This blog entry could also be titled: "we thought we didn't have a plan but we actually kind of did have a plan and now it has changed..."
Last time I sent a massive update to friends and family I mentioned that we had an opportunity to work with a certain orphanage in a nearby village. Well, that hasn't worked out as hoped...but we did learn from the situation. So, right now it looks like that partnership is on hold, and we are/have been visiting other organizations within and nearby Chişinău for the last couple of weeks. Again. But this has been great, as we have been able to visit even more organizations that are doing what they can to help children.
I am not 100% sure about the rest of our team, but I really thought that in the next month's prayer letter I'd be writing about this particular orphanage, our work with them, maybe (hopefully) introduce you to a child I'd met there, etc...but I realized that this was my plan and assumption...and that obviously i was just assuming and not really listening to God. So, here God reminds me that this is His show, and I need to be patient...and listen. Please note, this will only be the first of a bajillion times that the previous sentence will be written/comeoutofmymouth. Last week was pretty rough, but we encountered people doing great work here in Moldova...and that was encouraging.
In a village we toured/met with an organization that reaches out and works with children with disabilities as well as children from socially vulnerable families. Beginning as a small group of parents with children with disibilities that wanted to provide support to each other, the center now is a two story building and works with many children (sorry, don't have the numbers here for you...but it is a lot). They also have a big loom in one of the rooms, and women from the village come and teach the younger women the art/handicraft of weaving carpets/wallhangings/etc. IT IS SOOOO COOL!!!!! Not only are these girls learning a job skill, they are enabled to continue a cultural tradition. What a blessing for these girls to learn and glean from these older women of the village.
In total we visited 4 organizations last week, and have 5 or 6 more to visit this week. Last week was as encouraging as the previous week was draining.
What else is going on, you ask?
Adriana (bless her heart! no really. BLESS HER HEART.) is teaching all of us language (Romanian for me, Russian for everyone else). You can pray for me that i start throwing caution to the wind and take risks and JUST START SPEAKING ROMANIAN...aka: verbally butcher Romanian and thus potentially provide comic relief for anyone patient enough to listen. Seriously. Six weeks is not long enough to learn a language, but i need to make more of an effort to speak it to people. Here is a not so secret secret: i am really prideful. i don't want to look stupid, and i think that's what's starting to hold me back. eck. Simply another way God is redeeming me - even if i fight Him on it sometimes...also, trying not to say bad words in my head during some of the maxi taxi rides is another way God is redeeming me. So far, I'm not very good at either.
John, Adriana, Rachel, and Magda were all sick last week and are just getting over it this week...so, you can pray for them.
John and I found a ferris wheel that (we think) must be from soviet-era Moldova. We took a ride and were the only ones on the thing - it was the type that didn't stop for you, one has to just step into it while it's turning. I probably wouldn't have ridden a similar ride at Funtastic Days in Grimes, but here - it was an adventure. The view was really beautiful, even if the thought of minimal safety equipment was a bit harrowing. So, in short, I will be going again...and taking servant teams there. i would recommended it to anyone - so if any of you come to visit, save 8 lei for a ferris wheel ride.
I have started to take an exercise class - or what i thought was an exercise class when I signed up. It's actually an European/Latin Dance class...with a teacher named Olga who is a champion Moldovan ballroom dancer. And, the class is taught in Russian. And, i learned a simple waltz and tango last week. And, IT IS GREAT!!!! And, my name is Anya during class. "No, Anya - start with the left. The left!"
Okay! That's this week's update!
Thank you all for the prayers and support. Seriously. They are super encouraging.
Much love,
annie
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Some pictures
Can't believe we are beginning our second month of work here in Chişinău, Moldova. I'll try to get you caught up on what's going on. :)
Chris and Phileena Heuertz, David Chronic, and Liz Ivkovich visited us two weeks ago. It was pretty amazing. Phileena facilitated chapel each day, Chris talked about the story of Word Made Flesh, and we as a Moldova community talked about our thoughts/hopes for our work here. It was a really encouraging time. Liz is the director of administration, and a great person, and she stayed with me. The last day Chris talked with us (David and Phileena, too, as they have been working since the beginning with Word Made Flesh) about the importance of a focused vision for our work here. The two weeks prior we visited 3 different organizations and began to dream/think about what our role could be here in Chisinau. At the time we were really brainstorming, but when we met last week, Chris encouraged us to (through prayer and God's direction), try to narrow our focus and make it something within which our whole team can work. So, we decided to go back and work with the kids at each organization for a whole week together.
For example, last week we had chapel, then language learning/program planning, quick lunch, and headed to a placement center for children for the afternoon. The social workers and the directors at this home/placement center try to either re-integrate the child back into their families (if safe), or integrate them into foster or adoptive families. If the children are not placed in a year, then the child is sent to an orphanage. The children are all done with school between 2-3pm, so we arrived about 2:30, helped with homework for an hour/hour and a half, and ended the day with a couple of songs and games. It became so apparent how much these children need someone to come along side of them and tell them how much God loves them, how they can study and are smart and give them praise.
Beginning tomorrow, we will go to a nearby village. Within this village we will be spending time at an orphanage. Currently there are about 330 children there, and they live and go to school on the "campus". Tomorrow we will split up and observe some classes. Then we'll eat with the younger kids and just hang out for a bit.
Here are a couple of albums i've put together for the last few weeks. Note there won't be any pictures of the children, as we haven't really built any relationships yet. However, please enjoy the introduction (of sorts) to my life here.
Living in Moldova
January and February 2010
Chris and Phileena Heuertz, David Chronic, and Liz Ivkovich visited us two weeks ago. It was pretty amazing. Phileena facilitated chapel each day, Chris talked about the story of Word Made Flesh, and we as a Moldova community talked about our thoughts/hopes for our work here. It was a really encouraging time. Liz is the director of administration, and a great person, and she stayed with me. The last day Chris talked with us (David and Phileena, too, as they have been working since the beginning with Word Made Flesh) about the importance of a focused vision for our work here. The two weeks prior we visited 3 different organizations and began to dream/think about what our role could be here in Chisinau. At the time we were really brainstorming, but when we met last week, Chris encouraged us to (through prayer and God's direction), try to narrow our focus and make it something within which our whole team can work. So, we decided to go back and work with the kids at each organization for a whole week together.
For example, last week we had chapel, then language learning/program planning, quick lunch, and headed to a placement center for children for the afternoon. The social workers and the directors at this home/placement center try to either re-integrate the child back into their families (if safe), or integrate them into foster or adoptive families. If the children are not placed in a year, then the child is sent to an orphanage. The children are all done with school between 2-3pm, so we arrived about 2:30, helped with homework for an hour/hour and a half, and ended the day with a couple of songs and games. It became so apparent how much these children need someone to come along side of them and tell them how much God loves them, how they can study and are smart and give them praise.
Beginning tomorrow, we will go to a nearby village. Within this village we will be spending time at an orphanage. Currently there are about 330 children there, and they live and go to school on the "campus". Tomorrow we will split up and observe some classes. Then we'll eat with the younger kids and just hang out for a bit.
Here are a couple of albums i've put together for the last few weeks. Note there won't be any pictures of the children, as we haven't really built any relationships yet. However, please enjoy the introduction (of sorts) to my life here.
Living in Moldova
January and February 2010
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