Circus Day

Last Sunday was circus day.  Natalie had made arrangements to take the kids from Dome Invalid (the children's disabled home) to the circus.  After the tickets were already purchased the home's director advised that she didn't want the kids to go offsite and would rather clowns or something like that come to the home instead.  Since Natalie's sponsors had raised money specifically for Dome Invalid I sponsored the tickets, some treats and a van, so that Natalie could be refunded, and we took a few of our workers here and some of the more able bodied folks from Boorie Ooglie to the circus instead.

It was really great to see the Boorie Ooglie folks enjoy themselves and spend a few hours away from the home.  The circus here is different from the 3 ring circuses in North America.  The style of it is actually what I picture when I think of a circus.  I guess you would say that it's a more traditional type of circus.  I won't say old fashioned because there was some modern stuff thrown in as well.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Other than that I haven't any new news to tell this time.  If you would like to help me to sponsor other activities and needs, or to help with my support please click the donations link at the right side of the blog for LinK 127 to donate on line.  You can also mail a donation to the address below or you can send an e-transfer to blairslife1@gmail.com.  Please specify that your donation is for me and where you would like me to direct your gift.  You can also arrange monthly sponsorship through LinK 127.  Canadian donations are tax deductible (but not those by e-transfer) and every dollar counts towards showing love to those who really need to see love in action.

I really appreciate your continued prayers and support.  In the next few months I'm going to have to make some very hard decisions about my life "on the road."  I'll talk more about that another time.  Thank you for seeing my heart.  Till next time… Я люблю тебя!

LinK 127

833 Canaan Mountain Road
Kentville, NS
Canada B4N 4K1

The lady clown made me think of Olive Oyl

Dancing horses

You can't tell by the picture, I had no idea sea lions are so huge

Ira T and a bunch of happy folks

Boorie Ooglie

A couple of blog entries ago I mentioned 8 year old Maxim who we visited in the hospital when he was waiting for surgery to correct his lazy eye.  Since our last visit he had his surgery but unfortunately it wasn't successful.  As this was the second attempt to correct his vision there will be no further attempts.  He is now back at the orphanage.  As the government has branded him disabled with mild developmental delays he will not get a regular education and he will spend his life in institutions, possibly ending up at Boorie Ooglie when he gets older.  Needless to say I'm bummed out about that.  He is such a bright and sweet kid.  Maxim's only chance in life now is to be adopted into a family that will make sure he gets a good education.  This is one of those times I feel so helpless...sigh.

Other than that, this past week I went to help pick pears with Yura and Seroge and then deliver them to the folks at Boorie Ooglie.  As I have also mentioned in previous entries about the slop the residents normally get to eat, the pears were a very welcome treat.  I'll let some of the photos speak for themselves.  I was bummed out again when some of the residents couldn't have any because they had no teeth to chew them.  Then in one section, I guess you call her the ward attendant refused to let us give them out in her section because the doctor didn't authorize it.  Like REALLY  why would healthy fruit have to be authorized by a doctor?!?  It's not like these folks were waiting for or had surgery recently.  And yet this past winter I was giving out candy in that section...maybe she wasn't working at the time I was there.

So that's basically what I have been up to lately.  Tonight I'm going with a group of the more able bodied from Boorie Ooglie to the circus so that should be a good time.  It's always so good to see them get out of that place even for just a few hours.

I also still want to raise money to sponsor some more picnics for them this summer.  If you would like to help me to do that, to help me with other activities, or to help with my support please click the donations link at the right side of the blog for LinK 127 to donate on line.  You can also mail a donation to the new address below or send an e-transfer to blairslife1@gmail.com.  Please remember to specify that your donation is for me and where you may want me to direct your gift.  You can also arrange monthly donations through LinK 127.  Canadian donations are tax deductible (but not those by e-transfer) and every dollar counts towards showing love to those who really need to see it.

Again, thank you for your continued prayers and support and thank you for seeing my heart.  Till next time… Я люблю тебя!

LinK 127

833 Canaan Mountain Road

Kentville, NS

Canada B4N 4K1 

Yura & Seroge in the pear tree

Yura & I passing them out at Boorie Ooglie

A welcome treat

Yura & Tolya mugging it up

The Kids Rehab Centre

Compared to the 1st few weeks here this past week and a half has been fairly quiet.  The Shelter Plus programmes are now finished until October and I have mostly been playing catch up with a bunch of stuff.  Then I twisted my knee on the way home from church Sunday and spent a couple of days with my leg up.  So I'm not getting around a lot yet but it's getting better each day.  I got to go with Lena T. to her Saturday programme at the kids rehab centre where we had a Bible lesson, craft time, snacks and quality time with the kids.

To refresh your memories, the kids rehab centre (which is also known as the boys rehab centre, even though they also have girls now) is for kids who have a parent(s) with alcohol or drug problems which ends up in the kids having a horrible home life.  The kids are brought to the centre by the state for a 9 month programme where they are given support counselling and are shown a loving environment to help build them up as individuals.  Right now there are around 40 kids there, almost double from last summer.  With the exception of 1 or 2 it is a whole new group of kids.  The director told me that all of them will not be going back to their families.  They will be transferred to orphanages with the exception of 5 boys who will be put into foster families.  So needless to say they need to see as much love as possible after the things they have gone through.  Every one of these kids are amazing and they get so excited when they see Lena come through the gates.

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry I wanted to take these kids to McDonald's.  In North America we take for granted that we can go there whenever we want.  The kids here can only dream of this as they just simply do not have the means to do it and it is a HUGE deal to them and McJoyful Christmas is still a few months away.  Well, today was the day we went and what a fun day it was.  The manager at the multiplex theatre gives the kids free admission to the movies, so we combined things and made it a McDonald's and movie day as McDonald's is just downstairs from the theatre.

I can't say enough how much I appreciate the McDonald's restaurants in Ukraine.  It's not that I've had bad experiences at McDonald's in North America, it's just that after seeing the staff in action at different restaurants with various groups over the last 2 years, the level of professionalism seems to be so much higher here in Ukraine.  The employees are so quick, efficient and have always treated us so well, thinking of little details that I always forget - like getting 40 plus balloons ready in a hurry and handing them out without even being asked.  Now, if they would just bring A&W to Ukraine so I can have a Papa burger with cheese, onion rings, a frosty mug of root beer...oh...sorry...I'm digressing.

I want to give a big THANK YOU to those of you who gave me donations while I was in Canada that enabled me to pull this off.  The rehab director said that the kids will remember this for a long time.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves.  As the kids are going to camp this weekend, and since I came in under budget, I was also able to sponsor some much needed sandals and swimsuits for the kids.

I am also still wanting to raise money to sponsor more picnics for the folks at Boorie Ooglie disabled home this summer.  I want them to get out of that place as often as possible and get some decent meals.  If you would like to help me do that or to help with other activities please click the donations link at the right side of the blog for LinK 127 to donate on line.  You can also mail a donation to the new address below or send an e-transfer to blairslife1@gmail.com.  Please remember to specify that your donation is for me and where you may want me to direct your gift.  You can also arrange monthly donations through LinK 127.  Canadian donations are tax deductible (but not those by e-transfer) and every dollar counts towards showing love to those who really need to see it.

Again, thank you for your continued prayers and support and thank you for seeing my heart.  Till next time… Я люблю тебя!

LinK 127

833 Canaan Mountain Road
Kentville, NS
Canada B4N 4K1

Lena T's Saturday programme

Lena D. brought some of her home made goodies

He wanted me to make him some glasses

McDonald's and movie day

We saw Monsters University in 3D

L-R:  Igor, Lena T., Lena's niece Nastya and a very happy Rehab director

Catching My Breath

It's been a busy couple of weeks and I finally have time to sit down to write this update and to catch my breath.  In this past 2 weeks I helped out a few days at the Shelter Plus Centre with some day camps as well as going to a team building session this past weekend for Shelter Plus' volunteers.

I have also been visiting a little friend Maxim in the hospital.  Max is 8 years old and is one of the kids I visited in the former Sunshine Orphanage.  He has a lazy eye and needs corrective surgery for it.  He was transferred to another orphanage when Sunshine was closed and his new orphanage quickly made arrangements for him to get his surgery which will hopefully be this week.  Natalie brought him a bag full of toys and crafts and I brought him some groceries and treats and we spent some quality time with him.  In the hospitals here if friends or family don't bring food to patients they only get a "Boorie Ooglie" meal.  Although, Max is liked by the hospital staff and when I was there last a nurse had brought him some berries and homemade pastries.

I was not able to get back to the baby hospital for a visit as they have issued a month long quarantine and no visitors are allowed.  Instead, I was able to tag along with our Australian friend Gilli-Anne on a visit to the baby orphanage to spend quality time with some of the kids there.

In my last update I mentioned some activities that I want to raise funds for.  Well, hallelujah things have moved fast.  I had mentioned that I was sponsoring 1 picnic for the Boorie Ooglie folks and since then Gilli-Anne pitched in for 2 picnics as well as for the repairs of the pipes at the Rehab Centre.  Once the workers here get money in hand they move fast and this past week we had those 3 picnics.  It is always so good to see the residents enjoy some decent meals and a day of relaxation and swimming in the park.  Our coordinator here, Ira T., is so grateful to everyone who pitched in.  To those in Canada and Australia who donated, thank you soooo much.

As it is still the beginning of summer, Ira mentioned that they would like to have more picnics for the Boorie Ooglie folks over the summer.  Believe me, I would like to get the residents out of that place as often as I can so that they can get as many decent meals as possible and enjoy some pleasant surroundings.  Ira said that to hold one picnic it costs $450 (US) or a block of 4 days of picnics costs $1000 (US).  Would you like to help to improve the quality of life for these wonderful folks and give them some dignity they deserve so much?

So that's the nutshell version of my activities this past 2 weeks.  Added to the excitement was the earthquake and the strange weather.  Oh yeah...the earthquake...one night after midnight we had a 4.6 quake, which rarely happens in Krivoy Rog.  It lasted literally for 2 seconds shaking my bed enough to wake me up and it rattled the closet doors.  My 1st reaction was that someone had broken into the apartment but when I saw that everything was still secure I thought that maybe it was a mine explosion as Krivoy Rog is full of collieries.  After checking the news the next morning I realized then what had happened.  As for the strange weather - while we were away on the weekend we had a big thunder and lightening storm with heavy rain at the park and there were stories of hail the size of golf balls in town.  When I came back home I saw that there were a lot of leaves down in the neighbourhood and then I looked out my window and saw broken glass and building tiles all over the back yard.  I checked the news and not only were there pictures of golf ball sized hail someone had also posted video of a small twister.  So needless to say life has been VERY interesting here.  It makes me wonder what's in store next.

If you would like to help me to sponsor more picnics and other activities or to help with my ongoing support please click the donations link at the right side of the blog for LinK 127 to donate on line.  You can also mail a donation to the address below or send an e-transfer to blairslife1@gmail.com.  Please remember to specify that your donation is for me and where you may want me to direct your gift.  You can also arrange monthly donations through LinK 127.  Canadian donations are tax deductible (but not those by e-transfer) and every dollar counts towards showing love to those who really need to see it.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support and thank you for seeing my heart.  Till next time… Я люблю тебя!  Happy Canada Day!!

LinK 127

34 Wynn Castle Dr.

Lwr. Sackville, NS

Canada B4E 2H5

One of the activities at the Shelter Plus day camp

Team building session for Shelter Plus volunteers

Max inspecting the goodies

Bubbles are always a hit at the baby orphanage

One of the picnics for Boorie Ooglie folks

On this day it was 40 degrees.  It was a great day to be at the river.