We hit our Target

 So happy to say that we reached out target for the seeds and the groceries that we will be handing out next weeks , the seeds have been ordered and they have started putting food hampers together.   Thankyou to everyone who had a part of this . 

At the farm they had a birthday celebration for Angola .   Happy Birthday to a special Lady 

A match made in Heaven

I have been sharing so much about our fundraiser for seeds, (which still continues ) but I wanted to give a bit of an update about some other things going on with previous donations . 

The Vitamins have started on the move. C, D Zink, probiotics, and D's for babies along with N95 masks .  We will start organizing these now, and next week the shipment of Prenatal Vitamins along with Multi vitamins will arrive . then we will be ready to start delivering to expected moms and families in need . 

We have a friend from Kyrgyzstan  who has been working in the refugee camps in Pakistan.  After years  of living on the farm and helping us deliver food hampers in Kyrgyzstan she contacted us and said that she has found so many people near her that are in terrible need and was wondering if we could help her to reach out and help them.  Its interesting how God works , after a few times of delivering food, someone contacted me and asked if they could sponsor her monthly to help in the refugee camps . "A match made in Heaven"

 The people were so blessed and send a huge Thank you for the help.

The Eleventh Hour

As you know , we have a goal of raising $5000 to be able to provide seeds and food hampers to $250 families .. $2500 for seeds and $2500 for food . This morning was the deadline to be able to order and pay for the seeds .... And this morning I woke up to a total of $2520 .. this will be enough to move ahead with purchasing the seeds . 

  I find that funds often arrive in the 11th hour, and that is simply because God knows that we do not need them before that .. He is always on time . 

 We will continue to raise funds and I am believing that the food money will come next. We have one week before we will be ready to start packing the food bags, so we will keep the thermometer going for the next week . 

In Canada ,  there is a break in the weather , so that means getting ready for the Maple syrup.  I put in a dozen spigots in the trees and lit a fire in the Kazan to try to melt off some of the snow before I need to start boiling down the sap.  

Back in Kyrgyzstan, we were given a tree that needed to come down, they know that we give away a lot of wood and coal, so they were happy to help.  Sergey and the boys went to work and brought it back to the farm and cut and split it for for fir wood 

 

Unless it falls to the ground

 I can remember as a kid when my mom would get out the seed catalog and pour over it tryin to decide what to order for the garden .  Then when I was older , it was me pouring over the catalog .  It was with great joy that I would lay out all the seeds on the table when they arrived .. stacking the packages by "time to plant" , then by "variety" , then I would put them around the table as if laying out the design of the garden that year ... I Know I am not the only one , I am in a green house gardener group and everyone is excited as their seeds are arriving ..

By contrast , I know of families in Kyrgyzstan where they could not even imagine being able to spend money on seeds , and if they had a potato they certainly would not have the luxury of planting it when their families are so hungry . They simply do not have an opportunity to experience the JOY that comes when the seeds arrive..  That is until NOW... For just $20 we can give them a big bag of seeds to plant their gardens and hope and dream of a positive future . We also include about a weeks worth of groceries so that they can feed their families and not be tempted to eat the seeds . 

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

Into the MUD and OUT OF THE MUD.

There is something special that happens when you help someone plant seeds .. Just by nature it is new life and a fresh start .  As you care for and tend to the crops they begin to bare fruit.  When the kids come to the farm, they learn to be farmers.  

When the crops start to grow, they get so excited.  But the greatest excitement of all comes when they are able to bring food back to the orphanage that they came from , or to their friends and families if they have them .  

It is the same thing with families that we help with seeds .  People are shy, some times embarrassed to receive help at  times .   The vast majority really do want to be receiving help and not comfortable with it.  In fact we probably show you less then 10% of those we help out of respect for their wishes . 

 But let me tell you, when we can give people an opportunity to not only succeed for themselves, but be in a position to help others, THAT is when we are truly making a difference in their lives. 

A single package of seeds tossed INTO THE MUD has the ability to produce a thousand lbs of produce OUT OF THE MUD and in doing so  lift a person out of the mud as they provide for themselves and are able to be the ones blessing those around them .. It is truly a beautiful thing..  

 

A single donation of just $20 can be  instrumental in lifting a family out of the MUD and not just helping them but all those around them as they are able to share the blessing.  

Pray for the seeds

It takes a special type of faith to plant a garden.  In a country like Kyrgyzstan, for many families , spring planting comes at the end of a long winter. 

 A time when food supplies are short, and many are sick or weak from poor nutrition over the winter.  Then they have to take that which many do not even have, and go out back and put it in the dirt !  From that point They have to step back and trust God.  Will the seed germinate .. if it does not , there will not be more time in the season to replant! If it does germinate, will it get too much water , or not enough water...Its all a ballance, and many times there is not much they can do about that.  Then there is the scorching sun,  or the bugs that invade..

 Through it all they must Trust God , and   PRAY FOR THE SEEDS..  Because when we "Pray for the seeds " It does not mater what comes and what goes, those seeds will produce. 

That prayer starts NOW.. Literally praying for the seeds.  Right now we are praying for enough seeds to plant not just  5 gardens on the farm, but we also want to provide the seeds to 250 families so they can plant gardens for themselves and their neighbours in their area .  

 It is almost time to get many of the plants started in the green house and in window sills ... But we need the resources to pull this off . 

 We would like to raise $20 per family garden ($10 for seeds and $10 for food hamper )  If you would like to help sponsor a family , I can guarantee that they would appreciate it . 

Here is a little video we put together during the seed deliveries a year ago .. enjoy.
 

Pray for the seeds

What a wonderful few days it has been as we have been able to place two large vitamin orders, and are just $275 correction make that $175 away form placing the last order .   

My morning regiment is C, D, Zink, and grab my N95 before going out the door, so with those sitting beside my computer , my vitamin guy told me that he could get us a great deal on those four items.  We were also able to special order adult and children's multi vitamins as well as the needed Prenatal vitamins . they will arrive in about a week.   This is what is set aside for us now.. 

By the end of a long hard winter, with poor nutrition and poor living conditions, vitamins are more then a supplement, they truly are a necessity.  Even in our day to day with processed foods, they are vitamin enriched , but there they do not have that luxury and getting a balanced diet is almost impossible .  We are so happy that we can move ahead with this. 

The boys shop classes continue to be a blessing to the kids on the farm.  It is teaching them a new skill, instilling confidence, and keeping them busy and out of trouble.  Right now they are learning to weld . 

Its not all fun for the boys.  This week we had a couple of them in to the dentist at Hope clinic operated by our friends from Luke Service International  They have been such a blessing to the farm. 

We just celebrated Marats birthday with a pizza party.  As an added treat for him and us, we had the team from Espanola join on a zoom call so that we could all visit with the boys .

The coal deliveries and the food deliveries have continued 

This is such a blessing to be able to reach out to those in need . 

So With the vitamins almost covered, it is time for us to switch gears.  It is almost time for people in Kyrgyzstan to start their seeds indoors for the gardens . Last year we were able to provide seeds for 250 families who would have otherwise not been able to plant their gardens .   We would like to give each family about $10 worth of seeds. and if we can at the same time give them a small food drop.  

To be able to do this, we need to raise $2500 for coal and if possible $2500 for the food.  I hesitate to put out the request so soon after so many of you were so generous with the vitamins, but unfortunately.. the seeds need to be planted when they need to be planted.  So now we will pray for the seeds .