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.