Birthday abroad

Last week was my birthday. And it was great! Not only did my host treat me like a princess, cleaning my boots, doing my laundry and giving me flowers, but the OM team gave me a gift and in the evening a group of the English-speaking women on the team took me out to a very nice restaurant. There were some interesting items on the menu but I really enjoyed the steak I ordered.
We were so full, in fact, that we didn't have dessert - and I had seen some chocolate fondue on the menu, too! But I honestly didn't want any more food. Anyway, the group that took me out was an international one: Jeannine from Holland, Aniko from Hungary, Claudia from Switzerland, Helen from Britain, and Alice from Romania. It was a wonderful evening, complete with live music! And to top of the day, I had telephone calls from all my kids. It doesn't get any better than that! Thanks to all! And thanks to everyone who has sent birthday greetings. I will be celebrating for a while as there are some packages in the mail that haven't arrived yet.

The Boss

Operation Mobilisation started in Moldova, and continues, under the very competent leadership of Matthew and Helen Skirton. They started coming to Moldova in the early 90's on outreach trips with teams of young people. Eventually they were mandated to establish an OM base in Moldova and for 11 years they have been living here. Now they are building a home, so I guess it is home to them in many ways. Both of them are originally from Great Britain. In spite of his youth, Matthew is a man of vision, compassion and competence. Helen is also very gifted and keeps the busy homefront running as well as maintaining contact and care for the many staff members and students who are involved with OM Moldova. Their home was the first one we were invited to as new members of the Moldova team, and it was to their home I went when my first crisis occurred and I needed a shoulder to cry on. Helen was there. And Matthew follows up with all the team, gently touching base from time to time with various members to see how things are going and to address problems when they arise. Matthew and Helen are wonderful parents, obviously united in their intent to maintain a quality family life for their three girls and the little one soon to arrive. Matthew is also a gifted preacher and teacher and I have been blessed every time I hear him preach - even when it is in Romanian! Because Romanian is his second language, even though he is fluent, I am usually able to understand enough of his sermons - given the scriptural context too, you understand - to benefit from them. It is a very different thing to listen to a language from a native and from a person who speaks it as a second language.
The picture above was taken on our way back from visiting one of the student teams working in Anenii Noi. As you can see, we shared in a real cultural experience of eating in Moldova!

And here you see two of their beautiful girls. Lydia is on the left, and little Rachel is their youngest. There is a picture of their oldest daughter, Hannah, in one of my newsletters.

A letter to my Mom

The following is a fictional letter based on a true situation. Just so nobody will worry - I am not now, nor have I ever been, in jail in Moldova.
Read and enjoy.

Dear Mom,
I am writing to you from a jail in Transnistria. Not to worry, they say that Moldovans rarely hold prisoners longer than it takes for a letter to be mailed from Chisinau to Canada. Hopefully we will be out in time for Christmas, but remember that Christmas here is celebrated in January, not December!
You may wonder how I arrived in this predicament and whether I am suffering for the Lord, like Paul and Silas in the Bible. Well, you might say that… My fellow team members and I were on our way to Transnistria to visit one of our relief and development projects. We were bringing essential provisions for the relief of anyone living in a distant land: chocolate. Not that Transnistria is a different land; it is part of Moldova, but they like to pretend that they are part of Russia. So, they speak Russian, and teach their children Russian, and require even Romanian-speaking children to attend Russian schools. The people in charge obviously went to the same political school as some of our Quebec friends. So anyway, we were on our way to visit a project that provides healthy wholesome meals to some of the poorest children in the community. The meals are provided by the local church and our organization funds the project. After lunch, the children are then cared for through the afternoon and taught about the love of God, in a country that for so many years did not allow such instruction to be given.
Friends in Germany had made a donation of this chocolate candy, so we were taking it to the children to supplement the wholesome meal with one more essential food group (chocolate). However, the pastor of the church met us before we got to the ‘border’ crossing and when we told him we had chocolate, he was greatly concerned whether we would be allowed to take it in. We discussed various options, such as covering the chocolate with our jackets, but felt that was not an open Christian type of behaviour. We didn’t want to exactly hide them so we put them under the back seat of the van.
Unfortunately, after examining our passports carefully, the border guards decided to search the van for contraband that we might be smuggling. When he found the chocolate, we knew that trouble was on the way. We generously offered him one of the packages of chocolate candy and I think he would have let us go. But he opened up the package and took a bite and then frowned. He picked up the package again and saw that it was past the expiry date – by 2 days! What?!! (he said in Russian) ‘You are trying to smuggle illegal substances into the country and not just that but illegal substances that are beyond the expiry date. Outrageous!! Off to jail with you!” And with that we were whisked away at gunpoint in one of the old old Russian army tanks they keep handy for such situations. We were driven for another half an hour over the incredibly pot-holed bumpy roads of the city and then thrown into a jail cell with rusty hinges on the door, spiders on the wall and the essential hole in the floor in the corner of the cell. “No toilet paper for you!” the jailer proclaimed as he slammed shut the rusty door. So I just wanted to write you this quick note to let you know that I am safe and secure but not to expect e-mails for a little while.
Love, your daughter, suffering for righteousness’ sake (ok – suffering on account of chocolate)

PS – If you are wondering how you got this so quickly it’s because shortly after I wrote the above, something amazing happened. First we prayed. Then (we found out later) the jailer started eating some of the chocolate the border guard had given him as Exhibit A of our crime. He opened a package and ate it, then opened another one and started to eat it. It was so good, he couldn’t believe that it was actually stale-dated. So he checked the package – and it wasn’t expired. He checked more of the packages and soon discovered that there was only actually one package of chocolate that was expired, and that just happened to be the one the guard had sampled. So he decided that we had been wrongly thrown in the slammer and we could go, if we gave him the chocolate. We explained the children’s project to him and he agreed that we could take enough chocolate to give each child one package and he would keep the rest. He sent a driver to get our van, and before it was even lunchtime, we managed to get to the location where the children’s feeding program was held. What a delightful time we had, and weren’t the children pleased to receive their chocolate! It was a Relief to us all to give it to them. And once we get home again, I will advise you of any further Developments.

Some of my young friends

I am not without darling children in my life here in Moldova. At the OM Centre, there is currently a ten-week program running called 'Challenge into Missions'. This is a leadership training program for young adults and leaders from within Moldova as well as from other places. The students come to Chisinau for two weeks, then go out on a mission outreach in the villages and towns for two weeks. After that, it is one week back for debriefing and more instruction, then out again for two weeks. Currently the 20 students are away but when they are around (and they all stay at the Centre), the place is very lively. And in this group, there are two families with children so part of the responsibility of the group taking the second level of the program is to help with childcare for three beautiful little girls.
These little girls always greet me when I arrive and speak to me in Romanian as if they expect me to understand them. One day I learned the word for 'read' and that was the very day Abbie handed me a book and asked me to read it to her. I learned a lot of new vocabulary reading Noah and the Ark to these darlings.



I also have a language contact who has a beautiful daughter about 1 1/2 years old. I enjoy visiting them, too - just to practise my Romanian. Liuda (the mom) is very patient with me and gently corrects my mistakes or tells me a better way to say what I want to say. Every week I hope I will be able to communicate on a more substantial level not only with the Mom but also with the child.

Peeling Onions for Jesus

Have I told you about Sora Maria? She is the wonderful woman who cooks the meals for us at the OM Centre, and she is my first language contact. Two or three mornings a week I go to help her in the kitchen so that we can speak Romanian together and she can help me learn to say things properly. It’s very different than a lesson in that the focus is on comprehension and communication rather than grammar.
I remember my first time or two with her, it was very frustrating as I didn’t understand anything she said. It was pretty much a 'point and tell the word' thing for a few weeks. Now I am pleased to realize that we are actually having conversations and getting to the point where we can even joke together. Conversations that are serious, such as how each of us lost our respective husband, and conversations that are more humourous. For example, this morning when I insisted on helping, she asked if I was willing to peel onions again. The other morning I peeled a huge huge bowl of onions that she says she will use in a sauce on Thursday. It was funny because Fulco and Butje, two of the male staff members, came in the kitchen and left quickly as they both were in tears due to the onions. We suggested that the Spirit of God was very present in the kitchen as they were moved to tears when they entered. It was quite amusing. So today when Maria pulled out the onions, first I teased her and suggested that she was giving me only the tiny ones and she was saving the big ones for herself as they were easier. She laughed when she realized I was teasing her – she has a great sense of humour. Then I started talking about how my friends in Canada want to know what my mission in Moldova is. I said to Maria that I will write them and tell them that my mission is to peel onions, many, many onions. We both started laughing at the thought of how so many supporters are standing with me in my noble mission to peel onions! But then on a more serious note I said that whether I am peeling onions or whether she is making soup, we are indeed doing it for the Lord. And it’s true. Scripture says that whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, or peel onions or grate cabbage or stuff envelopes or pour concrete or change diapers or teach piano or fit pipes together, you should do it all to the glory of God. So, I am peeling onions and practicing Romanian at the same time, and developing a relationship with a beautiful and kind-hearted Moldovan woman. For now, that is my mission. Glory to God!

Who are the people in my neighbourhood?

I really want to introduce you to some of my friends at OM and so today I will begin with a couple of lovely pictures I have. You may remember that I have asked you to pray for Rafael and Alice's baby, Filip. Filip has had problems with his kidney and is expected to have surgery to correct the problem sometime in the spring. Here he is, with Vlad, one of my team members. Vlad works with Kids' Games, a huge outreach program that involves whole villages in sports activities and lunch programs in the summer months. Vlad is Moldovan, and a really nice guy who is very capable with techno stuff. He's the one I go to when I need a CD burned or want to buy a cell phone. Vlad is also responsible for the literature ministry we have - and just returned from Romania where he picked up a shipment of Christian books to make available to churches in Moldova.
Perhaps you would like to meet Filip's mom and dad too? Here is Alice with Filip and then on the right there is a photo of Rafael. That's my Romanian friend, Dana, with him. Rafael is our team leader for the Chisinau team. He and Alice are from Romania and they live in the apartment above the OM Centre. Since I've been here - because of Filip's health problems - they have been in Romania quite a bit of the time. They both speak English very well and Alice wants Filip to learn English, so I have volunteered to speak English to him. Not a difficult task at all!

Feedback

I have to say I have been really amazed and overwhelmed at the feedback I have received on my blog. Thank you to all my loyal readers and thank you to new visitors who give helpful comments and insight. Alex, thank you so much for your corrections and Moldovan insights. I know that there are many things that I see but many more things that I don't see. I am always willing and keen to learn. I know that some people have been reluctant to post comments on my blog as it is so public. No problem - just send me an e-mail! My e-mail address is Barbtherev@yahoo.ca. I apologize that sometimes I am slow getting things posted but I really do enjoy writing about my experiences and I want to post photos with my stories. Sometimes that accounts for the delays. Today I discovered an internet cafe in Ialoveni so I am a happy camper. This will make responding to e-mail much easier and I will get to know some of the young people who hang out at the local internet cafe, perhaps. As long as the music is bearable, it should be good.
Anyway, I went out for a brief walk and to buy some juice, so I better get back home, or my hosts will wonder what on earth has happened to me. God bless you all - and keep those comments coming!

My Language Teacher

While I'm here at the internet cafe and have the picture easily available, I want to introduce you to my language teacher, Oxana. Every day Oxana comes to the OM Centre and patiently instructs me on the ins and outs of Romanian vocabulary and grammar. What a blessing and delight she is!

Visiting

This week I had the opportunity to do more visiting than I have done previously. It’s kind of exciting to start developing new relationships, challenging as it is with language ineptness. However, for one of the visits anyway, it was my language ineptness that was the reason for the visit. Part of our language training involves having ‘language contacts’ – people who are brave enough and patient enough to spend time with an unknown foreigner, and to make conversation with that stranger even though their vocabulary is more limited than that of a child. Up until now my only official language contact has been ‘Sora (sister) Maria’, who cooks the main meals for us at the OM Center. (All the fellow believers here are referred to as ‘sister’ and ‘brother’.) As she is preparing lunch each day for 20-30 people, I sit with her in the kitchen, sometimes grating cabbage, sometimes chopping carrots, and I learn how to say some of the words related to what we are doing. Maria is extremely patient with me as I forget a word two minutes (or less!) after she told me what it is. Yesterday I remembered the word for pot lid and for cabbage, but I couldn’t for the life of me think of the word for pot or for carrot. Aside from kitchen vocabulary, Maria asks me about my activities and I flounder around trying to tell her where I went the day before or what I ate for breakfast at my hosts’ home. She corrects my warped sentences and laughs with me when I know that what I just said makes absolutely no sense and she can’t figure out what it is I’m trying to say. Sometimes we have gone into the other room and drawn pictures – e.g., mushroom - on the whiteboard in order to communicate.
So this week I was given a new language contact, as part of our learning is also travellling around the city and finding our way. For my first visit, Liuba took me to show me the way and to introduce me. Liuba is another OM’er, a Russian-speaking Moldovan, (who also speaks Romanian, as most Moldovans do speak both languages) and she works in the personnel department of OM Moldova so it is one of her responsibilities to help the newbies get established. We took a trolley-bus – my first time - and went way to another part of Chisinau that I’ve never been before. It took an hour on the trolley as the power lines came disconnected a couple of times and there was a lot of traffic too. When we got there, there were rows of apartment buildings and we entered in the very dim, dreary ground floor of one of them. We made our way through the dark entry way to an even darker elevator where I had to get the flashlight out of my purse (that I always carry) to read the numbers on the buttons. As we stepped onto the elevator I wondered what the chances were that it would actually take us where we were going without breaking down. But we got to the fifth floor, again – dim hall and just nothing fancy concrete walls and floors – and knocked on the apartment door. We were welcomed by Ludmila , Liuda for short, and her little daughter Otilia, who is 1 ½. Liuba left me there and I spent an hour or so visiting and making conversation with this lovely young mother. She very patiently and gently corrected my mistakes and I felt at ease and encouraged by her willingness to spend this time with me each week. She and Otilia walked me to the bus stop, where I got on a rutiera, which got me back to the OM Centre in 20 minutes! Next week I will be on my own to find my way there but I will look forward to it. Today as I head off for my weekly shopping trip and visit to the internet café, I am thinking of what I will get to take to Otilia and Liuda that will be nice for them and a tool for language learning. I’m thinking maybe a children’s book…
Another visit that I had this week were with Olga Molcan, the President of the Baptist Women’s Union of Moldova. That was a really special time and I look forward to attending the women’s annual conference next week, which she invited me to.
Now, I’ve run out of time at the internet café – and I did want to show you some photos – will have to wait for another day. Otherwise, I will be taking the rutiera home instead of the bus, and you all know how I feel about rutieras!! Thanks to friends who have commented – so glad to hear from friends old and new alike. God bless you all...
ok - it's another day and I have a wee bit of time so let me finish about the other visit. On Thursday evening I went to the home of sister Rachel, whom I met at teh little Pentecostal church I have been attending in Ialoveni. She lives not far from me but as I arrived after dark, she had to come looking for me. Her son, Vitalic, was a great help when I called, as he speaks English very well. We had a wonderful visit once I got to the house. There were two other sisters who came over to join us and we had some great conversation, with the help of Rachel's son. There were a few times when he and I got into some interesting discussions on the side about various topics from politics to religion to America and Canada!The picture above is me and the women and here's a photo of Vitalic and his mother.