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!