N&S DOMa: August 2018

Thursday, August 30, 2018

grout work got done today

YEAH!!!

Over the past few days water has been hooked up to the house.

Our well is now providing for the home so

showers and sinks can function.

The pastor and his sons who came out to do this work for us finished up the

work outside on the well too.

Oksana and I worked on the wall of the main hall.

Little bits at a time, but we're making progress.

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

The last 4 days with team 2

THE THREE MUSKETEERS - MAXIM became the 4th Musketeer

This is the finished product!!!

Roll-Away beds with drawer space for a suitcase, blankets and sheets.

Personal shelving with each bunk and a place for mirrors and electrical outlets.

We tried to think of everything 😉

A second coat of lacquer applied to this furniture, looks nice.

Just yesterday, September 12th, Maxim got the mirrors up and I vacuumed up all the sawdust. Today the drawers will be filled with clean sheets, pillows and blankets in preparation for the team arriving on October 3rd.

DOORS! This is the first one

Ben just happened to finish some barn like doors for his own home recently,

so he helped us make one so we can repeat the process.

Ben helped too with understanding.

What leftover wood we had from building the house,

he shared how select good pieces and to put all that to good use.

The end result is perfect for the de'cor of our "western look."

A bit of fun...

...Sunday after church and a walk through the local market we had a bit of down time before being picked up to head back out Darivka.

The guys had a hankering for some action, I think this did the trick.

BEN

DAVID

JAAN, our translator for the day

AARON

AND ONE MORE STEP CLOSER

to the fireplace getting finished

God goes before us every step of the way!

Please be in prayer with us that we stick like glue to His plan.

Thursday, August 9, 2018

August 8th and 9th

TALK ABOUT PROGRESS!

Planning session Wednesday morning

Aaron, David & Ben in a pow-wow together.

shelving units installed by David

Ben makes sure things happen

the drawers were the bear to tackle

Aaron using a very special tool for the corners of the drawers.

HANDLES!

looking pretty nice, don't ya'll think?

Yesterday, the 8th, Maxim and I completed the first section of a long wall.

For Kristin, this is it!

at the same time

THE FIREPLACE WORK PROGRESSES

a whole lot!

the arch begins

This hall behind the fireplace connects the kitchen to the bedrooms

not a secret passageway, but a short cut,

hopefully a pretty one when completed.

the under girting while the bricks are laid

Work on the details of a wall in the main hall, trying to create a theme.

This pattern took quite a while to cut out, but finally got it done today so I could try making the relief on the plaster portion of the collogue.

You'll never guess...

Oh, and I learned how to use the tile cutter today.

I've got to get working on preparing the tiles for when

Bryan and Brenda, Kristin and Bob come from NMSI again.

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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Thursday, August 30, 2018

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Thursday, August 9, 2018