Why the Camino ?

Last night Julie was putting together a little thank you to those who followed along and supported the Camino walk that she and Acel did last fall.   Have you wondered what might have come out of all that walking ?

At about three o'clock this morning, I received word that a young Mom and her baby where no longer living in a difficult situation, and that they were safe with Emma and Jengish.  They have a home to go to, Mother has a job that will be geared to her time and abilities, and they are surrounded by people that will love and care for them. 

So often we here of difficult situations, and think "What can I do?" well because many of you stepped up to support even before we knew the name or the situation, We can act fast, .. We have known this young girl for many years from when Emma became friends with her back in the orphanage system , but un like so many kids, she is not alone.. She has Emma .. and she has you .. Thank you all so much that we have the means to respond .. I will say it again .. THANK YOU.. 

New life on "The Farm"

This morning Jengish and Emma were at the animal Bazaar, and accidental came home to the farm  with three new calves. They arrived to a bit of a surprise.  

There was a new baby calf born on the farm today .. a little baby girl . 

She and mother are both doing great .  She is up and eating .. in this video she has just finished her first meal .

Feeling Blessed

Well Jengish and Emma are getting settled back in Kyrgyzstan and life for them is staring to resume.   They are getting ready for our return next week, and the arrival of a couple teams following that.  Today he met with some of the builders that will be helping with several of the projects... 

 New barns, new fences, a couple new roofs , including one at the Baby hospital clinic. The biggest project this spring will be the green house. We also need to pick up some more animals from the Bazaar  With all the work going on, we are thinking that it is time to get a truck that would be more suited to the work then Jengishes SUV.  We are also anticipating a much larger harvest this year as we will have 5 gardens planted rather then just the two.  Today he found this old Soviet truck that would be a great multi purpose truck for us.  We will just wait on the financing .      

Earlier today they were out to the farm checking in with everyone .  They were excited to be back , and pleased with how well everything did in their absence .. It is such a blessing to know that things have come along to the point that they can get away here and there.  

the Teenager pigs are sure growing 

Goosey started laying eggs before they left and is now settled in to her new job .. sitting on the eggs .. it may be just the job for her as she is not much of a walker .. everyone needs to find what they are good at !

the free range poultry is doing well.  Soon they will have a large barn to go into at night, as well as three times the yard divided into three pens that they will rotate through .. We will plant Apple trees in their runs as well so the space will have a dual purpose .

The newest calf is doing great as well  

Since Tractorbeck came to the farm, the goats, sheep and cows are looking so much healthier ,  The right food balance makes all the difference. 

We just brought the cows down from the mountains .  They did not fatten up as much there as we had hoped, so we will let Tractorbeck see what he can do with them 

these are the bulls he has had the last couple months 

baby pigs are all growing as well 

The kids have been working on basket making , out of old news paper , here is one of the baskets almost done and ready for varnishing 

They just sent us this picture from Aigula's birthday last week 

The farm is great , the animals really make it feel like a real farm. and it is so rewarding to have so much produce hat we can share it all winter with those in need.. But Hands down .. the greatest part of "The Farm" is the kids that call it home.  I know where they have all come from and what they have experienced in their short lives is more then many of us would experience in a life time. Every thing I have struggled as a parent to protect my kids from has happened to these kids .. Yet they are resilient, and once they are exposed to LOVE, and a HOPE for the future, it is amazing to watch them grow and flourish 

Baktagul is now in her final year of Nursing .. 

Over Christmas we were in Niagara Falls with our Son and his family for a couple days .  and like everyone does when you travel, you pick up a t-shirt for your loved ones .. So today he kids got their t-shirts .. they were so excited .. there was no need to try to get them to smile today .. they are starting to get the hang of it pretty good . 



Well our bags are almost all packed, including about 6 extra bags of Vitamins and medical supplies that the team will be bringing with them next in a couple weeks .  We will go visit Julie's Dad tomorrow and get the boys for an over night , then Monday we will head for the airport.  We are connecting through  Turkey this time, and since our layover is so long ( 12 Hours ) Turkish Air is treating us to a complimentary six hour tour of Istanbul including lunch .  Julie is really looking forward to it.. Then we will hit the ground running , but so excited about all that is going on this spring.  

I picked up a letter today .. in it was a cheque for the work, but with it was a note to our office  here  that was the real blessing .. it read 

"I Can't even get my mind around how God has so blessed and led them !!" THANKS

We agree , and it is through people like you that he has blessed us and made it possible for us to return.  We know are blessed to be a blessing to others. Something that we NEVER take for granted .. so to all of you .... Thank you. 

a bonus day for the kids

A few weeks back, Bekah took the kids from Swetly Put  out to a movie.  We had some awesome kids who raised money for them to go to the movies.  Well when they went on the outing, many of the local businesses decided to be a part of the blessing.   Th movie passes were cheaper then expected, and the ice cream shop gave the kids ice cream waffle cones. So a long story short, there was enough money left for a second trip to the movies last night.  

"We went to see Kung Fu Panda 3 with the kids from Svetly Put. They played games at the arcade. And plus those guys made the waffle cones dessert thingies for everyone for free. .   Oh and they ate popcorn and pop during the movie.  

Then Kamala and Kolya and I went to the BBQ place for supper afterwards when we got the kids home"

Basket Weaving 101

Acel goes out to the farm regularly to cover for Aigula on her days off.  While it is sill winter and not as much for the kids to do, we thought it would be good to teach them how to make baskets.  This will be a great little business for them if they get the hang of it.  The baskets are made of rolled up newspaper. Then a coat of varnish  is put on them when they are finished. When done they look and feel just like straw.    

Finished product 

Letters from the farm

The last three weeks we have been traveling with Emma and Jenish and sharing about the farm, and the many projects that we have on the go right now. There are so many amazing things happening there, the abundance of the crops that they have been able to give to hundreds in need, and the barns overflowing with animals, all a testament to the incredible outpouring of support from followers like you. But every time we come back to the real purpose behind what and why they are there. The farm is that safe place, a fresh start or a new start.. or in some cases a first start at life. A place where the most vulnerable can come and learn and grow and develop to their full potential. If there is any doubt as to the effectiveness of your support, the above is just a few of the excerpts from some letters that Emma brought with her from Kyrgyzstan from the kids ... Thank you to every one who has given to the creation of this special place. As we prepare now to head back we are excited to see what is next. 

 Some of the projects to watch for this spring; new roof on the Hospital Clinic, the boys house at the farm and the poultry barn; new automated green house, an addition to the barn built last year to add more room for cows, many new fences to allow the chickens ducks and geese to be free range. We will be welcoming a new tractor to the farm as well as a utility trailer, two more dairy cattle and a milking machine. 
We are looking forward to the arrival of possibly three teams this spring. We will take this time to continue to bring excitement and blessings and most of all HOPE  to those that come our way.     

   

the last week

So I started this post at 8:30 this morning , and am still working on it at 9:30 at night.. It has been one of those days, getting caught up on so many things.  So here is a little recap of the last week. 

We have been able to touch base with so many great supporters of the work in Kyrgyzstan since returning to Canada last week ..  starting with a visit with our friend Ed and his wife ..

Ed  from Loads of Love was so gracious , especially when his order was mixed up and this is what he got , which only seemed that much worse beside mine 

It was great to see Sam and Vee from Possibilities International .. No trip home would be complete with out seeing them 

Benjamin was out to the Taste of the Nations on Sunday night to sing for us 

Mean while back on the farm the animals are doing great .. they were out to enjoy some time in the sun when he weather warmed up a bit 

Goats are really doing well too .. 

This is a print of a painting Emma did, so she was able to sign it this week .. We had such a nice visit with our friend Kim and Paul 

More photos from the taste of the Nations .. it was such a great evening 24 different foods from 18 different nations and close to 150 people in attendance 

This was a Kyrgyz dinner we cooked in Brantford , enjoyed spending time with many of our friends there .. looking forward to seeing many of them in Kyrgyzstan soon 

and a little fun on the ice for Family day 

Great friends and supporters from over the years .. 

and of course our good friend Ron who was he one who brought us to Central Asia the first time .. so its his fault 

We are so excited o have a sponsor for a green house at the farm.  We will begin construction in a couple weeks .. this photo is our friend who we are hoping to head up this project for us a he has had years of experience with Green houses 

More great news, we have had a Grant come through for the new roof on the Baby hospital clinic, as well as some more from a sponsor in the US, so we will begin this project in a couple weeks as well 

We also had several spring projects sponsored by friends in Germany .  they are putting on a new roof on the boys house, a new fence , a couple cows, a milking machine, a trailer for the truck , and almost there with a expansion on the ban for a cow shelter .. for that they have just $491 US.  to go.  so far this has been sponsored through a German charity site, but if anyone would like to help with this, you can use the donate button on the right and in the memo put "COW SHED" and we will be able to give a ta receipt in Canada or the US.  

Here is a link to their page if you want to follow the progress of this fund raiser. 

https://www.betterplace.org/en/projects/36304-support-a-shelter-for-teenage-orphans-in-kyrgyzstan

Today We had a Chat with Aiperie.  She and her husband are living in Pakistan right now as he is attending medical collage.  she is expecting, and is having some other health concerns, and would like to move back to Kyrgyzstan to be with her mom during this time.  Her husband will finish School and then join her at a latter date .  It is going to cost around $800 to get her back to Kyrgyzstan.  I told her I would figure out a way to get her home . this is another opportunity to help if anyone felt so inclined, we would sure appreciate anything you could do. 

We have about half of he kids from the farm starting drivers education next week. We will do half at a time so that some are around to keep the farm going while the others are in the city for classes each week .. This is such a big step for them and an opportunity that many orphans dream about .. we are so blessed to see them through this as part of their life skills .. a special thank you to sponsors who invest in our kids ..   

Taste of the nations ...this Sunday

Featuring 22 different meals from 17 different countries. , Live Entertainment, Silent Auction . Special guests Jengish and Emma Odigineyev (Wright) will be available to share about some of the incredible things happening at "the farm" in Kyrgyzstan, a special place where orphans and the homeless get a new start on life.

Proceeds from this night will support projects at "the farm" along with special outings for orphaned children and those in need. March 10 until March 20th a team from NPC will be hands on working alongside the team of workers from actofkindness (www.actofkindness.asia)