Two Rules

As was mentioned in a previous post, Andy Raatz shared with us that the number one rule of a missionary is: When a bathroom is available, use it, because you don’t know when the next time will be.
Rule #2 states: Be Flexible.

Today we used both rules to the max.  We woke up with no water.  That could not stop us, however.  We modified our early morning routine, and made do.

Several good things happened to day.  We worked a long day, about 12 hours today.  In the morning, four guys (Jim, Steve, Dave F., and Jerry) went to a men’s prison.  They came back very excited.  They really believe, that at least some of the guys in prison were touched by the teams stories.  I will try to get some pictures from their meeting.

Carol and Sharon took some time in the afternoon to visit a couple of elderly ladies from the church at Orhie.  A girl named Angella brought them to the ladies houses and interpreted for them all.  Carol said that the ladies were just so pleased and honored that someone would come and visit them.

While the main crew continued to work on the church, Sharon, Dave and Jan, Craig and Courtney, and Brianon, went to a medical university meeting on family, relationships, and love.  They talked and answered questions about those topics, that the students posed to them.  Brianon played the guitar and sang for them.

By the time that part of the team was done, we had finished our time with the church at Orhei, the church we have been working on this week.  We ran out of day light, so had to wrap things up since we had no lights.  We got very much accomplished.  The downstairs team finished most of the tile work,and the upstairs team got a very good amount of the sheet rock work done, that involved installing steel studs on the limestone rock walls, insulating, and sheeting.  Take a look at the pictures for the past three days and see all of the progress being made.  Unfortunately, we are all done with our work at this church because we have more commitments at another church who could lose thier building any day.

We need to do some concrete work for the foundation of the church next on our schedule.  It will all be done by hand (with the help of a cement mixer), and poured bucket by bucket.  This is the typical way it is done here in Moldova.   As we travel on the streets, the sight of piles of sand, and gravel sitting on the curb is not uncommon.  Many time, there is also a pile of limestone blocks also.  The blocks are never in a nice order as they are just dumped from the back of a truck.  The blocks are quarried a few miles outside of town; and it is not uncommon to find seashells embedded in the limestone blocks.

Typically, when we are done with our jobs, and wind down for the night, there is a lot of talking and laughter going on in a small living space on our floor of the Pentecostal Union.  Tonight it is silent.  Everyone is tired and going to bed.  It has been a busy, hard day, but a good day.  God is so good!

Click the picture to see photos from Tuesday of the Moldova Missions Trip.

Progress is Happening

Today was another productive day for our Moldova Missions Team. The day started with another Moldovan delicious breakfast. We had a meeting amongst ourselves last night before we went to bed. We decided to get up a half hour earlier so we can start working a half hour earlier; and to leave the job site so we can get another half hour at the end. That extra hour really helped.

Sharon spent part of the day meeting with the workers at the Home of Hope, the home for women who come out of the sex trafficking trade. Yesterday, she spent the day in meetings with church leaders concerning marriages, family, relationships, etc.

David F. led our devotions for the day. His emphasis was on how we need to be aware of those around us, and our conduct here. Many Moldovans can not speak English, but they know enough to pick up on what we say. It was a timely message for us.

We were reminded once again that there are two major rules to be a missionary.
1. If there is a bathroom there, use it. You may not know when the next opportunity will be.
2. be flexible. Everything can change at a moments notice. And it has.

Reva and Courtney had the opportunity to visit an elderly lady whose name is Maria. Angela, a member of the church at Orhei, invited them to go and she translated for them. Brianon was asked by a group of the girls that go to the church, to go to a football game (soccer). She had a great time hanging out with new friends of her own age. Russia played Italy and won.
Gheroghe (George – pronounced Eyourgie. This is the same George that I have written about for several days. We finally got his name and spelling correct. He has been a truly wonderful tour guide, and history teacher. He usually drives us from here to there. The last two days, he has been a helpful language teacher, teaching us all interesting tidbits about their language. He told us of interesting Romanian words (the people speak either Romanian or Russian)  that are pronounced like different English words. Like frog (I am not sure of the spelling). Frog in Romanian is the word for keyhole in English. He is full of all kinds of interesting things.

The progress on the church is really getting somewhere. We have most of the walls sheet rocked now. Tomorrow is our last day there and we want to get as much sheet rock work done as possible.

The people at the Orhei church are so nice. They just love us and we love them. The congregation is small and they need this church built. It will be a shining star in their community.

This evening after supper, we had the privilege to talk to a few people at our church home. We briefly talked to Kathy and Tana via Skype. It is always nice to hear from home. We need to remember that after we get home so we can encourage others that are away.

As I type this, it is evening, and a wild card game is in progress out in a living area here at the Pentecostal Union. We all worked hard today and will sleep well. Please, remember us in your prayers. Thanks!

Click on the picture to the left of this post to view pictures of today.

Click this picture to see photos from Monday, March 6

A Good day of Work

Today was a good work day.

It started with a great devotional time led by Jim S.  We ate some good breakfast and off to work we went.

We worked on the church at Orhei.  We knew our routine from working there on Saturday; and we were able to get right on the job and work. Good progress was made on installing the metal studs, insulating and sheet rocking. Downstairs, others began tiling the hallway. The day was not glamorous, but was quite efficient. We got a lot of the work done that we came to do.

Lunch was very good, and the food was not piled on us like it was on Saturday.  That was good, since we didn’t want to take an after lunch nap like we did on Saturday.

The afternoon was just as productive, but the tile layers hit a dead end because they did not have some of the tools they needed, like a tile saw.

We had a pizza dinner back at the Pentecostal Union.  This is the second time we had pizza.  Andy mentioned that since choices are so small, when you find a good place, you tend to eat their food often.  We had a relaxing evening.  Several of us walked over to a store that is just a couple of doors down the block, but the bank there was already closed so we couldn’t exchange any money.  The weather today has been cool, which was nice for working.  This evening it is raining.

Thanks to all who are sending messages to us and praying for us. We appreciate it all, and we appreciate you all.  If you want to send a message to the team, go to the main Moldova page HERE and look on the right side column and click the “send a message” button.  We love you all and miss you!

Click the pictures to see a few photos of the day.  We didn’t have as many photos today because we just got down and dirty.

Click this picture to see Sundays photos

A Worshipful Sunday

This morning our team went to a small church in Bubieci. This small church is out growing the small building they currently use; so the service was outside. All of the pews were placed down a sloping driveway. In addition to that, the building is being sold and they may have to be out any day. After service we took a tour of their new church site. We will be doing some cement work there on Friday and Saturday. The task looks impossible; but with God, all things are possible. See the pictures from the site.
David Huff preached at the service. He gave a very good message about the value of children in the Kingdom of God. This message goes counter to the culture here in Moldova. As an addition to the message, Brianon played the guitar and sang a special piece of music. She also gave her testimony which reinforced David’s message. Craig and Courtney then gave their testimonies. They all did such an awesome job.
It is wonderful to engage in worship with another culture. We didn’t know the words, and even the songs we should know, we couldn’t remember the words, but the atmosphere of worship and the presence of God were so real.
After we viewed the site of their new church, we headed back to the Pentecostal Union to eat lunch and get ready for the next service. We were to attend a communion service at the Orhei church. Again, the service was so filled with the presence of God. It was a small congregation but we are believing that the church will fill up when it is completed. David Huff again preached, but a different message about Jesus working in us, and we are to do the things He did. Carol and I (John) gave our testimonies and Brianon played a special song. It was a very good experience to give our testimonies using an interpreter. We were kind of nervous, but were well received by the team and congregation. Our interpreter has been our driver that was mentioned the other day. We are all developing a great relationship with George (pronounced Yourgi, I had this wrong on a previos post). He is full of history and information on his country and we could sit for hours listening to his stories. At the first service we had the pleasure of meeting George’s wife and little girl who is five months old. Her name is Arriana Belinda. Make sure you trill the rr in Arriana.
When service was over, we went to a restaurant and had some good food and fellowship. The conversations between the members of the team are starting to change as relationships are developed. Things are becomming more transparent between us; and the wall are coming down. We are now settling down for a fun game of cards, and have a great night sleep.

Click the picture to see Day's 3 photos from Moldova

The Food, The Food, The Food!

Today was our first day on the job. We woke bright and early at 7:00. The day was cool and overcast, but pleasant, and once we got working, the jackets came off. With blurry eyes, because of jet lag, we wandered down to the dining room to be greeted with a wonderful breakfast. We enjoyed a delicious egg casserole, breads, and veggies. We have discovered that every meal includes tomatos and cucumbers. We depared for work with full bellies.
We drove to Orhei where we continued work on the church that our first team started earlier in the year. We continued to work on hanging studds on the uneven block walls, insulating, sheetrocking, and tile work. Thanks to those that were on the first trip here, preparations proceded rapidly and we all found our places on the job.
The trip to Orhei, which takes about a half an hour, was very educational. Click on the picture to the left to see a lot of photos from our day, and the captions that explain them.
When it was time for lunch, we went down stairs, and was greated by the most pleasant people serving an absolutely wonderful meal. We started with a large bowl of soup and bread. We ate and enjoyed. Several of us who were not quite up to snuff on the Moldovan traditions and culture that surrouds food, enjoyed the soup, and at several pieces of bread just to make sure we had enough in our belly for the after noon. I can now hear the chuckles from you who were here before. Stop laughing so I can explain it to those who don’t know. The soup was the first course of the meal. We were then greated with bowls full of mashed potatoes, and sausage. Of course, we also were greated with more breads, and tomatos and cucumbers. Every plate was garnished and displayed to make it not only taste great but it all looked great, like something you would see on a cooking TV channel. Some of our bellies, at this time were absolutely stuffed. But, not to be outdone, these wonderful people then piled plate fulls of tasty pastries of all sorts in front of us. The meal was them finished off with some nice tea. Moldova is apparently well know for their great tea.
We now drug ourselves back to the work. After being fed so well, and not nearly over jet lag enough, many of us were wishing there would be a nap room. Soon though, after we went back to work, we were glad we had the nourishment to carry us through. Thank you church of Orhei. It was delightful.
The one thing that was stressed during our preparations for our trip to Moldova, was to be flexible. At about 5:00, George (sp?, pronounced Yourgie?) came running in and announced that dinner was served at 6:00 sharp and we had to go “NOW” in order to go back to the Pentecostal Union to get ready. Typically, if we eat at the Union, we don’t need to change or clean up, but this meal was out on the town. When George said “now” he meant it. The tile workers had a bucket of mud made up and had to use it. They put their best to it and quickly finished up. We ran back to the Union. I took many several pictures along the way to Chisinau where the Penetcostal Union is located. Check the pictures our for explainations. Some of them turned out a bit blurry because, as many missionaries will testify, and Moldova seems to be no different, drivers in foriegn countries just don’t drive the way we do.
We quickly changed clothes, scrubbed the sheet rock dust off our faces, put on some perfume, and brushed our hair. With another adventurest drive, we traveled at high rates of speed to our destination in Chisinau. We had pizza. Not just pizza though but authentic real pizza with real taste. It was very good.
We practically had to roll out of that restaurant. Then we had to go for another adverturest drive on full tummies. Oh, wow!
The city of Chisinau is the capital city of Moldova. I believe it has around a million people. It has many many miles of Soviet era apartments for the poor masses. There is a strange mixture of modern buildings, old aparments, unfinished buildings, and vacated buildings. We have tried to take pictures of these things so you can see a bit about them. Most pictures were taken while going at high rates of speed over very bumpy roads. On Thursday, the schedule says we are having the day off to visit the sites, so hopefully, if nothing unsusual happens (remember they said to stay flexible), we hope to get some better pictures. Click on the picture to see the sites, and read the captions for explanations of our busy day. It is now 11:15 pm here and 2:14 in the afternoon in Montana. Have a great Saturday and a worshipful Sunday.
John

Click to see more pictures

A Lost Day, Found Luggage, and Moldova

I mentioned on yesterdays post that our first day really ended somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.  I have not gone to bed yet since we left Helena, and we will be on our third day when I finally wake up.  Our second day was kind of lost.

Not so with our luggage!

We flew all night long, with quite a bit of turbulence, to Frankfurt from Cincinnati, had a five hour lay over and boarded Moldova Air, with all of us flying on Moldova Air(see yesterdays post for an explanation).

The food on Moldova Air was probably the best we had.  It was certainly not extravagant but it was good.  Our flight had a pretty rough landing but we mad it down safely.

Once inside of the terminal, we proceeded to immigration. Once past immigration, we on to the luggage pickup area.  Slowly, one by one of our luggage appeared from behind the curtain.  Praise the Lord, they were all there… except one.  After some hand wringing, we checked the carts of our luggage that already went outside.  Sure enough, the missing piece was on someone else’s stack.  Prais the Lord again!

We were promptly met by Andy and Nancy Raatz and we loaded up the luggage on a rented van.  After a most thrilling ride (I’m not joking) through Moldova, we somehow safely arrived at the Pentecostal Union.  What a beautiful building!  We were greeted with “something small that they threw together.”  Wow!  Meat and cheese tray, veggies, fruit galore, and very tasty breads.  It was very good.

Once we were done eating our nice snack, we brought our bags to our rooms, unpacked, talked of what we might be doing, and reminded to “Be Flexible” as things could change from day to day.  It is now late in the evening in Moldova, and we are all very tired from the two days run together into one.  It was good, and we are glad to be in Moldova.  Good night!

John

Click to see more pictures

En Route to Moldova…

We spent our entire first day flying to Moldova.  The first day officially ended somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.  The day started out a bit rocky, but the Lord always proves faithful.  We were registering at the desk at the Airport in Helena when we were informed that most of our tickets were made wrong and that our luggage would only be checked as far as Frankfurt Germany.  That meant that we would have to exit security, claim the luggage and send it on to Moldova.  It that were all, it would not be that big of a deal but from Germany, we would only be allowed one suit case weighing, at most, 44 pounds, while we had two suitcases with a max of 50 pounds each.  That means we would have to pay for the extra freight, which would cost as much as $200 dollars per person! Yes, you read that right!

With much finagling, and tremendous help from Jan, we were still not able to change things.  Here is what apparently happened:  Some of our flights were booked on an airline that has an agreement with Delta.  Those flights had an agreement with “Air Moldova” and those pieces of luggage would be checked all the way through.  Most of the other flights (Including Carol’s and mine) were booked through a different airline that does not have an agreement with Delta and therefore would not ship the luggage all the way through.  Here is the catch though, BOTH OF THOSE NON-DELTA AIRLINES WERE THE SAME PLANE! So, while I was not on an airline with an agreement with Delta, I could be sitting next to someone who was flying with another company, and on the same plane that did have an agreement with Delta!

God is so good! Immediately the word went out and people all over were praying for us! A member of our team came up with the idea of trying to get someone in Salt Lake City to try to intervene with us.  Instead of trying to get the company that did not have the agreement, to have our luggage checked in all the way to Moldova, what if we could switch which company we were flying with (but, again, on the same plane).  Ron and Sharon were able to get the assistance of a very kind lady who was willing to try to give us assistance.  This wonderful woman, tracked down each piece of luggage in a sea of luggage and re-routed them all.  She was fairly certain she got them all.  After we boarded the plane at Salt Lake, this kind lady, ran on board at the last minute, saying she thinks she did it.  What service!

At that point, we took a leap of faith and decided that no one would go out side of security at Frankfurt and look for any of our luggage.  We flew through the night, over the Atlantic, knowing well that God is, once again, faithful.

What does Birthday, Volley Ball, and Moldova have in common?

This was a busy week end.  We celebrated Ana’s 12th birthday.  Ana invited some friends to stay over night.  It was a fun time.  Desire’ had a Volley Ball tournament this week end also.  The Clancy Cougars “red team” came in first place.  Congrats!  Carol and John were also very busy packing for their trip to Moldova next week. Wow!  Click HERE to see some pictures of this busy but fun week end.

Yesterday, Carol and I had the last of our shots before our Missions Trip to Moldova.  Many of the incidental items are done, and we are wrapping up our preparations.  We haven’t actually started packing, and we are not sure how all the stuff we plan on bringing will fit into our suitcases.  Our last group meeting will be tomorrow after church.  The boxes are finally being checked off of our  “to do list”.  We “plan” on posting daily while we are in Moldova. Whether that becomes fact, remains to be seen.  Check our our Moldova page HERE.

Carol and I are continuing to prepare for our missions trip to Moldova. Yesterday, we went and purchased many small necessary items for our trip.

Little things like:

• mints
• journals
• antibacterial hand soap
• pain reliever
• antihistamine
• antacids
• cough drops
• anti diarrheal
• camera batteries
• power plug converter
• knee pads
• work gloves
• sewing kit
• power strip
• etc, etc, etc…

We also purchased memory cards for our cameras recently, and started working on our will today.

There are so many small things we need to think about and take care of so as to make sure our journey is as NON-eventful as possible.

John