Spring cleaning and repairs

Spring is in the air and our focus is turning to the gardens and spring cleaning . 

We are also getting ready to put together seeds to donate .  We will give about $10 worth per family, and with about 200 families that will come to $2000.  we are doing well and just need about $500 towards this. 

 

As soon as we get back to Kyrgyzstan we have a couple big needs to take care of.  The first is the bees.  We have bees in the mountains and bees down on the farm.  The bees, as you can see in the picture , are beside a corn field.  Last fall the farmer brought in a drone that sprayed the corn to make it dry faster , and in doing so, he over shot and killed all of our bees.  This was devastating.  We would like to move these hives up into the mountain away from farms as we think that the new modern farming is going to be an on going problem.  The cost to reestablish the hives will be $2000 . This will need to be done as soon as we get there so that the hives can be established for the season.  

The other problem we had this winter was also a big one.  There was a massive power surge in the village that did significant damage .  It destroyed fridges, microwaves, washing machines and dryers as well as any computers plugged in .  The computers we were able to fix, and because it was the off season we could bring a fridge down from the mountain , and we purchased  one .  But with the season starting up, we need to purchase three small fridges and one big one as well as one freezer and a dryer. .. Total will be around $1500 to cover this need .

We will fly out on April 6, landing on April 8.  My plan is to have the seeds , the hives and the refrigerators all taking care of by April 15.  any donations made before April first should be able to make it to me in time .  Thank you in advance for anyone who is able to help with these needs. 

Vitamins distributed

We are really enjoying our time in Verginia. Looking forward to getting together with many friends and sponsors tomorrow night in Richmond .   

We just got an update about the prenatal vitamins.  They are so appreciative. 

If anyone would like to help us restock, we have vitamins on the

Gift registry . Or you can make a donation at the top right side of the blog and I will look after that. 

Grin and bear it.

 We were able to purchase the load of coal today.  So now we are back on track with the seeds.  We are still looking to raise $1500 so that we can provide seeds for about 250 families.  If extra funds come in we will also put together a welcome spring " we made it " food package for them .. that way they don't eat there sead potatoes before the get into the ground. 

Julie and I are starting to get a little older, and although we are feeling good and have been getting regular medical check ups , it is a great excuse for the insurance company  to stick it to us.  With the amount of traveling we do and the time out of country, we have to pay $1988 for the year.  I have shopped around and that seems to be the same every where.  We will just grin and bear it.   The part that pains me is that there are so many other places that we could use those funds. 

Peace in God's hands

I am still kind of amazed at how God worked it out that we could have such a great day yesterday.  Now you would think starting your day at 3:30 am after being snowed in for an extra five days, then traveling 22 hours to get home could not have a silver lining.

When we arrived in Halifax at 7am  for a 2 hour layover we found some latte and really comfortable chairs looking out on the runway where they de-ice the planes.   Things started to unravel a little bit as I was tracking in coming flights and told Julie that our plane coming in still has not departed Montreal ,and doing the math, there was no way to pick us up and get us back to Montreal in time to catch out flight on to Toronto, and the next flight of available would not get us in to Toronto until midnight.  So before the connection was officially canceled, we found a very pleasent Porter agent and explained our dilemma . She was so nice and was able to get us a direct flight to Toronto leaving at 6 getting in at 8:30. Then she radioed someone who found our bag and moved it to the new flight holding box and personally came up and picked up a new bag tag.  She told us that the only seats available were to isles row 3 and 4 in the preferred seating. She also gave us some meal vouchers for lunch.   

So now with the extra time, our friend and long time supporter was able to come out to the airport for a visit.  

 It was such a relaxing time, we felt well loved .. 

We did get a donation in for one more tone of coal. I am hoping to get 4 ($320 usd) more sponsored today and I will send it in the morning so that they can pick up the money Monday morning to pay the truck..  we had thought winter was almost over there but they woke up this morning with a fresh dusting of snow, but significantly more up in the mountains.   

Donate buttons are available on the top right side of the blog.  Thank you so much.  

An anniversary.

 Well I thought we were going to make it, but it is not just us that are down to the wire with our coal.  We continue to get calls asking g for help.. a couple bags here and a couple bags there , and before you know it you have used another 8 tons of coal. 

I thought it was time we could pivot to seed donations , but it looks like we need to pivot back for one more load. ..we will not need to give out full tons to people we could give 1/4 ton to each to get them through this winter. 

Today we got 2 new roosters on the farm .. it turns out we have away too many with the teams in the fall and needed some so that we can put some eggs into the incubator in time for spring. 

Jilie and I left NL at 4:00 this morning with connecting flights on Montreal and Halifax.  But it's pushing it a bit to try to make connections these days .  So we have been sitting here lin Halifax for the day .. our new flight is at 6 and is direct to Toronto.  Comfort class.  We even received a lunch on Porter air. 

We are hoping to make it back tonight. Tomorrow we are meeting with a couple of our Camino hiking friends and walking in "the coldest night of the year" to help raise funds for the marginalized in our home community. 

Today is 9 years since we purchased the mountain ranch..    As I sit here and think about that, I am totally amazed and grateful for this property and how it has been such a blessing, bringing joy, and restoration and new beginnings to so many people

Thank you to everyone who has had a part in this project. 

Second time is a charm.

 Crissis adverted.  At Christmas there was a great deal on our flights back to Kyrgyzstan, so we went ahead and purchased them. 4 months early. Usually I purchase flights 6 weeks out on a Tuesday night for the best .  Well 2 days after I booked the flights, Kyrgyzstan changed the visa restrictions.

They reduced the visa free term to 30 days from 60 days with an option for extension on line. $180 later and 4 hours on line , a week wate and we got a letter telling us our visa was declined .  I have no idea what I had done wrong.  We decided to have one of our friends try again for us .. so relieved , second time is a charm and we have our Visas

We have several individuals coming in the month of April, we are really looking forward to having them.  I am not going to share their identity just yet, we want to surprise some of our people . 

As we are preparing to head back to Kyrgyzstan this spring , I have created a wish list for some of the things we would like to bring with us. 

 Amazon needs Registry

This spring we have a more direct flight that is slightly more expensive , but it allows for 2 checked bags each .. something we have not had for a couple years .  This will give us an extra 300 lbs and an opportunity to get stocked up with some of the items we need .    Any items purchased from this wish list will be shipped to my home in Canada and we will be able to pack them over with us .  

I want to highlight one of the items on the list .. 

The landscaping cloth. 

When we went to purchase it the cloth was white rather then black.  We were assured that this was a weed cloth.  We carefully planted through it.  But very quickly it became evident that this was not a weed barrier, but a frost cloth that allowed the sun light and rain to go through creating a green house effect , PROMOTING weed growth.  Not good.

So one of the things on the list is the correct  cloth.  Along with having it to plant this spring, I will also have some that I can take with me to some garden shops to see if they can find some for me there in the future .  

And the coffee 

This is one thing that does not require an explanation .

There is a time to plant !

 

Several years ago as we were struggling to meat the needs with the produce grown on  The farm, we noticed that many of the families we delivered food to had the land but had no garden.  We questioned them about this .. the difficulty is that spring is the time to plant and in the spring people are still trying to get over a long hard winter. 

Many said that they were so hungry that they ate all there seed potatoes, and some had even boiled and eaten the beans that they had saved to plant.  

That's when we decided to start giving out seeds with a small spring food hamper. This way they could plant their own gardens.

We provide seeds for around 250 families .  What a blessing this is to them.  Each year we raise $2000 toward this program.  If you would like to assist us with this , you can use the link on the top right side of the blog.   

First signs of spring 😁

Renovating the first house has been a long haul.  The guys have been so busy bagging and delivering coal and food . Between loads of coal they have been working h on the house. 

So far they have dug out , installed in floor water pipes for heating and poured new floors. And replaced the water boiler .

The interior walls have been completely stripped out and repaired . And then the old ceiling was all pulled down.  Now they are starting to bring in drywall to put up new ceilings . 

 A lot of work but the end is in sight.  We are hoping to get a bit more work done and some repairs on the truck before the next load of coal arrives. 

Fortunately we are seeing the first signs of spring in Kyrgyzstan .. a glimmer of hope. 

Amazon wishlist

 

A couple changes since I last posted this . As we are preparing to head back to Kyrgyzstan this spring , I have created a wish list for some of the things we would like to bring with us. 

On the Amazon site I have also added several bottles of Tums.   These are not available in KG and there popularity has caught on with many that we know and support,

 Amazon needs Registry

This spring we have a more direct flight that is slightly more expensive , but it allows for 2 checked bags each .. something we have not had for a couple years .  Plus as a bonus we have someone traveling with us who will also have 2 bags This will give us an extra 300 lbs and an opportunity to get stocked up with some of the items we need .    Any items purchased from this wish list will be shipped to my home in Canada and we will be able to pack them over with us .  

As items are purchased, Amazon will indicate how many left that we would like .  

Please note that for some reason. Some areas in the United states are not able to access this link.  If that is you and you would like to participate, please donate at the top right side of the blog, and send me a note what you would like to purchase, and I can do it for you from my end.   

Spring'll soon be here, Oh God I hope it's not late !

Phil Collins wrote a song called "the roof  is leaking".  In it he shares how things are getting harder and the winter continues, but he is says he is getting stronger by the minute as he turns to God in hopes winter will be over soon.    I think that right now there are a lot of people turning to God asking that winter would soon be over.  

This morning the guys loaded up and headed to a remote mountain village that has a lot of families in need asking God to bring an answer to their sorrow. 

But first they will need to load up the truck and make the drive across some rather torturous roads. 

Getting up is a little easier with so much weight on the truck but the trip home might be a little harder.

Everyone was so happy, and relieved to see them when they arrived. 

 With the update photos I received a short update from the team . 

"Good afternoon, John. Today, our team delivered coal to 15 families.. It was a difficult day. We saw a lot of poverty and suffering around us. It's sad that we can't help everyone. Thank God we are doing what we can. There is enough coal left on the farm for 10 days. Thank God for everything. Thank you, brother."

They shared how difficult the day was .  I know this well.  When you start off on a day like this you think it is going to be "fun" to bring needed supplies to people. but very quickly that excitement starts to turn into sorrow and morning .  Seeing so many people in such difficult circumstances is very hard on you.  It is easy to start questioning .  I can remember Talking to my friend Ron and saying "where is God in this ?" I simply could not understand seeing so much sorrow.  His response has stayed with me .  He said that the fact that I am asking that question if proof that God is there.  Maybe yesterday no one was asking that,  but God knew and has sent You. Now the question has to  be asked "What are we going to do about it."

Thank you to everyone who has been sponsoring these coal deliveries, and thank you to our team for being there "With skin on" Bringing Hope to the hurting helpless and the lost.   

"You have turned my mourning into dancing for me;  You have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,"    This is my prayer for the Guys.  Just hang on, winter is almost over.   

Preparing for our return to Kyrgyzstan

I am looking forward to going out for lunch today with a good friend / old boss.  I worked for him when Emma was born so about 35 years ago.  He loved Monty Python and could recite many of their skits. One that was his favorites was 4 guys trying to out do each other about how poor they were when they were kids .. one of the guys was so poor that they lived in a paper bag in a septic tank.   I used to thing that this was funny until I got to Kyrgyzstan and found someone living in a septic tank. 

Here is the clip from Monty Python.  

I realized that no mater how difficult things get, there is always someone who has it worse,  but knowing that we all have it in us to make things better, can be a driving factor in our lives.  

Last week we had the privilege of sharing twice in Florida, at a men's breakfast in Cincinnati,  then shared at two more services on Sunday before heading home.  We were so blessed to spend time with so many friends and sponsors, bring encouragement and be encouraged.  

We got to spend a bit of time on the beach, although it was a little chilly .. there were only about 10 people as far as you could see either direction .. other Canadians no doubt.   But cold as it was there, it was -35 at our home in Canada, and in Kyrgyzstan winter continues. someone always has it worse !  

a small mountain village snowed in. 

The guys had gotten a little carried away and gave away all our coal except for one bag .  Fortunately we were able to get another couple of loads in.  The boys have bagged it and tomorrow they will be back out on deliveries. 

Young Sergey has been baking breads with the other boys and has been sending me some pictures .. I have ordered some fresh bread for April 8th when we arrive. 

Next week we will be back in Newfoundland with Amelia before we go, well with Bekah and Azamat as too.   one time Julie said to  Amelia "We are coming for a visit, what would you like for a present?" her response was priceless. "OH Grandma You are my present, that's all I want." 

When we return from Newfoundland,  we will be sharing at a seniors club in Norwood, then heading for Virginia to connect with more friends , with a stop in NY on our way home for a International dinner with friends there.    then on to Kyrgyzstan a week later.  

 

Deliveries continue .

The guys were busy all day , trip after trip delivering coal and food packages to those I need.

Still so many needs .. it truly is heart breaking. 

There were a lot more food needs than we anticipated. People were so relieved for the help

Families that started the winter off with coal are finding that the coal is almost gone or is gone and there is still more winter to go. 

There were just so many in need that the boys kept delivering ... But when all the dust settled , they realized that they may have gone too far.. this is what is left for on the farm. 
 

We will need to buy some more coal if we can .. not too late to help,  if you would like to help with this please donate now.  We will get more coal delivered as soon as we have the funds. 

Tanya has been in hospital with her new baby since before Christmas, but as soon as she was out she made sure to get food to some of the seniors she supports. She wanted to give a great big thank you to everyone who supports her with that.