to the Car Bazaar , and many needs covered .

Yesterday we went to the Car Bazaar with Vlady to take a look at what cars are available and what the pries were .. so many cars and so much ciaos.  The car lot is about 1 square mile , and is bumper to bumper cars.    Vlady would like a small 4 wheel drive that is god on gas , but preferably diesel.  He does a lot of work in the mountains so the 4 wheel would be best.   We got a bit of sticker shock.  the cars in our price range are pretty beat up and not mechanically sound , but for $1500 more we could be into some very nice cars in excellent shape , in fact look almost brand new.   

Vlady will try to find a buyer for his old car, and and come up with a bit more money , and Jengish is checking all the papers and internet .   This will be a process .

When we got home, a couple of our young friends had been over and cleaned the out side windows for us .. involved climbing up and hanging from the bars, so I was happy for the help.

You may have noticed that Armics fundraising thermometer is down .. that need has been covered.. Bekah is on her way to the hospital now to pay for the last of his operation expenses .   As well, the CP treatment for the twins has been covered.  Larisa will come today to pick up those funds and follow through on that .  We have also contacted the Baby orphanage to let them know that we have sponsors to get the washing machine fixed .

I do have a new need that has come up.  This one is a fun one.  Sergey and Anya are working to get a mountain camp ready for summer camp for kids.  over the summer , hundreds of kids will get time at the camp.  the problem is that in the nights it gets rather cool and they do not have mattresses or blankets for them.  Aigulla can make the mattresses , but it will be about $1000 for enough for 100 kids.    If you would like to help with this , you can send me a note, or on the memo section of the on line payment you could just put Camp mattresses , and as funds come in we will put Aigulla to work.

WANTED >>>> wisdom, patience and finances

We started today with a trip to the dentist among other stops..   Our first order of business was to go visit Armic at the hospital.  He was in good spirits.  His father was there with him today. This has been an such an upset for them , from a state of confusion, not knowing what to do about his leg, then getting in touch with Dr Tatyana and in turn us.   As I shared earlier, We gave him some money for tests so that we could be well informed when we did put out a request for help for him, ( a common practice for us to do some background work first )  What no one was expecting is that while he was in the hospital waiting for tests that day, his leg began to bleed and they were not able to get it stopped.  They ended up giving him blood transfusions, and then finally gave up and removed his leg.   the total costs to this point has been $460.  We have been able to front $300 of that from other funds until we find a sponsor or two.   Once he is able to pay off his bill from the operation, and get a little stronger ,   they will start Kemo .  they have identified a spot on his lung, which is the test they were going to do when he started to bleed .    They want to hold off for 3 or 4 months before getting the prosthetic for him.  This will give us some time to figure out how to help them with these bills before taking on another expense.    Our best estimate at this point will be at least $1000 in total for his medical care and leg .... unless things turn for the worst.  I will put up a thermometer on the side of the blog to help track this if any of you are interested in helping Armic.
Next stop was to the medical store to get the change tables for the Hospital.  We purchased 6 of them, they will be delivered to Tokmok tomorrow. We had a few more stops , then we went over to Acel and Talants for a birthday celebration for Talant and Devina. 
 By the time we got there, I was in a pretty foul mood.   All day the phone rang with needs .. so many needs, and it gets frustrating when they are all urgent , wanting financial support immediately.  No matter how hard I try I just can't seem to get the point across, that we don't have funds, and until I share the need and find a sponsor, there is no money, and even then we have to get it transferred through the banks and recorded for tax purposes .. yet to those on the other end of the phone.. there need is urgent, and they need help NOW.. by the end of the day I get so discouraged that I want to just turn off the phone .     Some big and some small, but they all add up to massive .

    - 30 men from the mens home invited to a show all expense paid in Bishkek tomorrow ... but they have no       shoes or socks.
   -  The twins with CP are now starting to get a lot worse and they need $500 for treatment on Monday
    - Another baby is sick with something, could not figure out what yet , but the short is they need $500 for         treatement of its CP and an undetermined amount to run tests.
    - The family with the twins with CP need $2000 to pay off on the house they are in or they will have to
       move
     - a young mother we have been helping called and wanted money for food for her baby. and some more          money  for
    - some one else wants a few hundred dollars worth of ducks for the treatment center
    - an orphanage called and the water piped are backed up and need help figuring out how to fix them ...            and pay for it
     - they have a new child there and they need a $30 a month sponsor for him to go to school ..
     - another family needs help, there son is in school in Moldova and needs $50
     - some how tuition has gone through the roof for a student at the university and they are wanting more                 money for part one semester then if he had gone for the full year .. even though we had already gone             in and paid .. fortunately Bekah has the receipt for that one so she will have to go in and fix that one.
     - The young girl we helped to get an arm for a couple years ago is wanting to go into a Travel and tourism         program in the US and called asking for help finding a place to stay and about $500 for documents and         visa's .

Then the landlord of a guest apartment we rented for the past two years called .. She had taken back the keys for the apartment a full month earlier then we had paid for, but some how thinks I should continue to pay the gas bill.. $10 , then before we could deal with that, she thinks that we should also pay her $75 tax bill .. We told he to wait until we get back to town tomorrow and we will meet with her and determine who owes who the money ...  

Maybe tomorrow we can sort some of this out .. please pray for wisdom patience and finances ...

Easter with friends

We celebrated Easter with friends , then brought Easter cakes to the Seniors home .. here is a short video from our day.

Ermek update and Red River to the tower

Early yesterday morning we went into Bishkek to meet up with Ermek sister.  She seemed very out of place for the big city .  We gave them a bit more money for medical expenses.  She is going to get a list of future expenses before the Dr's see us or know that we are helping.  Then on Wednesday we will be back in the city and will go to the hospital and see them.  Once we confirm all the expenses including the prosthetic leg, we will  put out a special request for support , and I will keep every one posted about how we are doing .. my guess is that it will be around $1000 in total.  I would have liked to have the sponsorship firmly in first but the way this went down, it suddenly became an Emergency so we had to act fast. 

The variable we are facing right now is that they have found a small area on his lung that they think may be cancer, so we are not sure yet how much chemo and radiation  he will have to undergo.  His sister was looking rather shaky .. sort of in the way that if some one was to be extra nice to her she would burst into tears.  As we stood at the bus stop talking to her, I began to feel so sorry for her and how this was effecting her.  

  

 After lunch we made our way back to Red River to pick up a group of kids from the orphanage there to have another of Cody's MAD money outings .This is the group of kids that were so famished when we took them fishing in the fall. Yesterday we took them to the Buran tower and for a picnic.  This time we were ready for them .. Vlady had so much food .. he served ploff and fruit , the kids ate and ate, then he brought out the Duck shashleek ... they started heaping up their plates until the moment they realized there was more then even they could eat.. then started a wave of giggles and sighs of relief as they started to relax and just enjoy the food ...success .. thank you Vlady ... thank you everyone who donated to this Cody MAD money event.

You can't judge by the cover

Today we were at the dentist.  then we went to the medical supply store to get  supplies for the hospital.  We needed an exam table, blood pressure cuffs and blood oxygen sensors.

when we pulled up to the shop we were not sure what to expect.

But we found just what we needed and were in and out in no time. 

Visit with friends

We were so happy to have special guests for super tonight.  It was great to have the LAMb team for a visit . 

Cody and Gengish are back from the mountains and the photo shoot.  What a great experience for Cody .. and guess what .. the volga made it there and back with out breaking down .

Armic has gone for more tests to make sure that the cancer is only in his leg before they start cutting .  Tatyana is working with him on that .. he is having 3 MRI's each one is costing $48 .. from there we will know what to do next .

So far, for the Baby hospital and medical collage we have the new doors installed, the computer, projector and screen , and we have all the clear plastic tubs for them to make triage kits ... 40  of them .  Tomorrow we are going to Bishkek to the dentist, then to a medical store to pick up an exam table and hand washing stations .

Medical update , food drops, and a great way to support.

Yesterday we started the day with a trip to Dr Tatyana's to discuss the treatment for our young friend with the cancer in his leg.  Dr Tatyana shared that she can not understand why so many of these patients come to her, she is a heart Dr, yet people come from all over Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to see her for cancer .. they say its because they have heard how she has healed people..  she says "I am NOT GOD .. please stop telling people I will heal them "  but they continue to show up at her door.   Our latest friend had shown up desperate.  We have consulted with friends in the US as requested by Ermic,  after reviewing records, Dr Tatyana's thoughts have been confirmed that his Leg will have to be amputated.  We discussed the particulars with her , and Dr Tatyana will explain to him and also let him know that if he needs help with the operation or with getting the prosthetic we will help to find sponsors. For now we will wait and see what they will do .   *(before this post was finished, I heard back from Dr Tatyana that before removing his leg, they want an |MRI on his Lungs, his liver and some where else.. the cost will be $150 for all three.  I will bring the money over to her now .. and so it begins )

 The next stop was to the Baby Hospital with Emma running the gantlet trying to get in to see the the Dr to bring supplies for them .. In a couple weeks we will be building a waiting room here so that the families will have some where to wait rather then in the stair well .  

While there we went around to the ICU to check out the new exterior doors.  There is still an inner door to go as well .  Friday we will be picking up the change tables and the exam table.

After the hospital we went to the Bazaar to get food for food drops .  Flour , rice , pasta and apples were on the list today.  We met along the way to deliver Vitamins to Larisa to take out to the TB hospital and for some of the families that she works with .

The next stop was out to the dump where we brought food to 10 families today . It was a little warmer today then the last time we were there.  Both Julie and I noticed how good many of our friends were looking this trip.

We delivered to two more families, then put the car away for the day .   This is where we park the car at night .  it is a little compound just around the corner from our place.

Here is a really cool story that may interest some of you .    There are a couple puppies from   OvergaardMiniAustralianShepherds 

These puppies are sooo cute , but here is the great part.  The proceeds  from the sale of these puppies will be going to support the work that we are doing in Kyrgyzstan, as well as to help with the expenses to  bring the last of the Kyrgyz 65 home  ( children from Kyrgyzstan who have waited 6 years to be reunited with their forever families)  So if you are thinking of a new pet , why not check them out .    

lots on the go

This week and part of next, Cody is busy helping Jenish with a movie that they are working on about a falconer .  This is such a great experience for Cody as they will be in the back country on the far side of Lake IsyKool for part of it .

Jenish with the Falcon 

View of the lake from the mountain 

Jenish getting the equipment ready 

Even my old Volga is getting in on the action. 

At first I was a little concerned about sending Cody off with Jengish, but then they have Hired  Vlady as an actor and the Volga driver, and also Isar will be driving the team .. so it should be a great experience for Cody .  

This week we had a fun day , in the morning Julie , Acel, Cody and kamalla walked to the Bauran Tower.. except they took a rong turn and over shot it .. they could see it, but the road just kept vering to the right and the farther they walked the farther away they ended up.. finaly Julie called and said " Come and get us   when I asked where she was she said " HERE.... JUST FIND US "  .. hahahaha.   after I picked them up we went fishing with Sergey and one of his boys .  We were invited by our friend who is the chief of the Emergency departement at the hospital.  He has several stocked ponds.   

Sergey shows off his first fish of the day 

Aurture caught the biggest fish of the day

We brought a couple home , with some steak we cooked beside the river, and the rest we brought over to Bacute orphanage for them for supper . 

Our group sure enjoyed it .

The next day we brought Vitamins to Red River orphanage, this will do them until we come back at the end of the summer .   

this  was Tiliks birthday , so we brought  hime an MP3 stick full of music.  As soon as the Movie shoot is over we will go back to the orphanage and have birthday partys for every one with a birthday in April

Yesterday Julie and Emma and I had dentist appointments . I had to have two teath pulled so I was not a happy camper, but while in the chair I got a call from Dr Tatyana .  She had just had a young man come to her scared and looking for help.  He has a tumor on his leg and did not know where to turn . 

24 years old with a wife and a baby .. we will be trying to help him 

Today I sent his scans to a friend in the US to get an idea of just what we are dealing with and what the course of treatment will be .  This will be a great help for us as we begin to navigate through the system here , and look for a Dr with an understanding of the best course of action .

We have also been working on a project at the hospital.  We have a lot of little things as well as one big one to do there .  Yesterday they installed the new door on the out side entrance to the ICU, and Monday they will do the inside door.    We have also picked up a laptop, and a power-point projector and screen  for the teaching part of the hospital.   Today I was out looking for clear  bins that we can use as treauge ( three tries and still can't figure out the spelling ) kits .  Next week we will begin Building the waiting room there as well as finish the extra supplies like a power stabilizer for the incubator, a new exam table , hand wash stations, and some new change tables. 

We have a sponsor for the shoes for the kids at Red river now, so as soon as the money makes it here we will bring them out to them .

We hope to start on the floor at the mens home in the next couple of weeks as well.. Lots to do ...

It is becoming critical for Maxim

Maxim's mother just called Emma to tell us that He has just been taken to the hospital because his breathing has become too labored, and he is in a lot of discomfort.   We have had this post up for a couple days looking for some help, but have not had any sponsors come forward yet.  They want to get him into treatment by tomorrow if we can.  I do have some money with us that is designated to other things that we can advance while waiting for the funds to clear the banks, but I can not use those funds  until we know that we have received the funds to replace them.    It is a difficult situation that we often face .. the needs are there... and we tend to take it personally that it is up to us to meet the need, but all we can do is make the needs known and wait .  

Maybe you are the answer to Maxim's need . 

To the end of the Valley and back

a caring touch .. its a beautiful thing 

the director with some of the kids at Swetly Put receiving vitamins 

very happy 

we stoped to see Luba and Natya  and brought them Vitamins 

Next stop was Vitamins for the seniors home 

 Codys first sponsored outing was for a group of students from IUCA to go out to the seniors home and bring them food and sheets and cleaning supplies that they had raised the funds for.  Cody covered the Bus as well as before they headed home he surprised the kids with a lunch out .. a real blessing to a dozen students .

this Babushka was sucking in the awesome massage 

The nurse was showing us her blood pressure cuff that is broken 

Giving the director of the seniors home Vitamins 

all the new sheets 

this Babushka was getting her nails done 

One of the men was quick to point out the the men would like hand massages as well .. he was so touched that Bekah gave him the attention for a time 

this is the restaurant that we chose ..  I was always told when judging a restaurant, check out the bathroom so I did 

I assured Julie that it had a luxurious dinning room in side ...

I asked what more could we ask for .. Emma replied Ummm I don't know ... how about level floors ...
But all said the food was awesome, and I am sure we will be back .. Thank you Cody and all who donated toward the MAD money events .. The kids were so blessed .

Stopped to thank the cook on the way out 

 Then it was off to Orlofka where we met up with the kids from Podgorna to give out the Samaritains purse boxes .

I have reposted this because Maxim is still in need of a sponsor for his next round of treatments