Sunday 29 September 2013

They Painted Everything!



The last two weeks have been busy here.  A team from my church in Canada came to visit and helped out with some projects for the folks at Act of Kindness.  It was great to have them here and they did a fantastic job of spreading God's love throughout the Chui Valley.  From the moment they got here until the time they left they didn't stop.

They did everything from providing meals and food hampers for the less fortunate to spending quality time with orphans and seniors.  They painted everything from nails to faces to fences and they did it exuding such love.  They have left an indelible mark on the hearts of many here in Kyrgyzstan.  Everyone on the team was absolutely amazing.

Now that the team has gone it's pretty quiet.  I have just spent the last few days catching up with myself.  In the upcoming weeks I want to get back to regular visits at the baby orphanage and I hope to be able to do something at the men's disabled home and Orlovka Orphanage.

I am still trying to raise money to buy warm blankets for the seniors home and coal for needy families as I mentioned in my last blog entry.  http://blairs-page.blogspot.com/2013/09/wellits-worse-than-i-thought.html  I would really appreciate your help in doing this.  Winter can start literally any day and even though winters are short they are deadly in Kyrgyzstan.  To help you can click the link on the right side of the blog for LinK 127 to give on line.  You can also mail a gift to the address below or send an e-transfer to blairslife1@gmail.com.  Please include a note advising that your gift is for me and how you would like me to use it.  Canadian donations are tax deductible but not those by e-transfer.  Please consider helping to save lives.

Please continue to keep me in your prayers.  Thank you for seeing my heart.  Я люблю тебя!


LinK 127
833 Canaan Mountain Road
Kentville, NS
Canada B4N 4K1

 
They gave hand massages and painted nails at the Kemin Seniors Home...

...and they provided a good lunch for the seniors

Donating knitted things to the baby hospital

Spreading love at the baby orphanage

They took the kids from Beikut Orphanage to the hot springs

Painting the fence at a new church

Painting the church

Face painting

Getting food hampers ready to deliver to families in need

Painting a mural at the men's disabled home in Kemin

Delivering food to those who glean their living at the dump

Digging post holes for a playground fence in East Iskra

A great team!!

Tuesday 24 September 2013

Well...It's Worse Than I thought!



I have finally a minute to sit down and write this entry.  I have been busy the past week and a half tagging along with my friends from my church in Canada who are here helping the folks of Act of Kindness and are spreading God's love throughout the Chui Valley.  After they leave on Friday and I have a chance to sort through my photos I will write more about their visit.  They have been doing great!

One day I was able to go with them to visit the folks at the Kemin Senior's home.  As I mentioned in my last blog entry this is the home that I want to buy new blankets for.  Winter can literally happen here any day now and temperatures can go down as low as minus 35C.  Being warm in a Kyrgyzstan winter means the difference between life and death (this is not an exaggeration; many do die here every winter).  When we toured the Kemin Home I discovered that the blankets they have now are not very good as you'll see in the photos.  They are worse than I expected and this brings a new urgency to me getting these replaced with some warm blankets.  I would like to raise $1000 and if I raise $300 more I would also like to buy new sheets and pillow cases.

As I also mentioned in my last blog entry I want to raise another $500 to buy 5 more tonnes of coal for families in need at Iskra village.  As it's cheaper than after winter starts, now is the best time to buy coal and today I will be delivering the first $500 for the first 5 tonnes to Larissa and Tanya. They coordinate distributing it and are so excited and grateful to get this jump on winter preparations.  10 Tonnes of coal will keep up to 15 families warm this winter.

Please please please will you consider helping me to spread some warmth for this winter?  It can save lives.

To help me do this you can donate on line by clicking the link on the right side of this blog for LinK 127.  You can also send a cheque to the address below or send an e-transfer to blairslife1@gmail.com.  Please include a note specifying that your donation is for me and where you would like me to use your gift.  Donations from Canada are tax deductible (but not those sent via e-transfer).  Every dollar counts!!

Thank you for seeing my heart.  Я люблю тебя!

LinK 127
833 Canaan Mountain Road
Kentville, NS
Canada B4N 4K1

At the Kemin Home



These are the kind of blankets I want to buy.

This is 5 tonnes of coal from last year.  I would like to buy another pile like this.

Another picture from last year.  Tanya is on the right.

Sunday 15 September 2013

Company's Coming


As I'm posting this a team of my friends from my church in Canada should be taking off on the first leg of their journey here to Kyrgyzstan.  I am looking forward to meeting them at the airport tomorrow afternoon and being with them for the next 11 days.  All of the preparations are done and everything is ready.  It is going to be awesome to have them here spreading lots of love around the Chui Valley.  I can't wait.

The needs here in Kyrgyzstan are many but I have narrowed my focus to two projects that I would like to complete while I'm here.  One thing is that I would like to raise $1000 to pay for coal that will be distributed to needy families in the area this winter.  There's a chill in the air today and winter will be here before we know it.  I am pleased to say that I have already raised half of that (thanks so much A.O.) so now I have another $500 to go.  The other thing is that I would like to buy new blankets and perhaps sets of sheets and pillowcases for the residents at the Kemin Senior's home.  The cost for this would also be about $1000.  Here in Kyrgyzstan being warm in winter is literally the difference between life and death.  Would you like to help me spread some warmth?

To help me with this or to help with my support you can click the link on the right side of the blog for LinK 127 to donate on line.  If you wish you can set up a monthly sponsorship there as well.  You can also mail a gift to the address below or via e-transfer to blairslife1@gmail.com.  Please remember to include a note to specify that your gift is for me and how you would like me to use it.  Canadian donations are tax deductible (but not those sent by e-transfer).  Thank you so much.

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

LinK 127
833 Canaan Mountain Road
Kentville, NS
Canada B4N 4K1

My friends that are coming

Their beds are ready.  The blanket on the bed is the kind I would like to buy for the Kemon Seniors Home.  They are made locally here in Tokmok.  Buying them locally also helps to support the income of a wonderful woman who has a home business.

Sunday 8 September 2013

Back at My Kyrgyzstan Home



Early Thursday morning I arrived back home in Tokmok.  All of the travel went very smoothly - no delays, no lost luggage, no problems.  Although, I don't recommend plane travel with a bruised tailbone.  It happened a couple of weeks ago on a water slide...long story.  So needless to say I was VERY uncomfortable in an airplane seat without a doughnut cushion for several hours at a time and not able to stand due to some turbulence.   But I survived and here I am for the next 2 months.

I got to experience the infamous Aeroflop for the first time with this trip.  Over the years I have been fortunate enough to travel and experience many different airlines from the small rinky-dink ones to the very large ones.  Based on all of my flying experience so far Air Canada is still the absolute worst airline of all of them...hands down.  The only thing I really didn't like about Aeroflop was that there was no entertainment system on board.  But then it was a red eye and I wanted to sleep anyways.

I have to admit that as the time to come to Kyrgyzstan got closer I wasn't feeling the excitement like I usually do.  I guess that's due to feeling so close to everyone in Ukraine that I'll miss and being distracted by my financial stuff.  But after leaving the airport in Bishkek I got my first glimpse of those beautiful mountains and I felt much better.  And, you know you're home when:  the lady that reads the gas meter comes in, who I only saw once last year for a moment, looked at me and said:  "Do you come to Kyrgyzstan every year?" or, the little girl that lives downstairs who immediately recognized me and wanted to practice the new English phrases she learned in school.  She's doing really well at it.

So for the last few days I have just been settling in and catching up with myself.  The first day I was so tired after travelling for 2 days that I slept through a very loud doorbell...twice...and I am usually a very light sleeper.  Sergey was trying to find me as my phone wasn't working yet but we finally connected on the third try.  It's great to see him and his family again.

The next couple of months promise to be busy.  I'm excited that my church in Canada is sending a team that'll arrive next week and will be here for 11 days.  Shortly after they leave another team from Ontario will arrive.  Once I connect with John and Julie I will let you know what else is going on and what my wish list is for this trip.

As I mentioned a couple of blog entries ago I'm still believing for a major financial miracle so that I can be able to continue to do this work.  If you would like to help me show God's love to those who desperately need to see it please click the link on the right side of this blog for LinK 127 to donate on line.  You can set up a monthly sponsorship there as well.  You can also mail a gift to the address below or you can send an e-transfer to blairslife1@gmail.com.  Please remember to specify that your gift is for me and perhaps mention how you would like me to use it.  Donations from Canada are tax deductible (but not those sent by e-transfer).  Every dollar counts!!  Thank you soooo much.

Please continue to keep me in your prayers.  And as I always say:  Thank you for seeing my heart.  Till next time... Я люблю тебя!
 
LinK 127
833 Canaan Mountain Road
Kentville, NS
Canada B4N 4K1

As I had almost a whole day In Kyiv I did a little sight seeing.  This is the Friendship Arch which was built in Soviet times to commemorate the friendship between Kyiv and Moscow.  That friendship is running quite thin nowadays.

A view from behind the arch

At the airport in Moscow

The sunrise I saw going from Bishkek to Tokmok...a new beginning

Bekah and Emma left some breakfast for me...as well as some fruit...


The church was celebrating 14 years and had plov after service.  mmmm....

Monday 2 September 2013

Here I Go Again



Well my time in Krivoy Rog is over for this trip and it's time to be on the move again to Kyrgyzstan.  Tomorrow I take the night train to Kyiv and fly out of there on Wednesday afternoon and then I arrive in Bishkek Thursday morning.  I'm looking forward to seeing those beautiful mountains again and also having a team from my church in Canada come and visit in a couple of weeks.  And yet, even though it's for only 2 months, I will miss my friends here in Ukraine that have become my family.

This past week I spent tying up the loose ends and spending time with my friends.  I also tagged along with Lena T. again to visit the kids at the Rehab Centre.  As school started this week I was able to buy them some notebooks and pens to help with their school supplies.  As Lena D. is in charge of crafts for the Saturday programme, I delivered all of the craft supplies to her that I brought from Canada.  She was so happy to get them saying that it was like having a store in her living room.  Thank you to all who donated towards them.

Over the next 2 months, because internet prices in Kyrgyzstan are almost as high as in Canada and I have very little budget left, my on line updates will likely not be very regular.  I will not be answering emails as often either.  Once in a while when I do get to an internet connection I will post an update and photos.

As I mentioned in my previous blog entry I am needing a major financial boost so that I can continue this work here.  If you would like to help me with this you can click the link on the right side of the blog for LinK 127 to donate on line.  If you wish you can set up a monthly sponsorship there as well.  Please remember to specify that your gift is for me and what you may like me to use the gift for.  You can also mail a donation to the address below or send an e-transfer to blairslife1@gmail.com.  Canadian donations are tax deductible (but not those by e-transfer.)   Every dollar counts!

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

Pens and notebooks for the Rehab Centre kids




Because Natalie and I are both leaving and it was her birthday this weekend, it was a good excuse for cake.

It translates to:  Thanks for what you are!


It was delicious!!