I’m Still Here

As I haven’t had a blog entry for 3 weeks I just wanted you to know that I’m still around.  It’s been very quiet for me these past few weeks.  I didn’t see Sergey for a few days as he was sick, then he was busy with a conference in Bishkek and the folks at Lamb International were busy with a team visiting from Barrie, Ont.  I’ve also been trying to conserve my internet use.  The only internet option that works for me here in the apartment is a pay as you go USB stick that is almost as expensive as Canadian internet – Yuk!  I still haven’t found any of the internet cafes in town. 

Having the down time was good though.  The apartment is REALLY clean and I kept up with the laundry.  (I have to do laundry by hand.)  I was also able to get some more review done with my Russian.  I can actually say a couple more phrases now.  It still hits me funny that when I say the words or phrases that I do know, people often remark that I speak without an accent.  I wonder what Russian sounds like with an accent.  I guess that’s a good testament to my Ukrainian teacher Anya.  And now as more people are finding out that I’m single the conversations tend to go like:  “You’re single?!?!  You live alone?!?!  But who cooks for you?!?!?”  Ah…memories of Ukraine lol…but I digress.

I also managed to keep busy by helping the Lamb folks with a project by painting at Beikut Orphanage here in Tokmok for a few days.  I also tagged along with them on a trip to the mountains when they took some men from the Iskra Disabled Men’s Home for a shashleek (shish kebab) picnic.  You can see more of the picnic and other activities at the Lamb International and the Act of Kindness blogs with the links to the right of this blog.  Then once Sergey was available we went around making some more deliveries of donations and managed to have some fun time with the kids at Orlovka Orphanage. 

So that’s what I’ve been up to lately.  Thank you for your continued support and for your kind thoughts.  If you wish to help with my ongoing support or any of our programmes 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.

Thank you for seeing my heart.  Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Mom’s in North America!!  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

Some of the painting I did at Beikut Orphanage. 

Those of you on Go Team 2007 may recognize our driver Isar (on the right) and of course Sergey.

Some of the kids at Orlovka Orphanage

This is my new favourite photo.  Sergey has caught some great moments with his camera.

The Highs and the Lows

This past week was a little quieter but we were still busy with all of the needs here.
Monday I tagged along with our friends from Lamb International to the Kemin Senior’s
Home where Ruby prepared a great meal for the residents. The residents also sang and
recited poems for us and we in return sang some songs to entertain them. It was a great
time of fellowship. Ruby and Lynn’s daughter Kim and husband Randy also brought
along a donation of new slippers and socks. We also delivered some donated clothing
from Sergey and Anya’s charity Lepta Plus.

The clothing and the other deliveries here as well as mentioned in previous blog entries are all part of a container of goods donated to Lepta Plus by some great people in Norway. They donated
clothing, furniture, toys, food, bath products, wheelchairs, walkers and many other things that will be put to good use here. Later on in the week we delivered and assembled two hospital baby beds and clothes from the container. One bed went to Tokmok Baby Hospital and one to Orlovka Orphanage with some clothes, and more clothes went to Red River Orphanage.

After we assembled the bed for the baby hospital the director brought in a baby boy for
us to meet and laid him in it. This baby was abandoned at a bus stop and was brought to
hospital by police. He was given the name of Almaz and he was likely abandoned
because he has 2 club feet. Right now documents are being prepared for him and
then he will be transferred to Tokmok Baby Orphanage. We are also looking into the
possibility of getting surgery sponsored for his feet through the Operations CAN be Done
programme. Almaz is going have a long road ahead of him.

After we left Almaz we went to Orlovka Orphanage with the other bed, the clothes
and some food that we bought along the way. After we delivered these things we spent
the rest of the afternoon with the kids. Orlovka is special to many of us since we first
visited in 2007 and there have been many great changes there since. This was the best
part of the week I think.

This week shows how this adventure can be heartbreaking and awesome at the same
time. On the Act of Kindness blog they posted someone’s Facebook status: “If
you have never wept over your calling…it’s a career!” To read more go to http://
actofkindness.blogspot.com/2012/04/more-then-career.html That pretty much sums up
our feelings here in Kyrgyzstan. But through the highs and the lows we are not giving up
anytime soon.

If anyone wishes to help with my ongoing support or to help out with our programmes
please check out 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 donating please include a note to specify where you may like your
donation to be directed to.

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

First customer in the new bed

Donations for Orlovka

Sergey sharing the story of April 8th

This is All So Very Humbling

Since I arrived in Kyrgyzstan it has been a whirlwind of activity.  There is sooo much work here to do that it’s hard to fathom.  The other day was one of the most…well humbling is the only word I can think of.  We started off the day by going to the Bazaar to buy bags of flour and apples which we took to the people at the dump.  The dump is where people go to dumpster dive but on a much larger scale, as Lynn and Ruby’s daughter Kim put it.  They scavenge for food or anything they can make money from.   I even saw a kid bring his cow to the dump to graze off of anything that could be found. 

When we pulled up to the dump people started coming around the van.  One lady came up to John with huge tears crying that she hadn’t had food in several days.  We then opened up the back doors to reveal the flour and apples which we handed out to some VERY grateful people.  We also entertained them with a few songs to lift their spirits and the lady who was crying was now dancing to our music.  Her tears were changed to tears of joy for a 20 Lb bag of flour and about 3 Lbs of apples.

After passing out the flour and apples our next stop was to a village where several years ago John and his team brought a water line to as there was no water source at that time for the village.  They were able to run the line from another area and set up a community tap so the people wouldn’t have to haul water very far.  John was telling me that this village is made up of different ethnicities, Russian, Kyrgyz and Dungan, and that the neighbours were always arguing with each other.  All of this changed when they got the villagers together around a table for a meal and then bringing in the water which was the answer to prayers. 

When we pulled into the village we saw a line up of farmers filling their tanks to take to the fields nearby for fertilizing.  It was a tangible example of how this water line has dramatically changed the lives of these villagers.  The better water source not only provides water for their households but also helps to grow better crops, which means more food and more income for villagers.  We could also see where some people had made new additions to their homes.  Speaking of additions, John also mentioned that in the year after the water line was installed there were a lot of babies born in the village that they now refer to as the water babies.

The people in the village are still so grateful to John that every time he visits they put on a celebration meal.  Two little girls also came through the crowd and presented him with a bouquet of flowers.  Tables were set up in the middle of the road and we had an amazing meal of plov, which is the national dish of Kyrgyzstan, and enough food to feed at least one army.  It was amazing seeing the joy and the gratefulness of the villagers and how well they are getting along.  All of this from getting around a table and putting their differences behind them and then running a simple water line into their village.

The dump and this village are but just two drops in a very large bucket of the needs here in Kyrgyzstan.  It all can be very overwhelming but I like how Lynn and Ruby put it with their slogan for Lamb International – “just stop for the one in front of you.” 

Don’t forget to check out the blogs for Act of Kindness and Lamb International to see more of what we’re all up to here.  Both links are at the right side of this blog.  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

Buying the flour and apples

Passing them out at the dump

Farmers lined up for water

We’re Still Busy

Another week and a half has passed by at the blink of an eye.  We have been enjoying some beautiful spring weather here in Tokmok (almost summer weather by Atlantic Canadian standards) with the temperatures in the 70’s during the day.  The cherry and apricot blossoms are out, the planting is well underway and things are getting green.  Spring is an amazing time to be in Kyrgyzstan.

This past week and a half was another busy one.  We sorted, packed and delivered donations to the senior’s home in Kemin twice, which is about 30 KM away from Tokmok, made 2 trips to Bishkek for appointments and made a trip to the men’s disabled home in Iskra to visit and deliver a donation.  We delivered food to the people at the dump which was a very humbling experience.  We attended a concert to celebrate April 8^th at the school where Sergey and Anya’s kids go.  All of the kids did an amazing job with a presentation about the history of that day.  We also made a 5 hour trip (each way) to the orphanage in the resort town of Karokol in Issyk-Kol’skaya Oblast to visit and deliver donations and we planted the garden at the Dayspring house. 

Just a bit more about where I am living for those of you not familiar with Kyrgyzstan.  An oblast is the same thing as a province and Kyrgyzstan has six oblasts.  Tokmok is in the Chuy (pronounced chewy) Valley in the Chuskaya Oblast in the northern part of Kyrgyzstan.  We are also just a couple of miles from the border of Kazakhstan which I can see from my balcony.  In fact, when we drive to Bishkek on the new highway we go through about a mile of Kazakhstan on the way.

On Wednesday (April 4^th) I finally got to meet John and Julie Wright whose blog I have been following for 5 years now.  It is the Act of Kindness link on the right side of this blog.  I have been in touch with them for almost all of that time and it was great to finally meet them in person.  I met their daughters Emma and Bekah last week as they were already here.  The Wrights have accomplished some amazing things here in Kyrgyzstan over the years and it has been amazing to see in person these things and to meet the people they have written about in their blog and hear their version.

I was also able to finally meet Lynn and Ruby Johnson and David Schooler of Lamb International who also arrived last week.  They too have accomplished many great things here over the years.  I will be tagging along with them and the Wrights as they continue their work and helping out wherever I can.  Keep an eye on the Wright’s blog and the blog for Lamb International to see more of what we’re all up to http://lambinternational.blogspot.com  (There are postings on both blogs now with photos.)  Among the plans is to install a playground next week after a team from Barrie arrives.

Speaking of Dayspring, I mentioned a little girl there waiting for heart surgery in my last blog posting.  Her name is Dasha and she has 2 holes in her heart which has also affected the health in her other organs and she gets sick very easily.  In early March she was admitted to hospital for her operation after being on a waiting list, but she had a cold they could not do the surgery.  She has now been cleared and was to be readmitted to hospital April 9^th but due to a machinery malfunction she will have to wait again.  We hope that she will be readmitted next week.  Once in hospital she will be there about 10 days before the surgery to be prepared for it.  Please remember her in your thoughts.  I’ll keep you posted of her progress and my other adventures here. 

If you wish to help out with our programmes for LinK 127 and Operations CAN be Done just click the donation link on the right side of this blog to donate on line or click the link and then click the Details and Contact info tab for the snail mail address to send a cheque.  Again, thank you for your kind thoughts, your continued support and for seeing my heart.  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

Getting donations ready for the Kemin Senior's home

Donations delivered to the orphanage at Karokol

A sample of the spring blossoms

Lynn & Ruby Johnston of Lamb International.  Their portrait behind them was painted by a resident of the men's disabled home in Iskra.

The Iskra disabled men's home...a big step up from Burie Ooglie in Ukraine

Planting the garden at the Dayspring House

Food delivery to the people at the dump

Kyrgyzstan Week 1

Well I finally had a chance to sit down and write this entry.  I arrived in Bishkek 3 AM on Sunday morning (March 25^th) and have not stopped since I got here.  For those unfamiliar with Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is about the size of Massachusetts with a population of between 5 and 6 million people.  A little over one million are in Bishkek which is the capital city.  I’ll be living in Tokmok which is around 60 KM from Bishkek, about the same distance from Halifax to Truro.  My friend Sergey Bajenov and his kids met me at the airport and brought me home to Tokmok where I have been incredibly blessed with another nice apartment – aside from the typical poorly designed and aging Soviet plumbing and heating systems.  After getting to the apartment for about 4 hours sleep and a shower it was off to the club for weekly meeting. 

I have been tagging along with Sergey and helping out wherever I can.  He and Anya are very busy people with their work here as well as with their 2 boys, Vladik and Artur, and their 4 adopted children Eye-ziz, Koomunshai, Allenbek and Aisaloo.  (I have no idea how to spell their names but this is how they sound.)  The kids are on break from school this week which is the same as March Break in Canada.  Sergey and Anya’s kids are an amazing and well rounded bunch of kids and the nicest I have met anywhere. 

Since I got here we have made the rounds to the Bazaar for shopping, stopped in on the mother of a friend in Ukraine to deliver a parcel from him.  We sorted, packed and delivered donations to the baby hospital and Red River Orphanage, visited Orlovka Orphanage where an actor friend of Anya’s put on a workshop for International Theatre Day and we stopped in to see Ascel who I met in 2007 on my first trip here.

Ascel and her husband Talent now run a group home called Dayspring which is a (very successful) pilot project for an alternative to orphanages in Kyrgyzstan.  They can accommodate up to 10 children giving them a family environment to grow up in.  It’s kind of like a large foster home.  Currently a little girl living there is waiting for heart surgery which is being sponsored through our programme Operations CAN be Done.  (More on that in the future.)

It is so nice being here renewing old friendships and making new friends.  It’s also nice driving everywhere with the views of the most spectacular mountains anywhere (and yes I have driven through the Rockies – as nice as they are they just don’t compare for beauty).  I don’t know what it is but seeing those mountains is very comforting.  I am going to try and make every minute count for the next 3 months until I return to Ukraine. 

So stay tuned for my updates.  I don’t know how frequent they will be as there are periodic internet “issues” with blog sites not working and a team is arriving soon from Canada when the busyness will increase. 

Thank you for your kind thoughts, your support and for seeing my heart.  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

One of the views from may apartment.  The mountains here are actually more spectacular than this.

Sergey delivering a donation to the baby hospital.

Donations for Red River Orphanage

The Next Leg of My Adventure

Well it’s been a very busy couple of weeks.  We played host to a team from Port Colborne, Ontario as well as surprise house guest.  All of this was tied in with Women’s Day celebrations all week, celebrating March birthdays at Sunshine Orphanage, my report writing for Operations CAN be Done and another flood in my kitchen.   

This time the kitchen drain backed up and went all over the floor (yuk).  I’m bailing the sink as fast as I can with one hand while dialling for help with the other.  And once again our translator, her husband, her mother and her plumber father-in-law arrived within the hour.  Then the house guests come home to do their own thing (getting in the way).  Then the city had to be called to come snake the drains (waiting game).  And somehow in all of the confusion I see my door open and the downstairs neighbour is pushing her cat into my apartment.  So now we’re chasing this cat through the apartment as if we didn’t already have enough going on.  I think it was a stunt for the nosey neighbour to get into the apartment and see what was happening.  It was not a good night. 

This week I’ve been busy again tying things up here in Krivoy Rog before I leave for Kyrgyzstan tomorrow night (March 23^rd).  I take the night train to Kyiv then to the airport on Saturday morning for my flight to Istanbul and then on to Bishkek.  I’ll be living in Tokmok for 3 months and then back to Ukraine in June. 

It’s still a bit surreal to me that this is finally happening.  It’s taken since July 2007 to get this far.  If you had asked me then if I thought I would be at this point now I would have said a big no with all that I had to overcome and had to deal with at the time.  (See my previous blog entries.)  It’s been a long road but after many, many miracles – there’s just no other word for it - all of the logistics are still falling into place miraculously.  It’ll all probably sink in somewhere between Istanbul and Bishkek…lol.  I am so looking forward to seeing friends again and meeting friends in person that I have only communicated with on line so far.  Yet on the other hand I am going to miss my Krivoy Rog family.  (Strangely, I don’t miss Canada yet - is that wrong?) 

So the next leg of my adventure is beginning.  I’ll keep posting blog entries as I am able so stay tuned.  I ask for your continued prayers and support and as I have said before, thank you for seeing my heart.  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

The kids at Dome Invalid put on a musical play for Women's Day.  It was very well done.  Just don't ask me the storyline...my Russian is STILL pathetic.

Passing out flowers to the Sunshine Orphanage directors for Women's Day.

The traditional Ukrainian bread welcome for the Port Colborne team.

Making a presentation to Ed Dickson for his birthday.

The March birthday kids.

Women’s Day March 2012

March 8th is Women’s Day in Ukraine and many other countries.  It is very similar to Mother’s Day in Canada except that ALL women are honoured, not just mothers and grandmothers.  It’s a very big deal here.  March 8th is also our friend Ed Dickson’s ??th birthday.  Happy Birthday Ed!!

 This past weekend we celebrated a little early by honouring the women on our team here in Krivoy Rog, which was provided for by Ed.  It was really nice to give these wonderful ladies a special night out.  In my last blog entry I mentioned how amazing the people on the ground here really are.  After having seen some of these ladies in action, believe me they more than deserved a night to sit down and enjoy themselves.  We went to a Japanese restaurant for sushi…yes, I actually ate sushi.  But I’m still dying for a Papa Burger with cheese, onion rings, a frosty root beer…Oh…sorry…I digress.   The ladies truly enjoyed themselves and wanted to make sure that Ed got a big “thank you.”

Thank you 

Ed!!! 

To me, there is nothing more honourable than (any) woman who has what I call a mother’s heart.  This is the kind of woman who asks where your hat and your gloves are when it’s cold or whether or not you’re getting enough to eat; the kind of woman who fusses over you for everything and makes sure you have a ride home.  After my Mom died in 1998 until I came to Ukraine I hadn’t realized how much I missed hearing that.  (Although I did hear it over the years – thanks Maxine, Sue, Miriam and all my many “church Moms.”)   Here in Ukraine it seems EVERY woman I have met is like that to me, almost a total stranger to them, and I have mentioned some of them in previous blog entries.  I now have many mothers here and as I said to them it shows how much they really do care for others. 

So to all ladies everywhere, thank you for all that you do and for all that you are - may you be truly and richly blessed.  Happy Women’s Day!!

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

The Needs Here Are Many

Well the last two weeks have been busier here.  The temperature has also finally gone up and we are actually slightly above the freezing mark today.  The only thing is that the warmer temperatures bring more snow, but the snowstorms I’ve seen here so far are like what I call the picture postcard kind of storm.  It’s fun to see people building snowmen, or should I say many parents building snowmen for their kids. 

Last week I tagged along with our doctor from Kyiv on some consultation visits.  This is where he assesses who may benefit from surgery.  After the kids are assessed they go to Kyiv for further assessment to determine if surgery is beneficial.  It was certainly amazing to see the “after picture” of one girl who has so far had four surgeries to straighten her legs.  Before her surgeries she was not able to stand without support.  Now she’s walking around normally even though she has braces on her legs.  (I didn’t even realize she had braces on until she took off her socks.)  The doctor told me that not only is she walking around but that she has much more self confidence now.  She looks so happy and has one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen.  In fact, since the surgeries she has taken up swimming.  She recently won a local competition and is moving on to a national competition for the handicapped.  I won’t be at all surprised to see her represent Ukraine in a future Paralympics.  She already has that winner’s smile. 

I also recently had an opportunity to meet some more amazing people who are involved in various different programmes here in Krivoy Rog.  There’s Olya who has a heart for the mentally challenged.  I’ll be tagging along with her tomorrow to Dome Invalid (the invalid home for kids) to see her in action.  There is also Natasha who has a heart for the homeless.  She wants to start some kind of programme but just doesn’t know where to begin.  The recent record cold snap here has made a lot of people aware of how unprepared Ukraine is for situations like this when they happen.  (Most of the deaths in Europe were here in Ukraine.)  We were able to bat around some ideas but the trouble is that it would take a minimum of $3000 per month to do something like a soup kitchen and there is just no budget here for that.  $3000 per month is a lot by Canadian standards let alone in the Ukrainian economy.  All prayers, ideas to help the homeless, etc. would be greatly appreciated for this.  It is a HUGE need here.

These last two weeks have really made me realize just how many, as well as how great and varied the needs are here.  It also made me realize even more of how amazing the people on the ground here really are.  They do so much with a little.  I can only imagine how much more can be done with more “tools” and resources.  If anyone feels led to help us at LINK127 with our various programmes you can click the donation link at the right side of this blog to donate on line.  If you wish to donate but want to send a cheque, just click the link and then on the next page click the tab that says “details and Contact info” and there is a mailing address there.  You can also get more information about LINK127 by going to the other link at the side of the blog (www.link127.org). 

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

Some more Saturday Programme fun

Some of the amazing people on the ground here (and me)

Not Much Excitement

Well there hasn’t been a whole lot going on this week.  I finally managed to finish off the cabbage rolls and I still have one bowl of borscht left in the freezer.

Ukraine is having a record cold winter and I haven’t strayed far.  The temperatures have been hovering from minus 15 down to minus 35.  (To translate for those who haven’t caught up with the rest of the world yet, that’s 5 down to minus 31 Fahrenheit.)   The cold has been quite a concern here as many people have died because of it.  As of February 5^th there were 131 deaths in Ukraine alone and many more throughout Europe.  Most of those who died were homeless people who died of exposure while others died in their homes, likely because they couldn’t afford to heat them.  And now in yesterday’s news someone in the government is saying the deaths are alcohol related.  As far as I’m concerned that’s a poor attempt to deflect blame for overlooking the homeless and impoverished to begin with.  But I guess it’s impolite for me to talk about someone else’s government.  They also closed schools last week in Kyiv because of the cold and now they’re closing them again from February 10^th to 13^th.  (This is kind of like us having a storm day in Canada.)

Other than the cold I have been continuing with my Russian lessons.  I’m so blessed to have a VERY patient teacher.  However, as I type this blog entry I should be studying for a test tomorrow.  I am slowly getting better though.  I was able to pick out more words in last Sunday’s sermon and I was able to figure out the scripture.  My teacher tells me that my pronunciation is perfect; apparently a lot of North Americans have trouble with the rolling of the R’s thing.  So I guess it will all come with time.

I’ve also been helping at Sunshine Orphanage.  A couple of weeks ago we had a birthday party for those who had birthdays in January.  I will also be helping out Lena T. with her Saturday programme spending time with the younger kids.  It’ll be bittersweet for me to see Sunshine Orphanage closed for good by summer but there are other orphanages and disabled homes to go to.

As for my ongoing saga of my external hard drive that died, I got it back this week from the computer guy and I’m still sorting out the saved files.  He was able to save some photos but all of the videos are gone.  He was just able to save a few stills from some of them.  It’s a good thing I copied my family genealogy before I left Canada.  For those of you who got copies of documents, photos and videos from me over the last several years I would love to hear from you.

So I guess I’ll leave it here for now and (try to) get back to studying.  Till next time...Я люблю тебя!

Party for January birthdays

The Saturday Programme

The girls were asked to draw a picture of me and this is the result.  I look pretty good :)