Mother's Day (USA)

A 'Happy Mother's Day' to my eternal companion! This July we will celebrate our 36th anniversary and I have been so blessed to have her by my side, sometimes behind me pushing, and other times in front pulling, but always with the desire to help me become like our Father in Heaven.


A 'Happy Mother's Day' to our daughter, Mahana! I see her in every Kazakh child I see. She has always brought me joy and has always been an inspiration for me to become a better Dad - more like our Father in Heaven.



A' Happy Mother's Day' to my Mom. Sadly, I don't know where she is (somewhere between North Carolina and Florida) or how she is doing but I always feel her love and I see her in these loving, kind, compassionate Kazakh women who we meet as we do our humanitarian work. She is my earthly example of loving kindness and has always set an example that encourages me to become like our Father in Heaven.



In our work this week we had a one of the many heart touching experiences that happen to us here in Kazakhstan. It certainly made me reflect a bit about searching out similar individuals in our own area back home with whom we can partner to make a difference in someone's life.

Our host was Klara. She is a 73 year old lady who retired as a heart doctor and decided it was no fun staying home doing nothing. Her husband passed away some years ago but she has family - children, grandchildren, and siblings that live fairly close to her. Nevertheless, she decided a few years ago to go make a difference for someone. She has chosen to help poor, single mothers with children. She has spent a lot of her own funds along with asking for donations from companies and other charitable organizations. In the past the Church has donated some computers that the mothers and their kids can use to learn. The Church also donated some sewing machines and so she asked if we would like to go and visit the 'sewing center'. We (Viviane, Zhanara our translator, and I), of course, accepted because it is so much fun and so uplifting to our spirits to be around this lady. We met her at her office and headed out for, according to her, a short walk. We walked and walked and walked (sort of like pioneer children) .... so I started to document our walk so that we could find the way again.
We crossed streets, went through parking lots, and down sidewalks .... until we came to a dirt street/alley and turned down ... all the time Klara is talking - Zhanara is translating - and we are laughing and having a good time.We, finally, came around the corner of a run down building and there to the left was a nice salmon colored building and I thought 'that is where it is' .... but we kept walking and turned another corner where, at the end of the alley I saw a fairly nice building and thought 'surely that is where the sewing center is located'. Then Klara turned to the side towards a really run down apartment building and I thought 'what is she doing now?'. In we went and up a flight of old, rickety wooden stairs to the door at the top of the landing where Klara stopped and knocked very hard and yelled her name.

Into this humble apartment we went and met for the first time, but I hope not the last, Igul and Oxana. It is Igul's small apartment and they use her 'living room' as the 'sewing center'. In the picture of the ladies Igul is on the left and Oxana on the right. Both are single Moms and they are the instructors for sewing for all of the other Moms who come to learn to sew. They not only learn to sew, but they also can use the machines to make clothes for themselves and their children. I asked them where they get their supplies and they pointed to a large bag which Klara opened to reveal old clothes donated by the Red Cross. They take these clothes and wash them and then take them apart to harvest the buttons and zippers and any of the cloth that can be reused. Sometimes they take a piece of clothing apart just to teach how to sew it back together again. They have taugh many single mothers how to sew well enough to get jobs and become somewhat self-reliant. We are going to submit a proposal to buy them some new software for their fanciest sewing machine which will allow them to teach how to do free form machine embroidery which will help the Moms get jobs in the traditional clothes industry which pays better.
We parted company having been blessed by the meeting and the great enthusiasm that these wonderful ladies have to help their fellow mothers.

And so I think it is fitting that this edition of the blog be dedicated to mothers everywhere who, in my opinion, show the best earthly example every day of Christlike sacrifice - giving all they have because of their love. We love them ... but they loved us first!