monthly sponsorship

Julie has been busy working on sponsorship updates. She still has 4 children ready to sponsor with a 'thank you' letter and a picture set to mail, but they don't have a sponsor, we did not tell them that though so they made some cards along with the other kids - Monthly sponsorship for what ever you can give, support goes toward clothing, outings and regular 'Homework Club'. email us if you are interested .

We have also been working on our speaking schedule for our time here in Canada .

July 5........ Norwood
July 12 ..... Stirling
July 19...... Saint-Andre-Avellin
July 26 ..... Espanola
Aug 2 ....... Peterborough

If you are in the area we would love to see you.

a history together

We found this photo on the left, it is of Olya a few years ago when she was on an outing at the Barana tower .  The one on the right was from a couple days ago when Emma and Jengish took the workers from the farm on an outing.  I think it is so cool that we have a history with these kids, and they can know and trust us from years of connection that we have had with them..  Do you think that was by coincident or by a greater design . 

New life emerges out at the farm today , this is the first of 4 nests that we have ducks sitting on . 

  There will be a lot to harvest for the food shares this week, so they have started picking cucumbers a couple days early so that they will get all the harvest in on time to deliver Thursday..   

ducklings are hatching , and piglets arrived

Aizada is a beautiful young lady that is happy that she can work at the farm this summer she is very smart as well.  She has graduated and would like to go into med school, or international studies in the fall .. She is one of the kids that we would like to find a sponsor for her scholarship... if you want to make a difference in her life, let me know.  sunmasterjohn@aol.com

Days are starting to get hot now, and in the afternoons the last place you want to be is out in the field with no shade.  We run a split shift at the farm .  A few hours in the morning and a few in the evening , and then a couple hours through out the day on other projects.  Today that other project was to take Goosey for a swim in the irrigation storage tank (aka pool)  these pools are such a blessing on so many levels .. the kids work hard, and being able to go in any time and cool off is such a blessing, and having water ready all the time for watering the plants and the animals is imperative when you are growing market gardens . 

 Goosey is enjoying his daily trips to the farm, so its not such a big scary place for him any more .  I guess that's why its safe for him to start growing wings.  Goosey was in his egg too long and as a result he has a form of C.P. he is shaky when he walks, and when he falls, he ends up on his back and can't get back upright on his own.  Once his wings come in he will be able to keep his balance, and right himself with out help.   As he was drying off from his swim, Emma found his first feather . 

We have some new animals on the farm this week.  Two piglets are a great addition.  We are thinking maybe a few more , but don't want to have more then what will eat the food scraps and the garden waste. We don't want to get to the point that we need to buy them food ,  so we will watch and see weather we could feed a few more or just stop at two for now. 

We have other new additions , Our ducks are sitting on three full nests, and tonight the eggs have started hatching. 

We have some more great news .. Do you remember the big double kazan that we wanted to build for the canning ? 

It will cost about $300 to build, and this weekend we had a donation of $200 towards this project.  The money is in Kyrgyzstan now, and Vlady will start building it this week.  this will be such a help, and make it possible for large batches of produce to be canned .   We are praying for the other $100 to come in quickly . 

Bekah's blessing

Last week after Bekah sang, there was a man in the service that saw her and felt that he needed to do something special for her .. this was in his mind all week, then a couple days ago Bekah and her brother Benjamin stopped into his shop for Benjamin to get a quick hair cut.   He was so happy to see Bekah , and told her how he was prompted to bless her , and booked her back into the shop for a hair cut .. but not just a haircut .. the full deal .. cut, style, straiten , hair treatment , high lights streaks ,  If it was possible, she got it .. This was such a blessing for her.  

If you are ever in the Oshawa area and need a great haircut , you need to go here .. probably wont get the same deal, but you will get great service and a good haircut . 

Back on the farm the work continues ,    This first photo is the field of peppers, onions and tomatoes at podgorna farm. The produce here will be used for canning and sale to help with the sustainability side of the farm .  You can see the pool in the distance in this picture , it is filled when the irrigation ditches are running , and used to water the garden on the days when there is no water.  In the mean time , the kids love being able to swim in it.  

Tomatoes         hot peppers             green and red peppers 

Over at the food shares farm the produce is continuing to grow like mad .  They had just done a harvest, and the vines are laden again.

Its great having our own water storage  now so we can water when ever we want.. the plants like that too 

Kola stakes a quick break  for a little water as well .  In this picture you can see the pile of rubble in front of the house , this is where the old garage was .   

  

Today we had a special visitor to the farm.  Christy, and another friend of Jengishes from the city came out to see the farm, spend some time with the kids, and to take them to the Baranna tower.  If was great to have company, and the kids really enjoyed the day.  

 

 The boys were really excited to go pick some fresh zuccini for Christy to take back home with her .  This was extra fitting as Christy and her friends helped to supply some of the seeds that we planted . 

Goosey and Jengish  went out for a drive and found a nice little mud hole to play in .. Gossey on foot, and Jengish in his 4x4 

speaking of Jengish, a friend of his has been watching the posts, and started to imagine what Jengish may end up looking like when he gets a little older and a little more eccentric.

 I think he may have nailed it 

Nice day .. if you are a duck

Beautiful day .. if you are a duck , or in this case a goose.  It was a wet rainy day today in KG so there was not a lot of work on the farm , the up side is that it gave Goosey some time to stop and smell the flowers .. 

Goosey gets to live off the farm until his wings grow in so that he can right himself when he falls over .... I think he knows this because everything seems to be growing but his wings !

So let me tell you whats going on here in Canada.  

Julie has been training and getting ready for the walk on the Camino .. an 800 km walk from France , over the Pyrenees mountains  and through Spain .. she will be doing this with Asel to raise funds and awareness for women's issues in Kyrgyzstan  read more here.   http://www.actofkindnessontheway.blogspot.com/ 

We went for a walk to the end of the field to check out where all the wild life has been playing.  Every day we stand on our porch and watch the bears, we have 2, and the dear, I think there about 4 or 5 total , and the wild turkeys... although Julie calls them Hippo's because from a distance they look like huge hippos walking around .. we have about 20 of them some times .  

this is our Canada home in the background 

What one share looks like.

Many of you have purchased food shares from the farm .  $60 for one share , and you got to tell us where to donate your food .. (40 shares still available ) Once a week we will harvest what is ready and deliver these shares to those in need . 

Lets take a look at what ONE share looks like this week . 

the kids are helping deliver the food 

first stop .. the seniors home 

 

Notice the nice Uniform on this worker .. Thank you to all who sent uniforms 

Emma taking time for a little visit with one of the Babushka's 

next stop to one of the orphanages 

several families we have worked with received some fresh produce today 

the homeless shelter 

Bubba Maria was happy to get a food share as well , and of course had to have them in for tea .. just as important as receiving produce ..is knowing that people care.   

These are just a few of the people blessed with fresh produce this week ... made possible by many of you .. thank you 

and so the sun goes down on another day on the farm 

Goosey says  "Job Well Done"

harvest under way

The first harvest is under way .. I sure wish I was there for this .. and would love to be there when they start delivering as well ..  It was a lot of work, but good work.  Jengish says that they are enjoying it .. very exciting .. 

after a long hard day Goosey waits in the car for the girls with with Jengish. but doesn't last long before he passes out.