Summer has begun...

...and with it, heat, outreach programs, and lots and lots of short term visitors. Last week we had a group of 10 Americans who came to work with a church that some of them had worked with previously. My department (Personnel) is responsible for running the Orientation day so we were able to hear from them about their hopes and expectations for the week coming. Their plan was to build a playground in a village and also run a day camp for whatever children showed up. By the end of the week, they had lots of stories and excitement to share with us as we conducted the debriefing session with them.

For the last months, Ianosh ( a member of our team) has been working hard on getting a bunch of bicycles across the border into Moldova. The bikes had been donated by someone and were to be used for the new summer outreach we are initiating this year - a cycling outreach. Dealing with all the documents that were required and just the logistics of getting the bikes here was no small feat but with the Lord's help, Ianosh managed to do it and so today the cyclists had opportunity to try out the bikes and choose which one each will use. Last week at our prayer meeting we also prayed over these bikes and for the villages through which they would travel.

Today, my personnel team conducted an orientation day for the first-ever cycling outreach. Nine brave souls will venture forth to cycle from village to village sharing the good news of the gospel and encouraging and assisting the local churches in their ministry. The team is being led by newlyweds, Vlad and Veronica, and they are excited about this opportunity. (Hopefully, they won't have trouble deciding which direction to go!!) The group, consisting of Germans, Moldovans, an American and a Brit will have a challenge to communicate with one another and to work together in presenting children's programs in the different villages. Moldovan children have three months off school in the summer and there are not many planned activities in small villages. The arrival of a foreign team will be a source of great excitement and the programs that will be run and the attention the teams will give to the children will be a source of great joy. Today the cyclists learned some Romanian children's songs as well as began to put together dramas for the programs they will do. We know that the children in each village where they go will be thrilled to have this team among them. When they all come back, I'll post some photos of this exciting outreach.

It's a Girl!!

On Sunday, May 23 at 10.45 p.m. we welcomed into the world my newest grandchild, Mikayla Emilia Perez. She weighed in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce and measured 20 inches. It was my joy and privilege and blessing to be present throughout the birthing process - what an amazing experience! Marah and the baby are both well. Daniel is pleased as punch. Alejandro is proud to be a big brother to two little sisters and Eliana is fascinated with her new little sister. Grandma is burstin' buttons! :-))

Lady in Waiting

So here I am in Kamloops, BC, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, enjoying a warm Canadian spring with my daughter and her family as we await the arrival of grandbaby #3. But said grandchild seems to be in no hurry to make an appearance. In the meantime we are enjoying family time and getting to know Marah's friends and my grandchildren getting to know me.









Saturday was the day that had been identified as my daughter's due date. My son Josh came up to visit, hoping to be present for the "blessed event". Instead, on our way to pick him up at the bus station, Marah and I and the kids had a flat tire! I was very grateful, in fact, that she didn't go into labour at that particular moment! Marah's husband, Daniel was at work, so we waited by the side of the road for the nice man from Marah's church to come and help change the tire. (I am so grateful that she too has people that she can call for help when needed. She and I are both blessed that way.) Eventually we did get Joshua and it was so nice to have him around for the weekend. The kids had lots of fun playing with uncle Josh and this mother was grateful for even such a short visit with my favourite firstborn son. Saturday came and went and now it is Thursday. Still no baby. It's not easy to wait when you are expecting something of such incredible importance to happen any day. But waiting seems to be an integral part of life, doesn't it? We can either sit and do nothing while we wait, or we can carry on with life, preparations for "the event" and occupying our time with whatever the Lord has set before us to do.
I am blessed in that this waiting time is giving me a chance to spend time with my grandchildren, as well as my daughter and son-in-law. Just being part of their lives for a couple of weeks is pretty special. I'm washing lots of dishes, meeting many of their friends, getting to know the grand-darlings, and gaining a sense of what Marah's family's life consists of. On Sunday evening we had a lovely time at a backyard barbecue hosted by Dawn(lady with kids on back) and Stacey(lady with Alejandro in her lap). These young women are friends of Marah and Dan's who are also providing me with accommodation during my time here. I am not surprised to find that Marah has such wonderful friends, being a wonderful and encouraging friend herself.





Other friends at the barbecue were Marah and Dan's "twin" family, Randy and Jess, - another couple with whom they are close friends and with whom they are keeping up in child-producing. Randy is the guy socializing with Daniel over a chess board.


The little blond up in the tree with Alejandro is Noah, who is 6 months younger than him. His little sister is a month older than Eliana. And their third child is now 2 months old. In fact Jess is going to be Marah's 'doula' for the birth of this child, hopefully.
The difficult thing has been that everyone was battling colds for a few days, but thankfully now most of us - well, all except me - have recovered. Guess I don't have antibodies for Canadian germs any more!!
Another plus is that with my Canadian cell phone, I am able to text message friends and family in Canada. Especially, this means I am hearing occasionally from my favourite middle child, as he texts occasionally to inquire whether his new niece or nephew has arrived yet.
So here we sit, waiting and living in balmy Kamloops. When there is news, I will let you know. Or little miss drama queen Eliana will present to you her new baby brother/sister!

Catching up

When was the last time I told you about my life? Blame Facebook! I keep forgetting to blog because FB distracts me. Well, there are other distractions in my life as well! We have been so busy recently and I cannot tell you how happy I am that I have a few weeks vacation starting now. Tomorrow I will go to Canada to be there for the birth of my third grandchild! Can you imagine!! Awesome!!

It's lilac season and the lovely aroma of lilacs can be appreciated

everywhere. And it seems that there are enough lilacs for everyone to take a bouquet home!!! Besides lilacs, let me show you a few other things that have been happening in April and May here in Moldova.
So before I leave I just want to share some photos with you from recent weeks. Before too long it will be grandbaby photos I will be posting!!

For the whole month of April the Transit Team was with us, helping with various kinds of work wherever there was a need. They enjoyed working together with the Bus4Life ministry as this huge vehicle travelled from village to village bringing good literature and giving opportunity for children's programs to be run and elderly to have something interesting to do.
I was glad to be able to have them over for a meal to my place one evening.

As well as that team, I also had the opportunity to go to a village to visit one of our outreach teams with the missions training course. It was a beautiful day and they were working in a garden for an old woman, Sora Dunia. As they planted seeds in the ground, they were also planting spiritual seed of the gospel in the villages where they serve.

Sora Dunia was happy to share with me about her life and some of the problems she has had.






I met another very lovely and interesting sister in the Lord recently - sister Valentina. (see lady on left in photo) Valentina has made some slippers for us, for our little project. She is a cancer survivor who I think is still battling cancer. She had to rent her home in a village to come and live in Chisinau to obtain medical treatment. She and her daughter are living in a one-room "apartment" in a highrise where the lift is questionable. Their single room has no amenities and very little space. The only good thing about it was the view from 2 large windows out over the city.

One of the most noteable events recently was Vlad and Veronica's wedding on May Day. The bride was beautiful and it was a lovely day for a wedding.

There was all manner of Moldovan delicacies on the tables. Some are things we opt not to eat, if you can imagine that! But most was delicious and well-received. There were a lot of our team members there so it seemed like a real family affair.

I have to go and catch a plane now, so that's it for this post. Next one could be a birth announcement!!

The Sick and the Stranded

Well, whoever would have thought that a volcano in Iceland would affect my life in Moldova? But there you go - stuff happens and people's lives are affected.

It was another Thursday evening. I had spent the day hosting some new friends who had come from the UK. Wendy is a doctor, and along with her daughter Emily, she came to see the realities of life here in Moldova, specifically in regards to medical care, and to offer whatever help she could. So we had spent the day with the dynamic Sora Sveta visiting an elderly home and then a hospital. I was pretty tired from translating all day but I had also offered to host our British students for supper that evening so we were making plans to head out for pizza, as I had not prepared anything and had no groceries in the house. Then someone told me that one of our Moldovan students had passed out that morning while leading worship and she was still not well. Would Wendy have a look at her? So Wendy did and we decided that in the morning we should take her to the clinic to get some tests.

Then just before we went for supper, I received a phone call from a member of the Transit team, who had flown home to England for a wedding and was due to arrive back that evening. "My plane is delayed," she said. "Why?" I asked. "A volcano erupted in Iceland and all the flights in Britain are grounded," was the astounding response. "What???!! Are you serious?" I was disbelieving at first, but now, a few days later the whole world knows how disastrous volcanic ash can be to the airspace commonly used by airplanes. Last time this particular volcano erupted it wasn't a problem. Of course, that was 200 years ago. New inventions: new problems.

So, the last few days have been spent with intermittent phone calls, texts and e-mails related to Amy's being stranded in Britain and also Lilian doing all he could to avoid being stuck in Germany, where he was attending a conference. Now for him, and I wonder how many others, there is another question involved. That is that he, being Moldovan, needed a visa to go to Germany. His visa was going to expire on Monday and the possibility of a return flight before then was not looking promising. If he doesn't return before his visa expires, he will get a black mark in his passport and it could affect future efforts to obtain visas. So there's no waiting around for flights. He's on a train on his way back to Moldova. Instead of a 2-hour flight, he'll be riding the rails for 2 days. But I wonder what happens to other people who get stuck because of volcanic ash and have no options to enable them to get home before a visa expires. What happens to them? Oh - we Canadians have it so easy when it comes to travelling freely!

Anyway, before the evening was out we had another phone call related to our sick girl. She seemed worse - so our evening was cut short for Wendy to return and help her out. The next morning was spent also caring for her and eventually sending her to a clinic for some tests. Albina, one of my people, spent her day accompanying the young woman to the clinic. We're still not sure of the exact problem but it's probably some kind of infection that was causing a fever and for which she will have an antibiotic.

So, just briefly, to go back to our visits on Thursday. Together with Sveta, who is a nurse who often helps our team in any way she is able, we went first to visit a seniors' residence and then to a hospital. The seniors' residence is run by the state and is one of the better homes for the elderly in Moldova. Sveta goes there regularly with some other women to visit people and share about the love of Jesus. She took us first to meet the director and to get permission for us to see the place and visit some of the patients. This is a new director and he was very welcoming and helpful and sent us off with a head nurse to show us around and answer our questions. We visited people who are still reasonably mobile and then we went and visited in the section where people with far less mobility were cared for.

At the bedside of one really old lady was an Orthodox sister who was caring for her - feeding her and reading to her on a regular basis. We chatted with her for a bit and then the others left the room just ahead of me. Before I left the sister said, "She wants to bless you. Lean your head down." As I did so, the lady reached up with her very shaky hand and placed it on my head. She then held out her hand to me and the other lady said to kiss her hand. I did so and although this is not my religious tradition, I sensed a holiness in the moment and the presence of the Lord in a way that brought tears to my eyes. The sister said, "You are very honoured to have been blessed like this." And I felt it was true. I thanked the woman sincerely and left the room feeling a sense of wonder at what had just happened.

In another room there were a couple of old men playing cards. One of the men had no legs and the other one got up and left when we asked if we could take their picture. Interestingly, the man with no legs didn't mind at all. I made a mental note of the fact that the cards they were playing with were very tattered. I have several decks at home that a good Baptist in Moldova probably shouldn't have. Maybe I'll give them away...

Another gentleman we talked to loves to write and recite poetry. We were asking him about how things were in the residence and whether he was content here. He said he was very grateful for the day he came there and that he had a poem about it, which he started to recite. I think it was about 4-5 stanzas, most of which he totally remembered and all of which expressed appreciation for such a place to live, where his needs are cared for. (If you had seen some of the conditions of the elderly living alone in this country, you would know how right he is to be thankful.) We thanked him for sharing the poem, and with that encouragement he launched into another one. It was obvious by the expressions on the faces of our guides that this could be a looooong visit. We gently extricated ourselves from further recitations and made our way to visit some others.

Once our tour was complete we returned to the director's office and he ushered us, together with the medical chief of staff, into a conference room. He wanted to hear our feedback and to respond to any questions we might have. The medical director was also curious to ask some questions about medical facilities in the west. I did my best to translate but wasn't always totally following as she kept forgetting to stop for translation. One of the things that was interesting to hear regarding staffing - in England, Wendy shared, the ratio of nurses to patients would be about 1/6 or 8. In this facility, the staff/patient ration is more like 1/22. I couldn't really say what it is in Canada as I know we do have a nursing shortage but have no idea what the ratio is. Maybe somebody can enlighten me. Of course, it depends on the kind of facility too. The other interesting thing to hear is that since the communist party is no longer in power, the new government in Moldova is making some very promising changes that will affect medical care. There is a vision for change that only requires the finances to make it possible. For example, in touring this seniors' residence there were parts where renovations obviously had begun but probably had been started a long time before as it was clear that nothing is currently happening. Lack of funding is a very visible reality in Moldova.

Before leaving the residence the director ensured that we should see the program room and as we entered we met a lady who also was eager to tell us her story. First of all, she showed us the photo albums she had put together, all organized by year showing all the programs that she had organized for the residents. She herself was a retired teacher and at age 80 is living in the residence and making herself useful by organizing all kinds of programs, from concerts to choir recitals to Christmas programs. She was very positive and very enthusiastic and encouraged me to come and enjoy one of their concerts sometime.

As we left, my doctor friend told the medical chief that she had brought some medical supplies and medications that she wanted to give them. They asked if she had brought any adult diapers, which is a huge - and of course constant - need. She went out and bought several packages and gave them, along with the medical supplies, to me to take over to the seniors' home next week. How humbling to be able to help, even in this small way.

Afterwards we went to visit a hospital but it was not quite such a successful visit as we couldn't find the director to get permission to visit the wards. So we walked through and Sora Sveta, in her bold and loving way, sat down and started sharing Christ with a woman who was just sitting waiting for an appointment. We heard her life's story, and her troubles and Sveta shared some literature with her and lots of encouraging words about the love of God and the need to pray and to believe. Sveta has no fear, and her faith and her smile and her encouraging words seem to leave even the most troubled person with a smile on their lips and - hopefully - new hope in their hearts.

Blogless

Oh dear - I have become so lazy about my blog and I must apologize. There always seem to be a hundred other things to work on at the computer... or, I confess, play. Yes, I do spend more time than I should playing mindless games just to unwind.

Of course, I have had a few things on my plate, such as preparing to lead a Bible study at our DayCentre workers training conference, and now preparing a study on 2 Timothy for the leadership level of our Challenge into Missions course. With huge recruiting needs on our team, I have also been spending time in corresponding and connecting with potential new team members and meetings to discuss how we will deal with upcoming vacancies on the team, including my own.

Last week we prepared to welcome two teams who were arriving on the same day. One team - the Transit Challenge team - have been driving across Europe in a van and were coming to spend a month here in Moldova, being involved in various types of ministry. On the same day in which they were to arrive there was a Swedish team of 25 young people flying in to Chisinau for a one-week missions experience. Our team had been preparing to host these groups and in particular my department was responsible for the logistics and program of the Transit team.

On a rainy muddy Thursday evening, just as all the Swedish kids were walking in the door of the mission centre, informing us that 14 of them had NOT received their luggage upon arrival at the airport; at the very same moment I received a text message that the Transit team had been turned back at the border because of some problem with documents for the vehicle. A moment of crisis and panic that gradually unfolded into problem-solving mode as various people lent their wisdom and help to deal with both situations. With several phone calls and lots of prayer the Transit team were successful in obtaining the necessary documents and successfully crossing the border on their second attempt. By Saturday, the Swedes' luggage had arrived and was picked up by a fellow team member and safely delivered to the group who by now had gone to the south. It was one of those situations in which our team all pulled together to help handle the crises and everyone went the second mile to ensure that our guests were cared for. As stressful as such times can be, it is always satisfying and encouraging to see the generosity expressed by my team members in their dedication to the Lord.

On Friday, after a long day of delays, I travelled with the Transit team in their van to visit our Local Ministry Team in the north of Moldova. It was great to visit our team there and also fun to see the two teams working together on some practical work to help and encourage the church there. I came home on Saturday and on Sunday the team presented some children's programs, as it was Easter Sunday.

Dana and I and others on our team were involved in providing orientation and later debriefing and evaluation for the Swedish team, who spent their week building a playground in a village in the south of Moldova. Meanwhile our Challenge into Missions students have been out on outreach and they will be returning this weekend for another week of study at our mission centre. At the same time we will be hosting another visit from the Bus4Life, a big bus that goes around to different villages and presents programs, sells books and does outreach in various communities.

It is definitely a busy time and in the midst of all of this I am becoming more and more aware that I will be serving here for just 4 more months. Can this be possible?! It feels like the time is already beginning to fly.

Even more imminent, however, is the impending arrival of my third grandchild. I was not really planning to go home for this event and was actually beginning to feel kind of depressed about it one morning on my way to work. As I travelled in the mini-bus, wondering why I was feeling so low I made the decision that yes, I will go home for the coming of the baby, even if I couldn't afford it. The Lord gave me a wonderful peace in my heart upon making that decision. That evening I wrote a note to my missions committee asking if anyone could donate some airmiles to me. The next morning I received a response indicating that a woman in my church would be happy to give me her airmiles - enough to cover my trip to Canada, all the way to Kamloops!! I waited for April 7, Marah's birthday, to tell her the good news - that was her birthday present. And I think she is as happy as I am about it!

So now I am starting to sift through my belongings so I can take home a load of things with this visit and not have to get rid of so much or deal with so much stuff at the end of August. Moving house isn't so easy when all you can take is a 50 pound suitcase!!

So, dear friends - and especially Inga :-) - this is what I have been busy with lately and why I have been blogless. Meanwhile, spring is arriving in Moldova and Easter has come and gone. The Lord is risen! Hristos a inviat! In adevarat a inviat. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Wedding season

Last Monday evening we had our last session of the marriage preparation course I have been leading. It was a great group and we had a good time together and hopefully each couple has gained something to help build a stronger marriage relationship.

This weekend the wedding season started as I drove south to attend Lilia's wedding. Lilia and Viorica at one time were my roommates during my time here in Moldova. Lilia eventually returned to her village, Gotesti, and became involved in the ministry of her local church there. She also met a guy there who she married yesterday.

Viorica went off to Angola to serve the Lord there and returned last year as she was unable to get a work permit renewed. Meanwhile she also began a relationship with a Namibian guy, Frans, and he has been here visiting over the last month. They have been able to participate in the marriage preparation course as well and as soon as they can get all the necessary documents in order their plan is to wed in Viorica's home church in Tintareni. Then they will return to Africa to begin their marriage in Frans' home country of Namibia.

Anyway, although a bit chilly, it was a beautiful sunny day for a wedding. Lilia's pastor is from England and the service was conducted partly in English and mostly in Romanian. Outside the church people lined up to greet the couple and to give them flowers and gifts. At some weddings it is predominantly envelopes of money that are given at this point but being in a poorer village, probably flowers are more appropriate for all to give.

Meanwhile the benches were being cleared from the church, the tables set up and laden with food for the wedding feast. It can seem like there is no more space on the table for food and the ladies would come out with two or three more dishes of food that had to find a space somewhere. The previous plates of food were never removed, just added to. By the time dessert arrived, plates were being stacked carefully to make room for the additions. I enjoyed sitting next to sora Lilia, the wife of the pastor from Vadul lui Isaac, a church that I had visited with some team members not too long ago. We came home stuffed but having enjoyed a lovely celebration and so happy to have been able to add our best wishes for the bride and groom. Congratulations, Lilia and Sergei!

LMT - South

On Thursday afternoon, together with Alida, we took one of the team cars and drove to the tiny village of Paicu in the south of Moldova. For a while I have been promising to pay a visit here and the opportunity has finally come. We have a Local Ministry Team of five women who are serving the Lord here and in the surrounding villages. The stories from this village are stories of broken lives and tragic situations as well as stories of God's grace at work bringing new life, reconciliation and hope for the future.

(l to r - Tamara, Alida, Kate, Denise, Rita, Stefanie)

As we worshipped that evening with the small church in their new building I was especially touched by the testimony of one young man who stood up and shared just a few brief words. I knew that a couple of years back, one of our team members had spent time with him regularly teaching him to read. As he stood before the church, he gave thanks to God for the courage and the voice to stand up and testify. Then he did an amazing thing - he lifted up his Bible and read a verse from John 14 - 'Nu va voi lasa orfani, Ma voi intoarce la voi.' (I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.) He read the verse. Just a couple of years ago he couldn't even read. Living in a home with alcholic parents, he had not gone to school as he had to stay home and help around the house while just one of his siblings attended school. Even now, I was told, alcoholism continues to play havoc in their home, where he is trying to live as a Christian. For all intents and purposes these children had been abandoned by their own parents, not given the love and nurture and encouragement that every child should have. But one day he had discovered that his heavenly Father had NOT abandoned him. Though he might have felt like an orphan, he was not an orphan.

His is just one of many lives that have been transformed in this community over the years since the beginning of the church there. Now there is a church, a community centre/church building, a Day Centre for children, a meal program for the elderly, food packets being delivered to the poor. Our team serving there alongside the fledgling church is reaching out to the community itself as well as several other communities in the area. Among many other things, each week a few of our team members go to the local kindergarten to conduct a brief program for the children there. It was my privilege to go with the team to the kindergarten to observe their involvement and even to help out a little by playing the guitar. It was a joy to see the darling children and to meet their teachers and be able to invite them to the upcoming women's event for the International women's Day on March 8. The event will actually be on the 7th. How do I know that? I know that because I have been invited to share my story on that day. I pray, and I ask you to pray for me, that the words I share will help to convince others that they are also not abandoned or forgotten or forsaken by the Lord, but rather loved, cherished, and precious in His sight, just like the children are.

Walking down the muddy street in Paicu, I gave thanks to the Lord for all the ways He is bringing hope and new life to this village.