On our first date, Jason invited Kate to his apartment for tea, to see his pictures from Uzbekistan, and to hear about his trip. Jason had a tea set that he had brought home and served Kate tea Uzbek style. In Uzbekistan, when you are served a full cup of tea, you are expected to drink it and go. If you are served a half cup of tea, that means that your host wants you to stay longer. On that December night in 2005, Kate kept getting half cups of tea and we talked about Uzbekistan.
The people of Uzbekistan are very generous with their guests. They will always have tea, fruit, nuts, and candies ready for guests at all times. And even though they might not have much, they will share whatever they have with you.
In Uzbekistan, it is common for families that have handicapped children to take them to an orphanage for the sake of their other children. A handicap could be a cleft foot, cross-eyed, or more serious medical conditions and would prevent a potential mate for any daughters in that household. And some handicaps that are easily corrected here in the States are not done due to financial challenges in Uzbekistan.
The majority of people who live in Uzbekistan are poor. Most jobs only pay about 1/3 of the mortgage or rent so many people have 2-3 jobs and those with vehicles will be a taxi anytime. The translator that Jason met in 2005 is actually a doctor, but he makes more money being a translator so that’s what he does to support his family.
Our guide for this mission trip is from Uzbekistan but he brought his family to the States for a better life and they became US citizens last year. He has been working with Medical Teams International for several years taking teams to Uzbekistan and other Asian countries.
The purpose of this trip is to work with two different ministries in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The first is the Children’s Ministry & Rehab (also known as Orphanage #1). The orphanage houses approximately 320 children age 5 to 17. In Uzbekistan, about 60% of the children at the orphanage are not orphans, their parents were unable to care for them due to financial or social difficulties. The second mission is the Community Based Rehab where we will be visiting some of the parents and helping and encouraging them during our stay.
Jason was able to go on a similar mission trip in 2005 shortly before meeting Kate (and all of the pictures are from that trip). Kate has been unemployed since September 2009 but we both feel called to go to Uzbekistan on this mission trip. Jason & Kate have been on mission trips but this will be our first mission trip together and we are looking forward to serving together.
Please go with us!
With your prayers:
For a safe journey, good and productive visits with the orphans and the families that we will visit, and for good health for us as we travel.
With your finances:
Only for those who feel lead, we would love your financial support. The cost of the trip is expected to be about $3,000 per person. Tax-deductible donations can be made online or by check — contact us for more information.
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