Sharing Some Stories and Some Needs

Over the many months in country, we met so many people. We developed friendships and learned their needs. Our hearts were incredibly touched with compassion. One of these dear friends is Hymanot, our driver. Our last week there, our team (Lynn, Ruby, Natalia, David and I) enjoyed a meal in his home and he shared his story with us. After that meal, Ruby posted her journal with his story and his need. I wanted to share her journal entry with you.

Here is the story from Lynn and Ruby's Journal

We have a great taxi driver here. His name is Hymanot. We have known him for almost two years, have had dinner in his home and consider him a friend – not just a taxi driver for us!

He is kind, a loving father of four children and a dedicated husband. Before the Soviet Union fell, he was a pilot stationed here from Ethiopia. He had great career and a great future. Then everything changed in 1991 when the Iron Curtain came down.

Like so many other people, Hymanot was now “LOCKED” in the country he was working in. He could not leave – his country would not allow him back. There were other pilots in the same situation. He tells of the pilots from Somalia that were told they could return only to be shot – all 12 of them – at the airport upon their return. He says that although his life was spared he has lived without a life here ever since the fall. He is not accepted in this culture, nor are his children or his Kyrgyz wife. Why? Because he is a black man from Africa!

His children are ridiculed; he is stopped constantly by the police. He has tried on different occasions to get a permission to return to Ethiopia, but has not been successful. In fact, he said it would be dangerous for him to return right now. He tried to emigrate his family to Germany, but was refused refugee status. Ethiopia will not allow him back, Kyrgyzstan does not accept him or his family. Why? Because he is a black man from Africa!

His wife’s sister was given refugee status in Norway and that is his plan now for his family. His beautiful children, (four in total) deserve a better life he says. He knows his life is past “saving” but feels if his wife and children can emigrate to Norway to be with her sister, they will have a chance – a chance he did not have.

He did not ask for our help – but how can we just ignore four little children being discriminated against so badly when there is a possible refuge for them with family in Norway? It does not take much….visa to a safe country – passage into Norway through the refugee channels and then freedom for the first time for them.

Freedom from the taunts, rocks, words, mean-spirited attitudes directed toward this beautiful family. Yes, it is just one family – but our work is one family, one child at a time. Are you able to help?

Visa’s – 5 - $1,000
Airfare to the “safe country” – we cannot say where - $3,000
Start up money - $1,000
For $5,000 we can help this family – save this family.

Hymanot will remain in Kyrgyzstan for the time being. He cannot travel with his family because of his Ethiopian passport. Only his family will leave for Norway… to be with family already there.

We submit this to you for prayerful consideration. If you feel a prompting to help this family, please email us.

The LAMb Team……

It is not time to know

Just a quick note to share our change in plans.

This Wednesday was to be our move day into our new smaller home. We are hoping to downsize in every way to be ready to respond to God's leading in our future. However, sometimes plans we make are not God's plans. Last Friday, our buyers changed their minds.

Amidst packed boxes we are simply waiting to hear when it is time for us to know. The news was very disappointing, but we are at peace with it now that the "dust" has settled. We know that God has a better plan.

Enough of us...next week, I will be putting stories from Kyrgyzstan on the blog...incredible ones that will touch your heart.

Thank you for sharing our journey...as it continues

Home and Many Changes

Once we experienced the work in Kyrgyzstan and grew to love the people there, something happened in us. Our focus changed. As Kay Warren wrote - one becomes divinely ruined for the life they once knew when they experience the depth of need in another place. In large part, that is what has happened to us. We love our friends and family here, of course, but our hearts and minds are often centered in another place.

Over two years ago, one of the things that we made a decision to do as we sought God's leadership was to sell our home. It is a large one located in a beautiful neighborhood. We love our home. However, selling it would give us more financial freedom to do the work to which we feel called. We received word during our last week there that indeed, after over two years of waiting, our home sold. We arrived home late last Sunday night to the reality that we now have many changes. The first being, we move in ten days. WOW!

FOR NOW
We are so excited regarding the days ahead. David will be very much involved with a local church in Dayton, preaching and supporting the pastor while we are here. I will continue my work in training social workers full-time.

IN THE SPRING
Our plans are to return to Kyrgyzstan in the spring and also the fall to be more involved in teaching and training. David already is preparing coursework for the three courses he will be teaching at the new International University of Central Asia (formerly the Professional Institute) in the spring. I will also be teaching composition and journalism there, plus all the unknowns God has for us as we work with the government officials and university officials on development of a child welfare teaching and training program.

I had hoped to update the journal with some incredible stories...that will come in the weeks ahead...right now....working, packing and moving will fill our time until Thanksgiving. Please check back for some incredible stories of some very special people.

The River

A number of months ago, while riding in the van on the way to a project, our friend, John Wright talked about his work. It went something like this...

All these humanitarian projects, our work feels like we are standing downstream in a raging river. Kids are being thrown in upstream and we are overwhelmed with trying to catch them before they drown. The more we catch, the more it seems slip by us. Someone needs to go upstream and teach the people up there not to throw the children in the river.

When John said that, all I could say was, incredible. What a way to put into words exactly what the heartbeat of LAMb is. Our hope, passion and energy focuses on teaching and training social workers, families, government officials and leaders how not to throw the children into the river.

Last week, Ruby spent Thursday night and Friday night training an orphanage doctor, a government social worker and an orphan social worker on material that they, in turn can use to train adoptive parents for the task. Saturday she conducted the first adoption training in this country with five national families awaiting placement of their babies.

Over the months we have been here, I have had the privilege of slowly nurturing a group of commited workers as they seek to develop a foster care program in their community. We finish on Thursday of this week and will have a group of trainers who have invested many hours in preparation. Wednesday we drive two hours to visit with a group of people who have begun a foster care program in their area. We are excited about the potential of this meeting.

Both David and Lynn are working with leadership and spiritual development issues with the foundation and its schools. Much work to do in this area!

It is late tonight and I could not help but reflect on what John shared with us many months ago. We hope to be able to help those upstream to know how to keep kids from being swallowed up by the raging river of horrific poverty, abandonment, abuse and neglect.

Thank you for sharing our journey as it continues...we leave on Saturday, leaving behind most of our heart, but with a promise to return in spring.

LAMb's Humanitarian Projects

A dynamic thing about being here is working with our team partners, Lynn and Ruby Johnston. They share our vision and passion for the people and work here. While here, they regularly publish a journal to keep their friends, family and supporters updated on the unique work being done. Their last journal, just released this morning, really shows the incredible need and the work in which we all share...and you do to as you have given to the work here.

From Lynn and Ruby
We took a large amount of medical supplies to the Baby Hospital on Monday. They were very appreciative and excited to have many of the items. These items are all donated by Med Wish from Ohio. In the previous visit a few days before, the head doctor, Dr. Anara, told us of her desire to train/teach her staff. We told her about our next visitor to join us – a doctor from Atlanta, Georgia who is well-schooled in child abuse. We went over the entire lecture possibilities with Dr. Anara and she was more than ecstatic. We will translate all of the material for the possibilities and she will host a series of lectures for community doctors in the Spring with our visiting doctor from Atlanta. This is amazing.

So in the spring – Series of lectures for the medical staff Series of lectures for police, social workers and other professionals Imagine – one week of intensive professional development to an audience that is both eager and appreciative of having such professional teaching. We are very excited about offering this training week for them.


NEW KITCHEN FOR THE MATERNITY WARD AT THE BABY HOSPITAL: We were asked to renovate the kitchen at the baby hospital – for a small cost of about $400. We have three donors of $100 for the project, so we said START! Valadie, our trusted friend, will oversee the project. This kitchen serves all the maternity ward and is in desperate need of some help. Construction underway – anyone want to donate the last $100? They have no cupboards, no counters – what you see is what they have

Here is the kitchen sink at the baby hospital. They use a two burner hot plate for food. Should any gifts come in over the amount needed for the baby hospital, they will be used for further renovation projects there.

We delivered the medical supplies to Dr. Jitsun and she was ecstatic. Again, she is so thankful for our help. She took us on a tour of the intensive care unit and it was quite depressing. She was asking for help. The floor is badly broken and the bathroom in deplorable condition. The one bathroom serves the entire intensive care ward. (see pictures below) Her question: Could we help? She is getting the cost for the floor and we will take Valadie over to estimate repairing/renovating the bathroom to a decent room for them. She wanted us to take pictures to show our sponsors. The hospital serves both adults and children. Another opportunity to serve.

The unbelievable bathroom in the intensive care unit at the local hospital .

The floor in the intensive care unit.


This glimpse at LAMb's journal really gives just a microscoptic look at the overwhelming needs here. If you are interested in sharing specifically with these projects or giving generally to the work of LAMb, please email us jayeschool@aol.com or lambinternational@gmail.com.

Thank you for sharing the journey with us. We enter our last week here and much to do. We arrive home on November 1 to another chapter. We plan to return to this, our 2nd home, in mid March.

From David's Perspective

Greetings to all of you and thank you for checking up on us from time to time! Jayne has done a great job keeping you posted on some of the sights and sounds of the beautiful country and beautiful people.


Many of you shared your resources with us to bring and give as we felt led. Thank you for that and I truly believe you would be pleased to see the joy and appreciation in the faces of those to whom it was given. Everything from coal for a single mom and her three adopted children, to a dinner at the orphanage, to a remodeled kitchen for a baby hospital to tuition for two college students, clothes for children, a food drop for 200 invalid men and so much more. On top of all the above, Jayne has done a lot of training and I have had the opportunity to speak, teach and counsel many people.


Last Sunday, the 18th, we visited brothers and sisters of like mind in the capital city, which included a medical doctor and his family. It was a time of harvest celebration. After the two hour morning meeting, we were gathering our things to leave. I found myself surrounded by many people. The leader of the meeting told me those people wanted me to counsel with them. I worked with each one personally. Over two hours were spent in talking with each one of them individually. It was an incredible experience. Our plans for a Sunday afternoon trip to the mountains were laid down for this ever important time with very special people.


Preparing to celebrate the bounty of this fall's harvest.

David cuts the harvest bread.

This couple were just two of many who stayed two hours after our meeting to talk with David. The emotional, physical and financial needs here are overwhelming.

We will be home November 1 and look forward to seeing each one of you and thanking you for your incredible gifts to the work here. As we close out our brief time here, we will spend this week making plans for our extended return in March. We feel so privileged to be able to work with and walk with the people who have crossed our path.

A Glance Back at this Past Week

Monday
Lynn and Ruby arrived last Monday morning. It is so wonderful to have them here. The work of LAMb is expanding and all of us are tackling different tasks. As I look back over this past week, it seems impossible they have only been here a week.


Tuesday
Early morning last Tuesday, Natalia and I headed for Kemin, a region about thirty minutes from where we live. Excited, we anticipated the beginning of training for foster parents in this region. There were four potential families there on along with 18 workers. Next week, we were told to expect more families. There is a growing desire to create a foster care program in this country – one that will move children from orphanages into caring, loving and potentially, permanent families. We love working with this group of social workers. They are committed to the task ahead.

While we were in Kemin, David was busy with a critical meeting at the Professional Institute, soon to be named International University of Central Asia. Working with Dr. John Clark, David has accepted the task of helping to shape the curriculum changes needed for the elementary and secondary private schools here that we work with. He will be working with the school staff in preparation for the changes and when we return in early spring, he and Lynn Johnston, our team leader, will be involved in a lot of training.


The two young women in the center of the picture are preparing to be trainers for foster parents.

A worker asks a question about an activity.

Thursday

Very, very early on Thursday morning, we headed to a neighboring city for an exciting event – the opening of the Kids Around the World playground, which was two years in the planning. We arrived to a park full of children, already testing out the beautiful new playground equipment. Kids Around the World is an organization that builds playgrounds around the world. A dedication ceremony began at 10. Just looking into the eyes of the beautiful children there , we know this playground will bring many hours of family fun. The equipment arrived in a huge container. That container will be left on the playground converted to a classroom, where children will receive English lessons, computer lessons and other lessons of extreme importance.

Kids getting ready for the celebration of the opening of the new playground.

The president of Kids Around the World addresses the audience.

Young high school students share a cultural dance. It was beautiful. Behind them is the container that will house a future classroom right in the park.

This little guy stopped long enough to pose for a picture and it was back to the huge slide.

You can tell by the expression on her face, what she thinks of all of this.

I saw this young man on about every piece of playground equipment. We drove past the park late in the evening and it was still full of children.

Friday

On Friday morning, we all shared in a meeting with the staff of the orphanage and local private school. Many changes are coming as the staff joined with us in developing plans for centers of excellence. Ruby shared her vision for improving orphanage care and all of us were excited because we know that this will positively impact the quality of life for children. Our weeks are busy here and yet, not too busy to remain committed to touching the lives of individual men, women and children. We don’t want to rush through and miss what we were supposed to see. In a few days, I hope to share the story of an incredible miracle of reunion – a father and son.

Thank you for sharing our journey

David has been asked to play a cruicial role in the development of curriculum for the six private schools we work with. He shares at the Friday meeting some of the plans.

If you want a laugh….

It is often dangerous to try and learn a new language. You take the risk of using the wrong word. Well, it happened to me at the celebration of the opening of the playground. After it was over, they announced there was ice cream for the children. One of our friends, a 28 year old, Sophia, mentioned that she wanted ice cream. Using Russian, I attempted to kiddingly tell her that she was too old….however, I actually said to her, Sophia, you are too ugly! Good thing she laughed and now I know the two different words!