Moldova!!!!

It's been a while since I posted because we have been out of the country and then trying to get our lives back in order after being away from our baby girl for 18 DAYS!!! Lord willing, that won't happen again for a LONG, LONG time!! We had an amazing trip and unforgettable experiences, but 18 days is just ridiculous! We almost couldn't remember what it was like to have her around...but we quickly remembered once we were reunited!

Our first stop on our trip was Mainz, Germany - thanks to an extra long layover in Frankfurt. I was very thankful to get a different view of Germany since last year we were stuck in a stinky airport with nasty food. Getting to get out and see some beautiful countryside and visit the small city gave me a whole new perspective! It was just as you would see it in a movie - slow-paced life, outdoor markets, sidewalk cafes, quiet little parks - a great way to spend the afternoon! And it was a great introduction of Europe to Brad! One of my favorite parts of the whole trip was getting to see him experience the other side of the "pond" for the first time. There are so many differences from our life here - little things like how toilets flush - to the huge obvious ones like the language barrier, but you also see that we are all just people - with many similarities. It can be very frustrating at times to not be able to speak, but also a cool experience to try and communicate when you can't really use words. But it's amazing how many people speak English all over the globe - you can usually find someone close that can help you muddle through a conversation!

In Germany - my belly and legs are SWOLLEN after the 8 hour plane ride!

After a quiet lunch together, it was back to the group and BACK ON A PLANE! It really doesn't seem possible that Moldova could be any further away. It feels like we circle the globe a couple of times before finally arriving! The last leg of the trip is the scariest - Air Moldova! The plane was much nicer this year - very similar to maybe a Southwest plane - but still scary! Thankfully, we were all so exhausted at this point, that it was easy to sleep for the entire 3 hours.

FINALLY HERE!!!

Getting to the capital city of Chisinau was almost surreal for me. I never really thought that I would be back here - especially back and getting to share it with my husband. I love the little hotel that we stay in here and it was GREAT to have such a fun roommate!

Moldova is BEAUTIFUL!! Here is one of their countless sunflower fields.

Getting to go to church with Brad was amazing! I've never been to a worship service quite like the ones they have here: it lasts around 2 hours and you can't understand a word they say. Sounds great, right?! But the surprising thing is, is that IT IS GREAT! The spirit of God is so apparent in these sweet people's emotions and passion. If they feel led, they just break out into prayer in the middle of the service. The choir is UNBELIEVABLE! I would definitely buy their CD if they had one! We got to participate in communion which was a very worshipful experience, and at the end of the service, they broke out into a traditional Moldovan wedding - bridesmaids and all! That was very neat to see - and smart on their part - everyone is already there and you don't have the pay the minister extra to do the ceremony!


After heading to Balti ("Belts") and getting settled into our mission house, we had some special visitors. Lynda, a 16 year old girl that our Sunday School class sponsors, came to see us and catch us up on her life. With her was my good translator friend from last year, Natasha. It was SO great to see her! I'm so thankful that I got to spend the entire week with her - she is such a sweet person! I'm also so thankful for email and Facebook where we can keep in touch and even chat at times - it's crazy to me that we can chat in real time and be half way around the world from each other!

In front of our home for the week - the Mission House in Balti

Heading to the camp for the first day was a HUGE trek! We were warned that the drive would be long and the road would be rough. They were NOT kidding! I'm not a very good pregnant car rider to begin with - even on smooth roads in a well-made car. When you add in Moldovan roads (many of them being gravel), and a van with no shocks, you've got a very unhappy girl! But I just kept praying and reminding myself that I was doing this for these kids and for my love of Christ. I'm just thankful that I was always saved one of the front seats and that Moldova is so pretty to look at!


After arriving at the orphanage and getting involved with the kids, all of my woes disappeared! I LOVE being there and playing with them and loving on them and seeing their excitement when we would teach them something new. I'm so thankful that Brad and I got to do music together this year - it was such a blessing to see him interact with the kids and see how much those boys idolized him! Whenever he played his guitar, they were in awe! Most times, they would be sitting so close that he could barely play. It was easy to see that these kids were thirsting for God's love and His teachings. They loved to learn new songs about Him! When we first started, I would say that 85-90% of the kids had never heard the basics like, "God is so Good" and "Jesus Loves Me". By the end of the week, they were singing in both Romanian and English and doing the motions and playing handbells along - it was great! I think we were sent there to give these kids a basic understand of God and who He is and what His love is all about. And even if they don't remember everything that we taught them, I believe that the words were written on their little hearts and will be recalled at some point in the future when they need to know that someone cares.

Brad with his special friends - Iurii and Vova

Playing guitar during one of our music classes.

Me and some sweet, sweet girlies!

Does it get any better than this?!

Me and Ana - my special friend from last year. I get emails from her throughout the year and Annabelle and I have lots of fun picking out birthday and Christmas gifts to send to her.

By the end of the week, we had 92 kids (some from the small village, some from the orphanage) as part of our program. The kids were excited to come and excited to learn! On the last day, I had each age group perform for the entire group. They were thrilled to be up in front of the crowd sharing what they had learned. It was precious! The most important and rewarding part of all was at the very end when we had AT LEAST 8 kids ask Jesus into their hearts to be their Lord and Savior for the very first time. GOD IS GOOD! I know there was a big party going on in Heaven just as there was in our hearts!

I don't foresee being back in Moldova for a very long time - if ever - but I never know what God has in store - He is full of surprises! I'm so thankful for another wonderful experience and especially getting to share it with my sweet husband. I knew that he would thrive with those kids and they would be just as in love with him as he was with them. I'm thankful that he now understands my love for Moldova and these kids and that we were able to do it together. I think on this trip, we became closer than we've ever been. One thing is for sure - I WOULD HAVE NOT SURVIVED WITHOUT HIM!!!!! He was an amazing caretaker!! So many times (especially on the never-ending plane rides), he sacrificed his own comfort for mine. He carried all of our luggage, rubbed my feet and back, gave me the good snacks, sat with me when I needed to rest, listened when I needed to whine a little, and overall just put all of my needs first. I apologized several times for being such a selfish wife, but he assured me that he was just doing his job and that I should take advantage of it - there won't be too many times in my life that I'm in a 3rd world country while 5 months pregnant!

This is a pic that Natasha took - very common sight!

Thank you, Lord, for this amazing experience!

To see all of our Moldova and Prague pictures, click HERE. Prague post coming soon! Until then, enjoy these videos!