Camp Day 1

Wow what an amazing first day of camp! We really did not know what this morning was going to bring. No group has ever been in to Straseni orphanage before so we are setting the bar for the next groups that come! We got to the orphanage early this morning and got thrown a curve ball. The orphanage director would not let us combine the older kids and the younger kids together so we had no choice but to divide and conquer. We split into two groups and dove in head first. There was a lot of chaos; we definitely could use the prayers with our translators. The translators are our mouth piece so we have to make sure they are paying attention and telling us exactly what the kids are saying.

We are all being very prayerful that we are able connect with the kids on an intimate level. Some of the group thought that it was hard to connect with everything that was going on. Aside from the chaos, God definitely was at work. There are seeds that are being planted here. It was amazing that some of the children felt so comfortable enough to share their story. It opened a lot of our eyes to hear about why they are there.

After a long successful day at camp we visited the Internat II Camp where we have another team from Rolling Hills. The children there were completely different from Straseni. They were very out going and affectionate. Within five minutes they were your friends hugging and kissing you.

We are all looking forward to tomorrow. Please pray that God will continue to lead us and speak through us to touch these children’s hearts.

Sunday, June 6th Update - Straseni Team

Hi, This is Chris (Catag) and now on to blog (write) about a whole day of activities.
What a day! And what a way to spend the day of our Lord! Just so you know, the team is very busy making Nutella sandwiches and preparing lanyards (sp?) for the activities of tomorrow.

Activities of the Day:
We started out with a wonderful breakfast served by our hosts, Victor and his family. We then hopped on the bus with Big Serge and made our way to Calarasi, a small town 1.5 hours from Chisnau, where Dorel & Olga pastor a church. It's a small church but we joined the Moldovans in a wonderful service of singing, a sermon by Jeff and Communion. The experience was wonderful and the idea of spending Sunday worship with people from a small town 1/2 the way around the world seems unreal.

They were kind hosts, sang with us and eagerly shook our hands. I should add that with the first hymn they sang of their blessings from Christ, something we all took notice of. Also interesting to note that Jana sat next to a Moldovan lady who led prayers and sang with a deep voice. She was obviously a leader in this small town church and she shared her hymnal with Jana...text in Romanian, but it didn't matter. They both sang and enjoyed the fellowship, then said goodbye with hug. We may not speak the same language, but communicated in worshiping Christ.

We headed back to Chisnau, enjoyed a pizza lunch together and walked to an art-park of sorts. I think we all enjoyed walking part of the city and in case you are wondering, Moldovan currency is called the lei, trading at 9.5 to $1. There were a number of paintings for sale along the sidewalks as wells as other curious pieces of art.

Straseni team made its way to the orphanage and we checked things out as well as dropped our supplies. The Lord is leading us along an unknown path as we found children playing nearby, and there is no certain idea about how many kids will be awaiting us tomorrow. No matter, our faith will have us ready for any and all comers and we look forward to meeting these kids and working with them.

So, we've gathered this late evening after some devotional time with all of the teams: Construction, Internat & Straseni. We are praying for each other and asking for all sorts of things, such as strength, spirit, logistics, safety, accuracy, courage, charisma, time management and bonding with our translators. Please think of us and consider these items in your prayers.

Finally, the theme of the day is Building the Legacy! The transitional living team met with 20 girls today and found friends with ambitions and dreams. These girls want the opportunity to learn, grow and build confidence in their abilities. As they grow into adults and have had the opportunity to be part of our programs in past years, we now pray that God watches them and transitional living affords them the opportunity to learn and grow. It is wonderful thing to see their hopes and dreams and we know God is with them.

Time to sign off; more to come and may God bless us all. We have already witnessed abundant evidence of that.

We Made It!!!

Dear Friends! We are in Moldova! Praise the Lord, because every single piece of luggage was here. This is the first time in 8 years for this to happen, so I consider this a miracle. All of our flights went smoothly, without any issues. The trip has gotten off to an amazing start. For me, being here in Moldova has brought me so much peace. It is like part of my heart has been here since I left, and it feels like home. The bus ride from the airport to our wonderful team house reminded me of the contrast between God's beauty that is so present in this country, and the poverty, sorrow, and pain that also is a large part of Moldova. On our drive we went from rolling hills of beautiful country side to run down, moldy,old communist apartment buildings. It is a physical representation of how much damage humans can do. Anyway, when we got to the team house we had a delicious dinner of chicken, mash potatoes, veggies, and ice cream! Tomorrow is a big day! Between all of our team we are going to several different churches, then some are going to camp, some are going to a monestary, and I am spending the day with some of the girls at the transitional living home. I am actually living across the hall from two of them this week, and I'm really excited to develop friendships with them. We start camp on Monday, and all we know about the camp is that there are 40 pre schoolers! That is right, 40! Please pray for us to be prepared for them. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Here We Go!

Wow, I can't believe we leave today! I've been anticipating this for SO long and now it's finally here. I'm pretty emotional today - excited, nervous, anxious. I've never done anything like this before. I didn't grow up in a church that had summer camps or did mission work, but despite that I've always felt this desire to go on a trip such as this. When we found Rolling Hills a little over a year ago and heard about Moldova, I knew God placed us here for a reason and knew I had to go. Please pray for our mission team' safety as we venture to Moldova. I'm anxious about the communication barrier and about communicating God's message correctly. Please pray that I turn these insecurities over to God, because I know in my heart everything will be okay and that I'll do things that, when they happen, I know had to be made possible by Him. I can't wait to meet these precious children. Please pray that their hearts are open to hearing about Christ and the Good News. Here we go!

Count down

All week I have been excited and anxious. Work has been busy, last minute errands, and that to do list keeps growing! I even thought we just need to leave before I think of any thing else to pack! But the time is here and I am so very excited. I feel a sense of joy and anticipation! I look forward to making new friends and feel so blessed to have the opportunity to go, to be Gods hands and heart to these children and their teachers. I know each member of this team is very special and it is not by chance we have been placed together and are going to a "new" location. I can't wait to see what God does this week not only in the lives of the Moldovians, but in ours. I know HE is going to show up in a big way!
Lights out! Jana Z

only a day away

I can not believe that we are leaving tomorrow! I am very excited about going back to Moldova,but I am also somewhat nervous about going to Straseni and not knowing what to expect. Despite me being nervous, I am just so excited about what God is doing in my life and also with every single person on our team, and with everyone else who is traveling to Moldova. I can not wait to be able to wrap my arms around the precious children, to just love them and to be able to share with them about Christs' love for them and how special they are. Please be praying that I will no doubt myself when it comes to teaching the children about Christs' love and His Word. Also for every team member that no sickness will plague us and that we will have a safe journey there and coming back and during our stay. Please pray for the children and teachers that they will be receptive to what they hear and the God will just touch each and everyone of their hearts. Also, that when we are there that we will give the children are undivided attention and love without any distractions.

Can't believe its here already!!

I can hardly believe it!

I do not think that it has really hit me yet that I will be traveling to Moldova tomorrow! It has been a frustrating day trying to do the final preparations for this trip. Between my internet not working at home(I'm in Belmont's student life center) to having problems printing out pictures for the kiddos technology is not on my side today. I know that none of these things really matter, and that in a few days I will be holding a child that has been longing to be held for months. Please pray that our trip will go a smoothly as possible. Also, pray that God will humble each of our hearts so we can truly serve and love these kids to our full capacity.