Back to School Party with the Tokmok Kids

In April, we met the kids from the Tokmok orphanage and absolutely fell in love with every one of them. The Wright family invited us along on their weekly outings with the kids and when they left at the end of July, we kept going. Twice a week, David, Natalia and I go over to the orphanage - one day to work on crafts, and one day to work on English. While we are with the kids, David spends time talking to them individually.

With school starting, we won't be able to see them as much as we do now, so we had a back-to-school party with them last week. We walked with them nearly a mile to a children's playground, took all 14 of them to lunch - only shasleek would do - and then went back to the orphanage to begin decorating their photo albums.

While out with the kids, Bekah and I took many, many pictures of each one and had them developed and ready to put in their albums today. The kids were absolutely delighted at their own pictures. Those pictures, many of which are below, tell the story of an absolutely fun day. One of the workers joked with us when we got back, "You all come so full of energy when you come to be with the kids and look tired out when you leave." That's true in one sense - we give it our all with them while with them. It one of our most favorite places to be!

Enjoy the pictures....

On the road to the park...Dennis, the young man in blue, is the spiritual coordinator for the orphanage.

L to r, a young man in the park we didn't know, Victor, age 7, Dema, 8, Dennis and Nastya, who is 12.

There are just four girls at the orphanage - in the front, Azat and Angelina, and in the back, Anya and Nastya. Of course, Argen, far right and Maksat, in the back, had to get in the picture, too!

Azat, Albeck, 11 and Colya, 15

Bekah and Dema

Two young brothers, Albeck, 11 and Maksat, 13

Dema and Victor

The kids were excited about shasleek...

Dema kept telling us he wasn't hungry...but ate two full plates of shasleek, (meat kabob's), five watermelon slices, lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, but he wasn't hungry!
David really enjoys visiting with these fun-loving young boys...They have just finished a very big lunch and are getting ready to return to the orphanage for more activities.