Friend’s Needed, Apply Within

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but one thing my friendships have shown to me is the real need for authentic, trusting friendships here. Many of these young women are confiding in me things they say they can’t talk to family about and don’t have friends they can trust. In the US counseling is so common and we (sometimes too openly) can admit to family and personal problems. In contrast, Kazakh society functions on a more private level where it is still very shameful to admit personal struggle. To admit to even a close friend any kind of hurt, abuse, or fear (from present, past, or future) is to incur their pity, the worst possible thing. And it may mean that you have released details that may be passed on to their family and friends. At one point I was cautioned that to tell a person something means its public information to share! I was quickly reassured by my close Kazakh friends it’s not so for them!

I simply think the counseling field is wide open and so needed here. Kazakhstan has had a painful history like we Americans could never understand. I can only imagine how many people hunger for someone to talk to, to help sort through the challenges they have faced in the past and present. In the meantime, I am simply thankful for the many, many women who have invested into my life, listening and advising. And I am thankful and humbled to have the chance to be that person for my friends here.

Қазақ телін кішкіне киен болды

What can I say? Well, it’s now comfortable to read Kazakh, even monstrous words and my pronunciation is good. I can’t spell worth anything though! Some things never change! The issue is I can say words but can’t figure out which of the 1,000 vowels and vowel combinations they have make the sounds in my head! My dictionary is my close friend.

The good news is that I did make a breakthrough this month. At some point, I was suddenly okay with using my Kazakh and explaining things. Whew! I’ve been waiting for this breakthrough for a long time.

The hardest bit now is questions! I still can’t for the life of me figure out questions. People have to repeat them twice and then I have to sit and think it through and sometimes still get it wrong! Agh!

Still my opportunities to speak Kazakh aren’t as frequent as I like. With my Mom working evenings and my host brother in the village, my Kazakh only speakers are limited. Hopefully this will change when school starts September 1st. I try to make the most of time with my coworkers but most of the time English is so much easier! I just need to keep working!

Right now we are taking a break from grammar (HALLELUIAH!) to focus on some children’s rhymes. I’m thankful as there’s a backup of grammar in my brain!

I’ve also cut back from two lessons to one which will hopefully give me time to digest the increasingly complex grammar before learning more!

I've also moved on to Kazakh music and have some recorded songs and words that I'll be trying to figure out guitar chords too. I've also met a bunch of musicians locally who have said they'd love to get together and trade music we me!

They missed the train!

So…August 13th I was at the train station with great excitement! Two boys, Andre and Ruslan had been accepted into military school. We had gotten them backpacks and other small gifts, had letters and pictures, and were going to surprise them at the train station. Only…they surprised us! Apparently, they decided not to come all the way to the city, but to get on the train at it’s next stop, a town about 100 kilometers closer to the village they live in! We were so sad and are now trying to figure out how to get the gifts to them!

The GOOD NEWS is we found out just yesterday that they haven't left yet! They had made the first trip to complete more exams. In fact, they are coming into town on Friday so we can help purchase some of the clothes and shoes they will need for school. I can't wait to see them! Here's my favorite picture of them from this past winter.

Can’t let you go Kazakhstan!

I've recently taken up painting (2 years ago) but usually don't have time. Thanks to the Commonway delegation, I am inspired again. Here's a sketch I did of the Kazakhstan mountains and steepes (that I sent home to Grandma, thanks Karen) it says "Kazakhstan, My Kazakhstan"

One year is not enough. I have to laugh simply because many people who know me well, knew this day would come! My internship will end in another 4 to 5 months, but I’ve made the request to stay here longer! There’s a mountain of a process to go through and a 100 conversations to have (that’s the low estimate!). I don’t know if I’ll be allowed to stay, whether I’ll be required to return home for a certain period, or how it will work. But hurrah, at least I have peace that this is where I want to be.


The thing I’m especially excited to be a part of is the Youth Impact program (more future discussions about the possibility of doing that). I will need to work hard on language and eventually learn Russian too, but these young adults are hungry for love and guidance as they make decisions (relationally, academically, regarding employment, and for some spiritually) that will impact the rest of their lives! I don’t have any assurance of an extended stay, a return, or switching to the YI program, but these are my hopes!

The moon shone a bit brighter that night (Alternate title: No moonshine here)

The Interlink team has recently attended a couple of soccer games here in town. 5 girls from Savva orphanage and another 2 from Saramoldeava play on the Taraz girls team. Last week they had a tournament so we went to cheer them on. Last Thursday night we took them out on the town for a lot of firsts!

Their first time in a real restaurant where the silverware was set, the waitress poured your drinks, and you got fresh plates for the second course!

The first large fish tank they’d seen. We named the fish. I was a fun, small orange one, who was talking a lot and making kissy faces. Sara was a hooligan fish all fancy stripes that kept attacking one we named Beth! Ken was huge with big eyes and kept floating backwards. Olya was the fattest one of them all!

The first time they’d been roller blading! And of course, if you’ve ever seen anyone learn to roller blade, this was HILARIOUS! The girls were incredibly excited. They were finally getting to do what they’d only ever watched others do! A special surprise was when Akim showed up. Akim is one of "my boys" from Savva orphanage who is now living with his sister in Taraz. He had a LOT of fun harassing the girls with his speed and expertise!

I just love sharing all these firsts with them! And the total sum of this amazing night for the girls? $50. That’s it. $50 and a few hours of time for a night they’ll never forget!

Four guys in a cage…and YOU

Beth, Olya, and I recently visited a local rehabilitation center for substances abusers. Once we got past the locked gates in the hallways, we spent about an hour hanging out with four teenagers between 15 and 18. Beth and Olya had been before and were returning with boxes of games and puzzles from the US to keep the guys busy. We had a great time playing Connect 4 and Uno and I hope to have the chance to go back and get to hear their stories.

One young man captured Beth’s attention with his art. He showed us several of his pencil drawings that were simply amazing. We’re hoping to find ways to encourage his talent and with art supplies rather cheap, I’m hoping to go back with some sketch pads and proper pencils for him to use.

At the end of the trip Olya and Beth talked about how we could reach not only the kids in rehab, but the source, the youth detention center here in Taraz. The need is so great and the volunteers so few! We want to mobilize locals, but just like the states, people get busy and distracted, don’t know about the opportunities and concerned about another commitment…so who will go?

I would encourage you if you’re reading this blog to ask yourself if you know if your town has a rehab center or a youth detention center and see what it would take to pay a visit to those kids. Aren’t we all called to remember orphans and those in prison?

That’s how to die…

I can’t tell you her name, but I wish I could. Last Thursday Olya and I went to visit a young woman (22) at the city hospital who attempted suicide. She is a young Kazakh woman from Ulan orphanage who trained as a seamstress/designer at PTL (technical school), graduated and found a job. She then had what doctors decided was an epileptic seizure, lost her job, and has since been diagnosed with a severe mental disorder. She swallowed a needle because someone told her that’s how to die.

She’s not dead on the outside, but talking to her you see that death has taken what’s inside. She has no hope. She just begged us to take her away. She doesn’t eat or sleep and is wasting away before our eyes. She has no family and no friends. Her peers at the facility were she lives have offered her only scorn. Olya and I just spoke to her with words of encouragement and hope, even out of our own experiences. We went for a walk outside in the sunshine till she was too tired to walk anymore. And just twice her eyes lifted in hope and hunger during yesterday’s visit. The first was when Olya said we were looking for alternate housing and the second when Olya said she would be back the next day.

Interlink is working hard and fast to find alternate living for her, a place where she’ll be protected from herself and surrounded by people. We may, or may not succeed. We’re also trying to figure out ideas for work as no one will hire her following her seizure and diagnosis. There simply isn't a place for her in society right now.

Three weeks later: She is doing okay, still living at the Youth House. We've encouraged her and gotten permission for her to do some small tasks at the office, but she hasn't come. We are still very concerned so keep praying for her.

It's raining SHOES! (Umbrellas recommended)

So some of your may remember my funeral in July. If not, see here. Well, my amazing friends Michelle & Trish sent me new life from the states! I now have not one, not two, but FIVE new pairs of shoes! You guys are so awesome and generous. Seriously, a girl over in Kazakhstan is tickled pink, or red with polka dots! And thanks to you too Karen because without you, none of this would have been possible. Thanks for donating your time to the kids on this delegation! I hope it’s a great trip, in fact, I know it will be. I can’t wait to see how it all works out.

The office ran away

Literally, we all ran away from the office last Friday. Beth decided our staff has been working so hard that we needed some time away to bond, and summer bonding happens, of course, with water, good food, and lots of games! Here are some memorable photos from our day away! Thanks Beth for these amazing photos!!!!

Note, for making proper "shashleek" (BBQ) you need several things...meat, long skewers, a fan (any frisbee will do), hot coals, and water (or juice) to smoke the meat as you cook it. The meat is pre-marinated, cooked and then eaten with raw onions! Bring your floss and chewing gum after this meal!

Notice me running off behind Zina (in blue) after a particularily WET hug!

Of course a summer party isn't a party without a lot of family and water! Women brought their grandchildren and the kid in the hat is my host brother. Beth also managed to giver herself a nosebleed during one frantic water fight on Ken's shoulder. Nothing broke but the boys were in awe of all the blood.

This ain’t no yoga!

“Flexibility is key,” they say in the orientation to Kazakhstan. That’s not an exaggeration!

The Ulan delegation was expected to come for a week to work with kids at…Ulan camp. Yea, um, not anymore. The camp is a private camp and the amount we would have been charged for staying there was too high for the delegation to afford. We tried to work around it by bringing our own food, but the price was still too great for us to actually stay there.

We then decided to take the Ulan kids away for a day (a group at a time) to a nice local water park. …But the Department of Education wouldn’t approve it since they were paying for the kids to be at camp and thought the water park posed some hazards.

So…now the delegation will be working with orphanage children in a village called Vannovka AND will be part of a camp for children with cerebral palsy and their families near the city of Shymkent. It’s not what we had planned and everything was decided YESTERDAY! (Yes, that would be FRIDAY with the delegation arriving MONDAY!). But in all this we have to admit that a greater plan seems to be in motion that we are just a part of! Welcome Ulan delegation that’s now the Vannovka/Shymkent delegation! Welcome to Kazakhstan. I hope you packed your yoga mat, cause your flexibility is about to be tried!