ADOPTION TRAINING IN KYRGYZSTAN

Preparing to teach the Cycle of Trust to the prospective adoptive parents in Kyrgyzstan!

TRAINING IN KYRGYZSTAN FOR PROSPECTIVE ADOPTIVE PARENTS – WHAT A SUCCESS…. (Here is the report from Natasha – our on the ground person in Kyrgyzstan)

As you know yesterday and today we were doing adoptive parents training, we are doing it at Dr.Tatyana’s Baby Orphanage. All these two days there were 3 mothers and one father (four families) and one more family is going to join them next week. One mother had her oldest daughter with her to be trained too, because she is old enough to understand that there will be a new baby in their home and the girl wants to be at the training she found it very interesting for herself.

In the beginning the group of parents thought that it would be a waste of their time and that they knew everything they needed to know. But then they saw how excited we were and listened to interesting content of the training and they changed. Now they keep repeating that it’s very useful and interesting information and they say they knew nothing about adoption and needs of children from orphanages.

We do 2 modules a day (6 hours). Janell did Module I, and I did Module II, Lena did Module III, and Dr. Tatyana did Module IV. Everyone was doing well. Now we know the content much better. We all were speaking loud enough and were well articulated.

They gave many examples from their work and experience that matched the content of each Module. Also we showed the parents the “Daddy” video and it touched their hearts. In addition I printed out handouts for them. The parents like to do different activities; they are very active and very excited about their new babies.

I think those were very useful and successful 2 days. Next time we are meeting on Friday and Saturday.

The report is exciting for many reasons. In Ukraine we are working together with many different NGO’s to bring to reality UKRAINE WITHOUT ORPHANS IN 2015 and we believe we can carry this movement into Kyrgyzstan too. How will this be done? Consider this:

1. We work with the churches and help them to create an orphan ministry.
2. We work with local authorities to help them see the way to recruit and train prospective adoptive parents.
3. We advocate strongly for International Adoption.
4. We gather interested persons and train them on the ways to work with families and children.
5. We distribute lots of literature and books we have in the Russian language about strengthening families and working with children – like:
a. The Field Guide to Child Welfare, by Judy Rycus and Ron Hughes
b. Telling the Truth to Your Adopted or Foster Child, by Jayne Schooler and Betsy Keefer
c. Wounded Children, Healing Homes, by Jayne Schooler and Betsy Keefer
d. Step by Step Booklets
e. Life Skills

These are just a few of the ways we can help. Here are the pictures of Natasha and the team on the ground there conducting the THIRD GROUP of prospective adoptive parents in Kyrgyzstan – moving closer to a KYRGYZSTAN WITHOUT ORPHANS!




MATCHED FUNDS ARE FROM NOVEMBER 1 – TO DECEMBER 31. If you or someone you know is thinking of making any donations in honor of loved ones for Christmas, the matched funds will be doubled in their honor!

Our donor is anonymous and has offered $25,000 in matched funds. That means we raise $25,000 and our donor gives another $25,000. That is $50,000 toward the work of our LAMb Team! What a blessing. We hope you would prayfully consider joining in on the match!

UKRAINE CONFERENCE - UKRAINE WITHOUT ORPHANS

Abandoned at birth - adopted at five months! She is NOT an orphan!

WHAT A MAJOR EXCITING MOMENT IN TIME!

Imagine over 500 people at a conference all committed to seeing a Ukraine Without Orphans in 2015! Believe it! There is an environment here of "we can do this!" Families are telling their adoption stories, tears are flowing, hope is building and today - again I see how Ukraine can lead the former USSR in showing others how to divert children from orphanages.

The churches are being challenged to get involved and take on the heart of the orphan. Each speaker is sharing the hope and the passion to see a mobilized partnership of NGO's joining together and creating a NEW REALITY for children waiting for families - for children who would otherwise be quickly placed into an orphanage.

Today - we have made a giant step forward following James 1:27.

James 1:27 (New International Version)
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Join us - find the HOPE to support this MOVEMENT - UKRAINE WITH ORPHANS. There is a FAMILY FOR EVERY CHILD. And what then is next? KYRGYZSTAN WITHOUT ORPHANS!

You can help - join our matched funding challenge and help us help them - November 1 - December 31 is the time frame our anonomyous donor gave us. We now have over $7000 and that means $14,000 with the matched funds. Wow and Praise God.

MATCHED FUNDS FOR LAMb INTERNATIONAL

THE RESPONSE IS BEGINNING....THE CHALLENGE IS BEING ACCEPTED. Let's make a difference for children and families - let's bring hope and dignity to those feeling hopeless and lost. Can we believe the matched funds to it's full matching - $25,000 that becomes $50,000. WOW. How do we help those who are lost, hopeless and just waiting?

WE KNOW THE ANSWER - and you can help us deliver it. With the chance of raising $50,000 in two months we can see such a wonderful opportunity for 2011 and the ministry of LAMb International. Just think!

Seniors honored and loved.
Children given hope and family.
Parents encouraged and shown the true light.
The disabled given dignity.

LAMb International has an awesome team ready to take on the challenge:

Pastor David and Jayne Schooler
John and Julie Wright with daughters
Don and Johanna Buchman
Kim and Randy Gebele
Adam and Jenny Buchman
Katherine Hallick
Lynn and Ruby Johnston

Plus our on the ground team members:
Ukraine - Oleg, Maxim, Anya, Costa, Olga, and Vika
Kyrgyzstan - Natasha, Hymanot, Larissa, Acel, Tanya

Each person has unique gifts and talents. We thank God for each and everyone of them, plus our partners:

Institute for Human Services
Father's House
Mercy Foundation
Alliance
Christian Broadcasting Network
Dayspring
Family Christian
Mapleview Community Church

AND OUR MANY MANY SPONSORS - LIKE YOU! PRAISE GOD FOR EACH OF YOU.

OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY MAKE AN IMPACT

MATCHED FUNDING FROM AN ANONYMOUS DONOR

$25,000 CAN BECOME $50,000
This is a really big opportunity for each and everyone of our supporters and friends to make an impact for LAMb International. We have an anonymous donor who has offered MATCHED FUNDING FROM NOVEMBER 1 TO DECEMBER 31. This is non-restricted and wll be matched up to $25,000.

JUST THINK - A DONATION OF $100 BECOMES $200
A DONATION OF $2,000 BECOMES $4000

If we can raise the $25,000 - then that means LAMb starts 2011 with $50,000.

We are asking - can you help?

This is an amazing gift and opportunity.

THANKS DONOR - WE CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO EXPRESS OUR FEELINGS ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL GIFT. you can hit the donate button on this blog and it is done!

The LAMb Team

ENDING THE TIME HERE FOR NOW

FABULOUS WEEK WITH SOME SUPER PEOPLE! We are heading back to North America tomorrow, leaving this side of the world. We arrived Kyrgyzstan in early September and leave tomorrow for home. Yet really where is home? Is it Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Canada, USA? Where is home.

We leave here saddened yet rejoicing in all that is happening within the field of child welfare. God has called us to this work and we are amazed at how different threads of the tapastry are woven together with so many different people.

Four very young staff here - working hard to make a difference - committed to Ukraine Without Orphans. One very young staff in Kyrgyzstan working deligently to ensure there is a Kyrgyzstan Without Orphans and all the other people who help us on the ground. NGO's, churches, pastors, teachers, volunteers, other missionaries and even the families and children we serve. And of course our wonderful team and partners.

Then there are all of you - our sponsors who encourage us - when the day ends and we put our heads on the pillow and in the dark of the night - and cry out from the deepest parts of our hearts about the hurts we see, the pain we feel and the hopelessness we so want to stop...we think of your words, your gifts and your consistent caring about those we love.

We are ending time with our Ukraine team - heading to a warm, comfortable and beautiful home. But our hearts? We already CRAVE TO RETURN. It is what it is.

OUR TEAM IN KYRGYZSTAN IS AMAZING

THE DONOR FOR ARAFAT RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY. This surgery is COVERED. Thanks so much. Look at the blog from our team member David and Jayne that tells the story: We had visited a number of times in a small village during our time here in 2008, but we never saw him. It wasn't until a visit to that village in the spring of 2009, that we met Arafat, a toddler with a severe cleft palette. He had been kept hidden from the outside world because of his problem. One afternoon, his parents cautiously brought him out for us to see...and the rest is history. We posted the need for his surgery on our blog. Within a few hours, finances came into cover his first surgery and the aftercare. First surgery was completed successfully. Now this fall, our young friend is having his second surgery, which will begin the work on closing the pallete. On Wednesday, the day before his procedure, we stopped in the hospital to see him and his beautiful young mom. Dad planned to come for the day of the surgery as he was home with a younger brother. TO OUR DONOR - WE THANK YOU SO MUCH AND YOU CAN BE ASSURED ARAFAT AND HIS FAMILY THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF THEIR HEART!

THE GIVING KEEPS GIVING AND RECEIVING

Delivering Field Guides to Brovary Social Services Director - Lubov!









Sunshine has returned to SUNSHINE - delivering Field Guide to the director - Annya!





WE GIVE THEM AWAY AND THEN THEY GIVE THEM AWAY - SO WE GIVE THEM MORE AND MORE AND MORE.

Yesterday was a very full day as we continuted taking our Kyrgyzstan visitors to different projects to study how they (Ukraine agencies) are working together to keep children out of the orphanages. At every stop we took more resources for them - some of these resources were written materials that help them better understand how to work with families and children. We delivered many sets of the Field Guide to Child Welfare.

One stop really touched us. We were at Sunshine (a family type home) and took in a set of the Field Guides. I had given them sets some time before, but know that one more set for them would go to good use. When the director saw the guides, she was quick to share her glee - as she was just wishing she had more...as hers were now gone. Why? Well, there had been visitors from Moldova and they spied her Field Guides saying they would give anything to have such resources. So, off the went the sets to Moldova, leaving Sunshine "cloud!" and sad...to have no guides.

Now, no Field Guides were available to their own staff - UNTIL - THE FIELD GUIDE DELIVERER ARRIVED - VOILA! We had stock and it is FREE. Thank you Institute for Human Services for this valuable resource - which is NOW IN MOLDOVA, RUSSIA, KAZAKHASTAN, KYRGYZSTAN, BELARUS, CANADA, USA, UKRAINE, AND WHO KNOWS WHERE ELSE? Until the FIELD GUIDE DELIVERER RETURNS....