Mothers day in Tokmok

We started early today with a nice breakfast with Ann, then off to the animal bazaar.  We had a few things on the go .  We were selling the geese now and going to exchange them for some baby ducks . The geese have not being playing nice and last night they killed one of the chickens , so they were voted "Off the Farm "  The other thing we were doing at the bazaar was finding a farmer from a large farm who has lots of cows at the price point we want.  We want to buy our herd directly from the farm rather then the Bazaar so that we can take our time choosing as well as seeing them when they have not just had the turmoil of a trip to the bazaar.  We found some really nice calves from a local farm , and have established a price so as soon as the money arrives later this week we will go and pick them out .  10 bull calves and two mother cows with calves.  

they looked so good at the bazaar, I almost wanted to buy them back myself .. but then I am the only one that liked them, or at least I am the only one they liked 

this is Ann and Kolya, with Jengish and I in the back ground in front of the truck with the cows from the farm we chose today to get our cows from 

It was great to have Victor here with us for the whole day.  Ann has known Victor since 2008 , and keeps in touch with him 

While at the small animal Bazaar , We came across Clava again.  Starbuck Joey and Phoebe have brothers and sisters, and Clava was there to sell them.  So I did not have much choice , we bought them all again and sent Clava home.  We have given her our number, and now she will just call us direct when she has babies to sell, and we will bye direct to save her the trip to the Bazaar . 

Its not all charity,  Slava's rabbits are all very friendly and hand raised.  They are also healthy and strong.  We don't really want them for breeding stock, but they are great to have around the farm for when we have company.  They are great to let people old and play with and not get scratched, and not bother or upset our breeding rabbits .  As soon as we got back to the apartment, Ann had some fun with the rabbit she was holding  

after all this bunny is a little easier to manage then this one 

So Jengish and Emma are not the only ones who think that they are on Green Acres .. Bekah was into the role today as she was getting better reception up the water tower 

Then it was off to Aigula's to have a special Mothers day Supper 

and this was before the main course arrived 

Great mothers and great friends celebrate together 

Always something

Today we planted the peppers and onions out on the second farm .  We have run into a snag .  There is a ban on watering the gardens now, and the irrigation ditches will not have water in them for about three weeks .  Fortunately we are in a rainy season now so they will not need water every day, but the days are hot and with out daily water we will loose all the new plants we just put into the ground. 

We need to act fast .  Tomorrow afternoon we will set up some rain barrels to collect rain water , as well we will need a holding tank  and a pump, then we can collect on the rainy days and water on the dry days .  We will also have the holding tanks so we can buy water in if needed .   I think the total cost will be about $300.  Its so frustrating, everyone has worked so hard and now this.  Not sure where the $300 will come from  but water is something we just can't do with out .  If you want to help save our crop, please use one of the donate buttons on the side .. We will go to bed tonight, tired and worn out, but believing that our JOY will come in the morning.   

everyone out working the fields 

On to the onions now 

Of course there was lots more to the day.  We stared our first meeting at 10, a young boy who was deaf. We are working to get a grant for hearing aids for him .  We are so blessed to have friends like Operations Can be Done,  and Loads of Love that are working on this .. great things in store for this young boy .

 The next stop did not have so much hope.  In fact it was like traveling into a Black Hole of hopelessness.  This man we have helped for several years.  He and his wife were from a disabled orphanage.  His wife died during child birth , leaving him to raise his son on his own.  The son has some issues of his own.  Now the father is having seizures and can't work, and the son needs to go for treatment for 3 months , but is now to old for the Children s center and is freaking out at the thoughts of going to Bishkek .  We brought them food today, but not sure if there is anything else that we can do .  Just heartbreaking . We will have to think and pray on this one ..   

followed by the resources.

The decision has been made.  We will not limit our assignment to care for kids timed out of the orphanage based on our current resources.  We have watched with total amazement how God has provided and prospered the farm in such a short time, We know with out a doubt that things are moving into place just the way He wants them.  We know of at least a dozen kids who will be totally on their own for the first time in their lives.. finished with the orphanage and government support, and no family .. We were going to put a limit of 4 or 5 based on our current  resources, but how can we walk away leaving half of them behind.  We have all recognized that we have an assignment and the resources will just have to follow ..  I have to tell you, it is not possible to walk onto the farm with out recognizing the greater purpose.  I know that all those who recognize this and join with us in this adventure will be blessed that they had a part in it . 

Today we broke new ground on the second farm .  It is beautiful soil and a fabulous property . 

this is the house and the barn.  the hills are being mounded and the irrigation trenches are being dug, tomorrow we will plant.

this morning the guys dug a new irrigation ditch behind the farm .. under the plastic there are cucumbers planted through little holes .. it works like a green house keeping the roots moist  

watering time in the rabbit barn ( 4 new batches of babies and at least 2 more on the way ) 

now that the gates are up, the fowl are allowed out of the pen  during the day .  every were we go they follow .. our audience. These ones were waiting for Julie to come back down stairs  

If you look in the back ground you can see the new barn on the food shares farm.

Right now the workers in this field are volunteers, but in a few weeks when school is finished , they will be staffed by former orphans. Just think , they will receive skills training Not just basic life skills, but also farming plants, goats, cows, chickens ducks and  geese, rabbits and even bees.  , they will be encouraging to continue education  in school or a trade, All the while, they will be producing food for others in need.

To care for a worker, including their salary will be about $100 per month , and the cost to finish the renovations and the extra furnishings for more kids , including beds and sheets and blankets will be about $2000  

We know that there will be many more expenses that come up, likely kids will arrive with only the clothes on their backs and no documents, but we will face those needs as they arise .

Another example of provision,  we had intended and planed on getting maybe a couple calves OR a mother cow with a calf.  In a couple weeks we will be moving 10 bull calves and two mother cows with calves to the mountain "Jailoo" .. Then when we get the first cut of hay, one of the mother cows will come to the home farm for milking , and the other mother cow will remain at the jailoo to provide milk for the family caring for them as well as any smaller goats that move to the jailoo .  It was almost 2 years ago that Vlady began building the mountain barn  now in a couple weeks it will have cows.

Cows on the road on the way home today

The poppies were beautiful.  It was nice to watch this family out playing in them.


As we were driving we were discussing all the progress, and at the same time the awesome responsibility and burden we feel.   Julie pointed out that there are more then 15 kids , that is just one of the many orphanages we work with .. there are so many others that need our help.  No sooner had she said that  when we passed this group of kids and a teacher from one of the orphanages that we know .  They were having a picnic and got caught in the afternoon rain .  so we piled them in and brought them home .    Hugs hand shakes and smiles from them .. I wonder how many of them will end up on the farm when they grow up and out of care.  

How do you put a price on memories .

today was a really fun day .  We picked up a bunch of our young friends and brought them out to the farm for the day.  First stop however was to catch some fish for lunch.  The kids had such a great time, and we had fun watching them 

Its something to watch these kids grow up. and extra special for them to have us continue to visit them and do fun things with them .  We first met this beautiful young girl back in 2006 when we were with a tram from Possibilities International that bought her family a house .   A couple years ago her mother was killed while walking to work.   I looked back and found the photo from when we gave them the keys to the house 

The weather was threatening to rain while we were fishing .. A few drops but not enough to be a problem .  We had 30 of us, and in about 1/2 hour we had 30 small rainbow trout in our pail

Then it was back to the farm .  The kids had a chance to play with the animals while Aza and Sergey prepared the fish .  The kids loved all the animals, especially the rabbits.. Today the rabbits where not so hands on ,  We have 4 rabbits that gave birth in the last couple days and more on the way.  it turns out that one of the rabbits we thought was a female is actually a male. so the rabbit pen today was more like a labor and delivery .   But the geese were in fine form . 

 We had some sub sandwiches and apples and pop while we were waiting for the fish to be cleaned and cooked .. 

from the top of the barn where we had lunch you can see the plastic going in for the cucumber beds 

Sergey and Aza cooking the fish 

sooo tasty 

we all gathered at the end and planted three trees in honor of thee boys that have gone to be with their forever families 

the kids took turns planting the trees

Romma wanted to say a few words to his friends about the trees that they planted today 

After leaving the farm, we went into Tokmok to a restaurant and had a very nice meal .  It was a great way to end a special day .. 

the cost of gas for three cars to the mountains for the day $45 , the cost of 30 fish from a fish farm. $35, the cost of 3 trees $6 the cost of apples and subs and drinks $35 , and the cost of a nice restaurant meal $130 ,  But the total cost for  an incredible day of memories PRICELESS .

On to the next project.. almost ready to officially receive farm hands.

When we started out at the farm , every where we turned there was a lot of work to do.  Not that we are any where close to being done, but things are  starting to look good .  

We know that we are to be ready to take those in need of a fresh start, or those leaving the care of the orphanage system.  June is the dead line to be up and running and ready to receive kids as they graduate from their first year of  college or University. This is when they are no longer under the care of the orphanage or the ministry of Social services.  This is a very stress full time for the kids and the workers who have cared for them.  It is not uncommon to find these kids in the hospital from the stress of what the future will hold.  

We want to receive these kids,  They will live and work with us on the farm.  Here they will have there expenses paid, they will receive a small income ( paid through the food shares).  They will learn basic life skills , gardening skills and learn how to work with animals and bees.  All the wile we will help them find the best fit for them with further education. then at the end of the summer as a bonus we will provide a scholarship for them to go back to school.  Weekends and holidays they will be able to return to the farm as a place to call home.  

To get from where we started to being ready to be in full opertion has been a lot of work in a short period of time. 

first we needed to get a couple rooms livable and the heater fixed for the winter for Acelbek who has been living and caring for the farm. A clean outhouse and hand washing station was also a must.  Next we fixed up the small barn so we could begin growing our flocks and herds.  then the front  fence went up so that we could bring things to the farm with out being stolen.  The next project was to fix the foundations on the back half of the house so it would still be here in the spring.  With the coming of spring we started the barn so that we could have room for expanding the herds and flocks .  Next was the fences and the stalls , so we could keep a good separation between the animals and the Gardens.   Once we had the fences up, it was time to get the gardens planted.    This has been basically  done.  tomatoes, onions carrots, beats, beans, egg plant , swiss chard, broccoli, lettuce swinish, cucumbers , spaghetti squash, butternut squash, corn, zucchini, watermelon, cantaloupe, cabbages. radishes, grapes, strawberries and raspberries. all in and starting to sprout.  

The fields have been planted with barley and Alfalfa. and five hives of  bees will be brought to the farm in the next couple weeks  

An unexpected blessing was the purchase of a second farm that will be used as a guest house and a training center where we will teach how to make preserves, make goat cheese and tend to the honey. 

the gardens there will be planted Monday with Tomatoes, peppers and onions .. to make salsa , salad and spaghetti sauce. 

Now we have about three weeks left before we will have the workers come to the farm.  We are working hard on the last two rooms.  The foundation was fixed in the fall, but now we needed to repair the crumbling walls so that they will be clean and safe.  Rebar, and cables, along with mesh helped to secure the walls, then fresh cement inside and out to secure everything in place.  This week we will put up the ceiling, and put down the floors, and hopefully paint.  This will give us a bunk room and a living room.  

and that's where the money runs out.   We will need to get some furniture for these rooms. carpet, couch, beds and sheets blankets and towels .   We are so close to being done on scheduled .  I think we are about $1000 away from having everything ready to receive  kids.  I would love to have everything ready for them and looking nice when they start to arrive.  If you would like to help with this, you can donate now, any amount to "furnishings" and we can start putting the final touches on. 

In a couple weeks we will be meeting with the orphanage staff again, as well as all the kids that are timing out of the orphanage.  We will discuss with them what we are able to do and how we can help them.  By that time I will have a better idea as to how many we can support for the summer based on food shares sold, and beds and space available.   right now it looks like we will be able to have about 6 student / workers there this summer.    but a lot will depend on you.  last minute donations for food shares and furniture will go a long way towards  bringing on extra kids. 

repairing the foundation

new foundation and reinforced walls 

inside walls ready to paint as soon as the concrete dries . this week the ceiling and the floors will be finished 

stopping at one of the orphanages to talk to staff about future plans for the kids. 

We are starting already bringing kids from the orphanage to the farm for outings and visits. this will help them to get to know the farm, in in the future it will not be a new scary place for them, but a place where they will already feel comfortable .  

getting ready for the kids

Yesterday we had a bit of reconnaissance to do.  We have a group of kids from one of the orphanages coming to the farm, and today we were checking to see about where to take them fishing, and of course that meant getting our lines wet.  We are also looking for a Yack farmer close to the farm that we knew of.  Jengish is getting ready for a photo shoot, but needs a yack.  The Farmer pointed up into the mountains and said " they are up there somewhere , but I don't think you will find them until fall when they come home".  I always thought it took a lot of faith to be a farmer when planting a garden.  planting a seed and expecting it to produce the plant of choice .. but imagine turning your herd loose into the mountains for the summer and having a glimmer of faith that they will return in the fall. 

While at the farm we were able to see how the house is coming along.  We had two rooms that were in very bad shape when we got the farm.  The foundation was fixed before winter, but the walls were in bad shape.  We will be needing these rooms in a few weeks when people start moving onto the farm.  They are coming along well. next week we will start on the ceiling and floors. 

Julie fishing 

back wall with new foundation and reinforced walls 

I think Bekah's still needs some work 

inside the bunk room 

this whole corner has been reinforced with steel bars and wires 

one of three batches of baby rabbits born in the last week 

watering the flower garden

the goats are happy to see Jengish .. the rabbit , not so much 

this Yurt can be rented for $15 a day , might be fun for a team some time

any excuse to drive in the river