Who will help Saulet?

I want to introduce Saulet to you. In this picture he is sitting with his little sister and Mother in their humble home. He is a shy young man and very self conscious of his burns. Saulet dreams of going to university and he loves sports. He endured a great deal of teasing and taunting while in high school but continued his classes because of his dream to go to university.

As I sat and listened to Saulet's Mama and Papa share their worries and concerns for their son and their attempts to find a doctor who would help, as well as their distress over being unable financially to get their son the help he desperately needs, my heart broke. I am fortunate to have been born in the United States with access to the finest medical care even though I was a single mom on the lower end of the income scale.

This family has traveled to Almaty and Astana seeking help. Saulet has endured many surgeries and is in need of more to give him the possibility of providing a life for himself as an adult. Saulet has grown quite a bit since the last surgery. The burned skin isn't flexible and he is having more and more difficulties with his knees, neck and mouth as a result of those burnt areas.

My mother's heart understood how much a mother is willing to sacrifice for her son. I could hear the desire in this Mama and Papa's voices for their son to receive help so he can reach for his dreams. This family may be poor in finances but their love for each other was evident. I was honored to sit in their humble home and listen to them pour out their hearts for their son. As I listened, I thought about all my dear friends at home and wondered if we all worked together what could be done for this family. Saulet has bravely endured so much. He is an inspiration to me.

Saulet's parents came to Interlink seeking help. Interlink does a lot of humanitarian aid but we are not a medical organization and do not have a network of doctors in the States. Saulet's parents have given permission for him to come to the United States if we can find a doctor and hospital who will help. I am reaching out to you, dear friends, asking you to open your hearts to help us secure this dream for this family.

I'm looking for a doctor who would take this case and a hospital that would provide for the surgery. I'm also looking for someone to help Saulet with transportation to the States round trip from Kazakhstan, as well as housing while in America and the oversight of his needs while on that side of the ocean. I know this is a huge request. To be honest, however, I don't know how I could not ask. I know there is much need everywhere in this world. Why does this one young man mean so much? I cannot fully answer that question. I know it is totally out of my hands as to this family's dream becoming reality, but I have to do what I can. I have to speak about it to every person I know, praying that hearts will open and respond.







Thank you, dear friends, for taking the time to read Saulet's story. Thank you for considering how you might help. If you have additional questions or if you know someone who might help, contact me at vcharbonneau@interlinkresources.org. I am believing in a miracle for Saulet. Yes, I still believe in miracles! Join me in being part of this one.

Love,
Vicki

Peter and Zarina's Wedding

This is the new thing to do in Kazakhstan - ride around town in a limousine. Several fancy, white cars with friends led the procession while music blared and horns beeped!





Peter's mother greeted the new couple outside the gate of the home where the reception was held. She did a traditional blessing of giving the young couple bread with grain sugar on top. She fed each of them a small piece of bread. As soon as I find out the meaning of this, I will let you know. The mother of the groom did not change out of her house clothes until after the guests arrived because she was the one preparing everything. It is fun to learn different customs.

Wednesday 12 Aug I had the privilege of attending the reception for Peter and Zarina's Wedding. Peter used to work for Interlink Resources and still stays in touch because of the friendships build during his time there. Peter is Russian and his beautiful bride is Karachai Cherkess, one of the Caucasian Nationalities. Ken, Beth, Assel, and Olya and myself enjoyed the evening of celebrating.



In Kazakhstan there is a time when they say things will begin. Then there is the time when things actually begin. We had been told the reception would start at 6 o'clock, meaning to an American, it would start at 6 - that's on time. Well here, in true Kazakh fashion, the reception started on Kazakh time - about 7:45 p.m. But this gave me time to visit with people and take a look around at how things are done here. It really depends on the nationality of the couple as to what traditions will be followed. There are over 130 different people groups in Kazakhstan, so there are a wide range of traditions.



Most everyone dresses in their very best. Everywhere big & little girls love to dress up and here is no exception. I loved seeing the wee girls all dressed up. I imagine they, too, are dreaming of the day they will find their prince charming and marry.







When the bride and groom arrived, they went into the house for a bit and then entered the courtyard among well wishes and cheers. A hired MC kept the activities going with many games, toasts and songs for the new couple. Several songs were played for just the couple to dance while their friends looked on. She was a beautiful bride in a traditional dress from her heritage. Later in the evening she changed into another lovely dress which had more of a western flavor.











After several dances, they were escourted to the head table where they, along with the maid of honor and best man, sat for the next part of the celebration. The table was decorated for the new couple with tasty treats and flowers. When they were seated, the first course of the meal was served.



In the picture above you see Beth, Olya, Ken and Assel as they are waiting for the first course. Several choices of sodas were offered on each table. Usually there is a great deal of alcohol but at this wedding there was very little, for which we were thankful. Sometimes that can be an issue in this country. Pete's family, his parents, siblings and other family members prepared the food and served it. They worked all day preparing the feast and I imagine worked late into the night cleaning up afterwards. The first course included several different salads and bread followed by a hearty traditional soup with more bread and fresh fruit and finally followed by a traditional dish of pilaf. (rice, vegetables and lamb)



As people ate their first course, the parents of the bride and groom gave words of encouragement and blessings for the new couple. After they spoke many others got up to give their best wishes for this young couple. Traditionally, people also give gifts of money to help the young couple begin their new life.





I went out back and captured a couple of pictures of the guys preparing the pilaf. You can see more pictures of the entire wedding by going to the link on the right side of this blog and then going to the "Peter's Wedding" album.





As the evening went on and the sun had set, more speeches with encouraging words and blessings came from individuals and various groups of family and friends in between songs, wedding games, and eating.



Here is our group from Interlink up to say their words of blessings and encouragement. Beth is letting me know she realizes I am "hiding" behind my camera. I pretended not to understand what she was wanting me to do. Someone needs to document all our activities, right!!



Kazakh's love to laugh and have fun. The party games were a mix of fun, as well as some designed to bless the couple with many children, riches and long life. Money was collected in infant pants. Each attendee put money in either the pink pants or blue pants depending whether you wanted them to have a boy or girl first. The picture below is a group the MC gathered and then had the girls dress the men in wild outfits she said to made them Tarzan. They had to give a Tarzan cry and then were given a spear to go collect food from the tables in a set time. The winner was the one who collected the most food. They were asked to dance in these crazy outfits, which they did with enthusiasium. It was fun to watch.



Ken was pulled into playing a round of musical stools. When he lost a round, he had to polka with another guest.



This young boy begged to play this game after knowing what it was. The bride and groom had to race to dress their "babies," feed them a bottle, and then burp them. It was way too funny to watch. Then these two, all dressed up, had to walk around among all the guests.



In this picture the couple had to spit the pacifiers to see who would get their choice for the first child. Lots of the games were themed to bless the new couple with children.



The celebration went late into the night. Being a Wednesday night and having work the next day, our group started heading out around 10:30 in two shifts, so as not offend the family. It was a fun night. I was touched by the blessing so many gave, amazed by some of the games and touched by the sense of family that was obviously a priority. I had fun capturing the moment for this couple. They came by the office the Tuesday after the wedding asking for copies of the pictures I took. They had hired a group to film and capture the special time but they hadn't captured much of the activities so hoped I had. They were overwhelmed and pleased by the 500 and then some pictures I had captured. They were so grateful when I said it was my gift to them. I was glad I could give them something that brought so much joy. That evening several of the guests tried to speak to me, but since most spoke only Russian, I couldn't understand much. Olya was able to translate for me and I gave out several cards so they could go on-line and download pictures from that night.

My desire is that they will each enjoy the pictures for years to come. I was blessed to be able to join in the celebration. I am thankful to learn a little bit more about my new home. Sometimes I see what is lacking and the great need but this night I was able to see the beauty, the love, the joy of family.

It did make me miss my family and friends, as well as the wedding I missed back home and the ones I will miss in the future, but my heart is at peace and has a deep joy knowing this is where I am supposed to be. I never imagined I would be on this adventure. I was talking to my youngest sister the other day and said "Can you believe that Marc, Sarah and I are in three different time zones, in three different countries?" It is hard in some ways but oh what an adventure I could never have imagined 10 years ago. I am so thankful to not be sitting in a lazy boy chair watching the world go by on the boob tube in my living room, to not letting fear of the unknown grip my heart and keep me for reaching out to others. There is so much to see, so much to learn, so much to experience.

Thank you, dear friends and family, for the gift of friendship you so graciously give. Each of you is a gift. Love those well who are in your life. Let those little things go that, in the end, will not make a difference - the new outfit, newest computer, bigger house, fancier car isn't what brings peace and joy to your heart. Friends and family, giving out of the gifts we have each been given, and living in the Truth are where we find joy and peace that passes all understanding.

Love,
Vicki

Letters more precious than ....

Children who received letters from their sponsors. Can you see the joy in their faces.


Children who are still waiting for letters from their sponsors.


Kiikzhan and Sara before handing out letters to the children from their sponsors. Sara, who has been here for almost 6 years, also had a letter for each child explaining she is returning to the states, at least for the time being.




Some of the sponsors send a small gift with their letters. The children love these gifts but it is the letters and pictures that they hold onto so tightly. I cannot begin to express how much words of encouragement mean to these children. The interest someone shows to a child is magnified because these are lives empty of the love and stability of a family. The money a sponsor sends does make a huge difference in these children's lives, but I still think the personal touch of letters is what their hearts grasp onto.

My heart was sad for all the children who didn't receive letters. There are sponsors who really give of their time to write letters consistently but others don't. I've told this story before but I'm going to share again. A grandmother came on one of the Kid's Connection trips to see Kazakhstan and meet her sponsored child. She had written several letters and sent pictures of her children and her grandchildren, but admitted that she really didn't think much about what she had sent. Kind of like one of those good things you to make yourself feel better - "Look what I did, I wrote a letter to a poor little orphan child!" Well, as the plane touched down in Almaty, she began to get a little concerned. What would she be able to say to this child? What would they have in common? Then she wondered how she would handle some of the rougher parts of the trip (the out-houses, for example) and she began to think maybe she had made a mistake in coming.

After a night of resting, she was still nervous when she arrived at the orphanage. Then, before her stood her teen-age sponsored boy. She has two daughters and 2 granddaughters. What in the world would she and a teen-age boy have in common? Through the translator the young man wanted her to come up to his room so he could show her something. After climbing the narrow stairs, she entered a small room with three sets of bunk beds. By the small window was a table loaded with potted plants. He stood proudly beside this table showing off his labor of love. He loves growing things. Well, her heart leapt because she loved to grow things, too. They had something in common. Her nervousness began to fade. She walked over to admire the plants and, as she did, he began to motion for her to look at the bottom side of the upper bunk. She couldn't imagine what could be there that she would want to see. The translator informed her that he wanted her to look at what was attached to the bunk above where he slept.

She bent farther over until she saw her own family smiling back at her. All the pictures she had ever sent, along with all her letters, were taped to the underside of the top bunk. Each night before this young man went to sleep he looked up into the smiling faces of her family. It was then that it hit her just how much the letters she gave so little thought to meant when they arrived half way around the world. They were treasures to this young man. She was humbled, a little ashamed, but resolved to put more of her heart into the letters she would send in the future.





These letters aren't going to save these children. They aren't going to change their situation. But they do give encouragement to lives where there is very little. A sponsor can help a child learn to write out his or her thoughts as communication goes back and forth. I read to my children every night when they were young. I even read to them on occasion when they were in high school - especially books I wanted them to read and knew they wouldn't on their own. I encouraged my children to cut pictures out of magazines and tell me a story they made up about the pictures. I wanted them to think creatively, to be able to express their thoughts so someone else could understand them. The children here don't get any of this encouragement. Many struggle in school because they lack so much in preparation. They aren't in a loving home. The opportunity to begin to write and to correspond with a sponsor helps build skills they desperately need.

I've heard some sponsors say the children don't ask many questions in their letters and it is hard to get communication going with them, communicating as you would with a friend. These children don't yet have these skills. Reading letters from sponsors help them see how it is done. Sponsors asking questions about what is happening in their life and in their schooling, as well as returning words of encouragement, helps to bridge the lack of attention they received earlier in life, as well as build skills.

They ask me about their sponsors. I know some of the folks who sponsor children but obviously not all. If you are a sponsor, please write your child. You can send letters by email. We are short staffed here in Kazakhstan but the letters are a priority. Anyone who would like to come join us in working with the kids, please come on. The workers are few! We are always looking for new team members.









I love seeing the faces of these precious children light up when their name is called because they received a letter. Neither these pictures nor my words can capture fully how much the pieces of paper with words on them from a stranger mean to these children. To all of you who faithfully write your sponsored child - thank you! Even if you don't get regular mail back from your child, their hearts are touched. Many of these children are way behind in skills they should have. The staff at the orphanage barely has time to take care of their basic needs, so helping them write letters isn't on their list of priorities. We supply paper and pencils but, unfortunately, we lack the time to sit with each child though we do try when we can.

Giving the gift of encouragement when you don't immediately get a warm fuzzy in return is sometimes hard. But I'm telling you, my friends, it makes all the difference to a child on this side of the ocean. Be encouraged! Your time and energy more than doubles in meaning and impact by the time your letters reach here. Thank you - and I thank you for the children who receive the gift of your taking your time and energy to send them a letter or card. Please continue in your faithfulness.

If you haven't sponsored a child and would like to, you can go to the link on the right side of the this post and click on the Interlink Resources website link. There you will find all the information you need to sponsor a child. You can also donate funds for extra things, things like medical services for children who need medical attention (for example, surgery to repair cleft palettes) or playground and sports equipment, winter coats and boots, glasses, school uniforms. The list can go on. Each little bit adds up.

I'll be writing a post soon about a shipping container Interlink is filling in Muncie, Indiana with supplies that are being donated or purchased for here. I'll list ways you can help fill this container and ways you can help raise the funds needed to ship the container here.

Thank you, each one of you who sends me encouraging words. Like the children, I treasure each one. There are times during my day when I do get tired and sometimes even a little overwhelmed with the work and needs that are here. However, when I get back to my apartment, it never seems to fail that I'll have an email with some kind word of encouragement and a reminder of in who's strength I do what I do.

A visit to see children of Savva

Friday (14 August) Sara, Ken, Kiikzhan and I headed to a camp where the kids from Savva (Савва) have spent most of their summer. Our main purpose was to celebrate with the children who had birthdays in July and August. I enjoyed being able to see these precious children again.










In the picture above are the children who celebrated birthdays.


Ken made chocolate cake for all to enjoy. Juice, cheese balls and candy rounded out the party food.



Games were played and, as you can see from the pictures, everyone enjoyed themselves.


Marco - Polo


Double hot potato



Each child was given a gift. This year all the children received school supplies which are greatly needed through the year.



After the party was over we still had about 5 hours Friday evening and 3 hours Saturday morning to hang out with the kids. The opportunity to spend some time with these precious ones was such a joy. All kinds of ideas ran through my mind as to different projects and activities we could do with these kids to build in some of the life skills they desperately need. I'm looking forward to seeing how some of these activities can be put into place this year.

A lot of these kids I have known since they were 3 and 4 years old. I've watched them grow. While there, my heart broke for some of the children. You can see in their eyes the hope slipping away, the hardness coming in. When I look into the eyes of others, I wonder if the hope will be there the next time I see them or will they, too, have that look of hopelessness. I have to keep my focus so my heart doesn't become overwhelmed or harden to their plight. It is not my job to save these children. I'm called to what I'm asked and to let love flow through me. Like that starfish story. It does make a difference to the one who is lifted up and thrown back into the ocean. It does make a difference when someone's heart is touched - lives can be changed. It takes courage and a willingness to risk and faith.

From art seminars, murals, and projects that teach practical skills for life, as well as working with a team that brings opportunities to these children, fills my heart with thankfulness. This is what I was created to do before the beginning of time. My life to this point has woven many experiences together that can be used in many areas now that I'm here. I am thankful and humbled to be able to be here with this team and these precious children.







Thank you, dear friends, for your support and encouragement. Thank you for remembering these precious ones.
Love,
Vicki