to walk him through the problem... " One ring is for us... two rings is for my mom.... and tell me Who should answer the phone when it has three rings... ?".. after stumping him with this question, I then ask him to remove the call interrupt off my phone that starts beeping when I am talking and someone is trying to call... He then tells me that I don't have that service .. and never have.. funny It did it an hour ago when I was on the phone.. so I say to him " Look in the notes on my account.. do you see a call from me in November? what does it say in the notes...?" at which point her reads " Please remove call waiting from line". I then told this poor fellow that I had spent enough time with him this morning, but would leave him with this little project to sort out for me...
I always seem to expect more from companies here in Canada then in Kyrgyzstan.. I have no idea why.. the only difference seems to be that in Kyrgyzstan their English is better !

Lost in translation .. one more time

I must always remember when dealing with translation, you must think very literal, and not just one part of the sentence but every little area of a sentence must be dissected, or you are in trouble ... A lesson I am still learning, and one that will likely continue to learn.
Many of you will remember my internet experience.. I went in to get Internet. they told me that it would cost $65 a month.. Ouch.. I did not really have much choice, I need internet, so I asked .. "Is this unlimited"? fair question... answer "Yes" so I went ahead and got it.. 10 days later they called from the internet company to tell me that I had to bring them another $110. "WHAT I thought it was unlimited"... "Yes it is, there is no limit to the amount you want to purchase" was the reply... This came as no surprise to me as this was the same office that would not except my $4.15 and turn my phone back on until I pd Lynn and Ruby's internet bill.. after all I like them was a foreigner... so I should pay their bill and then go get my money from them....

Today I got a call. Three of our college kids that we sponsor have a small problem. They need to pay their tuition now.. So again.." I thought we paid the tuition for the year for them" .. "you did"... and this is a new year! so for Luba, Jildiz and Shakier, I need to come up with another $500 for them to continue college.

Just one more thing to add to my growing list of things that we will need to take care of .

On a brighter note, I just received confirmation that we have a sponsor that will cover the cost of 15 of the 23 beds that we need for the Baby hospital, so we will be able to get a good start on that project...