Thursday, November 30, 2017

Emergency situation --- help needed fast

We are looking for some emergency care!   We just received a call that the niece of a young man we know fell from the 9th story.   Details are still sketchy, but for her to get the emergency treatment she needs and the blood transfusions, they must come up with $400 ..She lives with her grandmother so there are little funds available .  Tomorrow is payday for the farm  so I do have some money in country that we could advance right away if someone out there can help with this ... 

If you can help please let me know right away . 


UPDATE :    THIS NEED HAS BEEN COVERED ..THANK YOU 

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Campaign against violence

 Campaign against violence --   another initiative with Olga. 


We will give lectures about drugs and nasvay (Small seeds which put under the lip like drug) at the local schools. We have a 16 day program  against violence.  The campaign will focus on violence  against women, general  violence and drug abuse.  We have  created  a social coalition bringing together 12 sections of people such as police, social cervices, educations, medical people, parents youth and NGO's to decrease the level of selling drugs like nasvay and cigarettes and  vodka in local shops. We will also be giving  prophylactics and teaching about prevention as well. 

This is a big step forward and a way to empower individuals to help make a change.  

Monday, November 27, 2017

Final count down for the pie challenge

And just like that winter has set in on the valley .   Julie and I are back in Canada now . we are home for the week then are excited to be heading to Thunder bay on Friday. 
view across the fields to the green houses from the main house 

Despite the cold , it is comforting to know that everyone is warm, and we have coal to spare for those in need . 

Inside the green house things are doing well.  the fish have stopped hiding as much and are coming out for food.  
here you can see the reflection of the green house above when looking down at the fish. 
The seeds have started to sprout. the first half is bok choy .  The next half we plant next week .  It will be planted with red leaf lettuce . 
 
seeds beginning to sprout 
We are starting on replacing the windows at the hospital tomorrow.  I was hoping to have this done before I left but the contractor had a death in the family so things were held up.  It has worked out ok because it gives me a little more time to raise some funds for this.

Speaking of raising funds , Tomorrow being Giving Tuesday will be the final day to get your pie challenge donation to count towards a pie in the face .  We will be pleased to except donations after that, but the challengers are off the hook to get a pie in the face if their personal targets are not met.

Please take a moment and make a donation.. Caleb can't wait to throw a pie in Logans face this year .. he has just $150 to go to make that happen.

Logan and Caleb   yearly challengers  .. they know first hand the blessing that this challenge is and  now support it every year . 
 We received the slippers we ordered from the woman's rehab center .. these will go to the seniors home for Christmas.



We still had a bit of hay that needed to follow our Sheep to the mountain farm where they will winter, so the boys got that done today before the snow came in too deep .


and so the sun sets on another day on the farm 



Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Pie in the face for Nick

A few days left in the challenge and I wanted to highlight another one of the challengers .
Kolya aka Nick Wright 



Nick was the very first kid we met in an orphanage back in 2005. He has become a part of our family.  Nick is in his second year of University studying Psychology.  He comes to the farm on weekends and holidays and keeps things on track.  
Nick really would like to get a pie in the face to be able to celebrate Christmas with many of the underprivileged  kids he knows as well as kids in the orphanages . 

If you would like to help Nick, please use the link below to make a donation .. He is at $100 so he has $400 to go to get a pie in the face and reach his target .. Thank you all so much for being a part of this. 

                             From the US please use this link 
                            challengers name
                            

From Canada please use the link below 
Donate Now Through CanadaHelps.org!

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us to all of you .

I have been enjoying all the Facebook posts from our friends in the US as they share their preparation for Thanksgiving.

Sunday we had a celebration out at the farm .  It was a combination of a few different birthdays as well us a last big get together before we go.    

Big feasts are a deep routed part of Kyrgyzstan culture.  Everything from the type of food served, the side dishes and salads, and importantly the bread, even the seating pattern at meal make for a "Good Table" 


Sunday was one of the best.  Everything was perfect.   A table to be proud of.  But what we were most proud of is that it was hosted by everyone at the farm.  serving meals,  pouring drinks, making the ploff and  shashleek out on the fire ..fresh made salads, home made jams and pickles, honey from our own bees .. If  We were to have a Thanksgiving meal at the farm, this would be it. 


NONE of this was learned in the orphanages.   These are just some of the life skills that the kids pick up at the farm.  The hospitality that they have learned through  operating the guest house and the skills that they have been taught by people like Aigoola and Vlady are things that will be invaluable in this culture. 

  Bravo everyone, you guys are awesome .. and Bravo to all of you who have believed in them along with us and make it possible for us to continue to reach out to these young men and women and others like them. 

That's something I am Thankful for. 


Monday, November 20, 2017

Two new Challengers in the pie challenge.

Two new challengers in the pie challenge this year.  Vlad and Alina  


Vlad is the youth worker and assistant at the farm and his wife Alina works as a social worker with many families in need.  they are a great couple and have such a heart for the hurting helpless and lost.  That's why they are willing to get a pie in the face if sponsors would like to donate $500 on their behalf.  
The funds raised by Vlad will go towards Christmas in rot front for our kids and the many kids in the village that we would like to bring Christmas too this year. 
Funds donated in Alina's name will go towards the underprivileged families that she works with on a regular basis 

If you want to help but not sure where, please consider either of these challengers . Just put their name in the box to the right of this post as you make a donation . 


the fish have arrived

Air pump  is in and the fish have arrived . 




Saturday, November 18, 2017

Greenhouse irrigation part two

Yesterday we worked on getting the pumps and the irrigation lines run in the green houses.   Today we added the soaked hoses on to the lines .  

It was a cold day, and Aiperi had a bit of a chill so she came over to work in the green house for a bit to get warmed up .  34 C that is close to 98 F with a 65% humidity . 


in the photo above you can see the beads of water starting to form on the hose .  Now we can water the strawberries and the greens under them with the turn of a valve.  Warm nutrient rich water from the fish pools .   Speaking of fish pools, they will be picked up on Monday morning.  We will start with just 250 fish to make sure that the whole system works well, then we will build from there as we work out the kinks.  


The section of the green house beside the pools will be our planting beads . here we will start our seedlings for next spring, as well we will be planting flowers for sale in the market when people start planting gardens in the spring.  a single small potted plant here is worth about 50 cents. so even if we can set up a bit of a whole sale network that will be a good revenue source for the farm.


Today we brought over an old rabbit hutch that we had and we will use it as a planting station.  The bags around it are full of well aged manure from the mountain barn.  

Next up is the planting of the floating plant beds.  For this we used a closed cell sophomore.  We then cut holes in it with a hole saw.  then with the same size saw we cut out plugs of roxsal insulation.  


This is where we had McGyver it a little.  there are special baskets that drop into the hoes that stop the insulation from falling down into the water.  since the are not available here we have found plastic cups and cut them down to size so the fit snug, then we cut some big holes in the bottom allowing places for water to get in and the roots to get out.  this is the first of six sheets that will go in each pool containing 45 plants for a total of  270 plants peer pool .  Tomorrow we will finish this part of the process . 



this next picture is our cuteness  for the day . 



Friday, November 17, 2017

Irrigation system is all up and running.

The irrigation system is all up and running.   I am trying to make it as simple as possible for our kids this winter.  First in the line is a float switch.  This will maintain the water level of the pools at a constant level, turning on and off automatically.  

the next stage is a siphon pipe that will keep the water levels in both pools the same, so as one fills so will the other. 


Next step is a pump and pressure  tank that pumps from the second pool and then is pipped around the two green houses to hoses.  The pump will come on and off automatically to maintain water pressure when watering.    I also have a second line that is a direct line that does not go trough the pools so we can buy pass and still water when there is now power. 


The next step will be tomorrow.   I have soaker hoses that will be strung up above the strawberries, so that half of the green house will get a slow gentle watering with warm nutrient rich water with the turn of a valve.  Tomorrow we will also add the floating plant beds on the top of the pools .  

We have located a supplier for carp.   We are going to pick them up on Monday.  We will start with 250 fish.  The fish will live under the floating pads.  they will put carbon dioxide into the green house and  also their waist will add nutrients to the water. 


Aigoola and Aiperi were in the city for back treatments today so I was on duty for lunch..   I had my hands full with the plumbing so lunch today consisted of a case of  ramma noodles of all flavors dumped out on the table.. It was actually a hit with the kids .. 




Thursday, November 16, 2017

Second Peter given from the farm

 Those of you flowing the blog know that I enjoy chickens.  As a boy I actually collected chickens of all different breads.   Now at the farm I have started collecting them again.  We have so many different and unique breads .. great big ones , very small ones  , chickens with just down and chickens that are bald, some with afros and some with beards.  Its not just unique chickens we have, we have chickens for eggs as well.  ducks and geese for meat , and a big turkey , just because he looks cool.   

We also raise chickens to the egg laying stage that we give to families in need.  Yesterday was a day that we were delivering some of these chickens.  9 hens and 1 rooster went to a family in need so that they could have a small income.  Here is the problem, how does one decide which of your pets to give away.  It was easier to decide on the hens but the roosters were a little harder.  many of them are strange breeds except for two .. one is my beautiful and gallant rooster named Peter, and the other his son who we refer to as  "Second Peter"  so I was trying to decide which to give.    I actually turned to second Peter and read a couple lines in
 "Grace and peace be multiplied to you"
Second Peter is it then .. it just seems fitting 


2 Peter on his way to his new home
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you"


We loaded up the last of 100 tons of coal that we were  delivering that day.   Coal is at its highest price that any one can remember and many times is simply not available, yet this year we have been able to bump up our deliveries by 400%. 


"Grace and peace be multiplied to you"


While delivering coal to Auxana and her family we had a chance to visit some of our friends from the farm that have moved to her house .. we were happy to learn  that Batman and his wife are expecting .   
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you"


The poultry have been expanding as well .. many new babies 
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you"



With the coal delivered, we have started delivering flour to orphanages and families in need ..  here we are bringing a load to the Red River orphanage.   Flour has started going up in price and availability will be a problem shortly due to border problems yet we are blessed to have a few tons in the store house. 
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you" 




While at the orphanage we met up with a young friend that we found living in the dump almost 10 years ago.  He was such a tormented sole.  He did not speak, could not be touched even looking at him would bring trauma to him ..  Now he sees us and comes running. What a blessing to see the peace that he is experiencing now.  
 "Grace and peace be multiplied to you"

While with him he started telling me how excited he and his friends were that Christmas was coming and asked if  I will  be coming with our team to them this year .. They asked if we could bring popcorn and a movie to the party as well .. Christmas is 6 weeks away and only comes once a year, but has become such a highlight for these kids .. It is all because of the funds that come in through the pie challenge that we are able to have these parties..  In the next week we are hoping to raise $10000 to bring Christmas to 1000 kids I just have to have faith that it will all work out , and just remember,
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you"

Next up was for a visit to a family that we know and help. They have 5 kids and live in a one room house that is about 12 x 20 feet.  Their work has now finished up the season.  We stopped to open up discussions about the possibility of them coming to live in one of our houses at the farm, and working on the farm when they do not have work available to them off the farm.   


We have done our part, now they just need to make the hard choices, but now they at least have choices.. they just need the peace, but we know that 

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you"

At the farm today we were going to plumb in the irrigation in the green house but there was no electricity in the village, so we worked in the garden instead.  For my birthday yesterday Julie bought me 10 peach trees.  We planted two in the new fruit garden, and then eight along the front of the Guest house cafe and hostel .  


In the green house things are coming along great .. the leaf lettuce is now about 3 or 4 inches high. We are having a big party at the farm on Sunday afternoon. just think fresh strawberries and lettuce salad in the middle of November, the first of the season. 


"Grace and peace be multiplied to you"

Aiperi has taken on a real burden for this little baby we first introduced you to last week.  She collected up some baby clothes and bought a winter snowsuit for him.   With the new formula he has really started to thrive, starting to get some colour.  He was expected to go though one tin of formula every 2 weeks, and s
he has gone through the first can in just over a week .. this means that it will be about $50 a month for his food.  He was at the hospital for tests this week, and they have found that he has two small holes in his heart.  We are waiting to see if they will grow in on  their own or if there will be treatment needed.  If their is an operation needed we may be relying on some of you to make it happen .. looking for Grace 

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you"


If you are viewing this post from your computer or the web version on your phone, you will see the pie challenge fund raising thermometer and donate button on the top right side of the blog.  For every $10, we are able to add one more child to the list for a party and a gift, like the ones below celebrating with Bubbles the clown.   



together we can do this...  

2 peter 1:2  "Grace and peace be multiplied to you"