Relationships

Posted by Gilpin Brown, Delegate

Relationships!  Pam and I continue to be impressed by the fact that this life is all about relationships.  We each had serious questions as to whether we were supposed to come on this Kids Connection trip to Kazakhstan and then in the last four weeks prior to the departure date we felt the nudge to come.  Now we are more than convinced that we made the right decision and that we were supposed to be in this place at this time.  It’s never an easy trip for various reasons, but the love, caring and richness of the relationships we have witnessed as well as experienced first hand has, at times been overwhelming.  The freedom, openness and undeserved love we have both felt with “our family”, Aben, Sholpan and their children have filled us to overflowing, sometimes even literally. 

In addition to that, to see Marci and Oksana, Tom and Anna and Walter and Janet with their little girl, Lila, has shown us what a difference a caring adult can make in an orphan’s life.  There were the open tears and hugging and the quiet sitting with arms around each other type of love.

Pam and I are SO thankful for this unique, powerful and rich opportunity and blessing in our lives.

Love

Posted by Janet Varvel, Delegate

We all agreed this morning that we feel so much love for these children.  To see Tom with his Anna is enough to bring tears.  She sticks to him like glue and he does not mind.  You have heard about Marci and Oksana.  The first day Oksana tried to hide her beautiful smile because of irregular teeth, but by the second day she had just one big smile.  They just want to be touched.  Our Lilya is a petite 9 year-old, and always wants my hand or lap.  She runs to Walter just like a long lost child.  We are humbled - so humbled by this undeserved love.  Those letters mean much more than we will ever know - someone really cares!

A New Life

Posted by Tom Garnett, Delegate

Before I came with the Kids Connection delegation to Kazakhstan, I was searching my heart and mind trying to understand why I felt a “tugging” on my heart to go on this trip.  Yes, I knew in my heart I wanted to see little Anna face to face.  We have sponsored her for two years.  What I have realized since being here is that there was something else I could not identify.  What I now realize is that I have received a newness in life that has caused me to want to grow beyond the material world.  I do not yet know what this new life will be like, but I look forward to seeing where it takes me.  One of the highlights so far on this trip was seeing the love flowing from the faces of “our children” at Saramoldaeva.

A Dream Becomes Reality

Posted by Walter Varvel, Interlink Resources Board Member

This delegation trip is my 12th visit to Kazakhstan since 2001.  I have come to expect the surprises and the joys I experience every time I am here.  Friday, it was witnessing three young orphan girls named Oksana, Anna, and Lila first meet their Kids Connection sponsors and literally leap into the arms and laps of Marci Meeks, Tom Garnett, and Janet Varvel.  The room instantly filled with love, laughter, and many tears - including those of the Kazakh Director of Saramoldaeva Orphanage. 

Saturday night, we went to a nice Turkish restaurant to celebrate Marci and our Kazakh “daughter”, Tursynai’s 21st birthday.  Tursynai lived with us for one year in 2007 while she underwent corrective leg surgery.  After dinner she wanted to dance and dance and dance.  I watched with amazement at the miracle that had taken place in this beautiful young lady.  For 13 years, Tursynai could only walk with the aid of crutches.  In 2003, I asked her about her dreams.  She told me she wanted to be able to dance like the other children.  O, how that dream has come true!

While she lived with us in 2007, Tursynai told me that her big dream was to go to University and become a social worker to help other orphans.  This summer she won a full scholarship to the Kazakh National University in Almaty and is working hard to achieve that dream. 

As I watch new sponsors meet their children for the first time and see the bond of love grow between them, I can only imagine how many more of these children will begin to have hope and dreams for their future. 

A Face that Lights Up

Posted by Marci Meeks, Delegate

I have heard many stories from many friends over the years about Kazakhstan.  I have listened to their excitement wondering if I would ever share in the experience.

Well, I am here.  I have come and I found out today why I am here.  Our first day in Taraz, a visit to Saramoldaeva and meeting Oksana, the child whom we sponsor  - the purpose of this trip.  As I wandered through the rooms, I was in awe of the cheerful, colorful, light-filled rooms.

As we were entering another room, I was told that my child was inside.  As I entered the room, many people walked ahead of me, so I viewed this small face between bodies that instantly lit up.  She ran to me and jumped into my arms and we held each other so tight.  We hugged and when we leaned back to look into each other's faces, she took her hands and cupped my face.  It is so hard to explain how her touch said more than words ever could.  It was precious.  She is precious!  Our tears and smiles and the warmth of her little body next to mine ...  I did not want the moment to end.  I am so excited to spend more time with her tomorrow!

Kids Connection Delegation

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager

The Kids Connection Delegation arrived safely in Taraz this evening.  Yesterday they had the opportunity to visit our offices in Shymkent.  Today they drove from Shymkent to Taraz, stopping at a small orphanage that we work with in Vanofka.  They had a few hours to play with the children that were not in school.  Tomorrow they will visit Saramoldaeva Orphanage, the home of several of their sponsored children.  Stay tuned as they will be posting stories and pictures from their trip. 

Medical Instruments

Posted by Chic Silver, Delegate 

Along with visiting several Medical facilities with Interlink in 2000, I had the privilege of meeting Dr Nurgali on my first visit to Kazakhstan. He took extra time out of his busy schedule to give me a tour of his facility and introduce me to many members of the medical staff.  Of all the wonderful medical personnel I met, Dr Nurgali seemed to have a special compassion and genuine concern for his patients and his staff.  In touring the Operating Rooms (Surgical Areas) I noted a particular need for basic surgical instruments. During the next year we were able to fund and secure several sets of instruments for major and minor surgery.

In my second visit in 2001 our delegation was able to bring these Instruments with us and we were able to meet with Dr Nurgali again for "personal delivery".  Although very busy in his hospital duties we were able to spend time together and discuss their use.

In the spring of this year (2008) we again made contact with the hospital.  Dr Nurgali is now the Chief of Staff and the hospital is now a Regional Trauma Center.  He gave several of us a personal tour and showed us the many improvements made to the facility.  We discussed needs and he indicated that he would consult his staff.  They were able to provide a new list of surgical instrument needs. These were also funded and a portion of them were recently delivered to the hospital - with more instruments to follow.

During our discussions, questions were asked as to why we were doing this.  I indicated that I believe that I  have been particularly blessed and am responsible for passing those blessings on.  I appreciate the genuine compassion and concern that Dr Nurgali has and am happy that we were able to bless him in return.

I hope to be able to continue to work with this wonderful compassionate surgeon and his staff!

A Day of Rest

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager

Yesterday we finished up our camp at Vanofka orphanage. Before we left, Daphne was able to give the children backpacks, school supplies, and pants for school from the children in Indiana. It was a good day, but saying goodbye to the children was difficult.

At five we left Vanofka. Bethany, Karen, Daphne, and I traveled on to Shymkent for a day of rest and preparation for a two day camp with children with Cerebral Palsy. We will leave tomorrow (Monday) morning for camp. There will be 11 children in attendance with one family member for each child.

On Thursday Ila twisted her ankle preparing for an activity. Due to the fact that the camp for those with Cerebral Palsy is spread out and requires a lot of walking, Ila preceded the group back to Taraz where she is staying with Beth. This was a disappointment for the entire group, but hopefully it will give her a chance to see more of what is happening in Taraz. We look forward to seeing her when we return to Taraz on Wednesday.

Ulan Work Group

Posted by Bethany Planton, Ulan Work Group Leader

Wow! It is kind of hard to believe that I am here again. Last summer when I left Kazakhstan I did not think that I would be coming back this year, but everything just fell into place for me to come back. This year I have the great privilege of leading a delegation. This delegation consists of three wonderful women and myself. Daphne, Ila, and Karen are just amazing. I wish all of you could spend as much time with them as I get to, but to kind of make up for it I am going to write about each one of them.

Meet Daphne – Daphne lives in Muncie, Indiana. She has three young adult/ teenage boys Nick, Nathan, and Tyler. She enjoys her job working with elementary-age children and putting together short videos. Her favorite color is purple. Daphne is quite creative and very sweet. This is her second trip to Kazakhstan. Her first one was back in 2002 on the Taraz 2000 Delegation.

Meet Ila – Ila lives in Anderson, Indiana about a ½ of an hour away from Muncie. She is a registered nurse and does home care. Ila has a grown son named Allen. Her favorite color is red. Ila is always willing to help and has a great heart. This is Ila's first trip to Kazakhstan!

Meet Karen – Karen lives in Forest, Virigina. She enjoys her job as a physical therapist assistant. Karen has two cats that share her home with her. Her favorite color is purple. Karen is generous and fun. This is Karen's third trip to Kazakhstan. She has been on the Ulan Delegation for the past two years.

Now that you have met my wonderful team, I hope you enjoy reading all about we are doing while we are here in Kazakhstan.

Ulan Work Group

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager

The Ulan work group has had to learn the phrase "be flexible" that we encourage all our delegates to keep in mind as they prepare to travel.  Due to many different complications, they will now be working with an orphanage in Vanofka and a group of youth with Cerebral Palsy from our office in Shymkent (two different three day camps).  This group has done a great job adapting to all the changes.  On this blog, we will probably still refer to them as the Ulan work group because that is what they were referred to as they prepared for their trip over here. 

The Ulan work group arrived in Almaty yesterday (Monday) morning.  Although they were tired (especially after a long layover in Amsterdam), they didn't have any problems on their flights.  They traveled to Taraz and arrived in the early afternoon.  After lunch, a tour of the office, and an orientation meeting, they went to their host homes.  Most of our delegates stay in the home of a Kazakhstani family, so that they can experience the culture and hospitality of the people that surround us each day. Today (Tuesday) will be a day of planning, since all of the planning that has been done previously will have to be adjusted as we have had to change the focus of this group. 

We will be trying to update this post every couple days in order to let you know what they have done during their time here (although this may be challenging due to a lack of internet at two of our locations).  As a result, we may end up posting (especially pictures) for several days at a time.  

Thinking Back on a Delegation

This post shares some thoughts from one delegate that came to Taraz in July to work with Youth Impact.  As we prepare for another group of people from the States (arriving tomorrow morning), we thought it would be good to look back and see how a trip like this affects a delegate. 

Posted by Shannon Neckers, Delegate

It's been two weeks since the Youth Impact Delegation has returned to the States. I was one of the lucky ten to embark on such a wonderful journey. I've had many thoughts go through my head since we've returned. I'd sum up my experience as the best 10 days of my life! It was amazing! I, along with the team, prepared for months before leaving the U.S., but nothing can fully prepare you for the experience (and I mean this in a good way)!  I went with the intention of helping others and I came back with several stories of the people of Kazakhstan helping me!

To further explain, let me give a bit of background. Before my trip, I was a girl who had just graduated from college and due to a series of events, I felt afraid to dream about my future. During this trip, I found myself dreaming once again about my possibilities. It was as if my heart was really beating again and I was equipped with a new view of life. My hope is that how I came out of the experience was similarly felt by several of the teens from the PTL program as they journey into unknown territory of their own. Not only that, but one thing our team worried about was being able to truly help the children we would meet despite the short amount of time we had with them. We did! We made an impact! On several occasions the translators would tell us, "The kids are so happy! They're laughing and smiling!" "What you're doing is a good thing." Also, just as I'm reveling in all my experiences and processing it all, I hope that those we met are still being impacted as they remember us.                                      

Now back in the states, we’re all missing the relationships we formed with the staff, our host home families, and the children. It was great sharing cultures and ideas with one another. A special bond was formed among us. One thing I loved about the trip was that it was easy to jump into getting to know others at a deeper level. The language difference in some ways was the complete opposite of a hindrance. A boldness came in using a translator to speak our words for us and trying to communicate with the people we met. We only had a few short days or in some instances a few short hours to be with the teens and young orphans and our goal was to make it all count! What a fantastic way to live life each day! In addition, what a wonderful example we were hopefully able to leave with those who we came in contact with during our stay. This continues to inspire me greatly, knowing that I make a difference. What should have been complicated (trying to communicate with 3 different languages among the group- Kazakh, Russian, and English), turned out for me to be simple. Doing small acts of kindness were more easily perceived. Although I feel like I'm just getting started talking about my time abroad, I'll leave with a poem I wrote eight years ago after spending a few short weeks with four Kazakh children visiting the states for a diabetes camp. I feel that the poem is appropriate in explaining my time spent in Kazakhstan just two weeks ago.

 

Making All the Difference
Laughter- the universal language
No matter where you are you can understand
Smile- the lifter of someone's day
Even if you do not understand
Thank you- two simple words
Take so little time to say but mean so much
Understanding the world and the world understanding you
Starts by giving something small

Thank You!

The staff at Interlink want to thank those of you that allowed/encouraged/supported friends and family that came to Kazakhstan on the Youth Impact Delegation.  We can not even begin to measure the impact they had on the students that they worked with.  Thank you for sharing them with us. 

We wanted to remind you of a few things as they return to the States today.  Every person processes a trip like this differently.  Some people need days or weeks to process before they feel like they can accurately express what happened to them.  Others will have hours of stories that they will be ready to tell as soon as they see you for the first time.  Be patient with them and allow them to express their thoughts as they have time to reflect.  It may take a while for you to be able to understand the changes that have happened in them during this time. 

Thanks again for letting them come and helping them to process as they return to the States. 

Delegation Update

The Delegation arrived safely in Almaty this morning.  Nate is feeling a bit better this morning.  He is planning on resting in the morning and then joining the delegation for activities in the afternoon.  They will go to Tsoom (for touristy shopping) and Kook Toobe (a hill overlooking the city).  

Delegation is Off

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager

We saw the Youth Impact delegation off at the train tonight as they came through from Shymkent.  They all seemed to have had a good visit in Shymkent, although the guys actually complained because they were given too much to eat.  Yet another example for them of the wonderful hospitality here in Kazkahstan. 

Nate started feeling slightly nauseous yesterday and so the first part of the hot train ride today was somewhat difficult for him.  He was able to get out in Taraz and get some fresh air which seemed to help.  Hopefully, they will have the air conditioning on for the rest of the trip. 

The delegation will arrive in Almaty tomorrow morning at around 8:30 am.  They will go to Shymbolak (a ski resort in the mountains South of Almaty) and do some other touristy things.  We will try to keep you posted on how they are doing in Almaty. 

Delegation Update

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager

The delegation went to the bazaar this morning, had some time with the American team in Taraz for lunch, and traveled to Shymkent this afternoon.  They arrived safely in Shymkent this evening.  Tomorrow they will see the Interlink Resources office in Shymkent and then leave on the evening train for Almaty.  We will hopefully have some blogs for you about their time in Shymkent over the next couple days.

Park Visit

Posted by Nate Clark, Delegate Hello everybody! What a great trip so far! Today (Saturday morning) we got to take young children from the orphanage to the park. The 20 or so kids varied greatly in personalities, energy levels, and response to unknown adults. Many were so wanting of love and affection. My deltoids are very sore from throwing kids up in the air so much. I did it once and instantly we had a line of kids wanting the same. We took them on several rides and hung out with ice cream. It was great seeing so many smiling little faces. It’s amazing to see how much a simple hug can affect someone’s mood! We have another program with elementary-aged orphans soon which we are all looking forward too. We look forward to sharing with you more later!

Park Visit

Posted by Elizabeth Jones, Delegate

This morning (Saturday) we took a group of 20 4-6-year-old orphans to a local park to ride rides and eat ice cream. As soon as the children arrived at the park, they ran right up to us and gave us hugs. We hope this activity (which was amazing fun for us as well!) helped these children feel special and loved. I spent most of my time this morning with a student who has a hearing impairment. Although we could not speak directly to one another, it is amazing how much a smile and hug can communicate. She especially enjoyed repeatedly (and I do mean repeatedly) pushing the buttons which made the helicopter ride we were riding together go up and down. At the end of the morning, we gave each child a small stuffed toy to take home, which delighted them. As you look at the pictures that accompany this post, it will be obvious why these kids stole our hearts.

Youth Impact Picnic

Posted By Rebekah Jaenicke, Delegate

Wow- where do I begin? This trip has been full of things we will never forget. Yesterday (Friday) we were able to take the PTL kids to a picnic. It was so awe-inspiring to see the change in the kids from just two days before. The kids who were hesitant and unsure of us had now become close friends. No longer did we have the wall between the Americans and the Kazakhs, and in some instances we were even able to communicate without the help of translators. My heart soared when the girl who on the first day would not speak, and whom we were informed usually does not participate in group activities, took me by the hand and led me to play in the river.

The day was full of games, food, talking, and laughter- How beautiful was their laughter! One of my favorite games of the day was played in the river. We stood in a circle in the water and passed a volleyball around, but if you caught the ball, hit the ball out, or did not hit the ball when it came to you the person on your right was allowed to splash you with one hand. The game was refreshing and we all had so much fun!

Ending the day was hard because it was our last day with the PTL kids, and we had already formed such great bonds with them.Later on in the evening the daughter in our host family, who speaks English well and was actually one of the translators for the picnic and today, helped Shannon and I write down the Kazak and Russian words we had learned. We wrote the translation, an English version to remember how to say it, and the Kazak/ Russian word. Her hospitality and patience are humbling. She constantly takes her time to teach me about her country, her language, and her culture.I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Youth Impact Picnic

Posted by Erica Clark, Delegate

We are having a great time in Kazakhstan!! We are learning so much about the culture through the people we meet. Yesterday we spent our last day with the Youth Impact children. They are a group of students who have graduated from an orphanage and are now taking classes to learn daily living skills as well as specific job skills. Throughout the week I have worked with a group of 5-7 kids who are Russian speakers. We did many fun activities like painting, collages, a scavenger hunt, and games. We introduced them to Jenga and Connect 4 and they were both big hits!!! We also took time to have more serious discussions about important issues like teamwork, making decisions, and career choices.


Yesterday was all fun though! We went to an area outside the city where there was open land and water to play in. The kids had so much fun having free time to play board and card games, American football, Ladderball, swim in the water, throw a Frisbee, and have a picnic. It was a great way to end our time with them and really be able to help them have fun. It is amazing to see how often the students were smiling. I am thankful they can smile and laugh when you consider all the hard times they have had to endure in their short lives so far. We are sad to leave them, but an Interlink staff member said we have helped the staff build stronger relationships with the students for their future work here. We hope there is a lasting impression!!!

Youth Impact Picnic

Posted by Jeff Jones, Delegate

Yesterday, our team spent most of the day with the Youth Impact children. We brought a picnic and plenty of games and activities. We played ladderball, cards, lawn darts, soccer, and threw around the Frisbee and football. It was our last day with these children, and it was not easy to say goodbye. At dinner last night, one of the translators told us that the children had said that they really liked us and that we were really kind-hearted, which showed me that in only three days, we had made at least a small impact on them.