One more sleep

Last will , last supper and last boil of sap .  Today we are getting all the last minute things taken care of.  We were blessed with a beautiful roast given to us by our neighbour,  the Heritage Farms Farm store . It was fantastic and we were happy to be able share it with some family before we go.   We finally got our wills finished and taken care of.  Today I also brought in the last of the sap before we go and pulled the spigots from the trees . It has not been great weather so the sap has been slow, and I think we are leaving before it really gets going, but I did get a few bottles to bring with us . 

Winter was supposed to be gone in Kyrgyzstan but it is still holding on.  I have left instructions to get that mess cleared up before we get there .

A couple days ago I showed some pictures of some logs that the boys had collected up.  They decided that it would be better to have them cut into planks .  They will be great to sell when they dry... if we have not used them ourselves first. 

Either way , this has been one more skill for the boys to learn. 

Two more sleeps

Already we are experiencing the effects of food shortages and crazy inflation, on top of the devaluation of the currency.  The strongest currency these days seems to be compassion.  

I just love seeing all the people that  have received seeds this year so that they can plant gardens to be able to bless and show compassion  to those around them.   It will take work, but they know that it will be worth it when they have produce to give.  

We are so blessed that the funds came in and the seeds arrive just days before the down turn started.  It was not just the seeds and food hampers that were ready, but also three shipments of vitamins have arrived and we have been able to get those distributed.   

The boys are doing a great job over at Ravils new apartment .  learning some new trades . 

With the prices of everything going up so fast , Kamalla did a bit of shopping for the Breakfast club to last them for a month or two so that we will be able to continue with their weekly meals .  

Three of our four bags are repacked and enough stuff to pack two more bags just needs to be paired down to fit into the final bag.  Just two more sleeps .  

 

Five more sleeps

Many hands make light work .. or so the saying goes, but I have done a lot of renovations and I am not sure that the work is any lighter .. just less of it ..... if you are not the foreman . 

We have a great foreman working with the boys teaching them as we go. Everything from construction, to welding and body work and car mechanic's, we are blessed with his expertise and willingness to teach .  

I had explained to Ravil that the boys all get a salary from the farm and if they are working at his place they are not working on the farm, so he is not to pay them, but he is allowed to feed them .. I was thinking bread and calabaza . but he had something a little nicer in mind.  

While they were working , something did come up . They are in the rain and snow season right now, and Serge's roof has started to leak 

I have changed things up a bit this spring. We had several building projects that we were going to address, but now with the economic down turn brought on by the war in Ukraine and with it understandable redirection of donations,  we really need to tighten the purse strings .. But some things can not be left un done .. With the mud block houses, in no time at all a small leak can cause major structural damage, so we will need to address this right away some how. 

 

Just before the war started we had ordered a bunch of vitamins in three separate orders as the funds were available . This week we received that third delivery . .. Here they are below along with David .. both of David's parents are Deaf .  they are part of the Blind and Deaf society that we try to help when we can . 

Today was meal day for some of the kids in Bishkek that we have over for a meal once a week . This makes sure we can get a good meal into them, some food to take home to cook and some times a bit of tuition or rent money ... but most important, they know that they are not alone. 

We are getting excited to return to Kyrgyzstan.  Five more sleeps and we are on our way back .

 

6 days and counting

A cold blistery snow day at the farm, but inside the green house, the seeds are starting to poke their little heads out of the ground. 

There was not much that could go on at the farm with all the snow, so the kids headed into Tokmok to do some work at Ravils new apartment .  It is a good time for the boys to learn and practice some new trades  

While in town they were given another load of wood that they can cut up for fire starters to give with the coal in the fall.  

Julie and I are getting down to the wire now. we are set to fly out in 6 days so there is a lot of last minute stuff around the house to do before we go. Lets hope they get rid of that snow before we get there. 

 

Blessed to be a Blessing

"He himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive."

And what better gift to give someone than the gift that will enable then to in turn GIVE .. That is what has been happening with the gift of the seeds and the food hampers.  Over 250 families that want to be able to GIVE to those around them have agreed to plant , work and harvest gardens.   I am sure that there are always more that would like to be a part of this , both here wanting to give , and there that would like to plant, especially with the economic collapse that Kyrgyzstan is facing. In another week when we get all these distributed , we will be able to do a second round with any funds that come in by then , The difficulty will be that the next round will be around $20 for food rather then $10 and the seeds will be around $15 so we will be up to $35 a family at todays inflation rates .. hopefully that levels out soon.