One Never Knows - An Update on a Komoz

It all began with a simple question from a little girl living in an orphanage in Tokmok.  "Would you buy me a komoz?"  (the national instrument)

We replied,  "we have a more fun idea - let's learn to earn."  So, working with the orphanage director, the children spent a week "learning to earn."


Here are the pictures from last spring -

                                                                       The director

                                            The children's work plan - successfully completed

                                                            Waiting for their komozes

                                                         The instruments arrive....

NOW THE UPDATE

We just received this from one of the professors at IUCA who works in the orphanage:

Hello Jayne,

Hope you and your family are doing very well. I know that I don't write to you very often due to work load, but today I just cannot stop myself. I have a piece of news for you and I couldn't wait to share it . A couple of weeks ago I was visiting our kids from the "Beikut Yiu" orphanage and when we were talking about their hobbies they remembered about two komuzes "they have earned". According to them it was difficult but worthwhile :). They also said that someone have presented them a piano, and now some of them are taking piano classes. On Sunday when I was observing students teaching the director asked one of the boys (Syimyk) to leave the class and send him to banya. When I asked her later what was going on she told me that Syimyk was going to Turkey to take part in an international contest. A few best komuz player from Kyrgyzstan were selected and our boy is one of them! It would never happen if your weren't there! Who knows, maybe those komuzes will give him a chance in his life and Syimyk will become a famous musician one day!

Best regards,
Natasha

We are so thrilled to hear from Natasha....and just ignites a bit of homesickness for us! Those instruments were purchased with financial gifts from our friends at home.

An Incredible Time of Learning

Over the past number of months, David and I have been on a different type of journey.  It has one in which we have had the opportunity to learn from some of the most dynamic teachers/trainers dealing with childhood trauma- Dr. Karyn Purvis, Dr. David Cross and the team at  the Child Institute of Development in Fort Worth, Texas.

We just returned from a five day clincial intensive on trust based relational intervention (T.B.R.I.). Our learning and experience there will transform everything we do.  During the summer months, we will be integrating this into our trauma training here in the US, with the hope to be able to train this same material in Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and beyond in the months ahead.

Although we have been "assigned" the homefront right now for this period of development and work, our hearts are never far from the precious folks in Kyrgyzstan.  We are planning a September trip in 2012 and more in the spring of 2013 as God leads.

Please check out the Wright blog and the LAMb blog for the exciting things happening every day...

www.actofkindness.blogspot.com         www.lambinternational.blogspot.com