Your challenge if you choose to except it ....

Many of you know our friend Vlady and all the help that he is to us .  From the renovations of the hospital to home makeovers , our own locksmith , the fix it man and more .. He drives for us , he translates for us , he grows potatoes for the orphanages , and provides us with an endless supply of Honey , and is one of the best cooks I know , you name it and he does it .  He is always up for a challenge ... last week I came to him and said ..." Today's Challenge, if you choose to except it is to build me a titanium reactor....."  "Yes of course was his response"  

Today I called him   " Your task if you choose to except it is to restore HOPE and DIGNITY to a lady and two kids who have fallen through the cracks of society. "  " YES OF COURSE " was his response .

Our God son  Camat came to us a couple days ago with a need.  He works with an organization here in Kyrgyzstan that helps kids and makes sure they have food .  He was given an address to go check out. 

There he found a young single mother of 2 young early teen-aged kids .  She had had a bawl obstruction a couple years ago, and had not been able to work, and had lost everything , then an aid organization found her family and started to help. They helped her get the operation she needed, but she is still disabled and not able to work.  They had helped by purchasing an old apartment full of black mold and started the repairs and renovations, then the organization shut down and pulled out of Kyrgyzstan .  Today this family lives in one room, a mattress on the floor and a few groceries and a hot plate on a coffee table , and not much else.   

the rest of the apartment has been left with concrete walls and floors with no flooring and most almost all of the contaminated paper stripped off the walls  , leaving the apartment looking like someones old garage.  Six months ago, the Mosque sent a couple men over to help renovate, they brought two bags of plaster and a putty knife and said that they would be right back... today those bags sit right were they were left .  

I have seen enough renovations here to know that this is an easy fix .. maybe a week and about $300 for the walls and another $200 for the floors and this will actually be a nice place .  Before even beginning to discuss the possibilities, we asked to see the documents proving that she owned the apartment ,, as well we checked to see what outstanding bills she may have .  We found that it was her apartment  and that she has a 10 000 som credit  ($210) that was used to put in a new toilet and sink.   

We have not promised anything to her other then we would pray about it, and spread the word and see if we can help if a sponsor steps up.  In the back of my mind, I know that we have a team coming tonight that has asked to be kept busy, and wants to be involved in a home makeover ... I will discuss with them in the morning and see if this is the type of thing that they had in mind.  Vlady and Joe ( from Jesica's family )  are ready to start as soon as we have the funds , and Camat as their social worker will have the on going connection with this family  

There is potential here , with the house fixed up and on going support from Camats agency, these are two more kids that will not have to experience life in an orphanage because of circumstances.  

I think of the desperate situation of another single mother of 5 we met along time ago and where they are now .  In fact the first time we met them was with  our friend Jamie who is leading the team that we are picking up at the airport tonight .. Aipirie took a special liking to Jamie and in doing so worked her way into our hearts.  In the wee hours of the morning when the teem crawls into their beds after the long journey, they will slip under beautiful blankets made by  Aiperie and her Mom 

These blankets are gifts to the team , a reminder of the power of stopping for the one in front of them.   

Tomorrow night , after a full day , they will be visiting Aigoola and the kids for supper .  a traditional Kyrgyz meal served with love  by a family that they, like many of you had a part in restoring  .