Buy the seeds you plant !

We are preparing to get the kids back into school this fall.  Tuition aside,  We have some added expenses this year.  

Nick and Dustan stopping for a treat while out on deliveries from the farm 

We have two of the boys on the farm that will be going to class by internet until the covid settles down a bit.  So we have decided to set up the living room at house two where Nick stays as a class room for them.  This way Nick will be able to supervise classes.  Someone will be coming   this week to set up a solid internet connection for us so that we will be able to have two virtual classes at the same time.  As well we are going to purchase two laptops that will be suitable for their needs .  The laptops will not be permitted out of the class room and there will be supervised internet and no gaming on them.   

Ruslan harvesting peppers 

 

Some times we must plant seeds if we expect a harvest.  Its time to plant into the lives of these boys.  The total cost for two laptops and setting up the internet will be about $1000 USD.. or about  $1400 Canadian .. Now here is the cool thing .. I himed and hawed about what to do and how to post this need, I actually started the post yesterday morning , then I got a phone call , some one felt prompted that there was a need on the farm right now ... they had a donation of $700 CDN .. wow half way there before I even push the publish button ..   I will update here when the need has been covered .. Thank you everyone for your consideration .

It has been a month now since our last push for funds for food hampers .  We have not stopped , we continue to provide food to orphanages and families in need .   Now that the produce is in at the farm we are able to cover most of the food directly from the fields , we still have some need for flower and oil and rice to go with it, but the pressure is off a bit. 

On the farm as the produce is coming in off the fields we are thinking ahead to the fall and have started planting tomatoes and cucumbers for in the green house this winter .  If our timing is right we will start harvesting in the end of October when the fields finish up. 

“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

― Robert Louis Stevenson

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

Here in North America there is a lot of concern about kids and lock down .. People are saying that it is not good for them and we need to get them back to school and back out into society so that there is not lasting mental health concerns,  as we go into our sixth month of this.  I hear of friends saying how now when they do go out of the house their kids are not comfortable, even  a car puling into the driveway can bring elevated stress  and that is a result of 6 months  ..    Now with that in mind , I would like for you to revisit the idea of kids in institutions and orphanages ..  Every day is a lock down for them . 
some will never be out of the orphanage .. life for them stops at the front gates .   As we begin talking and dreaming of getting life back to normal, or a new kind of normal,  consider those for whom life has not really changed .. living out life in isolation, knowing one day they will be on the other side of the gate looking in . 

Delivered today to one of the orphanages. 50-60 kg of egg-plants, 20 kg of tomatoes, 20 kg of cabbage and 15 kg of sweet pepper. It really is special for the kids when they can return to their orphanages, this time bringing food and supplies.. the fruit of their labors .

There is something particularly powerful about this picture .  If you look past the food , you will see 3 little heads looking out.  It was only a couple years ago that Mirlan was delivering the food and Lotia was the one watching... and wondering .. Wondering what will be his future, where will he go when he leaves the orphanage.  I am told buy the director of the treatment center that the number one stress that the kids are facing is when they start to worry about what their future has in store for them. Many can not handle the stress and it begins to manifest in their health and behavior.   

When they see kids like Lotia and Mirlan , kids that they have known , come back and bring them help, it gives them a sense of relief that there is life on the other side of the gates.  

Life on the farm really is a great life for these kids.  It may or not be what their long term plan will hold, but for now they have a chance to stabilize, learn, and grow. 

As they work together to harvest and prepare for the next food drop, it is OK for them to feel a bit of pride about a job well done 

Knowing that they will be going back to visit their old home , but this time feeling secure is such a great feeling. 

A feeling of accomplishment 

almost an excitement as they pack the bags with love . 

So no its not just a food drop.. its a delivery of LOVE, COMPASSION, and a HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.

Sunday night was a special night at the farm.  To change things up a bit, the kids went to the hot springs, then came back to the farm for some special cheese burgers made by Vlad . 

Throw in some fries , salads and pop and you have a real celebration .

Along with the food deliveries , we are doing some canning and dehydrating for the winter months. 

 

Once again, from all of us at the farm  to all of you who have invested in all of us,  a big thank you for making this possible . 

Good bye Lilly

Its a sad day for us today .  Our dog Lilly died last night .  She was dumped on the side of the road as a little pup and found a home with us.  The first 10 years she lived out in the country in Canada. In her senior years, she moved to Kyrgyzstan to be with Bekah full time.  She spent 5 more years there where she became a true mountain dog. It was her favorite place . 

Inspired buy the the many pictures of Lilly enjoying the mountains,  our friend Marilyn made this beautiful quilt.

     Early this morning she made her last journey to the mountains and is berried under the apple tree in the secret garden.  

"O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words. Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. Keep me as the apple of your eye"

The light at the end of the tunnel has been turned back on.

We have been getting some great reports out of Kyrgyzstan .  the second wave of the covid has began to get under some control.  For the first time in weeks the field hospital has no patients right now. 

It took some time for people to recognize the importance of wearing  masks in public,  but once it became obvious with family and friends sick and dying all around them it reach an undeniable state.  Now with safe distancing, disinfecting and masks they are getting things under control.  Many are still being treated at their own homes which is working well and keeping people quarantined .   We have seen some incredible people rise up during this crisis , from those helping to package and distribute food, those putting their own lives on the line to organize volunteers in the hospitals , the portable oxygen unit volunteers , the tired and worn out Drs and nurses who have been working 14 day shifts, and those of you who have given sacrificially to purchase the food and medical supplies that make this possible . 

There is still a huge mountain to climb before this is over and we can't stop now, but it sure is nice to see that the light at the end of the hospital has been turned back on.

The produce is coming in nicely now at the farm, and we have been able to start produce drops,  Yesterday there were two big drops sent to a women's and  a men's rehabilitation center .

Today they are busy digging and bagging up some potatoes. 

Our Holstein cow had a calf a couple days ago.  This is great news for us. Last year she did not get pregnant even though we had the vet out 3 or 4 times , and this year it was looking the same.  We had her inseminated with a high end pure bred Holstein.  The calf is a girl so that's great news .   

and the milk is back...

Now join me as we take a moment and look at some pretty flowers from the garden .