I bumped up an old post, but since my new post appeared on page 3, I decided to to it this way.

I'm just bumping this up from 3 or 4 yrs. ago. I haven't been on this site much in the last 2 yrs. until this past week and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is now much easier to navigate and WOW, it has grown from about 2,000 members the best I remember to over 29,000. That's fantastic!

At the time I posted this tee shirt quilt, I mentioned it was for our daughter who was moving to the other side of the world. Some of you asked where, and I had been instructed to not advertise the location. I think it is still not identified on the mission website, but they all post to Facebook, so how much more public can it get?
She lives in Kazakhstan ( Borat's imaginary country), but there's nothing imaginary about it. It's a real place with real people although, it's a half century behind the rest of the world. We visited her there.

She teaches English as a second language and works with about 300 orphans at one children's home and close to 100 babies at a baby house and also does some volunteer work at a house for kids at risk in a poor neighborhood.

This is in the region of southern Siberia in central Asia and was part of the Old Soviet Union. The word, Siberia, is enough to tell you that the winters are brutal with possible temps dropping to 45 below zero and the ground is covered with ice from Nov. til the spring thaw in April. BUT, she began calling this land home almost immediately.
Nothing ever works all at once...i.e., the heat or the water or power will go off without warning or the lift will be out and she lives on the 5th floor and her clothes dryer is on its' last leg, but she cannot find a dryer in the stores...the Americans are the only ones who use them, so they are not stocked and hers is one of the oldest in the country. Sliced bread only came to stores since she moved there.
They shop outdoors in bazaars all winter and at times the vendors have to use hair blow dryers to keep their produce and their hands from freezing. She literally bought snow boots in the snow.

She now has a family of six siblings who consider her their mother. Seven siblings were dropped off at the orphanage nearly 10 yrs. ago. The oldest is now deceased, and 2 are still living at the home, but the older ones who have been released from the home at 16 or after 9th grade are either enrolled in a school with a dorm or working. They visit with our daughter on weekends and the 19 yr. old girl lived with her last summer while she did an apprenticeship in the city. They range in age from 11-22.
I sent the red tee's & plaids for a family portrait, but they haven't all gotten together at the same time yet. This was made at the orphanage on New Yr's eve. These are 4 of the siblings...2 boys aren't there...

Such a lovely giving daughter. Bless you and bless her. You must be so proud.

What a truly gifted and blessed person your daughter is! To share of herself in such a formidable environment. Just a wonderful story.

WOW you have raised a wonderful young lady and you should be so proud. What a kind soul your daughter is.

I just had to send these pictures made at the baby house. They are so precious.

What a wonderful person you created... how proud you must be!

Hugs

You are so blessed! What giving hearts you and your daughter have.. And those babies.... so sweet

My son is adopted, from NM, and he is 45 yrs old now. I have a lovely 20 year old granddaughter by him, and she's my only grandchild. Always wanted a big family, but life doesn't always turn out the way we want... I'm grateful for the little family that I do have, tho.

Please tell your daughter that one more grandma will keep her and the children covered in prayer..

It's so inronic, Victoria never wanted kids of her own and never liked cold weather. But she says she loves her life.
These babies were not very social when she first started visiting the baby house, but I'm guessing they may be a tad spoiled now. There are only 2 workers per 10-15 babies and they do love them and they seem to be well tended, but 2 people cannot give much individual attention to 10-15 babies, so the volunteers have given them lots of attention and socialized them. She speaks to them in both Russian and English and it was so funny hearing her tell of the one little boy who was pushing back in his high chair and she said, "No, no." And he repeated it in English. She and a local Kazakh friend have chosen one group to spend most of their time so they can give continuity as the kids grow up. Other volunteers take a different group. Many of the babies have siblings there and about 70% have mothers who visit occasionally. Only about 30% are adoptable. A few have fetal alcohol syndrome.

I replied on the other page..... You have done a remarkable job as a parent for your daughter to do this line of work. Kudos to you.

These babies are precious!!!!

On The Go Love the photos and what a blessing your daughter is. Great to her about her life and being able to help other. I know that area that she is in my son was in that part of the world a in the earily 2000's. Life is not easy there. Thanks for sharing with us. Jane