N&S DOMa: July 2016

Sunday, July 31, 2016

These pictures were taken on

July 20th

The back wall of the house running parallel with our back property line

where were putting up a security/privacy fence.

Unfortunately, our back neighbour has been everything, but kind.

Monday, July 11, 2016

July 11th

Want to introduce you to our new security staff member

His names "little potato"

The walls are going up folks!

I think these pictures portray much more than words can express.

This is the back wall of the house with it's 4 layers of brick around the perimeter.

this perspective gives insight -

were getting up off ground level

looking from the church back to the worksite

two men from church working on the back perimeter wall

Sergei, in the green is a professional brickmason.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

We've been in a holding pattern for some time now.

The biggest cause of this is the poor quality strength of cement that was delivered by a cement company, poured to form the top layer of the foundation.

In the pictures below, the pinkish-red foundation now, that's the chemical treatment applied to the cement. We've been waiting to see how well the chemical worked to improve the strength. It's been weeks now to go through this whole process. I'd ask for your prayer as we've lost one of our 4 hired workers in the process. The men working are hard workers,

I hope we do not loose more.

We did just sign the paperwork and made the first payment to continue working with this company for the next phase, building the walls. Everyone is ready to begin, again we just need confirmation that the foundation is strong enough.

Preparing for the reinforced concrete beam to be poured underneath the basement ceiling in order to finish off and connect the top portion of the load bearing wall

Area left open for building the staircase to the basement.

Basement ceiling after reinforcements have been applied, waiting to dry out completely

The pink stripe is the foundation with reinforced chemicals applied.

The next step will be to use a press to make sure the dirt is pressed down and compact for when the floor will be laid.

About

Loving on disable children in a small town, state run orphanage.

THEIR FUTURE

Most kids in Ukraine have to leave the orphanage at 18 years of age. A normal, healthy orphan has a rather bleak future if they don't have the encouragement of others. Most have few life skills and a poor education, and they are left to fend for themselves.

But for handicapped orphans, those labeled mentally disabled, their future is miserable. At 18 they are uprooted from the only home they have ever known, the orphanage, and sent to live in a psychological "internat" (government run institute) or an old-age home for the rest of their lives. They have no rights… no formal education and no understanding of life outside the orphanage. Desperate for freedom and longing to be loved, they are isolated from society.

Throughout their life in Ukraine, nothing for these disabled children comes easily. The world here is not handicap accessible. The stigma and cultural perspective remains in many people’s minds that these kids are not kids and need to be shut away. That is what has been done, having been placed in institutes they are not allowed to leave. The mentality of some who work in the homes is that the children don’t have feelings because they cannot respond or interact as a typical child. The children are not expected to live. That changes the whole outlook on care, feeding, nurturing, health, and every aspect of life.

But what about their hearts?

Necessities are covered by a small stipend from the local government for families who keep their disabled children in their homes. Many homes are single moms, and if she is at home with her disabled child, she cannot work to put food on the table or provide a roof over her family’s head. The government’s stipend does not begin to cover these needs. In many ways, out of a pure lack of resources, it is easier for the family to allow the government to provide, which means giving up their parental rights and letting someone else take care of their children.

The government will step in and remove a disabled child from the home if there is alcohol abuse, drug, and/or physical abuse. These addictions often result in the child having epilepsy. This is one of the biggest problems in the orphanage.

For all the children, no matter if their disability is physical, mental, or both, between 18 and 19 years of age, they will be moved to an asylum referred to as a psycho-neurological “internat” for adults or to a facility comparable in nature to an old folk’s homes.

This is the future for these young adults.

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Sunday, July 31, 2016

Monday, July 11, 2016

Thursday, July 7, 2016