Jeremiah house has become more then just a dream !!!!

Yesterday I concluded my blog post with a quote from

  Proverbs 14 :32 

The evil of bad people leaves them out in the cold; the integrity of good people creates a safe place for the living. 

  today I think it is fitting to start with the same .

For a long time now we have seen the need for a home for children aging out of orphanages.  In fact back in 2005, Sergey was sharing his vision with us of "a safe place for living" . he said that he was tired of working and connecting with the kids in the orphanage, only to loose them when they turned 16 . I could understand him at the time as I am sure many of you understand now, but  I did not realize at the time just how hard it was .. Once we started to get to  know these kids , and they became more then just kids aging out of an orphanage, but became " our kids " I truly undrestood Sergey

Since returning from Kyrgyzstan last fall, we began actively seeking support to both help these kids when they left the orphanage and to open a home for them to go to.    We were so blessed in the spring when a sponsor came on board to help us monthly with helping these kids .  Children like   Luisa were able to go to collage, Kids like Cola were able to be helped not just for his medical needs but also medical help for his great grandmother who is trying to provide for him on her tinny budget .  Children like our young girl who was bride napped and had to be rescued and then hospitalized , had no clothes  , never mind winter clothes .. today she is doing well and she too is in college.. all because of this suport.  but it does not end there , Daily we are finding needs and situations that have needed intervention if these kids are going to make it .. right now we have three kids living with Emma and Bekah who would otherwise be on the streets.   .. The needs are just overwhelming...

Today LAMb has made some concrete steps with the help of another generous donation , to provide a home for kids like these, as well they are furnishing an emergency drop in centre for those kids who have no where else to turn to.

Today LAMb purchased  "Jeremiah house``    WE ARE SO EXCITED   this will be the difference of life and death for some kids... This just in.... , Emma is texting me right now to so say that she has Aibek ( a young boy from Tokmok orphanage we have worked with since 2008 ) on the phone and he says that he can not live with his abusive uncle any longer , and pleeese help him find a safe place to live .... He may still be a little to young for Jeremiah house right now, but its nice to know that we have some options.  this just confirms again the need.   Lynn and Ruby will work at furnishing the home and finding the right family to be the caregivers... BUT we do need your help.  We need to some how come up with about $2100 a month to operated the home and care for the kids ... please consider how you might be able to take a part in this ...

for more information about Jeremiah hgose , and to see the pictures , go on over to the LAMb blog by following this link 

In from the cold

Here are our girls .. this photo was taken last night just after they got in from a Christmas party .  they are doing great .  They are warm and safe.. they are a little tired of the no gas and intermittent electricity outages.   Julie and I have been coaching them from this end about what to eat , and how to be prepared , but they are resourceful and  doing well .  

Baktagul , Bekah, Kamala, Emma 

They are better off then most .  and they know it ... a few days ago we got a call asking if they could bring in a new house guest.  Some are not so fortunate, and one young lady from the university had reached the end with the cold and limited heat.. so the girls have taken her in until things stabilize a little more ..

Kamala , Bekah and Venera 

The Gas has returned, but it is more of a tease then anything, the girls say that although it is there ,  there is not enough of a flame to heat a pot of water .
  No one is really sure why the gas was cut off, weather it was for non payment, or for political gain , of for some sort of a dispute with neighboring countries, but the fact is that some one has turned a valve that have plunges millions of people into life threatening conditions in the middle of one of the coldest weeks of the year.

Proverbs 14 :32 
The evil of bad people leaves them out in the cold; the integrity of good people creates a safe place for the living .

Once again We are proud of our girls as they strive to provide that safe place ..

severe cold and little heat in Kyrgyzstan ...

. If you have not been following, Kyrgyzstan is in a state of crisis right now.  The gas supply has been cut of to them for what ever reason, the temperature has dipped to about -30 and the electric grid is collapsing , and what power there is is week .  In many areas it is reported that the central heating system is down as well.

Granted , there are poor around the world, and many appear on first glance to be in worse shape then Kyrgyzstan .. at least for 8 or 9 months of the year , but right now I can not imagine many places that would be worse to be poor.

Many have asked how the girls are doing .  We are very blessed to live in a very good area in Tokmok. The gas is out, but there is still some heat in the central heat system there, and the power is remaining intermittent.  They have a microwave and a toaster and a small single hot plate .  they are doing better then most .

They now  have 5 of them in the apartment , others are not so blessed, and the girls are helping out .
I am sure that there will be more there before this is over .

Lynn and Ruby have arrived there yesterday , and we are getting similar reports from them.. the apartement is cool and the electricity does not seem to have the power needed to do a proper job.
and as well ... no gas .

Please remember to pray for the thousands who's lives are at risk right now...  

Julies turn

Pie in the face for Christmas in Kyrgyzstan

Here we are in Winter Garden Florida  with a great group of kids .  Today they learned about Kyrgyzstan, and helped with the pie challenge .. they threw the pie.  lots more to come 

A wonderful Christmas Blessing

We are looking forward to another wonderful Christmas this year in Kyrgyzstan .    We are so excited that Lynn and Ruby will be on the ground in Kyrgyzstan this Christmas , and I know that our Dayspring girls will be equally blessed to have them there.  

Julie and I will not be there this year, but Emma and Bekah will be hard at it with the help of all our friends.  

I can not begin to share how thankfulness we are to all of you for the giving that has made this possible again this year .  I have shared before , but this is more then a gift or some Vitamins, it is a time when everything is amplified.. when you are alone at time like this, special holidays ,  it seems that much darker and more lonely, but  

When out of that Darkness  the "Widdow and the Orphan" are brought into the light and the fellowship with others who show them Love Hope  and understanding, their world changes, and not just for a day or two, but sometimes for an eternity...  

if you don't understand what I am talking about , watch this video from last Christmas and see if you are not touched.    

As of midnight last night , the pie challenge is officially over.  We have 12 contestants that will be taking a pie for sure ... however we will not cut off donations for Christmas in Kyrgyzstan , and  I know there are a few that are still willing to take a pie if money continues to come in.   Like I said ,  Emma and Bekah are there now, and   Lynn and Ruby will be heading over in a couple weeks .. If you would like to put a little extra wind in their sales at this time , I am sure that they will put it to excellent use .

  Julie and I will be receiving our pies in the face at a Kyrgyz picnic  in Orlando on the 15th of December .. if you are in the Orlando area at that time  and would like to join us, drop me a line and I will send directions .
Thank you again for all those who have made this a great success one more time ....

waking up !

The last week has sure been a wash out for Julie and I , we are now struggling to get back at it.  I guess it became the perfect storm.  Three months with no down time, a  36 hour trip home , and an 11 hour time change .. all added up to the daze that we have been in.  

So much has continued while we have been traveling.  .  I guess the biggest thing is the pie challenge continues .  I have started getting emails from our friends in Kyrgyzstan wondering if we are going to be able to help them this year.    We will have to wait and see how things work out.  We are excited that Lynn and Ruby will be there this year and will be able to help the girls roll out the parties. 

the city has been without gas for the last week since we left, so that has left the girls without a stove .  Until today , Vlady brought them over a little hot plate ... now all is right in their world .  

In a couple weeks we are going to be on another adventure .  There are several families in the Orlando area that have been long time supporters of the work we do.  From the 10th until the 17th we will have an opportunity to get to know them better.  I think we will have a full schedule  but one special date , On the Saturday the 15th, we will be putting on a traditional Kyrgyz meal for everyone ... If anyone is or will be in the Orlando area and would like to join us , just drop me a line and I will get more information out to you .  

Patching broken hearts ! - Christmas pie challenge

Due to some technical difficulties and internet being down so much at the start of the pie challenge , we will be extending it until Nov 30th..  I know that it is so important that we dedicate more time to this event. there are so many that are depending on us .  I want to tell you a few stories...
   
     When Andy was here, he visited the blind society with Talant ,  there they met up with the director.  When Andy asked what his biggest needs were,  he was told that they are very concerned about Christmas   All of these kids and no one has any resources , day to day living is next to impossible for many of them, and there is no way that these kids will e able to have Christmas..   They said that they had had help other years from a wonderful donor who helps them, but they never know from one year to the next if the funding will come threw and they are so scared that it might not come this year.     That donor that he is talking about is us ... You and me .. we are the HOPE for this precious community.

   We went to Slavics orphanage to pick up Slavic and some of his friends to go to the mountain , It was a holiday and many of the kids were away, Those that were left were the kids that have no one.  When we arrived , a few of the other boys wanted to come along,  We said that would be great , but the director was not there , so the man in charge was a little concerned until the other workers all began to tell him who we were , and more then once I herd them bring up the Christmas parties .. Those parties  became the key  As soon as he heard that , there was no question , and we piled a few more Eager kids into the car ...  And  boy were they happy...   I realized that the re-pore that we have with many of the orphanages is as a result of events like the Christmas parties... I also realized what it means to these boys ..  They were left because maybe no one cares about them Maybe the last time anyone came for them was last Christmas ....

I shared before about the time I was bringing one young boy to the Dr;s and all the way there he told me about the people that came to his orphanage last Christmas and broung them all gifts, and how every person got something , and how special that was to him ,He told me all about thew party , then showed me the gift he got , 4 months later and he was still caring it with him .  I was doing the math in my head, and turned to Sergey and said "Wow thats a lot of money , this is fantastic , who did that "  he smiled and said YOU DID...   that's right   This is the kind of lasting impact we are having , not just a little fun and excitement for one day, but HOPE that carries these kids for months to come .

Then I think of the young boy I spent time with last night .. He is new to the orphanages , he has been alone on the street and has had such a hard life.  He is the boy that hugged me and said  " Thank you that you love me "   I doubt he has ever experienced a Christmas when he knew someone cared about him .. This Christmas he will .

That same young man drew a photo for Andy a couple weeks ago , and said .. "this is me now "...  

I think that is what this whole pie challenge is about .. it's not just about a gift or a few bottles of Vitamins , it is about taking a moment and applying a patch to a broken heart ...
  If we truly stop and think of it lake that .. $10 really can change the life of a child.. it can patch a broken heart ... Please take a moment and donate right now to the pie challenge so that we can continue to show Gods love to the children of Kyrgyzstan.

Just love us

When you allow your self to be fully invested in the lives of the people around you, Good bye is always difficult.   Brooke has been here with us for about six weeks, coming with one goal,  to be a blessing to the people of Kyrgyzstan.    From the start , Brooke said she was open for anything and everything, just put her to work.   

The first week , we brought Brooke with us around the valley and introduced her to everyone, the second week, she had her scheduled and she was busy at it ... Seniors home, Baby orphanage , Bacute, the TOEFL center , and teaching English at Olga's Learning Center .  They have all come to LOVE Brooke, and I know she loves them . 

Last week we began winding down and saying good bye's .. Its always hard. Brooke came away from the seniors saying " That will be the hardest because this is all the future has for them "   then she said good bye at the baby orphanage .. she said  " This will be the hardest because I can't take photos of these kids to remember them "  Today she said good bye to the Bacute kids . I can only imagine  what she is going to say when she has time to process the emotions.  

We had such a fun time with them all tonight . 

They had prepared a very special meal for us .. "Giuru Gunfun "  It is actualy one of my favorite dishes here . 

  I have said how difficult it can be to say good bye..We are getting a little better at it, and the kids all know us and know that we are coming back so things don't get so emotional..  But every now and then you are caught off guard. 

   As we were leaving tonight , one of the newer boys came right out to the car with us , and at the front gates gave me a big hug, and said .. " Thank you that you Love Me"   .. 

That is what it's all about .. if it was just for that , we know that this trip has been a success.  If only all that we come into contact with would feel and understand that someone loves them . imagine going through life not knowing or not feeling that you were loved.  We have another girl staying with us here, and today we sat down with her and explained the house rules..  The rules were not the emotional part , it was the fact that someone cared about her enough to have rules .. that someone actually cared...Over and over we see this , and again I come back to our first trip here , to a defining moment in what we do... We asked Acel , How can we best help the Kyrgyz people , and her reply was profound "Just love us " 

HOW DO YOU WORK IT !

If you remember our young friend that was bride napped . She is doing much better now.  After a few weeks in and out of the hospital, she is on the mend..  She is ready to start school again.  We have half of her tuition in now , and jsut need another $100 for her .  Today She came into town to meet up with Sergey and Anya to get a new winter coat and boots.  

We have a rule .. never leave home with out your Camera .. It was a good thing as Julie managed to find a new kind of toilet.. you would think that by her age, there would be nothing new when it comes to toilets, but this one takes the cake ... The big question is HOW DO YOU USE IT ....

We had a nice visit with our good friends Mirat and Mirash .  They are always a blessing to us , and we appreciate our time together .  They are already making plans for April when we return .

This morning we went shopping for some product for Altynai's family to help them through the winter .  

Rice , flour, pasta, oil, yest , potatoes , onions and carrots.  There apartement has the heat on now and they are nice and warm . 

Next stop was to see Larisa's mom.  We had a special present from us.  She has difficulty with her legs, and we found a nice little space heater .  It looks like a fire place and has a fake flame , and gives off a lot of heat .  It will be perfect for her .. Bucket was more impressed then any one ..

For lunch today we had Baktagools sister here with her new husband.  She was married 10 days ago.  We could not go with out letting him know that she is loved and is a special girl.. I seems like a nice young man , and yes we will e the meddling in laws...   They seem ok with that .. April when we get back, he is going to take me fishing for the big ones ...

Funny how with in minutes of Bekah's birds wings being clipped, he became a happy friendly bird... there should be a message in that for the rest of our kids ...

Update on some friends new home

Tonight we went back to visit the family with the apartment full of mold .  It is finished now.  Vlady and Joe did a great job.  Apart from the smell of new paint, the apartment is awesome , and is ready for them to begin to make it a home .

The kitchen has been totally cleaned and renovated.  Just needs a few furnishings  .

In the bathroom, the water has been fixed, the tub has been resurfaced, and check out the water heater .  Vlady built it out of the old gas heater from Aigoola's house that did not work anymore ... works now . 

They even have the curtains up in the living room .. what a difference... The boy told his mom  " Now we can live like real people "  Well done Millbrook .

Later tonight Aiperie came by to visit, and to drop off some of the dresses that we had ordered from her .

Roof racks are on !

Last night we had a bunch of the boys from the University over for a party for Bekah's birthday  

They had a great time .

This morning Vlady came over to help me put roof racks on the car.  I found a used set really cheep, but they needed to be made a little bigger for the car.   When he was done he said to me " John maybe you not put more then 900 lbs on them "  It made me think of a Volga I saw a couple days ago. 

Today we have a meeting at the Toyful center to transfer a few of our English kids over while we are gone . 
As well , Brooke is taking Olga to the school supply store to get some supplies from a donation she had from the Rotary Club.    Later in the day we will be going out to the micro district to see the appartement that we helped to renovate .. it's finished now.,  as well we are going to go see Aerofot ( young boy we helped with cleft pallet surgery a few rears ago ) and his family tonight .  

Slavic's Birthday party

 It was a great day with Slavic and his buddies .. Today he turned 15 years old.  .  What a blessing to be with him on this special day .  It could have been so much different ....

   Now we need to tidy up and get ready for the next party .. Bekah's birthday party is now and all her friends from the University here in Tokmok are on their way over .

Let the dinner parties begin

Today we had some special guests .  The first was from a lovely young girl and her mother.  Last year , one of our sponsors helped her to get a new arm and a computer for her classes   It was so nice to spend a little time with them,  They are the family that made us the beautiful duck from sheep guts ... 

Kola stopped by for a visit ,  Its always great to see him, he is a special young man , and we are always blessed to spend time with him.

For supper we were invited to another great family's home .  After finishing University, we helped them for month while they were waiting for a place to stay .  We had such a good time with them , and we look forward to working together in the future..

Tomorrow we have a big day planed .. we are picking up Slavic and about 8 or 10 of his friends and having them over for a birthday party for him,  I don't imagine he has had many in his life,  but we are looking forward to letting him know how special he is ... I made one of my famous wash tub Lasagna's for lunch ... big enough to feed an army ....
 After his party, we are having a party for Bekah,  its her birthday the day we leave, so we will have a bunch of her student friends over for supper.. It's going to be a very busy day ..but fun...

Lots to do before we go

Yesterday we struck out early to get coal delivered.  We are still hoping and praying for coal money , but right now it is cold and the need is too great so we have had to wait a bit .  I just decided that we could wait no longer for the coal for Larisa's mom and the people she supports .. I called Blair to see if he wanted to go with us .. he said yes, and that he had a sponsor that wanted to help with that .. what perfect timing .. Thank you Blair and thank you to your sponsor... As it was sliding out the back of the truck,  Larisa's mom turned to me and said " Can I share "

 Bekah's birthday is the day we go , and we needed to get her settled before we go.  For a long time Bekah has wanted a budgie , but we travel so much that we have not complied, but now that the girls have put down roots, we decided it was time.  Sergey found us someone that is planning to open a pet store in town, and she had some babies in her apartment .  This is the one we got her ... yet to be named ... any suggestions ?

Another thing needing to be taken care of is a few of the kids that we have here .. Like Baktegul that needed winter clothes.  Today we brought her to the Bazaar to get a winter coat and boots , and a new pair of jeans .

There are a few more girls we need to take care of before we go.  Baktaguls sister we had tried to help , we just found out that she got married last week.. From what we can figure out it was consensual, we will know more soon as Julie and Emma will be going to see her next week.   Two of the other girls we have been helping , including the young girl that was bride napped a few weeks ago, are wanting to go to school . It will be great for them to get back into school and get on with life.    It will be $400 to cover this .. as soon as we can come up with that, they will start school . Hopefully that will be before we leave next week . 

Another thing we realized is that if we are going to have fellowship with everyone that we need to see before we go, we need to double book lunch and supper until we go.   Tonight it was our friends from the south.  

The dinning room is starting to get a little small, so we had to eat in two shifts.. Women and Kids first then the guys in the second sitting . ROAST BEEF was the meal today , served  in a real Canadian fashion.

The funny thing about meat here is that it is the same price / kg no matter where it is from on the cow.. they think that the bone is the GOOD part.. and every piece of meat is chopped small and includes bones.  I went all over the bazaar and got rather frustrated trying to get some one to cut me a roast.  Finally I gave up and decided to just buy the big chunk of meat and cut my own roast out of it.    I picked out a piece, but it had this huge section of ribs attached ,  They looked at me like I was crazy, after I bought it , I borrowed his knife and removed all the bone... the best part, and put it into a separate bag... Just then Aerofots Dad came into the shop  ( the young boy we helped with a cleft pallet surgery a few years ago )   He dropped his bags and gave me a great big hug.  They had moved, and we had lost touch with them and had been trying to find them .. we had a nice visit , exchanged numbers, then I handed him a wonderful present...... a bag of prime rib bones .. Once again what could have been a stupid foreigner moment turned into an opportunity to be a blessing ... they were amazed that I would cut off the best part and give it away like that ... if only they knew ... hahaha

Delivering coal today

this is not quite the 40 ton double trailer coal truck of previous years, but when you have  no coal, todays delivery is a welcome blessing  .  This will keep the frost off for a little while , but if you would like to be a part of helping us keep the heat on for so many in need , please let me know .  we need about $3500 to meet the need before the winter is over .

next stop to bring coal to Larisa's mom.

Birthday .. Truly Blessed

What a wonderful birthday . 

The highlight for me was helping a family so that they could get their children back from the orphanage .  We have worked with the orphanage Director and social services to help them out a little .  They just happen to be a family that Larisa has been working wit as well. in fact we had helped this mother with her operation in the spring .   Now they are on the mend and ready to start putting the pieces back together .. Every one that knows them , knows them as good caring parents... today , there are 3 less orphans in the world... thats got to make it a good day .

winter clothes and bedding .. check out their smiles .. it says it all

jammed in the van 

Andy playing with Jasmina 

a little visit to their home after shopping ... 

Dr Lagarov is a friend that is the head of Emergency here.  Today we brought him a bunch of medical supplies .. splints and bandages etc.    It was good to touch base with him, and looking forward to the fishing trip we have been talking about for the last couple years ... Maybe in April... 

then off to Bacute to drop of Vitamins for them, and make planes for supper 

when we got to Red river with the Vitamins, they were waiting there with a Birthday gift for me ..

We left the next batch of vitamins to get them through the next 3 or 4 months 

then it was back to Bacute for supper ,, They asked what a Canadian birthday tradition was .. we told them it was supper with family and friends.. and thats what we were doing there tonight ... The kids had all made cards for us .. what a blessing to spend time with them

Julie had smarties for them all.. because "Every child deserves a box of smarties some time in their life "

then it was back to the apartment  for cake and coffee with our friends ... 

Lots of smiles , lots of laughter and lots of tears as we all celebrated our friendships  .. we are truly blesses .. I am truly blessed