A first

Up at the Kashar we are part of a small village of shepherds and farm hands.  To say that they are off the beaten path would be an understatement.  Our friends had helped to bring a few loads of kids from the farm village to Tokmok for a big celebration and to give out Samaritan purse boxes .. they had such a great time.  It was such a hit that they decided to run the event again right up at the Kashar and yurts , and invite the Kashar village kids . 

We had 60 kids come out with their families to a fun day of games, face painting , pizza, juice and then the gift boxes.  and a message of Hope.   This was the first time that these kids had been to any kids event . they were so excited and had such a good time .  Suddenly for these kids they felt that they had a world out there that cared about them.   We have been discussing the idea of possibly having a day camp this summer at the yurts for these kids.  I know that if this is meant to be the funds will find their way to us .    

 

" Doing that which is pleasing to God is a spiritual act of worship "

Soon starts the harvest

 The harvest is just starting at the farm.  Just a small harvest right now , but in a few weeks we will be able to start sending out food hampers to the orphanages .. we would like to be able to add some cleaning supplies and other essentials.. if you would be able to help us with that you can donate on the top right side of the blog.

Last year we where expecting our first harvest from the orchard but then had a late frost and lost the crop .. this year we are doing fantastic and looking forward to an abundant crop. 

Food drops continue as the next wave approaches

Today the food deliveries continue .. this time it is food and supplies to the drs and nurses at the clinic that we support .  Its difficult to see friends in photos and behind masks.. from 7000 miles away, but we are happy that we at least have this contact.  We have had others we work with asking for more help .. we would likely need about $2000 for the next food drop.

You can hardly recognise Akbar  past the smile !

A friend of ours in the village has been able to arrange for about 30 bikes that kids can use on bike trips.  He keeps the bikes at his house and then is able to do any necessary repairs on them when they return.  He even has a couple of the farm boys working with him on this as a training for them . 

There is a body work shop there as well where Marat has been learning .. Now that school is over,  Ruslan has started working there as well .  The boys love this hands on learning .  We are hoping to do some renovations there to winterise the shop and purchase a few more tools .. This will be about $3000 to be up and running before winter.   Right now the Kids work early until about 10:00 then are off through the heat of the day and then back at 6:00pm for a few hours. through the down time they can go over to the shop and learn their chosen trade. 

Out on the garden things are starting to fill out .. it should just be a few more weeks and we will be able to start harvesting food which will really help take some of the pressure off the cost of the food hampers that we give out 

 

Those that we miss

We are starting our plans to return to Kyrgyzstan , hoping for the beginning of september.  We are hoping to get everyone on the farm vaccinated by then.  This will allow us to begin opening things up for guests and teams on the farm.  

I just got a message from Vera and Oleg.. There never is a good time for something like this, but the key board that they have been using for 15 years now has given up and can not be repaired .  They need to purchase a new one.  We are looking for $1000 USD to get them a new one .  I am hoping that maybe this would be something that another church or business  might like to sponsor .. It is good soil.  

With the end of the school year summer arriving, we try to give opportunity for the kids to have a holiday.  This week Ruslan is in Isycool with some of his class maters and a teacher .. it is good to see him so happy. 

 

In this picture, Marrat is testing out a painting that someone would like on their car ... better to practice on an old board first ... Looks great Marat. 

 

Making a difference in the lives of so many

The sun has set at the end of a long day in Kyrgyzstan. Our team continues to work to get food into the hands of those that need it. 

It may seem early yet for the tuitions , but it is that time of year when the kids  are preparing for the universities and collages that they wish to attend.  Many of those require a deposit now and the ballance in just a few months .  We have approximately $15000 in tuition payments so far. We really really need help with this. 

We lost the entire year last year with the guest house and are on 50% this summer. The other big difference we notice is that a large amount of the humanitarian aid work we do is done by teams when they come .. This is going into year two with no teams.  This has put an extra drain on our budget.  

If you are thinking about helping towards the tuition fund, now would be a great time to send a little something our way.  I Know that God always provides , and we will trust him to provide again now.   In the mean time the food drops and medical support  continue, and we continue  to except new kids on the farm,, 

I want to leave this little up beat story with you ..

 

"John good evening. I wanted to testify about Vicki. She passed the first ultrasound tests which showed breast cancer. She was very upset and I told her to go to Pastor and pray, and I turned to you about finances. Thank God you helped. Vika prayed with her pastor and then began to get tested again. The first showed on tumor markers, they were increased. She had a biopsy tested a week ago. Today she took the results, where they showed a benign tumor. The doctor was very surprised, said that this could not be so and she was very lucky. She said that God did it. Of course the doctor was skeptical, but said that she was lucky. We believe that God began the healing process. Now they will determine how to treat it or do an operation"

Thank you to every one who has invested in Vika , with both your prayers and your finances.. it makes such a difference .. Blessings 

Blazing New Homeschool Trails

Many times, over the years, We have consulted with Cindy LaJoy about the youth we support in Kyrgyzstan. Her encouraging, knowledgeable insights about learning styles, education and development have always been so appreciated.   Some times with the antics that our kids get up to,  I wonder how much better things would have been for them if they were in North America.  But then when talking to Cindy and some others like here we see that the damage was done early on and where they are geographically does not change the development issues that they may face ... What does change the outcome for them is a loving and caring understanding of how their brains are working, and a strong desire to help them succeed where they are able.  At the farm what I always say , like the song says  "Accentuate the positive"   As soon as a new boy or girl comes to the farm, we look to identify one or two of their strengths right away and very quickly learn the negatives or struggles they have to avoid.   Over the years, through trial and error and consulting with people like Cindy Lajoy have found some techniques that have worked for us.   We are so excited to see many of these techniques put to paper in an informative and interesting way.  

 Blazing New Homeschool Trails  is available now at Amazon in both digital and hard copy.  Now we can have this resource at our fingertips and I can share them with our team.   And now you can have this book as well.  

You can preview this book at this link In the US or This link in Canada 

 Blazing New Homeschool Trails is an excellent resource for supporting any young person to an interesting and fulfilling future. It was encouraging to read such creative and courageous examples of how to guide and parent young adults. I enjoyed reading this practical and insightful book and look forward to implementing some of the suggestions for apprenticeship, self employment, skilled trades and entrepreneurship strategies with the young people we work with in Central Asia.......  Julie Wright 

 

Fathers Day Scholarship Fund .

Congratulations Melody .. she is one of our graduates.  It is an extra special time for her as she has been excepted to Moody Institute in the fall. 

 We have a few others as well that will continue there education this fall as well .  

 As I look back through my face book memories, I see that this is the time that we usually return from Kyrgyzstan , and suddenly I start to feel the same stress that I usually return with ..   That stress is TUITION ... ever year we need to raise about $15000 US and this year is no different.   Other years we have had the  Fathers Day Scholarship Fund .  For that hard to shop for dad that has everything he wants .  why not send a scholarship donation. any father will recognise the importance and the pressure of a tuition payment.   Please consider how you could help a student like Melody. 

We are happy to welcome Igor to the farm today.    Here he is sitting on the bench with Nuric.    We are looking for a monthly sponsor for him.  It costs us about $150 for each new kid on the farm, that includes all their living expenses as well as a small monthly salary they recieve.  When I see him and think how he has came through the orphanage system and had no were to go,  it pains me to think of him out on his own.  I feel so blessed that we are not alone and that so many of you have invested so that we can welcome him with open arms to the family .. 

It will be fun to watch over the weeks and months to follow how he will grow .. once he gets some of Angola's cooking into him and the stress of living is lifted, he should thrive .. At least that is our prayer. 

      

 

A place to call home

We  had a bit of weather on the farm last week .  One of the problems with the mud block building is that when the exterior  cement comes apart the water will quickly damage what is behind it .  We will need to act quickly to repair this before it gets worse.  

Definitely a job for one day soon.   

The gate on one of the houses has always been in bad shape.  It was more a section of wobbly fence that we would pick up and move to open and close.  Because it was so insecure, the neighbourhood cows would often come right in and get into our orchard and gardens... This week Marat finished welding and constructing a new gate for us on hinges .. it looks great. 

The two new boys on the farm are learning the ropes ..and that includes how to milk a cow.  Misha is only too happy to teach them .. the more milk maids the better. 

It looks like there will be one more set of hands on the way .  We just had a call from one of the orphanages that they have a boy that has just graduated from one of their trade schools, is 18 and has no place to go. They have asked that we take him to the farm.  Vlad will meet with them and just go over all the rules with him as well as bring him to Dr Tatyana to do a health check, as well as take him shopping for what ever he might need .. Often they arrive with only what they are wearing .   The usual set up cost when we receive a new kid is about $100 , and the cost to keep them and cover a small salary for them is another $150 a month .  I will share more about this in the days to come so that we can find some sponsors for him if it works out that he comes to the farm.   

   I was given his name , but so many kids we know, but do not know their names .  We used to have Emma and Bekah with us and they would whisper their names to us when the kids approached ..   One thing we do know is that although I don't remember their names right away, they sure remember ours .. years of outings, fishing trips, swimming,  movies, circuses and picnicks ..not to mention returning with other older kids regularly with loads of produce and supplies,  they all helped the kids to feel a sense of belonging ,  and now that they are out of the orphanage, they do not have the stress of feeling all alone.. they all know about the farm and the ability to grow and mature from the farm as they are able .. They have a place to call home .. 

 If you are reading this and not already sponsoring one of our kids , this may be your opportunity .. I will keep you posted 

 

May Marathon to Mexico

Let me tell you about a great organization. Possibilities house in Mexico has worked closely with Possibilities International another great organization that has been a great help and encouragement to us for years .   Possibilities house is a "Family-style, holistic care for orphaned, at-risk and abandoned children in Mexico" 

We have several friends who have traveled and seen personally the great work that they do, And interestingly enough, their son Alax traveled to Kyrgyzstan a couple years back to assist PI with a team at the farm. 

Like us they get a lot of support from teams that come and bring encouragement, physical help, and financial support.   With Covid that has put a lot of stress on the financial situation.  We ourselves have found that the needs have grown exponentially and there are no teams to turn to.  

We were excited to see that they had some sponsors that decided to do a May Marathon to Mexico .. you can read more about it or donate at their web site  https://www.possibilitieshouse.org/casa/  

Julie decided that she wanted in on this so we made our donation and she set out to walk 100km in May .. Today she arrived home after her walk and just passed the 100 km mark with a couple days to spare.

Here are a few pictures from Julies adventures this month.  

How does your garden grow ?

The gardens are coming along great on the farm 

On the farm and here at my home in Canada we planted our seeds at the same time in the green houses and we moved them out to the gardens at the same time ..    On the left is a tomato plant from the farm already with tomatoes on it. On the right is at my home .. just starting to flower.  

I have about 10 tomato plants .. they have about 1000 

 I try to keep my garden weeded and looking good and then we send pictures back and forth .. it encourages us both to keep up with the work .  Above is from the farm, and below is from my garden in Canada . 

Now that it has stopped snowing , I can go out and un cover everything .😝