Pictures as Promised!

The Team (from left to right): Chandler, Jenny, Timur, Dinara, Ayman, Liz, Eddie, Stacey, Chris, Yareek.













Delivering quilts to the kids in Karakastec just in time for nap.












Sleeping sound with the new soft blanket! Thank you Grove women!














Chris with the handful of blankets.
















This baby was precious!!!!! The babies are doing so well with their new beds and mobiles from two years ago!



















Stacey helping hte kids put on new clothes provided by Two Hearts For Hope in Karakastec.
















Eddie fitting the kids in clothes and shoes!











Playing with the girls in Taraz.














Jenny was great teaching the boys how to do crafts.










This boy was precious and loved the camera.













Chandler playing with the girls that just wanted to adorn him with flowers and loved horse rides on his knees.











Vladik!













Craft time with Ayman and the kids in Taraz.

The kids with their new shoes!

Eddie fitting the girls with shoes.

Chandler playing bubbles with the girls.

The guys playing basketball with the older kids in the orphanage in Taraz.

Jenny and of course pictures, they loved getting their picture taken.

Vera and the girls in Taraz.

Back in the U S of A!-Liz Holmes, Director

The team is home and hopefully resting up a little. I walked in to Hadassah's Hope yesterday and everyone asked if i had really been on a mission trip, because i looked so rested. Well, i can assure all my supporters, i was in fact on a service trip and the team can attest that i am a good flyer who can sleep through any flight. (sorry to rub that in Chris)

The trip was amazing! The team was amazing! We were all exhausted when we got to Kazakhstan, and Chris actually fell asleep in the middle of a conversation that he was having when we arrived.....that is when i advised him to sleep and we would come back and pick him up for lunch. (it was actually quite hilarious)

The work in Taraz was amazing. The kids were very excited to see the team and have them play hard core with them. The men of our team were fearless! I cannot express enough that we had three gentlemen with us who constantly took care of us ladies, carrying our bags, refilling our coffees and making sure we were all taken care of! They were the biggest blessing from God. On top of their gentlemen ways, they were amazing......let me say that again....AMAZING with the kids! They played for hours in the heat and dirt with the guys doing soccer, basketball, frisbee, you name it, they did it. On top of it they never complained once. They were just so willing to get into games with the kids. We told the guys that to have them was a treat, as the orphans see women all day long. God knew what He was doing when he put Chris, Eddie and Chandler on the team! We could not have asked for better guys and so loving to all the kids.

Then there was Stacey and Jenny.......these two women really were amazing with all the crafts they planned. We actually ended up with extra crafts at the end of the trip, which we sent to the women's prison for the kids there, and that is not to say we didn't do multiple ones at each orphanage. The women were constantly teaching the kids new crafts, and i will always remember Stacey's "over and around" that she would repeat when teaching the kids God's Eyes craft, until they understood and walked away repeating it. Then Jenny, who i think came back with about a million emails of everyone she met. Stacey apropriately named her the Friend finder and it was completely true. She was so caring and helpful with the kids. She also taught me a lesson in sizing kids for shoes and was so patient, knowing that i am not a mother and have no idea what age wears what.

Some highlight of the trip:

Stacey's nicknames for each of us, Chris=Papa D(dinosaur)(Because Chris is older than Stacey), Eddie= Gun show(because he was always carrying big jugs of water around and carrying all the heavy stuff), Chandler= Big Dog(cause it was funny to hear him bark after she would say it), Jenny= Friend Finder(FF for short), Liz=Cat Woman(for my cat like reflexes, when our translator spilled water on the table and i immediately jumped away), Stacey= Dinosaur(the name the kids gave her when they found out her age....hilarious)

Seeing Everyone "catch" the vision of Hadassah's Hope. Even though i know it was frustrating not to finish a project, the work left behind is going to be stamped on the kids hearts forever! The beds are currently being priced and will be purchased before september for the orphanage. I know it is hard to know if you made a difference without tangible evidence, so here it is....the faces of the kids.....That is your tangible evidence. Whenever you wonder, look at your pictures and know that you made a huge impact on their lives!

Hanging out with the team (including translators) at every meal. We had such a great time laughing and talking with each other, that meals would go for 2 hours some times as we all talked about our day, our lives and laughed at any amusing jokes or stories that we could share. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time and will miss each and everyone of you and your ability to be so vulnerable with each other and share in the joy of the work we did.

I post this with a bit of bittersweet feelings. I will miss this about my job more than anything. For those who don't know, my last day at Hadassah's Hope will be July 31. I am going back to school in San Francisco to get my masters in International Relations. I have loved the mission of Hadassah's Hope and will truly miss this aspect of working with teams and watching as each person sees the work and understands why it is we work hard at Hadassah's Hope to help orphans and families. Jessica Jenkins will be taking over, and i am so excited that her experience and heart for kids will push this organization into the next year. Get to know her, she will be amazing.
I love the team and am excited to see as they each lead teams next year....hopefully i can be a member on one of their teams when they go.

I will post pictures of the trip in the next day, as i am trying to download them right now.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us!

We truly felt your prayers every day and could not have done this without your support. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Jenny Butler and Stacey Windover - 30 hour tour....Gilligan ain't got nothing on us!!

We have been traveling now for 28 hours straight and ready to arrive home.  Our time in Kazakhstan was amazing.  Elizabeth Holmes and Ayman Akshalova (our translator) were absolutely incredible.  The contacts they have made, the love they poured out and the care they gave each team member takes my breath away.  There are no words for such servant hearts willing to make a difference in the lives of Kazak orphans.  Thank you Mary and Craig for taking such a big step of faith with Hadassah's Hope.  Thank you Liz and Ayman for everything!!  Thank you Kaz team '08 for your friendship and Christ like example.  Now, time to board our final plane to see the families who have supported us on our journey!  

Faith, Hope & Love!

Home sweet home!

We are coming home to you today! We have missed all of you and are very excited to express what we have seen and learned! We can't wait to see you!

Pray for safe travels and health. We have a long day of flying ahead of us and cannot wait to be in our own beds for a long sleep.
"I THANK MY GOD EVRY TIME I REMEMBER YOU. IN ALL MY PRAYERS FOR ALL OF YOU, I ALWAYS PRAY WITH JOY BECAUSE OF YOUR PARTNERSHIP IN THE GOSPEL FROM THE FIRST DAY UNTIL NOW, BEING CONFIDENT OF THIS, THAT HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL CARRY IT ON TO COMPLETION UNTIL THE DAY OF CHRIST JESUS."
PHILIPPIANS 1:3-6

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUOUS PRAYERS!

The city of Almaty!

Today we will be going to church and then get to see the beauty of this city.

Pray as we all prepare to head home after this amazing experience. Pray that we would continue to listen to what God is teaching us every day and be able to seek His words daily.
"FINALLY, MY BROTHER, REJOICE IN THE LORD!"
PHILIPPIANS 3:1A

Being with the kids/babies-day 2

We are back to Karakastec orphanage today. We cannot express how much these kids love to be held, swung, loved.
Pray as we go back, that we would continue to see what God wants from us and that we would be able to see him clearly every moment.
"RELIGION THAT GOD OUR FATHER ACCEPTS AS PURE AND FAULTLESS IS THIS: TO LOOK AFTER ORPHANS AND WIDOWS IN THEIR DISTRESS AND TO KEEP ONESELF FROM BEING POLLUTED BY THE WORLD."
JAMES 1:27

Almaty here we are!

We have arrived in Almaty, after our long train ride. Today we will go to Karakastec to see another orphanage and play with the kids there.
Pray that we all have strength and energy. The train ride was long and all of us are wanting to nap, but the prospect of more kids makes us energized.
"GOD'S COMPASSION IS TOTAL, ABSOLUTE, UNCONDITIONAL, WITHOUT RESERVATION. IT IS THE COMPASSION OF THE ONE WHO KEEPS GOING TO THE MOST FORGOTTEN CORNERS OF THE WORLD, AND WHO CANNOT REST AS LONG AS HE KNOWS THAT THERE ARE STILL HUMAN BEINGS WITH TEARS IN THEIR EYES."
-NOUWEN, MCNEILL, MORRISON......COMPASSION

Final Day in Taraz.

Today is our final day in Taraz and time to play with the kids. It will be hard to leave them, but we pray that they will remember this time and hopefully cling to the love of God.

Please pray as we must say goodbye to the kids and take our long journey back to Almaty. Pray for strength and health, as we are all on a fast track trip.
"WHAT IF SOME DID NOT HAVE FAITH? WILL THEIR LACK OF FAITH NULLIFY GOD'S FAITHFULNESS? NOT AT ALL! LET GOD BE TRUE AND EVERY MAN A LIAR."
ROMANS 3:3-4A
"IF WE ARE FAITHLESS, HE WILL REMAIN FAITHFUL FOR HE CANNOT DISOWN HIMSELF"
2 TIMOTHY 2:13

Jenny Buttler - Jesus Loves Me This I Know...

Yesterday was the highlight of my trip. We went to one of the nicer orphanages first. They had a decent playground area and it seemed somewhat very clean. Although we would consider the kids filthy dirty by American standards - to the point where if Nathan or Gracyn were that dirty, I would literally hose them down before entering the house - they were by far cleaner than any of the kids we had seen.

We started with the younger children - such precious little faces with bright eyes full of hope. It was very hard to tell with some of them because of their shaved heads (to prevent lice) which were boys and which were girls. And some of the boys had girls clothes and shoes on and vice versa. The children all lined up on little benches and received bubbles. They were ecstatic. Even some of the older children - upwards of 13 were excited to get bubbles. Something that the teenagers in America would probably sneer at. After the bubbles came the slap bracelets. Even more excitement. Many of them wanted me to write their name in English. It was such an incredible opportunity to get to know them. I wrote on every bracelet I could either Jesus loves you or I love you. They then wanted to know what that meant - which I tried with the few phrases I had picked up to explain by drawing a heart and giving them a hug and then touching my heart - they seemed to get it and smiled sooooo big. After the slap bracelets came the stuffed animals - even MORE excitement. I wish that I had packed every single stuffed animal that I had. If you guys could have seen the way that these children clung to these animals. It really brought tears to my eyes. Many of them ran to their leaders and then would run back to us and say in English “Tank u bery!” They were going to some of the translators to find out how to say thank you in English.

We spent most of the morning playing and holding hands and hugging each other. I was amazed at some of the older children and how they wanted to participate as much as the five year olds. I spent the most time with a boy name Sasha who was fifteen who had such a sweet spirit about him. His mother and father had recently died and no one in his family wanted or could afford to take care of him. He had just arrived at the orphanage very recently and told me (through the translator) that although he was very sad about his parents dying that our arrival had cheered him up and that he now knew that one day he wanted to go and live in America because of how kind everyone there must be. We visited for quiet a while and I ended up getting the address so that I could write him letters.

We left shortly after that to go on to the second orphanage (which was the second one that we went to the day before where I brought all of the girls the nail polish and hair things). When we arrived, Ayman spent a great deal of time talking with the director. When she returned, I experienced some disappointment. The boy that I had asked about adopting with the dazzling blue eyes was not available. He had four or five brothers and sisters and his mom had just died in a car crash and they could not find his father. I had spent a good deal of the night imagining how much fun he andNathan would have together. Just not meant to be.

I was so touched to see that ALL of the girls had done their hair - most of the little ones with long hair had pig-tails with the little bows that I brought!! They all looked soo cute. The older girls immediately ran up to me and showed me their nails and I was swarmed by hugs and English “hallow”s. We were there to do a few more crafts, but I had bought some paper and markers at a market and they were more interested in sitting down with me and coloring pictures.

There was one girl in particular that was 18, she was absolutley beautiful and was leaving the orphanage in three days to go live with her sister in Almaty. Her sister had a degree for teaching English, so we exchanged addresses and she was thrilled when I told her that the Hadassah’s Hope organization would be returning to Kazakhstan next year. She wanted to know if I would be returning, and I told her that I would love to and that I would do all I could, but that was a long way from now and that I was not promising. She said that she would love to return to orphanages and do what we are doing. She was so sweet and so inquisitive! She wanted to see pictures of my family, and when I pulled out my camera, I showed them all the pictures I had taken of Amsterdam. They saw the pictures of us while we were taking the boat tour and wanted to know if we were safe on the water and were their crocodiles in the river? So many questions and such curiosity. I drew a map of the united states and pointed out where we were from and then the questions started…. What is your house like, do you have grass in your yard, how many channels do you get on a tv, is there music there, what is your favorite food, can you buy things at the store, and then the zinger question….. have you ever given your children up for adoption, and how long have you had your children. It was then that it hit me that these girls have such a different idea of family, and they were so completely interested in my family. I sat with the translator for over an hour on the dirty wet ground from the rain answering their questions.

The best came when one of the girls asked if I liked to listen to music. I explained to her that I really did not listen to alot of music because I have three kids and we really like to watch movies and listen to the music from the movies. They asked if I could sing them an American song and the only song I could think of was Jesus Loves Me. So they wanted to hear it. I sang it a couple of times, with them clapping along, and then I noticed some of them humming it. Talk about an answered prayer of planting some seeds!!! As I sung, I really prayed that they would one day know what those words meant. As soon as I was done singing, it was time to go. As we were gathering our things - she ran to Vera, who had the patience of Job to sit and translate for the tons of questions that they were peppering me with - and then ran back to me and in English said “Please to not forget me!” I kissed her forehead and put my hands on her cheeks and told her that God loves her and even if we never see each other again, my life has been changed by meeting her. I reassured her that once she got to Almaty, if she would write me with the help of her sister, that I would certainly keep in touch with her.

It was such an amazing day. One that I will never forget for sure. We are leaving Taraz tonight at 10:45 on train back to Almaty to go on to an orphanage in Taraz. I am not quite sure if I will have any internet access from there, but I do want to leave a message for my husband……

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has been a wonderful four years full of ups and downs. God has blessed me with such an amazing wonderful kind-hearted caring supportive husband that I can’t wait to run back to! I feel like I have been gone from you for months. I thank God for you and for the wonderful children that you have given me. I know that I do not tell you enough how much I appreciate everything you do for me and for our children. Without you to support me, this trip would not have happened. I really hope that everything is going ok back home. I love you and miss you and I promise that at some point this summer, we will take a really wonderful (although probably short) little anniversary getaway. If you could only see some of these children! I want for God to prepare our hearts and our (new) home (wherever that may be) for the possibility of one of them. I will see you all very soon! I love you and miss you!

Jenny

Stacey Windover - Kimbat + Stacey = Friends

Last night at the orphanage, a little 10 yr old girl named "Kimbat" walked up to me and said "Stay-ceeee" and then proceeded to hand me a marker and a piece of paper and said "Kimbat, K-I-M-B-A-T and Stay-cee are friends." So I wrote her precious name, then a plus sign, then my name, an equals sign, then friends.  I added a smiley face, a heart and some xoxoxoxoxo.  Explaining that meant hugs and kisses was a little difficult, that's for sure!!  

When it was time to go, Kimbat hugged me and said through the translator, I don't want you to leave, please stay.  Oh how I wish I could!  Oh how I wish she were adoptable and oh how I wish I had enough tenge to bring her into my loving family.  Some day, some day...................

Chandler Holmes-A man of few words

High's;

• Playing with the children at the orphanages, seeing blank faces turn to smiles.
• When one of the orphans, Gema, came out and introduced himself, you could tell he was respected by the other children by the way they called out his name.  In fact, they wouldn't play frisbee with us until he got involved and made it "cool."  
• Hanging out with the team one night for dinner. The entire team was exhausted, but instead of going to bed, they walked several blocks to a "pizza" place and we had a great time of fellowship.
• As I was picking up the trash from the craft projects, a young man actually grabbed my hand and spoke to the translator and said he didn't want me to pick up the trash, they wanted to take care of it!
• Playing basketball with the kids and seeing just how talented they were.  One kid didn't miss a shot from anywhere on the court.  We didn't win 3 on 3.
• Stacey is typing for Chandler right now and one high I saw was when several little ones were climbing on Chandler as he played with them as they belly laughed and returned for more of the big teddy bear.

Low's

• One of the adults at the orphanage challenged me to wrestling, no one wants their butt kicked in a foreign country.
• After hanging out with the kids, I was sad to learn the realization that they were fighting for attention hoping for an adoption and I realized at that time I am in no position to do something about it.

Playing with the kids!-DAY 2

Today we get to go and do some more time with the kids! It is probably the best part of the trip to spend time with them and let them know that we truly care for them and want the best for them.
Please pray that we would continue to be able to break language barriers with the kids and continue to keep energy and activity up with the kids. Pray that we can be the best example of what God truly wants for them.
"LET US THEN APPROACH THE THRONE OF GRACE WITH CONFIDENCE, SO THAT WE MAY RECEIVE MERCY AND FIND GRACE TO HELP US IN OUR TIME OF NEED."
HEBREWS 4:16

Eddie Crain - Day 5 Davay Davay!

Yes, that’s a word we had to use a lot today. More about that in just a minute....
I know Chris and Jenny got you up to speed as of yesterday, so I’ll just give you a snapshot of today. Oh, wait, just one thing about yesterday. We did high/low at breakfast and I shared with the team that my high from yesterday was meeting a little girl named Christina. We saw her at one of the orphanages and when I asked if I could take her picture she smiled pretty for me. You can see the picture I’ve attached. For those of you that know my boys, she really looks like them…ironic?? Anyway, her name starts with a “C” and all my boys are “C” names…..OK Eddie refocus before you lose it again!
About today…it’s been a great day of incredible interaction with a lot of really great kids!! We started at the orphanage that had mostly special needs kids ages 5-17. Some were more severe than others, but for the most part they were very interactive and participating in everything. Chris, Chandler, and I started by playing kickball with about 20 kids. It took them a little while to get the hang of how to play but they really enjoyed it once they got it. That where we said “Davay, Davay” a lot. It means “Hurry, Come on, come on.” We were telling them to run from base to base. We also used Ma la dee etz (good job) a lot. They loved the encouragement.
The girls were busy doing crafts and playing with the parachute with some of the little ones. They were loving all of the attention they were getting.
After a while I decided to take some to a separate area and throw around a Frisbee. Surprisingly, they were pretty good at throwing it. But, it didn’t keep their attention very long. Because….I brought out the camera….as I started taking pictures and they all wanted to see them in my display. Then one of them asked me if they could wear my sunglasses…well, that was the start of a big, big deal!! They started wearing them and posing for pictures. The girls would take a picture and then go pose on the grass or behind a tree flipping up their hair and acting like movie stars…it was hilarious. As long as I kept snapping photos they kept posing…seriously it had to be for about 40 minutes or so!
Well after the photo shoot, we moved inside the orphanage and went from room to room handing out shoes to all the kids. We very soon realized that we didn’t have enough. There was no way we were going to get away with not giving all of them shoes. After all, most of them got them, but not all?? So, we left and went to the “Bizare” (outdoor mall type thing) to buy some more shoes to take back and give all the kids. All I can say is Aiman is awesome. She talked a guy down to get 30 pairs of shoes for like $7 a pair. So, we took the shoes back to the orphanage and just watched as the kids began to smile from ear to ear. It was a great thing to see!!
Well, after the first orphanage experience of the day we were all ready to go to the second orphanage. This one wasn’t special needs….the ages were still 5-17. I would have to say that this was my highlight of the day. As we pulled up, there were a bunch of kids playing basketball…so, you know me, I asked if I could play and we started shooting around. Next thing you know, they are asking us to play a three on three game…them three versus Chandler, Chris and me. It’s never a good sign when they want to play together….trust me. Needless to say….they kicked our butts! And they were in sandles!! With a couple of big divets in the concrete!! We later found out that they play on a Kazak team. Wish we would have known that earlier….
There was one young man, probably 17 or so, very mature and spoke pretty good English. He was just learning. He seemed to have a great spirit about him. He was telling me good shot and playing very fair even when some of the others were intense. He really had my attention. His name was Errma. Anyway, after a couple of long basketball games we decided to go to the soccer field and teach them ultimate Frisbee. At first, the boys didn’t want to follow us and play, but then Errma encouraged them to come and they listened. We taught them how to play and they caught on really quick. We had a blast and I think they did too! When we left Errma asked for my email address and he gave me his….he was very eager to stay in touch…I hope he does! We gave him the Frisbee and told him to continue to play the new game they learned here today…he was very excited!! The last thing he said, as he turned to Aiman and asked how to say it in English, was “we had a good time today.” Wheeeew….I felt God’s smile on us at that moment!
Today, we weren’t able to teach a lesson or open the Bible (it’s just the way these orphanages work for now) but, we were able to be the hands and feet of Jesus in some very tangible ways. It’s like the Saint Francis of Assisi quote we often hear, “Preach the gospel all the time, and when necessary use words.” Well, today our words were very few…probably because we only knew a few…but hopefully they felt the love of Jesus!! I know I did!!
Eddie

Playing with the kids!

Today we were able to go to the orphanages and see what the conditions of the kids were.

Pray as we take in all we saw yesterday and begin to get to know each kid today. Pray that we would be wise in our actions and words, and express the love from God that is unconditional.
"GIVE YOURSELF FULLY TO GOD. HE WILL USE YOU TO ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS ON THE CONDITION THAT YOU BELIEVE MUCH MORE IN HIS LOVE THAN IN YOUR OWN WEAKNESS."
-MOTHER THERESA

Stacey Windover - scratch crosses, slap bracelets and God's eyes...oh my!

Whew, what a day!! 

 

I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be the craft guru of this amazing Kazakhstan journey.  Today was the first day we were able to spend extended time with the children at the orphanages, and yep, you guessed it, my job was craft girl.  

At the first orphanage we encountered children with different learning disabilities.  I don't know why I am so amazed that we packed the appropriate crafts and activities for just the occasion. (Can you say "thank you Jesus!"????) Bubbles were perfect!  From four years up to seventeen years, they were loving blowing bubbles and catching them all at once, it was a beautiful sight to see. Next, scratch crosses.  As I would show them how to scratch the paper with the wooden stick I would make a heart and scratch off the center and the beautiful colors would show through.  Well, they liked the colors so much they just scratched the black wax off the entire cross and held it up for me to take a picture of them with their new creation!  Again, it was a beautiful sight to see.  Then, it was time for me to switch hats and become parachute girl.  Aiman taught me how to tell the children to raise the parachute up and then down in Kazak.  I already have forgotten how to say it, but I must have been saying it correctly at the time because they would raise it on my command and then lower it when I spoke again.  There was one little guy who stood next to me but wouldn't grab the parachute.  He was four and he would belly laugh each time the parachute would rise above his head.  The joy on this sweet boy's face was priceless.  Even his eyes were smiling!  After the crafts were finished and the parachute was put away, it was time to hand out tennis shoes.  The children were thrilled to say the least!  Only one problem, we didn't have enough!!  So it was time to go to the "Bazar." (How bizarre, how bizarre...)  

We walked through this maze of a market until we were deep into the area where the cheese is hidden....oops, I mean until we found the tennis shoes at a decent price.  Aiman talked the man down from 2900 tenge per pair to 850 tenge.  Just trust me when I tell you that is a very good deal, especially when we needed to purchase 30 more pairs!!  We returned to the orphanage and handed out the new shoes. Then, we headed to orphanage number 2!

The second orphanage did not have special needs children.  We decided to pull out the slap bracelets and markers for a little do it yourself slap bracelet artwork, then, the "God is Love" crosses were handed out for some gluing fun.  Next, the ultimate craft......God's Eyes!  Who would have ever thought yarn and popsicle sticks could be so fun?!!?!?!  I would show the kids how to do the craft and I would say; "over, and around.....over, and around....over, and around" until they started saying it, in ENGLISH!  Some of the kids would repeat everything I said and mimic my hand motions, they even mimicked my laugh!  It was comical!  It reminds me that love is simply the same in any language! 

I have to give props to the men of this group, they played games in this 95 degree heat for 2 1/2 hours straight at the first orphanage and 2 hours straight at the second orphanage.  A shower never sounded so good when we arrived back at the hotel.  There were so many boys who do not get a male influence playing games with Chris, Eddie and Chandler, they are my heroes. What awesome male role models for those young boys to see.  

How could I post without saying anything about Jenny, Liz or Aiman??!?!?  Jenny is the ultimate friend finder.  If the orphans had a facebook account, Jenny would have 180 new friend requests!  She has been amazing!!  Liz, oh Liz, what a fantastic leader.  She is strong and full of Christ's love.  What can I say about Aiman?!?  She know like 280 different languages (maybe not quite that many), she is gracious and absolutely precious.  Wow, I am so grateful to have such amazing people around me, next time you see me you can just call me blessed.

Ta-Da....we arrive....finally!

Finally we are in Taraz! After a quick nap we have set out for the day to view the city and prepare for our 3 days of crafts and games with the kids!

Pray for us as we prepare for meeting up with the kids tomorrow and also that we would all step out and get to know the kids, even with a huge language barrier.
Pray that we would have strength and energy to keep up with all these kids each day!
"AS CHRISTIANS, WE ARE CALLED TO BE AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST IN WHOM THE REALITY OF GOD'S INFINITE COMPASSION BECOMES CONCRETE AND TANGIBLE."
-NOUWEN, MCNEILL, MORRISON.......COMPASSION

Jenny Buttler - God speaks Russian too!

As the team has some extra time today until dinner, we have all been given an opportunity to catch up on some emails and I wanted to take this opportunity to post here and to say thank you to the numerous people that have prayed for this team that I have never met. Prayers have been answered, and God has given us some much needed rest after traveling, as well as extraordinarily smooth travels!

Sunday, Aiman, our translator took us to the church that she attends. I was not at all sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised to find many English speaking members, including the pastor and his daughter (who translated the sermon for us). When we arrived, I could hear the music playing out of the open windows and was astonished to hear familiar tunes - Shout to the Lord, Refiner's Fire, Jesus My Jesus being sung in Russian. It was such a beautiful, awe inspiring sound to hear foreign voices praising our God in a familiar, yet unfamiliar way. Same tune, new words. The sermon was on 2 Kings, and about renewing our committment to study God's word. It was particularly focused on how the lost book of Deut. was found and how the Israelites were punished by God for worshipping idols because of the loss of this book, and the re-discovery of God's law and how we should find ways to rediscover God's word and renew the fire that we should have burning in our heart for Him.

That is what this trip has done for me. Seeing the children today of course broke my heart. I left in tears (as I knew that I would) when a beautiful blonde headed little girl asked if we were there to bring anyone new mommies and daddies. I have always had a heart of compassion for children, especially hurting children. When I saw these children today, it was as if God whispered to me - this is the same tune, but these children are new words - meaning, even though they are abandoned, they are dirty, they are unwanted, they don't speak English - I want them & I love them!! For the longest time, I had really wondered why God wanted me to come on this trip. I know now that it is to help. In whatever way I can, I am here to help. If it is giving hugs, or handing out shoes, or giving them a piece of candy, or making a craft with them, or installing bathroom tile (which will not happen this time) this experience has rekindled a fire in my heart for serving God in a new way that I didn't ever think possible. I don't know on which path God will lead me, whether it is adopting a child of our own, or returning to lead other teams to serve these orphanages, or getting involved with organizations like Hadassah's Hope in Texas, but if there is one emotion that I feel, it is urgency. Urgent to reach these children for Christ and to let them know that despite of their conditon, that his love for him is abounding!
That's all for, now - we are headed off to dinner and to do some planning for a day with the children tomorrow. Please pray that we can be given some solid opportunities to share Christ's love with these children and that the barrier of language will come down.
With much love and extreme gratitude,
Jenny

Chris Lewis - My Journey So Far...

Over the counter sleep aids are over rated. I didn't sleep a lick on the three legs of our flights.

My prayer on Day 2 was for our safety, our courage, and the opportunity to make a difference in Kazakhstan. That God will allow us to help these orphans and know that they are loved.

Amsterdam was awesome. We had an eleven hour layover. I had fun walking around the city checking it out and didn't partake in any of the activities it is known for.

We arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan early Sunday morning. So far it's been 57 hours without sleep for me and I think I'm becoming delirious. We met Aiman (our guide & translator) and her husband Yurek. Customs holds us up for about an 1.5 hours at the airport because they want us to pay for the 7 boxes of humanitarian aid we are bringing into the country. How ironic is that! If we were selfish and just brought stuff for ourselves, they're cool, but since we want to help others out, we need to pay them. Aiman helps us resolve it a few dollars later finally. I discover right away that Kazak drivers are crazy. They ignore most of what I perceive as traffic laws. Aiman fits right in. It reminds me of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at DisneyLand. So we get to the apartment some nice people are letting us use while they are gone and I get about a 2.5 hour nap. The first sleep I've had in 73 hours.

Although I enjoyed my time in Amsterdam and my first day in Kazakhstan getting a glimpse of the city of Almaty, I'm to the point where I want to do something for others. It's frustrating that it has taken so long to get to the orphans and I feel guilty that it's almost been like a mini-vacation.

After our overnight train ride (yes, I slept through the night and I'm back to feeling groovy) we arrive early Monday (today) in Taraz. Today we visited 3 orphanages and were able to look around and meet a number of kids. At the one orphanage where we were planning on redoing the bathrooms, we get thrown a bit of a curveball. They have two locations and they are going to be combining the two locations and tearing down the other. The top need for the orphanage during our meeting with the Deputy Director of the orphanage is laid out as needing new beds. We go check out the beds and numerous are broken (cheap materials). They don't meet health standards because they are not raised off of the floor. Several kids just sleep on the floor with a thin matress. We spend several hours in the afternoon pricing beds at several locations in the city. It was frustrating because no one wanted to work with us on pricing for 93 beds for orphans.

Tomorrow we have a full day of activities planned for the approximately 75 kids ages 5-18. We have crafts, group games, and field (dirt) events. It should be fun. We hear the kids will just love hanging out with us and soak up the attention.

The saddest thing I've heard on the trip was today. I learned that most orphans in Kazakhstan are adopted by the age of 5. Good news. However, those that aren't or come into the system at a later age rarely get adopted. The older kids are resigned to a life at the orphanage until they are basically turned loose on their own at age 18. If an older kid does get adopted, it almost always a girl. There are a lot of older boys at the orphanages.

Thank you for all of your continued prayers. We feel it and need it. And thank you again to those who helped get us here. We are trying to represent you well by making a difference in the lives of these orphans.

- Chris

Taraz Here we come! (is travel over yet?!)

Yep that is right, day three and we are still not at our destination. Today we arrived in Almaty to get ready for our 12 hour train ride to Taraz.
Please pray for us, as travel is getting to be a little much at this point, and a bed would be nice to lay our heads on. Pray for us as we prepare our hearts for the next few days in Taraz!
"IF YOU HAVE ANY ENCOURAGEMENT FROM BEING UNITED WITH CHRIST, IF ANY COMFORT FROM HIS LOVE, IF ANY FELLOWSHIP WITH THE SPIRIT, IF ANY TENDERNESS AND COMPASSION, THEN MAKE MY JOY COMPLETE BY BEING LIKE-MINDED, HAVING THE SAME LOVE, BEING ONE IN SPIRIT AND PURPOSE."
PHILIPPIANS 2:1-2

Amsterdam!!!!

We arrived in Amsterdam today to have a fun filled time! Please pray as we continue on our journey with another 12 hour flight to arrive in Almaty on Sunday, June 22! Please pray for safe travel and that our team would not be too exhausted, as we have a long day ahead of us to prepare for travel to Taraz!
Today's Verse:
" AND THIS IS MY PRAYER: THAT YOUR LOVE MAY ABOUND MORE AND MORE IN KNOWLEDGE AND DEPTH OF INSIGHT, SO THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO DISCERN WHAT IS BEST AND MAY BE PURE AND BLAMELESS UNTIL THE DAY OF CHRIST."
PHILIPPIANS 1:9-10

Leaving For Kazakhstan

Today we leave for Kazakhstan! We will be traveling for 24 hours to get to Amsterdam, where the entire team will meet up and spend a lovely day walking the city and getting to know each other.
Please pray that the team blends well together. Every individual is extremely wonderful and very accomodating, so I am positive they will all have fun. Pray that we can sleep on the plane and be rested for an exciting time of getting to know each other in Amsterdam!
The team has a Kazakhstan journal and each day on the journal has a verse or qote for encouragement, so i thought it would be great for you all to follow along with us and know what we are reading and talking about.
Today's Verse:
"THE LORD HIMSELF GOES BEFORE YOU AND WILL BE WITH YOU; HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU, DO NOT BE AFRAID; DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED."
DEUTERONOMY 31:8

Kazakhstan in 1 week!

We leave for Kazakhstan next friday! Please pray for the travel and arrangements, as last minute details are being worked out. Continue to pray for the team as they travel for 3 days before arriving in Taraz. Thank you for your prayers!

15 Days

The team now has 15 days till we all depart for Kazakhstan. The team is really excited and anxiously getting ready to spend time with the orphans in Kazakhstan. Please pray that each of us will continue to prepare our hearts for the eye opening experience ahead!

Tickets are purchased!!!!

We have purchased our plane tickets to Kazakhstan! It was such an amazing purchase. The team comes from 3 different states, and we managed to get tickets ending up on a layover all at the same time, so we can have hang out time, and then all on the same flights to and from Kazakhstan! I can't even believe it! God seriously was watching over the flights and the coordination and made it work out perfectly! He is so amazing! Thank you for praying for the team and for the travel arrangements. We have had many people come out and want to help us with donations and supplies. Two Hearts for Hope has been amazing at getting us supplies and money to get items over there for the kids! Thank you to Two Hearts for Hope for all your help!

Visas are in!

We have received our visas to go to Kazakhstan! We will be getting our plane tickets on Tuesday, please pray the prices will not be too expensive. We have been watching them, but you never know what day they will change! Please continue to pray for the team as they prepare for the trip financially, emotionally and spiritually!

31 days till Kazakhstan!!!!

We are officially a month out from Kazakhstan! Please pray for the team as they get prepared to leave for Kazakhstan and work with the orphans there! We are all really excited to help out, and cannot wait to see the changes in our own lives as well as the lives of others by the experience that comes through traveling.
Some prayer Requests:
The team is still raising funds to meet the full amount of $4200 each! please pray that the finances will continue to come in.
Pray that we will all be flexible and ready to help out in any way possible.
Pray that all the travel arrangements, and travel goes smoothly.

Thank you for checking on our trip and taking this journey with us!

Pictures

I thought you would all enjoy to see what the bathrooms look like that are being worked on in anticipation for our arrival.

Can you imagine trying to take a shower in this, while others can watch you? I would hate it. Thank you to all the churches that participated in VBS last year to help raise over $10,000 to go towards this project. We will definitely take pictures and update in country as to the change in the bathrooms.

Another prayer request!

We have been looking at flights to get to Kazakhstan, and keep praying the prices will go down, as to save the team money. Please join with us and pray that the prices will drop in the next week as we go to buy our tickets!

Visas!

Our visas are off to be processed for Kazakhstan! Please pray that everything goes well and that the passports are processed quickly! Also pray that the funds will come in for every team member. Each person was responsible for raising $4200 to go on the trip. If you would like to donate, go to www.hadassahshope.org, click on the get involved page and donate to Kazakhstan. I know each of us would appreciate it immensely. (and your donation is tax-deductible)

Jenny Buttler

I promised that you would get to meet our final team member, and here she is!

Jenny Buttler attends church with Stacey and she is really excited to use her expertise in remodeling to help the team out. We are really excited to have her!

The Team!

We are really excited to go to Kazakhstan June 20-June 30! The team is finally assembled and our visas are in the works. There are 6 of us going to work with the orphans and check up on a bathroom project that we have going on. Please pray for us as we get prepared and for some this will be their first international service trip.....Here are the team members.....

This is Stacey Windover. She is a Children's Pastor in Texas. She is one of the funniest ladies you will ever meet and has been a huge support for the trip and getting others motivated to help orphans.Chris is one of the board members for Hadassah's Hope. He is a teacher in California and has heart for kids. We expect him to come back ready to adopt the entire orphanage, due to his huge heart for people. This is my brother Chandler. He is a Tile Setter and is the quiet, yet extremely funny one. I am so excited to have him on this trip, not only for his skills in construction, but also because he is really good with kids.Eddie Crain is a children's pastor in Northern California and has been on board with this trip from the minute I mentioned going. He has been excited and will be great with the kids.

Of course this is me, Liz Holmes. I am really excited about the team that has been assembled. Each person has a unique quality and I cannot wait to see what God does with each one of us.

.........For those of you who counted, we are missing one picture. Jenny Buttler will be our final team member, but I am still trying to get her picture to put ont he blog. Once I have it, I will post her for all to see.

Keep coming back as we update with prayer requests and updates on this fun adventure and journey we are taking to help the orphans in Kazakhstan.