Who Knows

Some times I think about how the things that we are involved with in Kyrgyzstan have evolved. we have gone from a time when we go and just have fun with the kids, and do the little extra's that our kids would experience, but the kids there would never dream of... I can remember a time not all that long ago that we gave out bars of soap as party favors and many were overwhelmed... you know ..the simple things ..

Today we are dealing on a whole different scale.. We have over 400 students at a University that we are trying to help with tuition...we have a $20 000 kitchen / dining room renovation at the mens home that is only 1/2 financed so far .. we have major operations and feeding programs.. we have need of 40 ton of coal ($3200) to help the orphanages, seniors home, rehab centers, and families that we work with , and only a couple months to come up with it ... and that's just the tip of it.... So many BIG and IMPORTANT needs..

I really appreciated an email I received from Talant this morning ... It was from a group of about 100 kids that got to go to summer camp this year. The camp had been great with us, they agreed to make room for about a dozen of our kids after the cut off date, and after the camp was full, but they understood the importance , and made a way for them to go. Before we left KG, we gave them a small donation above and beyond the camp fees. We told them to use it to cover any kids that were having difficulty coming up with the camp fees... then the rest , do something "extra" for the kids. In total they had 100 kids ranging from about 8 to 18 , and this year they were each given a monogrammed ball cap .

It may not seem like a lot for us, but for them it would be just the most amazing thing... I have walked through some of these little villages, and recognized old shirts or hats that we had given outback in 2005 ... still being worn .. still cherished .. still reminding them every day of a time when someone showed them love and concern...

One day , not to far in the distant future , these are the people that will be making the decisions.. they will be the people that we are trying to work with on an International level... making the deals.. signing the agreements... when that time comes , I don't want them just focusing on the big money issues... I want them to remember the little things , and how every person is special.. how some one took the time and cared about them... Who knows, maybe one day one of these caps will be hanging on the back of the door in the presidents office at the KG white house... reminding him/her of the lessons that they were taught about Mercy and Justice, Hope and Dignity..