A special Christmas gift

Some times a Christmas present doesn't come in a treat bag, but in the form of true blessing.A few years ago Sergey and Anya helped this young girl get an operation so she could walk again.. The operation was a success , and she could walk, but her one leg was just nit right... she could not bend it.. She so wanted to be able to run and especially to ride a bike....

Because she could walk, this would be considered an unnecessary operation, and not one the parents could afford...

This morning , Sergey and Sagin brought her home from the hospital were Christmas eve she recieved that life changing opperation.... OK so it was a little more then $5 but fortunatly we had a few people make donations that were not designated.... stop for a second and check out the smile on her face... that says it all... why noy join the iam1ru club and help us make this the norm... not the exception...!

Son of the Freakshow

Scott looks totally excited to be heading to Haiti huh?
"Track the Trip" here starting Wenesday!

Acel and Talent Update

Something that I keep bringing up, but I feel is so important is What makes an orphan... So many of the children are social orphans.. there is a belief left over from the Soviet times that Children are better off in state care... because of this, it takes very little for children to find themselves in an institution. Some times it is because the child has a disability... in these cases the parents feel the kids would be better off in an institution because they can not care for them... We have found that with just a little bit of support these parents will keep their kids at home.. they actually provide beautiful loving homes, and the kids do so much better then if they had been abandoned .. In a few days, we will have some photo's of our workers and friends bringing them Christmas parties... but that is not who we had parties with today... Today we had Christmas for another special group of kids that with out your support would be living in orphanages... These are the children of disabled parents... many times parents will become sick and disabled, and be forced to send their kids to an orphanage.. but again , it does not need to be that way... Talant runs a fund that works with these families and provides the little extras that give them the HOPE that they can do it, and that they can care for their children.. Today Talant threw an incredible party on the streets of the capital... about Blind people came out with their kids.. they had music and gifts for them, then as a special treat, they were given new coats , boots, pants, and lots of other wonderful treats

That's what Acel & Talant did with their $250 of pie money.... Not to shabby.....

---- Original Message ----
From: Асель Жумаева
To: sunmasterjohn@aol.com
Sent: Sun, Dec 27, 2009 9:44 am

HI john! We are sending these pictures with a graet thankful heart. You didn`t see how they were thankful . God bless! Love Acel Talent.

A Grand Christmas Outing

Not all the kids will be celebrating Christmas at the orphanage... Today Sergey and Anya hired Isar to drive the kids from one of the orphanages to the capital for a extra special Christmas surprise for them... We had not taken these kids to the rink with us, so for many of them this would have been there first time to an arena... They got to see the kyrgy versian of the ice-capades..... They also received a party , but this was the icing on the cake for them ...

Vlady's Village

On the outskirts of the city there is a village made up of some very poor families... The girl shown bellow is actually the recipient of a simple dream a couple months ago when she had her home repaired... She was so blessed that she wanted to give back, and she volunteered to help Vlady by making special Kyrgyz celebration bread....

They then gathered all the kids from the poorer families in the village, and gave them a wonderful Christmas party. They were all so excited... not sure how many times I can keep saying that, but the truth is we are making such a stir across the valley, and we have only just begun.... here are a few photo's from the party.

Families Reunited

Today's Christmas had a special meaning to these kids... half the kids in this orphanage have just been moved here from an orphanage that had to be closed for financial reasons... As a special treat, Sergey and Anya found the old director, and dressed her up and brought her along...
The orphanage is about 1 1/2 hours away.. this is a journey that many may never take in a life time, so it was a special gift for the kids to know that we are still here , and a relief for them to know that we will continue to be a part of their lives....
OH Ya ... and the loved the Christmas peasants as well...... Thank you to every one who had a part in making this special celebration happen...

Packing bags

Up and at it early Christmas morning. We phoned altynai early, and the kids were already up and over at Sergey and Anya's packing Christmas bags.... Many little hands helped make this task a little more manageable

Arture is even dressed for the occasion

They are pretty pleased with the progress they are making...

then it was time for a little treat

Thank you all so much for helping make this happen !