Leaving for Orphanage Training

It is early Sunday morning here and David and I are waiting on the director of an orphanage to pick us up and head to his orphanage. This is an exciting opportunity for us as we will be sharing on trauma informed care of children with traumatic pasts. The staff at this orphanage has had no training on caring for children from difficult places. We will catch up on the blog when we get back as there is minimal internet access as we understand it.

First Days in Kyrgyzstan

It is amazing to us that we can feel so much at home in a place so far away, with a people whose language we don't understand...but for us, arriving here is like arriving home. We love the people of this country.

With such a short time to be here, we rested a short time after our arrival and then set out.  Our first stop of the trip was to Dayspring.  It was the first time I was able to meet the girls. David met most of them last spring. They were all getting home from school. We walked into a peace-filled, but busy after school household and it wasn't long before they had their homework assignments out and seeking help.

                            Madlin, the child advocate for the children, helps Jenia with homework. 

After meeting all of the girls except Christina, who was still at school, I was again reminded  that God sent these special little ones, out of all the other little girls in orphanages to Dayspring and under the wing of LAMb.  What a responsibility and a privilege for us to be involved in the lives of these precious little girls.   We are planning a special dinner next week with them...we have been told that pizza would be good!

After meeting the girls, we had another mission - to deliver an incredible gift to a young man at IUCA University.   We first met Vitaliy in the fall of 2008. We learned that he had a dream to go to the university, but didn't even have enough for the $100 admission fee.  In David's pocket that Sunday morning was a gift from friends of ours in Lebanon, Linda and Daryll. It was more than he needed to begin. We told him to go get his clothes and took him back to Tokmok and dropped off at the university.

Now, five years later, Vitaliy is graduating as an IT specialist with a BA. The problem is that this soon to be employed computer student didn't even own his own laptop.   Just weeks before we left, we were given another gift - enough to buy him a new computer and to pay this semester's tuition. (Thank you Steve and Cindy)  How very exciting for us as we gave him the gift, but nothing compared to the excitement  he expressed when he received his new computer and awesome backpack computer pack.  He graduates in spring and has a promised job waiting for him in IT.

Vitaliy was so excited, he barely would look up for a picture! (Steve and Cindy, I took a video him thanking you, but something was wrong with the volume)

The last two days, we have been training in Bishkek at the SOS Children's Village. We are working this week.with caregivers who manage the teen residences.

Three of the caregivers are helping with an object lesson - what it is like to look at the world through the lens of a hurting child.

This is a hard working group with a lot of questions.  Our last day with them is Friday and we are hopeful that we have encouraged them and given them some tools and strategies as they care for the teens  in their respective homes.

Saturday is planned as a tourist day to Bishkek and Sunday we leave for a four day trip to an orphanage about six hours from us. We will be working with their staff on the same material we have been teaching this week.  Please pray with us that God will enable us to provide resources and support to these orphanage caregivers so far away from all that they really need.

The Journey Continues.....

It is always about the children

It is Saturday late afternoon and by this time tomorrow we will be on the way to the country of Kyrgyzstan and the people we love. We are excited, as always.  However, the importance of this trip came into more focus this morning when I looked at John's blog.  This is why.

During our time there, God has given us an opportunity to offer training to four different groups of orphanage caregivers, social workers, foster parents and psychologists.   When John posted this picture, it reminded me at even a deeper level of why we are doing what we are doing. It is about the children. It is always about the children.



These youngsters live in an orphanage in Karkol, Kyrgyzstan. This is about six hours from our apartment in Tokmok.  The staff caring for them have had no training in understanding the special needs of traumatized, neglected and abused children. We will spend three days there with staff, get to meet the beautiful children and trust God will enable us to make a difference in the lives of staff and children.

For the last year, David and I have been immersing ourselves in learning how to train caregivers and parents to care for traumatized children. It is called Trust- Based Relational Intervention. It is the healing path for wounded children.  We have had the privilege of sitting under the teaching of Dr. Karyn Purvis, Dr. David Cross and their staff at the Institute of Child Development in Fort Worth, Texas. It has been a life changing journey for us and now for the very first time we will have the opportunity to share overseas. This is our schedule for the next three weeks:


September 5-7 – Youth facility workers managing the care of teens ages 15 and 15 SOS Children’s Village in Bishkek
September 10-12 – Karakol Orphanage - an orphanage about 6 hours from our home base.
September 14,15 and 17– Foster parents at SOS Children’s Village – Bishkek
September 18- Dayspring staff and orphanage caregivers in Tokmok
September 19-21 - SOS psychologist, staff and social workers , SOS Children’s Village
September 22 -Dayspring staff and orphanage caregivers in Tokmok
September 23 - heading home

 
If by any chance we come to mind in the next three weeks, would you pray with  us that the hearts and minds of those with whom we will meet will be made ready to receive this new and paradigm shifting focus on caring for children.  It is a very full schedule for which we will need His strength and empowerment.




Jeremiah House - A Reality

Just off the LAMB BLOG...

JEREMIAH HOUSE HAS BEEN FUNDED  HOPE FOR TRANSITIONING ORPHANS FROM THE ORPHANAGE TO THE REAL WORLD!

Jenia was a success story that could have gone bad. Yet, after graduation - support from the LAMb team brought this young man to a place of interdependence and family connections. Jeremiah Project is designed to help others find the same success!

BREAKING NEWS ----- As most of you know - we have been moving toward opening our new project to help graduating orphans. Look at this!

1. We have rented an office/center for Jeremiah Drop In Center (see below the mission for this part of Jeremiah Project). This center is now being furnished and is operational at this time.

2. We HAVE JUST RECEIVED WORD THAT WE NOW HAVE THE FUNDS - on the way to purchase the JEREMIAH HOUSE! (see below for the mission for this part of the Jeremiah Project). We will be purchasing this home just as soon as the funds are transferred! We expect to be operational with the residential home soon.

3. AND we are not stopping there - NEXT is Jeremiah Steps! (see below for the mission for this part of the Jeremiah Project)

All our Kyrgyzstan staff are thrilled and ready to begin MAKING A DIFFERENCE ONE YOUTH AT A TIME!

FOR A COMPLETE EXPLANATION OF THIS EXCITING LIFE CHANGING PROGRAM JUST IN THE EARLY STAGES - VISIT THE LAMb BLOG   www.lambinternational.blogspot.com  

Maybe God is leading you to support this project both with your prayers and financially.  There isn't anything else close to it in any of the eastern block countries, perhaps anywhere in the world!

I was moved this morning when

Every morning within the first few moments of my day, I read the blogs of our team members - Lynn and Ruby Johnston and John and Julie Wright.  I am always touched by what they say, wishing we could be there experiencing their events alongside.  

This morning, however, I was moved at an even greater level.  Please read the Wrights blog - www.actofkindness.blogspot.com .   You will completely understand the "wow" behind this story.

In just about four weeks, we leave for our training trip to Kyrgyzstan and looking forward to it....blesssings, Jayne

DVD Series To Be Featured Friday on The 700 Club

We were just informed late last week, that the DVD series, Adoption/Foster Care Rx: Solutions for Wounded Families will be featured on The 700 Club on Friday.  Our hope and prayer for this series is that it will strengthen the journey for adoptive families, who followed the call to care for children with a traumatic history, will be equipped for the journey.

 

To watch a DVD promo - click on the picture above.

ADOPTION FOSTER RX

Thanks for all your support....we leave in 4 weeks for Kyrgyzstan!!!! Can't wait!

Check out www.lambinternational.blogspot.com and www.actofkindness.blogspot.com to see the exciting things that happen there every day!

Thinking Back - Looking Ahead

This next Sunday, David will have the privilege of speaking at the Lebanon, Ohio Countryside Church of the Nazarene.  I have had a sneak preview of his message for Sunday because I get to create the powerpoint for it.  He also asked me to show a video that we have had on our blog a couple of years ago.

Watching it this AM made me homesick for the beautiful people there.  LAMb's work is growing and making an impact in Kyrygzstan...one child, one family, one social worker at a time.  In July, a number of new exciting things will be hapenning, which I willl share later.

We return the first week of September for a three week, very full training schedule. We will be working with orphanage caregivers and social workers on understanding the needs of the traumatized child in their care.  We so appreciate your checking in on this blog from time to time. 

A Memory Moment

Here is the video we will be showing Sunday...it brings back so many memories.