Count your blessings

New calf at the farm . 

|After supper Nuric came running back into the house to give us all the great news. 

Today we were busy delivering coal.  It was all hands on deck. we visited several of the families that we have worked with over the years.

One of our stops was to a family that we worked with for many years.  They had a young son that had cerebral palsy.  They were on our list every fall for coal.  This summer their son had passed away. We showed up at the house with A load of coal. they must have assumed that since the boy had passed away we would stop helping them.  Loosing a child is not something that they would just get over, especially one that took so much care over the years.  When we started to unload the coal the daughter phoned her mother. Mother had started working .. she was to depressed to be at home and was hoping that getting out would help.   The daughter was grinning from ear to ear as she was telling her mom about the coal.. It was so much more then just a load of coal.. it was recognition that they had a great loss and at the same time it let them know that someone cared.   It is so hard to explain the impact that this had on them , and me.  We have had a particularly difficult few weeks on the farm, but today we are reminded to be thankful for the things that we have.  Family, friends, and all that we have been blessed with .   Just today we were able to spread that blessing with at least a dozen families.  

and look at this, strawberries in the green house .

ice cream in the park

anguish

I was reminded today of a post from a long time ago .  It was about Anguish.  David Wilkerson spoke about anguish and where has it gone in our circles today ..  

Here is what reminded me. 

I was  walking past a friend working in the fields  and stopped for a short visit.  I knew he had a new baby at home so I asked him how his baby was doing, "She is stable now and home" was his response.. So I asked if she had been sick,  He told me that she had a hernia that had ruptured and she was in the hospital.  She needs an operation , and is home now and stable , which is good since it gives him time to get some crops in and sold so she can have the operation.  I asked when they would like to operate, he then said that they want to operate right away when he gets the money..  

Instantly what I felt was ANGUISH.. can you imagine as a father walking out of the hospital with your baby knowing that she needs an operation right away but you do not have the means to cover it and will have to wait.    I could wait for myself ok, but not my kids.  

I pressed a bit and asked how much the operation would be .. I found out that the operation and after care will be about 8000 som, about $160.  We normally have a policy that when people come to us to ask for help, we find the sponsor first , then will advance the funds, but today was different.  I felt prompted to go ask him, he did not come to me, he was busy working in the fields to meet the need, he is also a friend in need, that should not make a difference in who we help, but it does !   

I had the money in my pocket ( the exact amount ) so I gave him the money right there.  Vlad turned to me as we continued on our way and said " That was easy "  In a way yes it was , and at the same time my heart is still breaking for what this family is going through.  The money in my pocket was designated for coal, so now I will have to figure out how to replace it, but a very small sacrifice on my part.  but what lingers on is ANGUISH.  Anguish for this friend and the stress his family must be going through, Anguish for so many like him that we pass each day with out stopping to hear their story,  but mostly Anguish for those in this world who have become so complacent that they have forgotten what it is to feel anguish for another.  

way behind

Those who are following the blog will see that I am way behind on posting.  I usually do the blog in the morning as the evening internet is very slow.  The last couple weeks we have had guests at the farm and I am the breakfast cook.  Theses guests were such incredible hard workers that we were hard at it all day every day .  The work that they got done, and the hearts and lives that they were able to touch is more then I could ever begin to share or explain in one blog post.  

Today I will post a bunch of pictures and over the next week or so I will go into more detail of some of the highlights .   

Nuric up early picking and preparing  produce to can 

this team brought with it sponsorship money from both New Bethesda and Espanola ,  a couple days ago I went past and there were so many kids on every piece that one kid was even riding in the garbage bin.

some of our local shepherds playing a game of Kukbadu for the team and a group of Bekah's students 

the first work day the guys built this great set of stairs down into the cellar 

we brout supplies to a womens rehab centre in IsyKol so had a chance to stop and see the lake , a couple even went for a quick dip. 

Dance party at Sammy's first birthday 

a load of coal delivered to the womens rehab center 

getting ready for seniors day , preparing food hampers including honey at each seat. expecting 100, made 125 portions and had 123 guests arrive 

Kamalla serving coffee in the cafe after a long days work 

Tim and Nuric with the pumpkins we brough in the day the team arrived 

I think Anne and Miles fit right in 

enjoying an evening in the cafe 

new windows, soffit and fascia doors and outside cement on walls, the kashar is looking good 

we gave a pair of ducks and their young to the womens rehab center .. one of the women was having a moment .. they were so blessed 

we made about 150 litres of pickled peppers.  Kurt was the bottle stuffer 

a wonderful couple , up at the yurts 

giving out food packages after the dinner. 

enjoying the yurt 

thank you Espanola and new Bethesda for the furniture and decorations 

we brought a large food delivery and bananas to the baby orphanage, as well we bought them a gas powered and electric leaf blower to help keep the playground clean 

Beksoltan up on the roof as they put up a new chimney 

more pumpkins 

Tim the eagle hunter 

the tradition is that on a first birthday they have a race with all the community and the fastest child cuts the string that is tying the babies legs together , this signifies the starting to run the race of life and it is the fastest that does the honors so the child will be fast .. then the others race and the fastest gets a prize..  They decided that since they don't know many peopple as old as Kurt hahah that they would give him a little head start , not realizing how fast he could run ... for an old guy, and he won the goat.  good job Kurt 

harvesting more beets .. over a ton this day 

the girls are working on a coffee bean mural at he cafe

out bowling with the farm kids 

the new sign 

another lovely couple 

new doors on the coal shed 

more supplies to the rehab center 

the team visited the baby hospital to see it finished .  Sponsored the floor and the dry wall, and even did all the mudding the joints 

Kamala got  a nice one 

a happy camper at the seniors day 

Bekah with her students at the Burana tower 

the barn all cleaned u and painted, ready for the animals to return from the mountain