Happy Birthday to Him!

It was a very nice Christmas Day and the whole Christmas season has been very good. This year was one of those rare times when we got snow on Christmas Day! We got a couple inches on top of the 3-4 inches we had already.


On Christmas Day Jason, Sara and Heather came over for a day long celebration. We started off with a delicious egg/sausage casserole and fresh baked pumpkin bread for brunch! Yum. Then we spent time lighting the Advent wreath and shared some appropriate readings. After that we opened gifts from back home. (Thanks to all who sent things ahead of time so we could have then on the 25th!) After gifts we watched "The Nativity", a very good movie. Then we started cooking our ham and potato dinner. Very tasty! After dinner we watched our new DVD "Santa Clause 3". Then we had a special time to sing Happy Birthday with lighted cake for the reason for the season!

The gang hung around long enough for a partial game of canasta and there were some phone calls home. All in all, it was a very pleasant Christmas Day celebration for the American team here.

Ember just returned home in hopes of returning full time. She gave us these pictures for Christmas before she left. They are all very nice. Ember is very talented with all kinds of art and photography.
All for now. I trust you and yours had a Very Merry Christmas!

Tis The Season

I hope you all are looking as forward to this Christmas season as I am. We have already begun to celebrate as the American staff here helped me host the seasons 1st Christmas party. A great time was had by all and 10 of my regular folks came. We decorated this tree, decorated and baked Christmas cookies, Had home made pizza and watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer".


Later the American staff also had another picture taken by our tree. In Kazakhstan they don't celebrate Christmas, New Years is the BIG holiday here. So we are gearing up for that by spending time at the local orphanages and helping to purchase gifts for all the children with the help of folks back home. We have also purchased a new sound system for the Savva Orphanage in Merke. Music is a big part of Kazakh life as every party heavily features dancing. We were also invited to a dance and talent competition at the Saramoldaeva orphanage.

I trust you and yours will enjoy celebrating Christmas this year. Spend quality family time and join some activity to support the Christmas spirit in your community! God bless each and every one of you and thanks for remembering me while away this year.

Thanksgiving X2

One advantage of living in Kazakhstan is that we can celebrate things/events a number of times! This year, for Thanksgiving, the American staff took off and spent the entire day preparing for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. From turkey, to stuffing, to mashed potatoes and corn, to pie(s) Pumpkin. pecan and apple. You may wonder why it took all day to prepare dinner for 4 people, well the truth is we prepared for more than a dozen people! We first had a traditional dinner on the 27th and then prepared enough for the same meal(for a luncheon) for the entire Interlink staff on the 28th!

We also had a time for everyone to give thanks for the things they are grateful for in their lives this past year. We also have a white table cloth where everyone can write a Thanksgiving quote for a keepsake. It's nice to read what folks have given thanks for in previous years.

So we celebrated Thanksgiving twice! The most interesting part was pickling out live Turkeys at the local bazaar and taking them to a house where a lady, for a very reasonable sum, killed, plucked and gutted the three turkeys. The purchasing and cleaning of all three was about $75.

So what are you most thankful for this past year? I hope and trust you are thankful for a great deal. Thanks for taking time to view my blog. Feel free to leave a comment and drop me a line and let me know what is new in your part of the world.

Time to Grow (2004-2008)

One of the joys of working here in Kazakhstan is the Interlink Kids Connection sponsorship program started a couple years ago. It's a typical sponsorship program where an American family back home can connect with one of the children in our area orphanages. Letters and photos are exchanged while relationships are developed. The $200 a year, per child, enables Interlink to help these children in many practical ways. The Savva Orphanage in Merke was in need of a new water tower last year. Such expenses are not a part of normal funding. The government provides staffing, food, clothes and other necessities. There are no funds for large maintenance type of repairs. Interlink was able to provide all the needed funds for that new water tower. Kids Connection also helps out with celebrating B-days and other special holidays for the children. We've , in the past, provided funds for a sound system, material for draperies and performance costumes etc.

The advantage of being a local part of the staff is that I can sponsor a child and also visit that child on a regular basis. Some, join with a delegation coming here and can visit their child. What a special event that is. So Interlink is in the unique position to help these children and also have a net work available for sponsors to come and visit their child. But I can see Dina on a weekly basis, while also exchanging pictures and letters. I'm also learning Kazakh so I can chat with her in person. Included are two photos. One of Dina when I met her in 2004 when she was 8 or 9 years old. The second photo was taken recently and she is now 13. It's a joy to see these children grow and I'm delighted to be a regular part of their lives.

Ulan Carnival 2008!

Who says work is not fun??? We put on a mini-Carnival for the children at the Ulan Orphanage, Labor Day weekend. Due to a shortage in staffing we were limited to 6 stations. We had a Plinko stand, Picture board with a strong man and woman on a trapeze for the children to put their faces in, Ladder toss, Clown Bean Bag toss, Ring toss over wooden milk bottles and the all popular Gorilla sponge toss with yours truly as the target.


As you can see these children through the soaked sponges with great determination. Fortunately for me most of them missed though given 3 chances. Fortunately for them, some of them succeeded. All in all we had a very nice time. The weather is still nice and this was the weekend before they started back to school. Prizes and candy were awarded. The children also received a Camp "T" shirt and a carry bag (made by a local Kazakh woman) donated by an American Delegation from Muncie, Indiana.

The children have two dormitories. One for younger children and the other for the older pre-teens and teens. The teen building is undergoing renovations so all the children are cramped into one dormitory for the next few weeks or until the remodeling is complete.

Sorry you could not be a part of all the fun, but your continued support from back home makes all this possible.

Having FUN! For the children

This is the first time I volunteered to be the target of a sponge toss event. An American delegate (Vicki) painted the gorilla with too-too. I made the frame and was more than willing to be the target. You may say, so that is no big deal. They are only sponges after all. But these sponges can hold some amount of water and some of the children are strapping young men with quite an arm.

This photo was taken last June at the Savva English Camp carnival night but this weekend I'll assume the post again for the Ulan orphanage carnival we've prepared. Should be fun. With the help of the team here and local translators we'll set-up a half dozen stands for the amusement of the children.

So as the summer closes and the new school year begins we want to give the children a last hurrah. Don't you wish you could be here to toss a few sponges??? Go ahead, you probably throw like a girl! And if you are a girl then I would still tease you for throwing like one!

Well, off to prepare for the Ulan Summer ending Carnival.
Wish you were here
Ken

Monster Burgers

Just in case you were wondering how the food is over here, take a gander at my latest creation! I took nearly 2 lbs of lean ground beef and made 5 "Monster Burgers". Believe me, they are as tasty as they look.

Of course this is not the typical meal here. For the most part I take in mostly national foods and enjoy them very much. Kazakhstan is a real "meat and potato" kind of people. It is said here that Wolves are the one animal on the planet that eats the most meat. And Kazakhs are 2ND!

Veggie lovers stay home. JUST KIDDING! Come one and all. Especially veggie lovers. More meat for me.

Anyway, having said all that we all really love the national dishes here, but like a bit of old fashioned American style burgers and pizza! National foods include Bisparmak which is a hand made flat noodle dish with potatoes and of course meat. Kordak is another meat and potato dish usually made after a fresh slaughter of a sheep. The Usbec main dish is Plov. A rice and meat dish, while the Russian favorite is Borsh which is a cabbage, potato and meat soup. All very tasty and I'm sure you'd like them, very much, as well.

In any case, don't worry about us loosing weight over here. We love our work, we love the people and we love the food.

And Still Working!

I wonder, how many of you out there, can give your boss a bloody nose and still keep your job??? As it happened, my friend, and acting Company Director, were engaged in a water war. Not our first mind you (Remembering the past 2 4th of July gatherings). I was backing up as she charged. A co-worker (Kiikzhan) stopped me from behind. Beth, not knowing this, was in full attack mode. I bent down to give a good splash but her nose met up with my shoulder. OOOOOuch! Well, I didn't say ouch, but Beth sure was feeling a little pain.



In the third picture I was loaded up for bear with a water gun prepared for more battle. This was Interlink's 1st Annual Staff Summer picnic.

All had a good time. Some of the guys prepared sashleek (kind of like shish ke-bab) while others prepared salads, bread and drinks. We played many games, got really, really wet, and ate some more! We already look forward to next summers 2nd Annual Staff Summer picnic!

OUCH!

I think the last time I needed stitches I was 4 or 5 years old. I was running through the house, fell, and hit my forehead on the corner of a wooden table. I can't even remember how many stitches I got then.

This time things are a little more clear! We had an American delegation here working with Youth Impact. This is the group of teens who have graduated from local orphanages and are in a job training program. Some are seeking further education. In any case we all went to a local riverside for a picnic. The river, or large stream was only knee high so a number of us were wading in the water playing with a volley ball.

The river bed is loaded with rocks and at one point I felt myself step on (what I thought was) a sharp rock. Not thinking much of it I kept playing. About 20 minutes later I got out to find a sizable, deep cut, on the bottom of my foot. Hello! Instead of a rock it must have been a broken piece of glass. Actually it did not hurt, all that much, until I started to squirt some water in the cut to clear out the dirt that was inside. Fortunately there was among us, a licensed RN. When we got back to the office, Sara, the RN, went to work on me. Fortunately we also had a supply of medical equipment on hand.

It wasn't perfect. The Novocaine and stitching material we had is really for dental work, but here you have to go with what you've got.

The stitching was a breeze! However, and that is a "BIG HOWEVER", the Novocaine shots were excruciating. If you have any doubt ask Sara Coggins, my co-worker, who was holding my foot down for the shots. I think her ears are still ringing.

Funny thing is, I have water slippers for just this kind of activity. Guess I won't forget them next time. Anyway, all had a great time at the picnic and the Americans went back home. Thanks Sara for the art work.
In Him,
Ken

The Old and the New!

I just completed one small project here. The old ladder at the house I am living in has been repaired many times over the years. Here in Kazakhstan if something breaks they just add on another piece of wood to keep it together. The old ladder is smaller and yet, with all the added wood, is heavier than the new ladder which is an extended 3 feet. I also used bolts to secure the steps while cutting out notches for the steps to fit into. I've yet to varnish the new ladder, which it will need to keep protected from the coming winter.

Now I can gain access to the garage roof (pictured with ladders) and the grape vine lattice. As the vines grow they need to be laced in the metal framed lattice which supports the grapes and also turns the grape vines into an awning providing much needed shade for my car in the dog days of summer. As you can see in the second picture the vines are in much need of attention. I'll use the new ladder to redirect the vines on the lattice.

Hope your house projects are going well.
Keep me posted on your end.
All for now
Ken

You Decide - 2008

In keeping with the political season I thought I'd let my blog viewers decide what new look I should have this coming winter. As some of you know it can take a while to grow a deent beard so I need to know now what look suites me best, in your humble opinion, of course.

So please take your time and look at these three pictures. Let me know if you like the "Full Beard" look. (bottom left) While it makes me look older, it also gives me some character - don't you think? A full beard also helps keep the cold Kazakh winter wind from scorching my face.

The second look - the "Goatee" (top right) which we all know only looks good on certain men. I've had one in the past and some hated it and some liked it. But in this election year You Decide 2008, I want your opinion.

Thirdly - In the top left photo, I have the plain "Mustache" but with a little extra. Giving that sorta Oriental spin. Though I'm not in the orient I am in Central Asia, and this is as close as you get. So now that you've looked at all three you can make your first vote, in this election cycle, a vote that will determine my look for winter 2008! I'll also accept any and all commentary.

Sorry if the pictures are not clear enough, I have only 5 days of facial hair to work with.

Just keeping you involved.
Hope all is well in your part of the world.
Mayny blessings,
Ken

Just Hanging Around

I went to the Internationsl airport in Almaty to help the Savva Delegation get on their way home. After they left I met up with friends of mine, Dave Knauss and his family, to enjoy the sights. As we went to the park there was a man outside with this large Python snake so some of us had our picture taken with it.

He was quite large and really, pretty heavy.

The Savva Orphanage Delegation had a great time here and the children absolutely loved having them visit, teach English, play games, celebrate parites, play sports and much, much more. Later I'll be posting several pictures and go into more detail about our time there.

Have a great 4th weekend.
I will be celebrating with American friends and some folks from work.
All for now
Ken

Full House

Friends, David Knauss and his family (Theresa, kids: Jenae, Natalie, Daniel and Caleb) are here for the month of June. They arrived last week and we have enjoyed some fun times as well as many meetings. We went with Dave's family to the Savva orphanage to celebrate their 90th Anniversary last friday. Saturday the Youth Department had a swim/picnic party with the Saramoldaeva orphanage children.

Sunday we went to the mountains for a time in the word, music and picnic. It was a picture perfect day under the shade of a large tree. We also did some hiking and climbing. Here I am horsing around with Caleb and also pictured with a pretzel nose ring. I know, how cute and mature!

It's been a very busy but enjoyable week since my friends arrived. I also went from being a loner of an empty nest to a "Full House". Suddendly competition for the innernet, TV and everything else became a reality. Still it is better to have visitors, especially long time friends, share this home!

I'll try to post more pictures later.
All for now
Ken

Looking for GOLD!

Actually, I'm not looking for gold in this photo. While my primary job is working and caring for orphans, we are called, on occasion, to do odd and difficult jobs. We are in the midst of remodeling our office spaces on the first floor and here, in the Maintenance/Security office, I needed to squeeze between the office inner wall and the building outer wall to get at some telephone and computer cables. I've done this on other occasions but this time the fit was more than tight!

The Youth Department teamed up and painted all 4 office spaces, hung new and job related photos and it looks GREAT. Ember has spear headed the renovations with her artistic flair. Sorry there is not room for pictures of all our spaces. I guess you'll have to come and see it for yourselves :)

I trust all is well on your end.
Serving Him with gladness,
Ken

Never a Dull Moment

I went with Sara, my co-worker in Taraz, to the near by city of Shymkent. Interlink has a second office there where some of the same work is continuing. There we have a phone system that my friend Andrew and I installed some time ago. They were having some difficulties so Sara and I went. Sara handles the tech portion of phone work while I handle the wiring and other needs.

As it is with working overseas, there are many aspects to our jobs. This phone system is not common here and most local telephone workers simply have never seen anything like our digital Panasonic telephone system.

In any case we were able to accomplish the work in good order and also got to see some great scenery along the way. These mountains are plentiful in these parts and this camel, well, we just happened by and decided to steal a shot. Later others went for a closer look and actually were able to pet him.

There is never a dull moment here in Kazakhstan and it is one of the reasons why I love living here. Now back to the regular work of caring for orphans. This is never dull nor do I tire of it :) All for now.
PS. just so you know my girlfriend and I decided to break things off. Tks for your much encouragement and many pr.s

We're Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack

Our first trip to the Savva orphanage in Merke after my vacation to Thailand was a great reunion. Because of annual summer English camps we have the best relationship with the children, staff and Administration at this orphanage.

Celebrating birthdays, playing with the small children's group with play dough and Bingo, and just hanging out. They love hand clapping games, Uno, making crafts and simply spending time together.

In this photo by: Ember Mumaw; we were celebrating all the B-days from March. We have snacks, cake and soda, take many pictures, play games like Musical chairs, hot potato or 4 corners. We also bring gifts for all of them and give good wishes to all the children.

There are also letters to exchange both from the team here and American sponsors back home. They love our visits and ask when will the American Delegation come that hosts the English camp. They will be here the middle of June. It's a week of fun activities, English classes, sports, crafts, skits etc.

Ulan Orphanage

As our relationships grow so does the time we spend with orphans. One of the local Orphanages "ULAN" has nearly 170 children ages from 4-17 who are primarily Kazakh speakers. We go weekly on Thursdays. In the mornings we visit the little children. They love the set of Hot Wheels we bring, puzzles, coloring and Bingo. You should see how they receive us with shouts of joy and open arms.

In the afternoon we visit the older children. This week we gave out pictures, enjoyed coloring, played Uno, basketball and had other sport balls. It was a beautiful afternoon to enjoy this time with the children.

Before we go they always ask us when we'll be back to visit them. It is our delight and pleasure to visit them in the future.
(photo by: Ember Mumaw)

Notes From my Little Friends

While we were in Thailand, we missed our monthly visit to Savva Orphanage. When others from our team visited, they returned with a stack of letters from the children. It is fun to see how much my being there means to the kids and how much they miss me when I am not there. I thought I’d share some excerpts of some of those letters with you.

"I am so glad that I met you. I am happy to write a letter to you. I like you. I wish you could be here with us all the time. I am happy when we are together."

"I like it when you come and celebrate our birthdays. Ken, you are my best friend." Masha

"I love you Ken. You are very funny and the best. I remember when we played soccer together. I look forward to your coming and playing my favorite game with me."

"Remember that I love you so much. I won’t forget you. You are like a father to me and you are special to me." Luba

As many of you know, in order to work in Kazakhstan our company requires us to find financial sponsors. As the economy of Kazakhstan continues to increase, the cost of living has also increased. All utilities and grocery staples have increased 30% or more. As a result, I need to have some more people join me in my work as financial sponsors. I need about $300 more each month in order to continue impacting the lives of these children. This need could be met by finding 12 new sponsors that can donate $24 per month. I also need about $4,000 in one-time sponsorships. Thanks to all of you that have made my first four years in Kazakhstan possible. I can’t imagine doing anything else and am looking forward to my future here.

Note: Contributions to my work can be made online using the donate button on my blog. If you would like information on how to make a donation in a different manner, please email me.

Savva Letter

One of the orphanages that we work with is Savva Orphanage. It is two hours outside of Taraz and has about 190 children. A couple months ago, we were given a letter written by the head caregiver and asked to have it published in a local newspaper. It reminded me of the difference we are making in the lives of these children. I thought you might enjoy reading it on the Interlink blog.

Easter in Kazakhstan

This was an Easter unlike most Easters I've known. We started off with worship and the Word from a local Russian speaking Korean church. Fortunately I have a translator.

So the service and fellowship was very good and it's unique to be with others who celebrate the Resurrection in a different culture. The team, with Olya, took a drive to the mountains for more fellowship, sharing, singing and relaxing while having a great picnic etc. Fortunately with the Rav4 we are able to navigate the dirt trail through streams and bushes until we reached the perfect area.

On the way back we came across a local Kazakh who was riding his horse managing his flock of sheep. We've run into him before and again having Olya as our translator we were able to communicate with him. He loves talking to "The Americans". Only this time he had a surprise. In a plastic sack he held a lamb born just 2 hours previously. He took him out for us to see, hold and take photos. Olya is holding the new born lamb, Sara is standing then there is me and the Kaz Shepperd man.

I couldn't help but reflect over the significance of seeing a newly born lamb on Easter Sunday!

It was a great Easter, wish you were here.

Great Vacation in Thailand

I went to Thailand for a 2 week vacation. One great advantage of working overseas is going to different countries for vacations. I may never have thought of going to Thailand if still working back home. A walk on the Sandy beach is a beautiful thing especially when sharing it with someone very special. Olya and I have been dating for 3 months now and enjoying the relationship God has given us. Jason and I had a Chariots of Fire moment when I decided to race him to the beach. It was great fun and we both collapsed on the beach from tripping in the water. We went to Bangkok for a couple days, then onto the beach at Hua Hin and after the beach onto Chaing Mai for more activities and relaxation. We took a ride on Elephants, took a Zip Line excursion, shopping, eating out, rode Jet Skies, walked the beach for shells, went on a Safari and also saw a light and water show, went to a Go-Cart track and so much more. Sara Coggins went with us and helped setting up this vacation as she had previously visited Thailand a couple years back. Thanks to Jason for meeting us from America!

Something NEW!

In case you have not heard, I started dating a local Russian gal here who works with me at Interlink and also speaks fluent English. Olya is a wonderful young woman who is strong in her faith and has also traveled to America for graduate studies at Columbia University in N.Y. She started a new program at our office to reach and teach basic life skills to graduating orphans. It's called Youth Impact and it is greatly needed here as orphans who graduate have little to no options in life and little to no guidance. Here is a recent photo taken at my place where we shared a romantic Valentines dinner I prepared for her. It was the absolute best Valentines Day of my life.

Burrrrrrrrrrrrr !!!

Christmas and New Years have come and gone, but the cold weather is here to stay. We've had more than 2 weeks of 0 to 10 degrees below zero weather. Burrrrrrr !!! The team here invited my English Club over for tree decoration. They don't celebrate Christmas here but do use the evergreen for New Years celebration. Still they do not decorate like we do in the homes. We also had an American style pizza dinner and watched "It's a Wonderful Life" They got a good dose of American culture that night.

Love to hear from you guys. Tell me how you celebrated Christmas and New years. I'm looking very forward to 2008! I hope you are as well.

Keep me posted and don't forget to vote!
Love you all
Ken