From Sue: Bernadette is a wonderful friend of ours. Her son Kian and our son Josh were both adopted from Taraz, Kazakhstan. We went through that process together, suffered with the same corrupt agency and coordinator, and brought our boys home to the glory of God and in spite of the problems we faced there. It is a lifetime bond that formed between us while we were there, as well as with other families that we met on that journey. The orphans of Taraz have had the same effect on their family – we can’t forget those who are left behind, and we are humbled by the humility, generosity, and gratefulness of those kids.
A Plea for the Orphans in Kian’s birth city of Taraz, Kazakhstan.
Kian, Mike and I sponsor a little 8 year old boy named Zhazdaurin in an Orphanage called Ulan in Taraz, Kazakhstan. Before being moved to Ulan, Zhazdaurin was at the same orphanage as Kian, Umit Baby House.
Zhazdaurin received some gifts from us this week and the joy on his face brought tears to my eyes (photos and video attached). This little boy has never owned anything in his young life. Apart from the few small toys, stickers, candy, photo album and letter, we also sent some warm clothes. Kaz winters are brutal and I worried that Zhaz wouldn’t be dressed warm enough. This was the first time Zhazdaurin ever had a jacket of his own or for that matter anything of his own. He opened his M&M’s and shared them with the other kids in his group. I hope in his little heart it made him feel very special because he is Special. The feedback I got from Vicki, one of the ladies that delivered these goodies was that he was “more than thrilled”.
Who would think that writing a letter to an 8 year old little boy would be difficult! I found it very difficult. I kept stopping myself about writing about all the things we just take for granted. I had to tread very carefully. How could I tell this little boy that Kian, who at one time had been in Umit also, now had his own room, loves to play with his Lego, cars and action figures, plays Ice Hockey, is in Tae Kwon Do, rides a bicycle, plays outside with kids, has a swing in his back garden, goes to the beach on weekends, attends his friends birthday parties in fun places, goes to the Library to pick up books, has no shortage of clothes in his closet, doesn’t get sore feet because he has no socks, goes to the refrigerator when he is hungry or thirsty, hops in to bed with his Mom and Dad when he is feeling sick, tired or sad, gets hugged and told how much he is loved on a daily basis. Another difficulty in writing this letter is you have to be careful what you say as these little ones are so desperate for a family, to belong and feel loved, they tend to read into things. It is so, so sad. No kid should be without a parent or someone to love them.
In our little Zhazdaurin’s case he is a special needs kid. No one will ever know what his diagnosis is because he lives in an Orphanage and doesn’t have parents who care to find out what is wrong and get him help. Not all of the kids in this Orphanage are special needs but we made the decision, Kian included, to choose Zhazdaurin even though he may not understand what a sponsor is or who we are. We just hope and pray that we make a little difference in his life. Zhaz is also bullied by the other kids. Our first photo of him he had a fat lip where he got beat up by some of the other boys. I feel sad that this happens to Zhazdaurin but I also can’t be mad at the other little boys who pick on him. The good or bad thing is now that Zhaz has sponsors it may give him some ranking in the group and hopefully he won’t get picked on as much. Kian was very concerned when he heard about the bullying and said “Mom we got to help him”.
When a family sponsors these kids the kids feel like they have someone who cares about them individually. These little kids love to receive letters and see photos of their sponsor families and of course you know they live in hope that maybe someday their sponsors will take them home. Sadly this is not the case. Less than 10% of orphans in Kazakhstan (and other countries) will actually make a life for themselves – most will die, go into prostitution, criminal activity, etc. Typically in Kaz once the children turn 5 they are moved into the older kids Orphanage where there is a very rare chance of them ever getting adopted.
I/we can’t save them all but maybe we can make a difference in a few lives and give them that family/love they so desperately need and deserve even if it is from a distance.
The organization that we sponsor with is called Interlink Resources. They are a Non-Profit Organization and are absolutely wonderful. The work they do and the joy they give these kids is amazing. I know their work first hand as I witnessed it when I was in Kazakhstan. The staff of Interlink care so much and do so much for these orphans. Thank you, thank you Beth and Victoria. Wonderful things to come from these two ladies but that is for another “long” post .
I know times are hard for most everyone these days and God knows we are all on a tight budget but if any of you have an extra few dollars at the end of the month (approx $17 per month, $50 per quarter, $200 per year) it’s so fulfilling, rewarding and joyful to know that the dollars are put to such good use. The smile on these little orphans’ faces when they receive something as simple as a letter, photo, stickers, etc. is worth every penny and then some.
If any of you are interested in becoming a sponsor to these little ones you can contact Interlink Resources directly at the following:
Interlink Resources, Inc
4630 N. Broadway
Muncie, IN 47303
(765) 213-3975
info@interlinkresources.org
Obviously the orphans of Kazakhstan hold a special place in my heart because of Kian. When I look at photos of their faces I think of my Kian and thank God each and every day for the wonderful miracle and blessing he gave me…..KIAN!
The attached video is of Zhazdaurin and beautiful little Zhansaya who is being sponsored by my friend Shannon.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151308342605291
Well folks that is the end of the “long” post I told you all to expect.
Finally I ask that you all keep these little ones in your prayers.
