Visiting an Orphanage in Bishkek

We had a wonderful time visiting one of the orphanages that LAMb supports –  Svetli Put.  These 3 girls are sewing felt animals to be part of a nativity set.  In doing so, they are developing an occupational skill, as well as the items are sold to raise some money for the orphanage. It also gives the girls some sense of worth, since they are able to create something that people want.

Though this was an enjoyable experience, I look at these pictures and am very distraught.  Statistically 2 of these 3 girls will be destroyed by drugs, prostitution, sex slavery or simply disappear soon after aging out of the orphanage. There are a number of reasons for this, which I will not go into here, but things are slowly improving. Please pray for the orphans of Kyrgyzstan and if possible donate to one of the organizations that are working to improve this system.

Randy

Tuesday - Initial Visits to Say 'Hi'!

Soooo . . . after getting the necessary food and gardening supplies, we were off and running with the team  We had about 13 people with us so we were in Isar's big van!

Our first stop was Kemin Senior Home.  Wow . . . these seniors are PRECIOUS!  They are formally abandoned grandma's and grandpa's living on the streets.  Why?  Many times it's because they family has kicked them out of their homes to get them for themselves.  It's sad!  The hidden scars from their past is sickening - rape, loss of limbs from frostbite, broken hearts by being abandoned by family, the stories go on.  But yet, what we see is joy in the eyes of these seniors who have been given a second chance.  A place to call home, a place to make a home, a place to have a new family.   Today's visit was to let them know that the team was back in the country.  They were sooooo excited to see mom & Lynn and the Wright family.  They were thrilled to have meat delivered knowing that they had good meals coming up in the future.  They were ecstatic to know their foreign friends have returned once again to love on them.  These seniors love this team.  It is evident by the looks on their faces!  Such a blessing to witness!

Alexey doing renovations on the home!   They received a grant to make these necessary changes and the seniors are doing the work!  Wonderful!!! 

We told them we will be back!  We will go back to sing with them, make them dinner, and just spend quality time with them.

After Kemin we headed to Iskra the disabled men's home.  As we drove up the men started coming out to greet us!  I remember so many of them from last year.  Boy were they EXCITED to see that the team had returned!  Once again the love they have for mom & Lynn and the Wright's was so evident.

We were introduced to the new cook, doctor and others that have come on board since last fall.  You can tell they do care for these men - things are changing!  Once again bringing dignity to the least of these . . . who are the most of these in God's eyes!

One neat thing was when we went to the art room we found Eldar who is the self proclaimed pastor of the men.  He shared that they men pray for the team and their families.  I truly believe this to be the case.  This place used to be so dark with no hope for the future.  The place is now cleaned up, bright, and they have a future to look forward to.  They also asked Eldar to pray for a young man who has been to Kyrgyzstan who was injured in a hockey accident - the passion was touching - he is a prayer warrior.  There are so many stories.  Watch LAMb's blog for these stories.

Eldar, who walks on his knees, said that people will pray with him and then demand that he get's up and walks!  He tells them that he wants to pray with them so that they will get on their knees in front of God!  We have many things we can learn from him!

 

These two stops just took us up to lunch!  The afternoon was spent at Dayspring planting the garden!  Oh my what an afternoon with these girls . . . you will have to now wait!  It's past my bedtime and tomorrow is another BIG and BUSY day!  Stay tuned!

This has been a VERY hard winter.  They have had very cold temperatures and lots of snow.  Last year Kemin used 12 tons of coal so this year they bought 16 tons.  They were still short.  They were also short at Dayspring, many homes they provided coal for and so many other locations.  They are soooo happy to see that Randy and I brought Spring with us!  Okay . . . maybe they aren't saying that!  We were blamed for the rain!  tehe  But it is blooming here, the mountains still have snow but the hills are turning green.  It's beautiful! We will share county side picture soon!

Blessings!

Randy & Kim

Tuesday - A Day of Discovery and Joy! Started with preparation!

Today was a day of reconnecting with old friends and making some new!  But before I get ahead of myself we had to prep for the day.

We started off at 8 a.m. by going with part of the team to the bazaar to pick up some meat.  The first shop said no pictures . . . well, that doesn't go over well with this team so no problem there are other butchers around the corner so off we went.  Keep in mind, we were buying quiet a lot of meat!  The next place was great and VERY friendly.  He knew a few English words and was excited to use them!  He also wanted copies of the pictures.  We promised to be back with them later!  Love it!  I'm not sure how much meat we purchased but it was plenty for the men at Iskra and the seniors at Kamin.  It's been a long and very bad winter.  The meat is greatly needed as they don't get much.

  

From there we were off around the corner to the garden area.  What fun that was.  People here like their pictures taken and they like seeing them.  The butcher and the garden area were no different.  At the garden area we picked up seeds (peas, cucumbers, beets, radishes, carrots, etc) and LOTS of strawberry pants for the garden at Dayspring.

We went back to the apartment to meet up with the whole team and off for our visits . . . see the next blog for what the rest of the day had in store for us!

Blessings!

Randy and Kim

Getting Settled and Running at the Same Time!

Monday morning started with our day of planning.  After talking with mom and Lynn about what we wanted to do we then met with John & Julie Wright to iron out a few things and get a bit organized.  I can only say a 'bit' because things will change - we know they will.

After coffee and tea we (Wrights - 5, us - 2, Blair - 1, Sergey - 1 - all in an eight seated van) headed out to the Baby Hospital to find out what they needed.  To see this hospital would amaze you.  Not what we see in North America.  We got to go up to the floors to see where the babies were delivered and where the mothers are with their new babies.  What's interesting is that there are no visitors - I'm not sure if they are actually allowed.  Fathers, I know, are not allowed up there.  The fathers have to wait downstairs outside the building waiting for their new baby to be shown through the window.  Each window is numbered.  The father knows what floor and what window number to watch for a distant glimpse of their new child.  When we were leaving there was a father all dressed up in a suite with his two young children dressed up as well waiting for their first glimpse - I hope to witness that some time!

We found out during the tour that the hospital needed several cribs, beds, night stands, and stools.  The doctor said that the beds were from the Stalin era and the 'cribs' deserved to be in a museum somewhere.  I think she was right.

The crib is the new crib.  The bed is the 'Stalin' era bed - it was broken and the mattress was old and dirty.  This is a room for new mothers . . 

This is the doctor as she told us these CRIBS need to be in a museum  - yes these are cribs and still being used until they get new ones.

After that we headed over to the bazaar and met up with mom and Lynn at the furniture store.  To the delight of the doctor she will be getting what she needs in just a few days due to a donor that wants to provide what is needed!  I honestly don't know how you can ever tell a donor how much and how far a donation can go.  Nor can we even begin to tell you how much these donations mean to those who are helped.  I don't think we can even comprehend . . . 

After the furniture purchases we along with mom, Lynn and Tanya (newest LAMb employee and interpreter) headed into the bazaar to pick up needed food items for our stay - cookies, chocolate, vegetables, bread.  Then it was lunch time back at the apartment.

The afternoon consisted of a bit of laundry, a trip back to the bazaar to pick up an order, to the grocery store.  The guys headed to a meeting at Mercy Foundation to talk to some folks from the States and from Kyrgyzstan about a pilot project coming in September for fuel alternatives.  VERY exciting results from the meeting.  More on this over the upcoming months from LAMb as this gets organized.

Monday evening ended with a WONDERFUL evening with Dabu, Tanya, and their precious daughter Anita.  We had homemade pizza and had a great time talking about Tanya's new adventure with LAMb as she beings the transition to being a full-time employee.  Their oldest daughter Rinata is currently living in Minnesota going to Crown University.  She is going to be home for the summer and they are sooo excited!

Tuesday brings a day of visits to the seniors at Kamin, men at Iskra, Orlofka (sp?) orphanage.  The afternoon is planting a garden at Dayspring with the precious little girls assistance, and the evening will be a meeting with a couple from California who are missionaries here.

As mom and I were returning from the bazaar I told her it was like I have been here many times and just felt like I was at home.  Oddly enough, more so here than at home . . .   Only God understands.

Until later . . . .

Randy & Kim

Finally Arrived!

Whew! Finally made it this morning!  What a blessed travel time this has been!  It was smooth sailing, friendly people, and enjoyable time!

We arrived in Kyrgyzstan around 5 a.m. Sunday (7 p.m. Saturday EST - we are 10 hours ahead).   By 7:15 a.m. we were in the apartment chillin' and getting ready for church.  Church at 9:30, lunch at Mercy Foundation with a group of missionaries with Campus Crusade in Bishkek, Elder & Mrs. Yang, and several others.  Then home to unpack, and rest up for a crazy but exciting two weeks.

Randy is struggling with jet lag a bit more this time.  We have let him sleep several hours.  He got very little sleep during the long travel time and it is really catching up.  He'll be fine!  I on the other hand have manned up and have been awake all day!  ;-)  We'll see how long I last - I have felt myself fading as I have worked on this blog!

At church this morning we celebrated Easter and both messages were on the Resurrection.  What a great reminder what our Lord and Savior did for us!  Because of His sacrifice we have the chance for eternal life! Praise God!  I was once again reminded about my first impressions last year when our first service was a multi-lingual service - English, Chinese & Russian.  To hear worship songs sang at the same time, translations being given during the service it makes me wonder what it was like in biblical times when the disciples came down out of the upper room and the people around them began to speak in many languages . . . What a sound that had to have made!  Regardless of our country of residence, the language we speak - we all are serving the same one and only God!  Pure music to my ears!

After service, a woman came up to be prayed for.  We heard as she was being ministered to that she was basically blind after her husband had beat her.  My heart aches for her.  As we heard about the Resurrection and how it brought light into this world, I saw no light in her eyes.  Nothing - dead emotions.  I couldn't look at them without knowing that she has seen much and experienced much.  Things that I can't comprehend.  My prayer for this beautiful woman is that her eye's shine with Joy - Joy that has been stripped away.  Joy that only our Lord and Savior can return.  I pray that not only was she ministered to physically, but also emotionally and more important spiritually.  One piece of good news is that at lunch it was announced that a team of eye doctors were coming to Kyrgyzstan this summer and she is a candidate for eye surgery!   Isn't our God good!

We brought four bags over with us.  Two were stuffed with humanitarian items - 50 lbs each!!  One bag has dolls and doll clothing for the girls at Dayspring and the other bag was FULL of medical supplies.  You may have remembered the 100 stethoscopes that the rehab center my Uncle Don will stay out donated.  Well, we have those - additionally we had a BUNCH of other medical supplies that Uncle Don and Aunt Jo collect during his hospital stays.  Today mom and Lynn called a doctor that does house calls.  Her and her wonderful husband came right over and was sooo excited about all that she had to take - which was a lot of it!  The humble joy in her and her husbands eyes was wonderful!  Thank you Aunt Jo & Uncle Don!  Your gift of medical supplies was such a blessing!  I enjoyed being part of the delivery on your behalf!

We planned some of our 'trips' for the first week - visit the seniors at Kamin, the disabled men at Iskra, the baby hospital, the families that live in the dump, some of the orphanages, a small poor community that has touched the hearts of the LAMb team, Randy and the men ministering at the prison, playing and spending time with the girls at Dayspring.  We are going to help put in the garden at Dayspring and hopefully get the new playground put in there as well.  There is also talk of helping with the garden at Iskra.  This is just a start.  We'll really see what God has planned as the days go by!

We thank you dearly for your prayers!  Keep checking in!  I'll start to get some pictures to go with our stories - I promise!

Blessings,

Randy & Kim

Made it to Moscow!

We have made it to Moscow.  We have been here about 7 hours so far and have at least 4 hours to go before boarding commences.  We have taken advantage of lounge access and have been here the entire time.  Haven't seen the rest of the airport except for the long walk here.  We are going to head out in about an hour or so and get a quick bite to eat - need something other than pastries/snack type foods.  Although I don't mind airplane food Randy didn't find it as appealing.  We both got some much needed rest and both of us feel better after not getting much if any sleep in 24 hrs.  We will be running a bit as soon as we arrive in Kyrgyzstan.  We will head to the apartment to shower up and then off to church.  From there I really don't know what is planned except that we will stay up and try to get onto the new timezone as quickly as possible.  The next 24 hours will be brutal but it is important to do so!

Today the team in Kyrgyzstan went on a road trip and visited an orphanage that they heard about at Christmas to talk to them about their needs.  I can't wait to hear about the trip and what they found out!  Pretty exciting to see how God is expanding their territories!

Thank you for following along!  Writing will help us remember what we experienced and hopefully give you a chance to see what we are experiencing along the way!

Hey - Who out there is interested in joining us sometime?  We are talking about leading a team in 2013?  If you  want to talk about the possibilities let us know!!!

Blessings!

Randy and Kim

The adventure has begun!

We are sitting in the Columbus airport waiting for our first of three flights and a total of over 30 hours of travel time.

We have four bags checked at each right at 50 lbs, two computers, two carry-on's and a purse.  Needless to say we are loaded down and got many looks and inquiries where we were going with soooo much luggage when we were checking in.

Check-in was a breeze and VERY nice people all along the way.  No wait in security - we were scanned and found somewhere to get something to eat.  Now we are waiting for our flight.  Impressed with the airport, they put in power units at all of the seats in the terminal.  VERY smart and necessary.  No need to hog power.  There is something for everyone.  LOL  It's the little things!

Sitting here I am reminded of last year for our first trip to Kyrgyzstan and with us was our Pastor and his wife - first time travelers internationally.  We had fun negotiating the airports and all of the twist and turns that travel has to bring with Pastor Ken and Jackie.  We had no idea what to expect along the way and no idea what to expect at the airport when we finally arrived in Bishkek.  I was VERY happy to see mom and Lynn excitedly awaiting our arrival to show us the country and the people of Kyrgyzstan they had come to love.  We quickly found out why!  We now await our next adventure of just the two of and excited to get the show on the road . . . God has something great planned for us . . . we are ready to serve!

To everyone who has donated to our trip - THANK YOU!!!!  We are humbled more than you know.  We will let you know how your donations are being used to bless those that we come in contact with.

Watch this blog and Facebook for updates during our travels there, during, and on our way home!  We want to share with you what we are doing and experiencing!

Blessings!

Randy & Kim