March 12-18

Monday March 12 & 13

We were to start our training at 9am on the 12th but there were only a 5 of the 15 there so it didn't get started until close to 10. By 10am we had 4 more than expected.  We were to have 4 techs by 11am we had 7. The first 2 days was training with a 15 min break at 10:30am and lunch at 1:30pm. Needless to say it was great and plentiful food. I don't know how these people are so skinny. They sure feed us a lot. as many as 4 courses. 

Rick Johnson LDS Charities Wheel Chair Specialist watching clinicians practice

 We had 7 Techs to train. One was Alzabath he was also the warehouseman.

AkJol with wrench was 1 of 5 from university interning in Social Welfare. His village is 300 miles away.

All our Techs. The guy on my left is from the Ministers Office. Mark Myers the trainer with blue shirt. 

The techs got done early so we loaded them all up to go to the warehouse to re-stack all the chairs.

Before and After 

 Techs at warehouse. Very proud of there work. The ironic thing is 3 of them unloaded them the first time.

Wednesday  March 14th

Recipients day!! We had 11 recipients scheduled from all over southern Kyrgyzstan.  

Gentleman receiving his first wheel chair. 

A double amputee waited 17 yrs for a wheel chair. Lost his legs through infection. 

Thursday  March 15  

We headed to a little town 2 hrs south of Osh called Suzak. It was a project that we are closing that LDS Charities provided new kitchen equipment. Stoves, boiling machine, fryer and stainless steel tables. As you look at the pictures it was amazing at what they used before. They fed us a great meal of Beshbarmak (horse-meat and noodles) which means 5 fingers. You are suppose to scoop it with your fingers. The other dish is Plov its brown rice with beef cooked in big pots. They also had of course CANDY and FRUIT.  

     

Picked up  some hot baked bread on our way to Suzak. They have hundreds of these outside ovens about 6 ft deep with a small fire at the bottom along the roads in Kyrgyzstan. They slap the dough on the side of the oven.

 This is a new fryer where they cook their meats with the old fryer below.

  Large new stove and oven 

 Boiler for food

 Stainless Steel Tables

 Old stoves they used. They were outside in another room with dirt floors because the had to burn wood to cook.

 This is the hole they had to dig and removed the large window to instal this large baking stove below.

 New baking stove

 Lunch is served!!!

 from left to right: Our driver  from Osh Tumar, Jyldyz our interpreter, Jeff & Karin Carter, us and the director Mairam.

After lunch they took us on a tour to look through the building. One of the request they asked for was new gym equipment for the elderly to use to keep moving especially in the winter. 

The big metal looking thing is one of those hip belts that gyrates and has little knobbie things to massage.

Friday March 16

What a great day. We went to visit one of our partners that builds furniture for us. He runs a carpentry company that hires disabled men to build this furniture. The story goes that the Carter's our previous senior couple had Ernis the owner build some beds for an orphanage (which turned out very professional). After he delivered the beds he mentioned to the Carter's that he borrows all the machines to make the furnitures. The Carter's went to his shop that had a small office and a work area in the same room. They noticed that he collects goods, flour, beans, rice etc. from companies to distribute to the poor in his area.  He didn't have an office so the Carter's put a project together to provide him with one of those large shipping containers (see below). He put a door in it and insulated the inside and put some crown molding throughout. It is used for his office and to store the commodities that they get. 

This disabled man uses his deformed right hand to guide the carving knife along the wood.  He made all those spindles above behind the lathe.

LDS Charities also bought him a lathe, drill press ,sanders among other things. He was real pleased and has put a lot of people to work that wouldn't otherwise want to. He visits the disabled and invites them to work for him and helps them be of worth.

Of course after our visit to his shop we had to go to his sisters house for lunch. MORE FOOD!!!!!!

The first course!! Of a 2 hour lunch

We are sitting on the ground with a big pillow like pad 8 feet long

Ernis and Karin in front Jeff and Ernis' cousin in rear.

 We are all with little guy(as we call him) who also works at the plant.

 These guys play all over Kyrgyzstan. The front guy is playing a Komuz 3 stringed instrument with very high pitch. They serenaded us as we ate.  

 

Little Guy waving goodbye as it was pouring snow.

Saturday March 17

Rested up getting ready to fly to Almaty, Kazakhstan for zone conference. 2 volunteers Crawford and Lowry came to Bishkek for a visa run. Together with an embassy employees wife Kira and the 2 volunteers went to a bazaar called Ordasai where on Saturday and Sunday they have an outside flee market of goods people are trying to sell like old soviet coins, medals, old clothing and any numerous things that you would find in a garage sale. Then we had lunch at a place called of all things in english Social Coffee. If was pretty good. we were so tired from all the travel we left them after lunch and took a cab back to our apartment 8 miles for a total of $7. We than prepared to fly to Almaty. 

Arrived in Almaty about 10:30pm and checked in at the Shera Park Hotel. Very nice hotel about 3 blocks from the meeting building. 

Sunday March 18

Attended the Almaty Branch about 30 members for Branch Conference with our Mission President Davis and his wife. After the meeting we had dinner at the Taylor's a senior couple from Mesa, Arizona. He also serves a a counselor in the mission presidency. 

This is the entrance to our church building. It's a 2 story office that has been gutted and refinished with more open space. 

Our mission lunch gathering

From left to right: Sister Nelson(Vermont), Sister Berry (Idaho), Sister Cadell (Scotland) Elder Crawford(Idaho), Elder Topham(Idaho), Elder Paul(Utah) Elder Ludwig(Idaho), Elder Bullock(Utah), Elder Lowry(Alaska) and Elder Taylor(Utah). Not pictured Sister Dixon(England) Sister Critchfield(Idaho)

From left to right: Sister Dixon, Sister Critchfield, Sister Nelson Elder Gray, Sister Gray(Oregon), Elder Taylor(1st Counselor in mission Pres) Sister Taylor(Arizona) Sister Davis, Pres Davis(Utah), Brother Carter, Sister Carter,(Alaska)Elder Lowry, Elder Ludwig, Elder Ables, Sister Ables(Utah/LasVegas) Sister Berry, Sister Cadell, Front Row: Elder Bullock, Elder Taylor, Elder Crawford, Elder Paul, Elder Topham.

 Senior Couples serving in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.