Monday, February 26, 2018

When disaster strikes.

Last night Jengish was contacted by a friend of his who is living and working in Russia.  There was a fire at the parents house in Bishkek, and they are in need .  Absolutely everything has been lost, but lives have been spared.  Senior mother and father and 94 year old grandmother made it out safe. 

We will see what we can do to help with renovations. Our Friend Kodor will go over this week to see what is needed.  They may come to the guest house for a few days until they can sort things out. clothing furniture, bedding .. basically they will have to start over.  If anyone would like to help with this I am sure that they will be blessed.   






Saturday, February 24, 2018

New baby on the farm


just a few hours old 
There was a new baby girl out at the farm today . This is Aigoola's cows first,   Everything went well.  They have mover her over to the nursery barn now with the other mothers and calves.


three months old 
When our kids were small we were very active in a church in a neighboring village .  We ran a soup kitchen there for years .   The church has since closed, and has been renovated and is reopening as more of a community outreach center.    There are so many great things that this space will be used for.  The grand opening is today.   Emma was asked if she could provide prints of her art for this space.  It is so cool.  She spent so much time there as a child, lying under a pew coloring, now her art will be displayed there for all to see.  








Thursday, February 22, 2018

Looking good Billy

Little Billy is doing great .  He is so blessed to have sponsors who take care of his formula, and he is especially blessed to have Aipery who is so attentive to this family and their needs.  Neither one could do this alone .. We are in this together .   


It was a special day at the farm today as we honor A SPECIAL lady .. Happy 30th Aigoola   ( with a few years experience )




Getting ready for a special meal... I love seeing the fresh lettuce on the plates.  



The boys have lots of work to do tomorrow .  They will bag up over 100 bags of coal and stack it inside.  Because thats what MEN DO on Mans day .. I hear that they will be having Pizza for supper so that will make it all worth it.  




Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Welcoming 2 new young men to the family .


This morning Vlad had a chance to visit with Ruslan.  It is a very difficult story, even for Vlad to share.  I guess that is why Ruslan is 21 years old but looks 35.  I want you to save this picture for you to remember  if only in your mind. Just wait until you see what a few months of good food and a loving environment will do.  We have seen it so many times,  so now it is a little easier for me to believe what is possible. 
New shampoo, tooth past and tooth brush, soap and sponges ... and a nice hot shower 


Here is another young man that you will be seeing more of  on the blog.  His name is Bektursun.  He is in University and is an incredible young man.  I met him the first time several years ago, and we actually were able to get him a Lap top so he could study computer sciences.   He is out going, and speaks at least four languages.  He is at a place where he just needs a little extra help, and we are so blessed that we can be there for him.  I will not share too much of his story right now as it is HIS to share maybe one day soon we will have him write a  post for the blog but if you feel led to make a difference in a young mans life , this might be a good start  .. 
The coal has arrived and more deliveries have been made, thank you everyone that is helping with this.  This family we are delivering here today are a mother and father and 5 little kids.  They are all very sick right now with bad colds. 



Vlad has been on the front lines and working hard.  I suggested that he should start eating some of the fresh veggies from the green house himself.  He said that there are orders for it all.  I suggested that  they go ahead and start eating some himself and some of the orders can wait an extra day.   Here is green house to table Bukchoy and peas.


 


I love seeing strawberries in February !

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Does it make a difference?

Does it change your heart when you know the whole or at least more of the story? I know it does for me.  But I have to stop and question myself why.  A couple days ago I shared about a burden about some new kids coming to the farm.  I Knew that the very fact that they would be coming to us means that they have a difficult story and we need to help.  As the story begins to unfold I become more and more heart broken for them. 


For kids when they leave the orphanage system , many of them have no family that is able to watch out for them, and they don't have the necessary skills to watch for themselves.  That was the case for Ruslan when he left an orphanage for mildly disabled kids about 5 years ago.   It only took a short time before someone who was praying on vulnerable kids snatched him and likely sold him into slavery in Kazakhstan.  

Some how he was able to get away and made his way to Sergey and was then introduced to the farm.   Now 21 years old he is ready to start putting his life together.  He is  severely traumatized. probably not in the best physical condition and has bad headaches.  

  Julie and I just received a training for dealing with kids with Trauma and how best to help them ... nothing in the books gave examples of the trauma to the extent that this young man has faced.  We will just start by doing what we can do, showing love and care, and praying that God would heal and restore this young man.   I am not sure that Vlad knew all that he would be dealing with when he came to work with us at the farm,  but I know that he has the heart desire and ability to make a difference for Ruslan.  We are so thankful he and Sergey are there to help.  

This is just one of the boys that we are looking for a sponsor for so we can help.   Now that you know a little more of the story, DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE. 




 

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Looking for monthly sponsors.

We are expecting about 4 more young adults ( that we know of )  to become part of our family in the next few weeks. 

If you have been thinking about setting up a monthly sponsorship supporting the farm , now would be a great time.  Every person on the farm gets a salary of about $50 plus all their living expenses and medical expenses .    

Please consider how you could help us to meet this added expense. 


family meal at the farm 

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Great work Aipery

Aipery has been a busy girl. As well as being a full time mom and  helping Aigoola cooking and caring for the kids on the farm, She has been helping with many of the humanitarian endeavors.  She is the main contact for a young baby who lost his mom and was not doing well. The baby is doing great !  As well Aipery helps with putting together food hampers from the farm when there are families in need.   


The last couple weeks she has also been working on programming for the sewing machine so that we can start embroidering shirts and bags for sale in the gift shop.   Check out this cool little video that shows the work in Progress. 




Tuesday, February 13, 2018

"The substance of things HOPED for!"


Many of you have either donated specifically for food for families in need or into our general fund.  We are so thankful for this.  This year has been especially long and cold, and this has put pressure on the economy.  Many families are finding themselves in trouble.  Just stop and imagine being out of food and someone shows up with flower oil fresh produce, sugar, tea and an assortment of grains and pasta's .. In a society with little to no hope , THIS IS WHAT HOPE LOOKS LIKE .. 

Thank you . 



 A short time ago I was talking to Vlad and he told me that we were starting to run low on coal and supplies, maybe enough for a couple weeks.   Right away I said well lets stop deliveries so that we can make it through the winter on the farm.   

I then got up and walked over to the kitchen to get a nice cup of coffee and a muffin , walking back to my computer past a nice warm fire and looking outside at a freezing -22 day.    I was convicted. We have been so blessed and for me to sit in my nice warm house enjoying a fresh muffin, and putting a stop to aid for others in need .. it was just wrong.  Right away I messaged back to Vlad "DON'T STOP .. We will figure something out".

   This morning, outside is freezing, inside is warm. the coffee is on and I pull a tray of fresh muffins out of the oven, and I have no conviction .... I pray that you can say the same. 



Saturday, February 10, 2018

open for business

As we work towards self sustainability on the farm, we are excited to have the Guest house and Yurts.  Not only is it a great way for us to raise our operating budget, but it teaches our kids hospitality.. something that is so important in a Kyrgyz home, and something that they would have missed out on in the orphanages.  The kids learn to care for the guests needs, and be aware of what they might need.  They also will learn many life skills such as cooking and cleaning.  
  Having guests on the farm help to give our kids a much broader outlook on life as well.  Guests from all over the world have spent time on the farm and had the opportunity to share their culture and experiences .. what a great  experience for both the farm and the guests.    here is what one of our guests had to say 

"I work as a tour operator/ translator / driver out of Bishkek and recently had the opportunity to stay at the farm guesthouse with my guests for a little over two weeks. It was such a great experience for us. The staff were friendly and made us feel at home. The meals were great and the accommodations were clean and inviting. It became a home away from home. We even had a chance to stay up at the yurt one night. This is an experience I would recommend to anyone .. A traditional yurt with all the comforts.. the the view was incredible ..With so many things to see close to the farm like the hot springs and the Burana tower, the location was perfect for us. Thank you everyone for making this such a great experience. I am looking forward to the next opportunity I get to bring guests . "

We are now getting ready for the the 2018 season.   Yesterday we turned back on the airbnb booking site with a few more additions as we added the yurts and the second guest house .  You can check out the link below . 


We have a busy spring .  Starting the 6th of April we are pretty much booked right through to the beginning of June .  We do have a few openings in our over flow, but will save them for the walk in traffic as available.  

Also available we have a room in Bishkek that our guests can stay at while in the city . 



In the green house things are still doing great .  The strawberries have been divided and have started to bloom and produce fruit again.   

the Bukchoy is looking green and healthy but is not  growing very fast. I think as soon as spring comes we will transplant them out in the fields and they should grow fast .   these have been planted for two months, but in contrast , bellow is a picture of the red lettuce that was planted just three weeks ago 




Here is lettuce at about 5 weeks 


The spinach is like a jungle now.   And as fast as we pick it it is growing back.  This is great . We have been able to develop a market for it , and being winter, the prices are very profitable.  Spinach is also a very hardy plant and can take cold temperatures so that if we did have troubles in the sub zero conditions, the plants would still survive. 


The peas are filling out nicely.  I don't think we could ever grow enough to really make any money on them but they are nice to have for the kids on the farm . 



Thursday, February 08, 2018

A great week of travel

We had some guests at the farm during the summer that are now doing some exhibitions about their travels .  Here they are setting up, this picture is of Sibera and the eagle hunter up at the yurts.  


Last weeks training with David and Jayne was so incredible. We were so blessed to be a part of it, and have learned so much that will help us and the kids we work with.


 We spent a lot of time on the road in various snow conditions over the last week .  This was the view for many hours.


Our travels brought up to Espanola where we attended the celebration of life from a dear friend of ours.  Carol and her husband Jack (who passed away about a year ago ) were very close followers and prayer partners of yours .  Our blog had a link button in the middle of their home page , where every day would begin with a visit to actofkindness before morning tea.  Likewise this painting of Carols was the screen saver on my computer.   I am honored and blessed to now have the original hanging in my living room.  We are going to make a print of it to hang in the living room at the farm guest house as well.      


Back in KG the cold has meant more hard ship.  In schools, teachers have not been paid for a wile because the heating bills where too high .   this has put some added strain onto many good people .. Fortunately we have been able to bless them with flower, oil, tea, and sugar .  Thank you to those who support our efforts to help when needed ... Stop for a moment and realize the feeling  of relief that is in this picture.. well done!