It may be my fault !

When planing our trip to Minnesota and California, I suggested that we should return home through Ohio to meet with friends there , as well as a team that will be travelling to KG with us in March .. Julie was not sure if that might be pushing it, and when the Airlines said we did not have the points for that ,I just dropped it , and planned that we would drive down in a couple weeks .  Yesterday when we landed in Detroit for a 30 minute connection  we were told that Toronto was closed and our flight was cancelled   In fact we would not be home until late Sunday night , and we would be flown to Cincinnati first then connect from there .  So we spent last night in a hotel in Detroit, and this morning we flew to Cincinnati for the week end ... as I had originally tried to plan... and that ladies and gentleman is why the eastern seaboard is shut down... so that I would get my way , or at least that's the way it is playing out in Julie's mind. .  We are so Blessed to be able to spend some time with some great friends , and tomorrow after church we will meet up with the team travelling with us in the spring .  

Our time in California was so great and such a blessing .  

beautiful Scenery  along the way 

first day in CA with long time supporter  of  everything Kyrgyzstan , the Brotherton Family 

 Then it was of to Suzanne B's for la luncheon and an overnight .  It was so great to see her again and to see her amazing Daughter .. they are such great Hostesses .

This was a special meeting for me .. Tina's father sent the very first unsolicited donation we ever received for our work in Kyrgyzstan .. I still remmeber the feeling when it arrived.. It was then that we realized that it was bigger then just us ..that we were just the ones that got to go but so many where behind us making it possible  

The next day , after stopping for a visit with Mr Hank from SOC, we went to the home of Bill and Ivy Lee ., where we met up with Cindy Lajoy and her kids . together we hosted a Kyrgyz/Kazhak open house.  

it was such a blessing for us to see old friends again, as well as meet some new ones in person that we have known on the Internet for so long 

lunch on the deck 

a couple more Ladies we have known for a long time, but have just had the opportunity to meet in person 

We knew Dylan from the Tokmok Baby orphanage , and it was so cool to spend some time with  him in his home ."Done my Chocolate .. now to just relax "

We got to meet Ivy's Family..Times like this I am reminded that adoption is not just about  the kids or the new parents, but there are entire family networks that can be part of the process, and are blessed by it 

they even had a birthday cake for Julie 

Cindy taking a moment .... 

Great morning .. now off to LA

Great morning this morning with friends at Calvary Chapel Saint Cloud. 

We were so blessed, and are looking forward to seeing how our paths will cross in the future .

My Tokmok Buddies

Another great night as we helped our little buddies host a traditional Kyrgyz meal for about 35 of there friends ...  Thanks Acel  .. we used your ploff and Bishbalmack Recipes .. not quite as good as yours, but I am getting closer every time 

Funny storey

First stop was Minnesota  .. It is so great to see everyone .  

Funny storey ,  after everyone arrived, a car pulled up front , a couple and 2 young kids got out and came to the door ,   I did not recognize them, but thought maybe I should , so I opened the door and welcomed them in .  The kids took there coats off and headed down stairs with the other kids , I was franticly trying to place them in my mind, then Hilary looked at them with a little confusion and asked ... Do I know you... at witch point it became clear to everyone that they were in the wrong home .   Rather embarrassed  she tried to gather her kids back and get them dressed to go.. Her son turned to her and said  " well why did we come here then"  her answer was mumbled under her breath..."Because we are stupid "  ... We told her that if things did not work out for them at the next party to come on back...hahaha

Young DR Emma

As a parent, you always want to give your kids a head start in life, and that's why when she was born, I wanted to name Emma  DR .  Of course we would not necessary call her that , we could use her second name , but the DR would always be there when she needed it .. I lost that argument, but as it turns out,,... she didn't need it.

Well we may not have given her the name, but we did give her a lot of other things, like opportunities where her strong sense of Justice , and her heart for others can shine. Her boldness.. ....that has to be a God thing .

She and Sergey have been active with the baby hospital and the maternity hospital in Tokmok, and Today while she was there , they met with the Bishkek Rotary club , the  Government , the hospital administration and the Chief Dr..  Today they celebrated the new beds , cribs and the new windows that have been installed.   . As well she received a letter of appreciation from the City counsel on or behalf for the on going support of the hospital

Thank you Sergey  for having such a big part in the work at the hospital, and so many other places for that matter... and thank you Rotary for your on going care and support.

Thank you from Victor

It is hard to express how great-full Victor and his grandmother are for support like this .   I don't know how many times I have been told by he and others ,  that these food drops arrive when there is no other food in the house .  Not just that there is no other food that they feel like eating , but simply no food .  Thanks to incredible people like you, supporting Emma's heart, Victor and many other at risk youth  have not had to face being hungry this winter .  On behalf of Victor, we say a big thank you... you are making a difference. 

A day with Emma and Tanya

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.

 Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

The message lives on .

Exceedingly and abundantly more then you could ask or imagine . 
 One of the key philosophies  of ministry that we learned from our friend and previous pastor was that when God moves and intervenes to help someone, he often will meet that need exceedingly and abundantly more then you could ask or imagine.  I can't tell you how many times I heard these instructions from him..

John and Ron ,Central Asia 2003 

I watched him in action over the years.  When ever he was used as an instrument of Gods blessing, he always took it that one step further ..   Hopefully a trait that you have seen in the practices of Julie and I .

What Ron may not have realized is the significance of that training, and it was not just us, but the girls were listening too.

Last week a young student sat in a dorm room wondering what  to do..  out of food and  hungry..Calling out to God for help.. then at that moment there was a knock at the door.. it was Emma and Bekah .  They were out delivering food packs ... at least that is what we had arranged, but in an email to us this student shared .. Not just food.. tooth past, soap other toiletries, and so much more .. the words used    " More then they could have ever imagined".   so much so that it was undeniable that God was in this, sparking a long conversation. .

Today Julie was talking  to Bekah ... she was so happy, and feeling blessed , because she had an opportunity to be a part  of Gods blessing , and again this was recognizable by " Exceedingly and Abundantly more then they could ask or imagine "
While delivering those food hampers, they found three kids living in a little room , cold, no heat and no food, they were given a choice ,.. a light bulb or a single hot plate.. but not both , when it did warm up during the day the water would drip in from above and run in across their dirt floor .  I won't get into all the details here for their sake, but it was obvious that something had to be done .

Bekah took on the task of finding them suitable housing ,  today she had the privilege of handing them a key to a beautiful fully equipped newly renovated apparent in one of the best area's of town..   Way more then they could of ever asked or imagined .. you would think... but shortly after the kids left they were back... they had to come and tell the girls,... they went in to the apartment and were blown away... but when they went into the Kitchen, they were overwhelmed and humbled .. it was at that moment that they knew that they were truly loved.. not only had God brought someone to intervene for them and that they found themselves in one of the nicest apartments they had seen .. "more then they could have ever asked for or imagined"... but the message came to them in the " exceedingly part.". When they went into the kitchen, they found that the girls had not only bought them some food, but had filled the cupboards and put everything in its place..

They were given not just a place to stay , but were given a home... and the assurance that God loves them.. exceedingly and abundantly more then they could have asked or imagined ... thanks for that lesson Ron.. the message lives on ...

Last week and Next week ....

It has been a little while since my last post .. sorry Jack haha... but Julie and I decided to just check out for a much needed week .  God was so good that although we were still in daily contact with the girls,  There were no major crisis , still lots going on , but nothing draining .. It was so nice to just sit in the sun and empty our heads .  I did not realized we needed that .

Well Holiday over and back at it ..  

Friday we had a great visit with Andy Stokes and his wife, Lisa, from Give First Ministries    What a great couple , and such an encouragement .   Saturday the encouragement continued with a missions banquet in Millbrook where we met up with Ed Dickson from Loads of Love .  

Ed has been such an inspiration to us and for us .. his wisdom and experience has been  with out a doubt the greatest asset to us and the work that we do .. what an honor to be speaking at an event with him .

Sunday morning was missions Sunday at our home church in Norwood.  There ,we along with our friends from Missions of tears , shared about what it is to be CALLED... Again we were a little humbled to be on the slate with Gordon and Dianne Lewis , they have done such incredible work and have been a couple that we admire and respect for the 20 years that we have known them .  

Sunday Night it was more words of inspiration from Ed .   This weekend was about sharing the work with others, but what it did was to recharge us and remind us what we are doing and why we are doing it.  

We have a couple days now to get caught up, then it is off to Minnesota on Friday . There we will be meeting with our friends Tim and Hillary and there family .  Then Saturday we will be with a group of supporters for a Kyrgyz meal at the home of another dear friend Micah (Jengish) and his forever family.  A family that we have as well come to love and respect.  Then on the 3rd, we will be introduced to the congregation, at   Calvary Chapel Saint Cloud  . 

we will be sharing in the morning service  819 West Saint Germain Street, Saint Cloud, MN 56301 . at 10 am

Monday we will be in the Francisco Bay area .. details to follow soon... 

On the 7th we will be at the home Bill and Ivy in the Simi CA.  there we will be having an open house.. with some very special guests joining us .. The Lajoy family 

(Any one wishing to attend this event, please contact us and we will give you more information.)

 The LaJoys have not only come to be great friends of ours, they too are a source of inspiration ..   A family pieced together by God .. They have encouraged and mentored more families then even they would know.  They have been there  for us over the years and have always been available with words of understanding and wisdom when needed .. we are blessed to have this family on the journey with us,  I have no doubt that anyone that is able to attend this event will be blessed ... and Changed
As well , be sure to drop over to the LAMb site to see what the rest of the LAMb team has been up to, and has in store for the next few weeks ... amazing stuff .

the Joy continues

A few days ago I shared a photo on FB of our young Baktygul heading to see her grandmother, and the excitement was that she was able to bring her a Christmas gift... now that might not seem like much , but when you don't have much, it sure goes a long way to restoring dignity 

There is another fine young lady that lives with the girls , Kamala is a student at IUCA , and for her, this is her first Christmas .. and what a Christmas it has been .  She too has had an opportunity to give. 

Baktygul, Bekah, Kamala, and Emma 

                                 

Yesterday was the Christmas party for another orphanage we support, Svetly Put. Kamala was there to lend a hand .

all the kids were given gifts 

after a little visit and gifts were given out, the kids were all loaded in a bus and taken to a restaurant 

This day was organized by Jengish, so of course they did not stop there .. along with supper they all got to go to a movie "The life of pi"

good job everyone.. and thanks to all who supported the Pie challenge ... the joy continues

It's a small World and you are a part of it !

 A few weeks back we had the privilege of joining some families (who have adopted from Kyrgyzstan )at Disney .     One of the rids we went on was "A small world"  It was originally constructed for the 1964 worlds fair in NewYork... Knowing that , I could not help but think how much smaller the world has gotten since then .. and how much smaller will it get in the future .  As we floated through in our little boat,  we traveled the globe , if only in our minds... 

over and over sung by kids around the glob  we heard the words of the song.

it's a world of laughter, a world or tear its a world of hopes, its a world of fear

theres so much that we share
that its time we're aware
its a small world after all

Laughter and tears , hopes and fears ..I thought to myself "Boy does that sum up our lives .."  

this thought came back to me last night as I was looking at some of the recent video's and photos from the pie challenge .. 

Laughter and tears , hopes and fears around the world .. connected and pulling together , making this a small world after all ....

Listen to the Laughter here ... 

And check out the Hopes here 

Christy's  friend Ruth organized the party of all parties for the kids at one of the orphanages that Christy is connected with .  Many of Christy's friends and supporters donated toward this , and although Christy , like us is state side right now, it is still an ever shrinking world, and  though ;

There is just one moon and one golden sun 
And a smile means friendship to everyone. 
Though the mountains divide 
And the oceans are wide 
It's a small small world 

 

    its a small world after all

its a small world after all
its a small world after all
its a small, small world
The Sherman Brothers 1964

What I do have I give to you !

We live for moments like this ... and if we don't ... we should !

As part of the Pie in the face Christmas Challange, Anya and Sergey gathered up a whole team that went out to one of the orphanages and put on a full concert, and a Christmas movie, along with some amazing gift bags for the kids ..

The message was clear... these kids are not alone ...

Anya heads  up a team at on of the orphanages .. 

see how many of these faces you recognize from over the years  !    

Emma and the Director watch on ...

They even had a movie for the kids 

look at that smile 

and that one 

but the greatest gift was that this team went and gave of themselves ...  Bekah with her BROTHER

"Gold and Silver I have not.. but what I do have I give to you !"

Getting ready to get back on the road again !

If you live in this state... we are heading your way . 

some time around the first 2 weeks of Feb. we are planing a trip to CA to touch base with some incredible friends  and sponsors.  We have enough air miles saved up, and have been looking forward to reconnecting with some incredible people .     We are at the early planing stages right now, but hope to have one or two locations where we will have a party / get together , as well we would love to come and visit you while we are in CA .  If you would like to get to know us better and would like to  put us up for a night or two, please drop me a line at sunmasterjohn@aol.com .  As well we are open to any speaking engagements at Churches or service clubs or even smaller home parties.    over the next week as I here from you,  we will try to finalize some dates and travel times, then I will post more details .   We have been so blessed over the last few years as we have traveled up and down the east coast, and parts of Central US  and are excited to now have the opportunity to visit the west .... Hope to see you soon .