The Joy of Holding a Sleeping Baby

The other people sitting at my table were two children, their mother, and her sister-in-law.  The oldest son was 2 1/2 years old and very rarely (if ever) left their arms.  The youngest was 7 months old and started off being as clingy as his older brother.  When I first offered to hold the children during a meal, they looked at me as if unsure what to do.  Later, when they tried to give me the 7 month-old and he looked like he might start crying, the sister-in-law quickly took him back. 

At one meal (on the second day), the youngest son was crying at the table, which made it extremely difficult for the sister-in-law to finish her meal.  I felt honored when their mother suggested she try giving the baby to me.  I quickly found out that this small boy did not like to sit, but preferred standing.  He was so tired, but as most children was fighting sleep.  After some time standing and rocking he fell asleep in my arms.  What a joy it was for me to be able to hold this small, sleeping baby in my arms.  I realized how much I have missed interacting with babies.  I was enjoying it so much that I even forgot that I hadn’t eaten the second course of my lunch until the sister-in-law came to find me.  I told her to enjoy her meal and that she could just bring me the second course when she was done. She continued to offer to take him back, but I refused as I was enjoying holding a sleeping baby and hoped she would enjoy a few minutes of rest.  The next day I was able to hold him again during breakfast while he once again fell asleep in my arms. 

What made me treasure this more than anything else was that the mother had initiated having me hold her son and after just a few short hours was willing to trust me with her precious boy.

Destined to Fail in the World's Eyes

On the first day, I chose to eat breakfast at a table with 3 adults, each holding a child in their laps.  At first, they were just people that I hoped I would be able to help throughout the meal, but they soon became people with stories and dreams. 

One mother of a seven year-old girl was sitting closest to me.  After sitting for a while, she realized that I could speak Kazakh and started to ask me questions about myself.  I wanted to ask questions as well, but I didn’t even know where to start.  What do you say to a mother of a seven year-old girl that has her daughter sitting in her lap in order to feed her.  How do you even begin a conversation, let alone offer to help?  Well, as the week progressed and I stayed at the table with the same group of people, I began to learn more about her story. 

She had attended University in Almaty and received a degree (with special recognition for good grades) as an architect.  She later married her husband and had three children, the youngest of these was sitting in her lap at the table.  At our first meal together (meal times lasted about an hour by the time each mother was able to feed herself and her child and visit with the others at the table), she made sure to tell me that it was not alcohol or drug abuse that had caused her daughter’s condition (as most people assume). 

During the first meal, I offered to hold her daughter to give her a rest, but she told me she was so used to it that she wouldn’t be able to enjoy the meal without her daughter in her lap.  At the next meal, after her daughter had finished eating, she suggested that her daughter sit in my lap while she finished her meal. While sitting in my lap, this young girl noticed others (not from our group) that were staring at her.  Her mother took her back, comforted her, and explained to her that they were staring at her because she is such a beautiful and sweet girl.  I had to agree because in just a few short hours I had been able to experience her kind and gentle spirit. 

She was also a brilliant girl.  She was able to share some poems with me and even sing the national anthem of Kazakhstan, despite her challenges controlling her muscles.  At this age, she should be preparing to begin school, but she will likely never realize this dream even though she is so intelligent. Although this upsets her mom, she has taken it upon herself to teach her daughter.  There was one option for her education that her mother looked into (a pre-school with 18 children per caregiver).  With her daughter’s need for individualized attention, she did not feel like it would give her the care that she could give at home.  My hope is that one day she will be able to see her dream for her daughter’s education come true. 

This young girl is so blessed to have a mother and father that love her despite all the challenges she faces.  How encouraging for me to see a mother that despite other’s negative comments, sees her daughter as a precious gift from God.

A New Perspective on Life

I have spent the last two weeks with a delegation from the States (see the Interlink Blog for more details of our time together).

In my daily work, I tend to interact with children that have been abandoned due to many different causes (death, desertion, economical crisis, alcohol or drug abuse, mental or physical handicap, etc). During the second half of the delegation I was able to experience a completely different group of children. I had the joy of spending time with children that had all ranges of physical and mental handicaps and was able to watch them be loved by their primary caregivers (a group of moms and grandmothers that had given up everything else to care for these children). To see the love in their faces (even when they had to carry their 50 pound children up a flight of steps) was such an encouragement to me.

As a group, we helped serve a group of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) that use our office space in Shymkent. The staff of the Cornelius Project invited us to help with their two day camp, when they found out that we had a change of plans and needed something for the delegation to do. The planned dates of their camp coincided perfectly with the time that the delegation was free. They needed help providing games and crafts and serving in whatever way was needed at the moment. We were able to give their caregivers a much needed break as we spent time playing with the kids and caring for their needs. We were also able to provide fun activities for their caregivers in which, for a few short minutes, they were able to break away from the stress of everyday life and play as if they were children again.

Over the next few days I would like to share some stories from my time at CP camp. It will take several blogs to get all my thoughts posted even though we only spent 48 hours with these children. Although it was a physically exhausting time, it was such a time of renewal and encouragement for me. It also placed a burden on my heart for these children and their families.

Be Flexible

BE FLEXIBLE!  This is a phrase that we often share with our delegates and long-term team members before they come to Kazakhstan.  This week has been one of those weeks that bring new meaning to the phrase. 

We are currently preparing for a group of four people coming from the States.  Their original plan was to do a camp for children of Ulan Orphanage.  In the last week, we have had to adjust this plan several times.  It looks like we finally have a plan for them - which is good since they will be arriving on Monday.  I will be leaving tomorrow morning to pick them up from Almaty.  We will be updating the Interlink blog related to this delegation. 

On Tuesday I took my passport to the Ovir's office to get my visa renewed.  Each day, we were asked to call later or call back the next day as they processed my visa.  It was set to expire today and so we were considering options for me to leave the country today if necessary.  I received a call at 4:05 saying that if I wasn't at the Ovir in 5 minutes, I would not receive my visa today (I needed it so that I could travel to pick up the delegation tomorrow). Thankfully, when I arrived everything was set and I now have a visa that will cover me until I return to the States. 

Jason, the intern that was supposed to arrive today was affected by the Lufthansa strike.  He ended up getting re-routed through Turkey and after a delayed flight got stuck at a hotel near the airport.  Hopefully, he will arrive tomorrow morning. 

This week has been a good reminder of the need for flexibility.  It has been fun to see everything come together (despite it being at the last minute). 

US Telephone Number

I have recently changed my US telephone number.  It is set up through Skype and allows people in the US to call my computer by dialing a normal US phone number.  My phone number is an Oklahoma City phone number.  A call from you does not cost me anything and it also does not cost you any more than it normally would to call Oklahoma City.   This Skype subscription also allows me to call anywhere in the US for one small fee a month.  Technology is pretty amazing. 

Please feel free to email me to get the new number.  I don't necessarily want to put it on my blog since I can't control who might call me.  :)  I would love to hear from you.