A Great Weekend – But More Help is Needed

This past weekend I got to go camping for the 1^st time in a lot of years.  This was actual camping – with tents only, no running water, no electricity, no flush toilets, no internet, just the basics.  It was a blast!!  However this was a camping trip with a purpose.  On Friday night we went to the camp site to set things up for the following day to host a picnic for some of the men from the disabled home at Boorie Ooglie.  The site is situated on a beautiful spot in the forest and on the river.

The men (and a lady) arrived on Saturday morning and spent the entire day swimming, eating and just hanging out in this beautiful setting.  They had a great time, although, I don’t actually know if they had more fun or if we did.  The ladies who were cooking said that the temperature reached 40 degrees Celsius in the shade and 50 in the sun.  The river came in REALLY handy, but it didn’t (quite) feel that hot.  After supper some very happy people went home and we stayed over another night to tear things down the next day.  We hope to have more picnics for more disabled people this summer.  This is the 1^st request for help.

These picnics cost $300 to put on and if we can get more sponsored more people will be able to get out of these 1950’s style institutions for an amazing day, a day when they are given some dignity as well as some fun, good food and fellowship.

The 2^nd request for help involves one of our workers here named Ira.  Those of you who have come to Krivoy Rog will have met her as she coordinates many things including team visits, the daily goings on here and much more.  She gives so much of her time and of herself in this work.  Ira is one of the “mothers” I have mentioned in previous blogs who worry if I’m doing okay and have enough to eat.  Recently she was hospitalized and had gall bladder surgery, but is on the mend and is doing well.  Her surgery cost $900 and Ira cannot afford this expense.  Where she has given so much of herself (she is still coordinating things by cell phone from the hospital) it would be great to give something back to this marvellous woman. 

As I mentioned in my previous blog I would also like to take the Rehab Centre kids to McDonald’s.  That will cost $250 (I have $220 to go) but I’ll talk more about that next time.   

Every dollar will make a difference in making these needs and dreams come true.  Will you help?

To help you can click the donations link for LinK 127 at the right side of this blog to donate on line.  You can designate the donation to me by clicking my name in the drop down box.  Please also specify in the memo box which need or dream you wish to help with.  If you prefer to send a cheque you can find the mailing address under the “Details and Contact info” tab.  When mailing a donation please include a note to specify where you may like your gift to be directed to. 

Thank you for seeing my heart.  Please keep me in your prayers.  Till next time… Я люблю тебя!

This is Ira

Summer Activities – Request for Help

Things have been rolling along here in Krivoy Rog with summer activities in full swing.  Last week we finished the deliveries of Natalie’s fruit and juice treats to the children’s invalid home to some very happy kids.  Church has been busy with some special speakers coming in and with gearing up for a conference this coming week.  I have also been busy with room mates and I now have a whole new appreciation of any parent who has teenagers.  Oy vey! 

This week I went along with Ira K. and some of the gang to a nearby town called Apolostova where there are some outlet stores.  We were shopping for bedding and other necessities for 15 kids who are graduating out of Sunshine Orphanage to start life on their own.  This is going to be a huge and scary step for them.  I was also VERY happy to find trucks on the roadside there selling samsa and lipioshki.  Samsa is, I guess you could say, the Uzbek version of a pizza pocket (but is a thousand times better) and lipioshki is the “frisbee” bread I mentioned in previous blogs.  Both of these are sold everywhere in Kyrgyzstan and this is the 1^st time I saw them in Ukraine.  They were sooo good.  We also bought and delivered some laundry soap to Boorie Ooglie, the disabled men’s home.

Lena T. and I also went to the kids rehab centre to spend time with the kids.  The rehab centre is for kids who are recovering from addictions and is kind of like Teen Challenge.  It was so hot that we all ended up going for ice cream.  (Our temperatures have been in the 30’s and 40’s Celsius.)  Then we spent the rest of the morning visiting and getting to know each other.  We hope to get in one more visit before the kids go to camp this coming week for 3 weeks.  When they come back I would love to be able to sponsor them on an outing to McDonald’s, as well as for craft supplies for our visits.  This is where the request for help comes in. 

Going to McDonald’s is a HUGE deal for the kids here as they just don’t have the means or the opportunity to go there very often and McJoyful Christmas is still a ways off.  Would you please consider helping me to arrange Happy Meals and transportation for 35 to 40 kids (as well as for some craft supplies)?  Your help would be appreciated soooo much.

To donate you can click the donations link for LinK 127 at the right side of this blog to donate on line.  You can designate the donation to me by clicking my name in the drop down box.  If you prefer to send a cheque you can find the mailing address under the “Details and Contact info” tab.  When mailing a donation please include a note to specify where you may like your gift to be directed to.  If you wish you can also donate to any of our programmes at LinK 127 or for my ongoing support. 

Thank you for seeing my heart.  Please keep me in your prayers.  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

Ira K. and Yura

A happy director

I wonder if they'll consider driving a few of these trucks to Krivoy Rog?

Another happy director

Back In Ukraine

I’ve been back in my other home in Ukraine for two weeks now and have finally thought of writing a blog entry.  I arrived in Kyiv on June 24^th and had the fastest trip through customs ever – less than 15 minutes including the line up.  They streamlined the process at the airport because of the Euro 2012 games and it’s a very efficient procedure now.  There’s also a lot more English signage in Kyiv now and many more people in the service industries have learned to speak English.  This has made Kyiv MUCH more tourist friendly – although it was pretty tourist friendly before.  We went straight from the airport to church where the kid’s lesson was, of all things, about Kyrgyzstan…go figure.  The next morning Julia, Vova and I took the train to Krivoy Rog where I’ll be staying for the summer.

It turns out that I’m staying at the same apartment that I stayed in this past winter.  It also turned out that Pastor Ted and Gloria (from my church in Canada) were staying at the apartment as they were in town with Pastor Bill Wozney and his wife Cindy to speak at a Pastor’s conference at our church here.  It was so nice to have them here, to be able to spend time with them and to have them meet all of the people that have come to mean so much to me in Krivoy Rog.  The conference was amazing and just what I needed to help me recharge and refocus on things, and yes…Pastor Ted stood on a table again while delivering his message.

After the conference was over and everyone left some new house guests came in for the summer - Natalie from Seattle who will be working a lot at the children’s invalid home and translator Alina.  Natalie sponsored the kids at the invalid home to get raspberries as a treat.  Like so many orphanages here and in Kyrgyzstan getting fresh fruit is only a once in a while treat as budgets are strained to the breaking point.  So this past week we’ve been busy delivering the berries to some very happy kids.  This coming week we’ll be taking bananas to a couple of groups who aren’t able to chew raspberries because of the seeds or some dietary thing. 

So things are getting busy here for the summer and I’m looking forward to everything.  However, I’m also looking forward to returning to Kyrgyzstan.  I haven’t made any definite plans yet but I will soon once I make up my mind and start making arrangements.  Please keep me in your prayers.

If you wish to help with my ongoing support or any of our programmes (or maybe help me to sponsor some activities for the kids at the orphanages this summer) just click the donation link for LinK 127 at the right side of this blog.  You can donate on line or find the mailing address under the “Details and Contact info” tab to send a cheque.  When sending a donation please include a note to specify where you may like your gift to be directed to.  (There’s a drop down box for on line donations.)

Thank you for seeing my heart.  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

I took a wrong turn when I left the Metro station in Kyiv and found this.

The floral clock in Independence Square, Kyiv dressed up with the mascots for Euro 2012

Pastor Ted encouraging the workers here in Krivoy Rog.

One of several raspberry deliveries.