What have I been doing the last two weeks!

These are pictures of the Art Competition from three local orphanages.






Here I am with Donna,one of the Directors of Saramoldiva Orphanage, Beth and Olya



June 1st in Kazakhstan is Children's Day. Kazakhs celebrate Women's Day, Men's Day and Children's Day instead of Mother's and Father's Day. Beth, Moldir and I went to the celebrations at Ulan Orphanage. The children and staff put on a beautiful performance for us and other groups interested in the children. A group of young women studying fashion design in a local university designed outfits that some of the orphans modeled on stage. A group of men gave the orphanage a TV and many well-wishes were given to the children.



Many children displayed beauty and talent but my heart was sad because most of the children in Ulan orphanage were unable to attend. Only a few who were not performing were able to come because children in the orphanage share school uniforms. School is only half a day. Those who go in the morning wear a school outfit. When they return at lunch time, the uniform is given to another child who then wears it to afternoon classes. So, for any official event, there isn't a "nice outfit" for each child to wear and sadly, therefore, not all can attend.

Appearance is very important in Kazakhstan. Image matters whether it's the shoes you choose to wear or the color you choose to dye your hair. I stopped coloring my hair because I didn't think I could get boxed hair color here. Well, I can get any color I'd want, even some natural looking ones. However, I think I'll leave it "white" for a couple reasons. First, I've gotten use to it and it is easier to manage leaving it my natural color. Secondly, I'd like my actions to speak about where I find my value and worth - and it is not in hair color or shoes. I do not want to offend anyone with what I wear, but neither do I want to add to the perception that looks are what is most important. The focus on appearance is seen not only in clothes, but on buildings. Any new building is constructed with great-looking facade. However, the quality of construction underneath is not immediately seen but within a year, usually, the building looks like it has been around for generations. The focus here on the appearance of things leads to a hopelessness. The truth is that finding value in oneself is difficult with a facade. Kazakhstan, unfortunately, has a very high suicide rate. Hopelessness penetrates all areas of society, but is found especially among the children in these orphanages and it breaks my heart.



On Saturday, June 6, Beth, Ken, Jason, Kiikzhan and I took Ken and Jason's Thusday afternoon English Club to the river for a picnic. Those attending the club are either students from various universities or those who have just graduated but desire to improve their English. Our picnic was a celebration for their work through the year. English Club will resume in the fall. It was a little chilly for swimming in the river, but everyone had fun, nonetheless. We played frizbee (something they don't have here), card games and just enjoyed nature. We spread a blanket and had cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, chicken, kibassa and cheese to go on our bread for sandwiches and sodas or water to drink.



On Sunday, June 7, Beth, Ken, Jason and I drove to a village about an hour and a half from Taraz. I loved being in the village. The people are so incredibly friendly and hospitable. I love the picture below of the grandfather of a woman who lives in the village. She is a friend of Beth's. He is in his mid-70's, which is old by Kazakhstan standards. I was honored to be in their home, if even for a short time. I look forward to going back to give them copies of pictures I took while I was with them.



Beth, Ken, and Jason's friends took us to a picnic spot in the mountains. It was absolutely beautiful. We drove up the mountain and crossed a small stream in our vehicles to a spot where we left the car and then hiked a little way farther up the mountain before setting up "camp." After a relaxing lunch, we explored the surrounding countryside.







Kazakhstan's landscape is beautiful. This spring has been unusually wet so the fields are much greener than they typically are the beginning of June. But even when there is the the harshness of a dry, hot summer, the landscape has a beauty all its own. I love being out in nature and enjoying creation.

Last week I returned to the bazaar with pictures I had taken on previous trips. I had so much fun distributing the pictures. The two young university students (who speak English) who were with me enjoyed the excitement as much as I did. Everyone seemed so please to receive their photos and each responded so positively. Of course, others also wanted their pictures taken, so now I need to go back and deliver more pictures!



At times I have gone to the bazaar without taking my camera and I have regretted it because there is always some great sight I want to capture. I wish each of you could come visit so I could show you around the wonderful town of Taraz.



Last Friday, June 12, we had a farewell party for Jason. Jason graduated last May from a university in Virginia and came for a year-long internship program with Interlink Resources. Jason is an amazing young man with such a gift for computers, programs, policy and procedures. He has been a great asset to Interlink Resources here in Kazakhstan. Jason will be going back to Virginia for a couple of weeks before heading to Indiana to help in our State-side office for several months. Jason will be greatly missed here. Everyone is very grateful and thankful that Jason will continue working with Interlink, providing knowledge in areas of need. Thank you, Jason.

We all had a great time enjoying wings prepared by Beth. They were better than any wings I've ever had in the States. We also had salads, pound cake prepared by Ken, apple cobbler and carrot cake also prepared by Beth, and other tasty foods. The evening continued with games.



On Sunday we had another dinner. This time in honor of Jason at Marina's family's home. Another great meal, games and a time to enjoy each others' company before Jason boarded the train on the first leg of his journey home. Assel from the office rode with Jason on the over night train to Almaty. Jason was scheduled to fly out of Almaty Tuesday morning but was delayed due to some paper work mix-up. Patience is a great virtue to have here in Kazakhstan. If you don't have it when you arrive, you most definitely will by the time you leave. Nothing runs according to plan and the saying "You aren't in Kansas any more, Dorothy" is a key phrases we use around here. Jason is spending a week in Almaty before heading home. Assel returned with the American delegation on Tuesday, June 17.



I moved June 11 to a new host family. Such a change is often necessary. I was sad to leave Sholpan's for many reasons, but as she has often been away and has had to leave again to go to Almaty, it is nice to be in a home where the family stays at home.


My new bedroom.

My new host family lives in a flat on the fourth floor of an apartment building. It is small but quite nice. Dana and I met several weeks ago when I visited the 10 Micro Region Boarding School for disabled children. We hit it off right away and she invited me to come live with her and her husband. They both speak Kazakh and help me each evening with my Kazakh. Dana plans on my knowing Kazakh by Christmas. I'm optimistically hopeful.



There is a dirt courtyard between the apartment buidings where I now live and dozens of children play there each afternoon. Dana and I went out one evening and I gave out match box cars and jump ropes. It seemed like a good public relations move on my part, a way to introduce myself to the local children. It was a hit and now when I come home I have dozens of children running to greet me. Their greeting me is another way to learn Kazakh! Actually, I'm learning both Russian and Kazakh from them, but that's okay. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep the languages separated. Many Kazakhs mix the two languages in one sentence, so I figure they will show me grace as I muddle through.







Well, friends and family, I know this is a long post and I've only covered a few of the highlights of the past two weeks. I've settled into my new home and have learned to negotiate traveling to and from my new home. I'm trying to settle into a routine of some sorts, but am not yet quite there.

Marc turned 21 on June 20. I can't believe my baby is 21 years old already! My heart is sad because I missed his celebration, yet I know beyond a shadow of a doubt I am where I belong and the call on my life is to be here in Kazakhstan. I truly feel I'm home. Each new word I learn brings me closer to being able to speak with the people on a heart level. I look forward to the day when I can. Until then I'm waiting patiently and enjoying the many blessings given to me each day.

Thank you, each one of you, for your kind words of encouragement. Each email and each note I receive in the mail causes my heart to leap with joy. I'm like a young child at camp when I receive mail from the States. The staff here just laughs because I get so excited.

Thank you, each one, for joining me in this next chapter of my life.

Love,
Vicki

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY MARC!!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARC!!!!! Celebrating 21 years!!


I can't believe how fast the last 21 years have flown by. It seems like yesterday when I first held you in my arms. Oh how I loved you then. I could never have imagined then how much that love would grow. I am so proud of you and all you have done. Life hasn't always been easy and I know your heart has been hurt by things I have done, as well as life in general. Even though my heart aches for your pain, I know all will eventually be redeemed. May Papa continue to bless you and keep you safe, dear son.



As much as I know it is the call on my life to be here in Kazakhstan, I can tell you it is hard today to be so far away from you. I wish I was there to celebrate this special day with you. I am ever so thankful for who you are and all you have added to my life. It is because of you and your sister that I wanted to be a better person. I have been humbled and honored to be your mother. Each day I count you as one of my greatest treasures I've been given in life.



The gift of music you have been given has been with you since you were born. I remember giving you your first real drum when you were in 4th grade, but you were banging on everything and anything from the moment you could grasp something in your hand. You began speaking at a very early age and rhyming words came naturally to you. You are truly gifted and a poet in the way you convey your thoughts through your words and music. I miss hearing you working on your rhythms, hearing your beats and your practicing your newest song. You have been given a gift my son. Give it back as worship and you will go places you never imagined.







I'm not there to throw you a big BBQ cook-out, or have a special family dinner, but in my heart I am celebrating the life you have had and the chapters that have yet to be written. This isn't the first birthday I've missed being in Kazakhstan. Several of my trips in the past have been in June and I've missed those birthdays, too. This birthday is different because I know it will be longer before I see you in person and this birthday is one of life's milestones. This time marks the end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood. When you were 13 we had a big cook-out with family and friends and marked the beginning of leaving childhood. Words were spoken about your future and blessings were given by those who attended. Know, my son, that you are loved and treasured, not only by me but by many others, as well as our Heavenly Father.







While you celebrate this day, I hope you will know you were given as a gift and that you will reflect upon and count your many blessings. Even thought there have been hard things in your life, you have been richly blessed with so much. I love you, my son, and celebrate with you and for you. I may be far away but I hold you in my heart and know someone bigger than me loves you even more and holds you in the palm of HIS hand. Seek HIM first and all the rest of your life will fall into place.






I love you, my son, and am proud of you, and am honored to be your mother. I love you as high as the sky, as deep as the ocean, forever and always, no matter what - even from half way round the world.

Love,
Mom

Faces of Kazakhstan

The people of Kazakhstan! They have captured my heart! When I came for the first time in 2000, the children in Ulan orphanage stole my heart but it didn't take long for the Kazakh people to also claim my heart.

It is hard to explain how I can be in a land far from where I was born and feel so at home, yet my heart tells me I am home! When I look into the faces around me, I see people I desire to talk with and hear their stories, hopes and dreams.

Having been raised in the South, I grew up hearing that there is nothing like Southern hospitality. I experienced some of that warm Southern hospitality through the years but I can honestly say the Kazakh people put most Southerners to shame with their hospitality. From the orphans to the average person on the street, their generosity amazes and humbles me. When my children came with me in 2002, one of the first things they noticed was how welcoming people were, even children at the local school. Since we had moved quite a few times as Marc and Sarah were growing up, they had been the "new" kids in school several times. They knew first-hand how unfriendly children can be to the "new kid." When they came back to the States, they both began reaching out to new kids - especially those from other countries. Each of my exchange students came home crying after a couple of weeks in their new schools because their classmates had been so unfriendly.

Here in Kazakhstan most people are friendly. Many stop me on the street to inquire where I'm from and ask how I like Kazakhstan. When locals welcome me into their homes, it is with a table spread full with dried fruits, nuts, candies, bread, meat, cheese, and tea. Relationships are certainly a higher priority than schedules. Of course, this can be frustrating at times, particularly because being told an event will start at a certain time doesn't mean the event will actually start at the time given. Being asked to "drop by" usually takes at least 2 hours - or more! If you schedule a 15 minute "dropping by," the unexpected extended time can definitely disrupt the rest of the day.





As I walk around the bazaar or down the street, I don't blend in. I have to admit I'm not sure I blended in all that well back in the States. My KEEN shoes and "paint" jeans aren't the height of fashion. In the States I found my J-41 and KEEN shoes to be the most comfortable shoes to wear. Here, with the rough terrain, I love these brands even more. Now, Kazakh's love fancy shoes and I am absolutely amazed at how high the heels are that Kazakh women wear on sidewalks that are definitely rough terrain. So many of the woman are strutting around in these high, high heels without missing a step. I don't know how they do it but I am going to stick to my all terrain comfortable KEEN's and J-41's. Sometimes in the bazaar I do stumble and trip, but that's because I'm so busy looking at all the sights and trying to capture them with my camera.

Standing out isn't all bad. I love that venders stop me and ask where I'm from. What is my story, they want to know. Since I arrived almost a month ago I have been to the bazaar 4 or 5 times. Now people are stopping to ask how I am doing, how my language learning is progressing, and how I'm enjoying my time in Taraz. I absolutely love this kind of interaction. My heart fills with joy.









The children have the biggest hold on my heart, especially the orphans. These children have been through so much. They hang onto the smallest bit of hope their hearts can grab hold of. Their longing to have someone take the time to let them know they are of value - even when shown the smallest bit of attention - is evident.

Interlink Resources, Inc. has a sponsorship program. Money donated goes to do so much for the children; however, I think it is the letters and visits from the American sponsors that make the most significant impact on these children. They are desperate to know someone cares. Letters, pictures and small gifts are treasured like precious gems. Children will read and reread letters and learn every detail about their American family. One sponsor came to visit her child last spring. When she returned to the States, she shared with us that even though she sent money for her sponsored child and had written a couple of letters, including letters about her granddaughters, she really never gave her writing much thought. When she came last spring she was actually a little nervous. What would she have in common with this child? What could she actually talk about with this child? When she entered his room she saw plants in the window. This young man liked to grow things and, as it would happen, so did she and they had something to talk about. As nice as that was, however, that isn't what touched her heart. The young man pointed for her to look at the underside of the top bunk. His bed was the bottom bunk. As she bent down to see what was there, she couldn't have prepared her heart for what she saw. Taped to the underside of the top bunk were all the photos of her family that she had sent. Every last one, along with the letters! He knew each family member by name and could recite the contents of each letter. Each night before he closed his eyes, her family's smiling faces are what he saw. Can you imagine being so alone and so scared and continually wondering if anyone cared about you that you would treasure pictures and letters from strangers?

She came home realizing how the little bit of time and effort she had put into her writing and mailing letters was but a drop in the bucket compared to the return. The children here grab hold of these letters and relationships as a lifeline being tossed out to them in the midst of a storm.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child, you can find more information by going to Interlink Resources,Inc.'s website. The site is listed on the right side of this blog.















Even though I am not a child, I also appreciate the cards and notes I am receiving from home. As much as I'm loving being here, there are times my heart longs to see Marc and Sarah and my dear friends. There are days I want to show the amazing sights here to those of you who have meant so much to me through the years, to share the joys of my surroundings to a familiar face. The next best thing is sharing through the great convenience of the Internet. What did people do a 100, 50 or even 20 years ago when they went off to other parts of the world? They had little opportunity to keep in touch with loved ones who were left at home. I am ever so thankful for this connection today.










Thank you, dear friends and family, for joining me for this next chapter of my life. I am truly blessed with great friendships and am looking forward to the new friends I will be meeting in my new home.

Love,
Vicki