The Journey Begins...

I am amazed every day that God answered my prayer to allow me the opportunity to serve Him and His people in Moldova for a longer [than normal] period of time! After my first trip here in 2004, I honestly didn't think I would come back; let alone come back 7 years in a row! Now tonight I sit here, the end of day two of my 365, and I am just exceedingly grateful for the gift of grace and the command/desire to love.

When I checked in at the airport on Wednesday, I experienced the first incredible blessing of this year's journey. I was told by the airline the week prior that checking 3 suitcases would cost me $250. I had not budgeted quite this amount for this so I was a little stressed. Checking 2 suitcases would only cost $50 so that was the route I was going to try and take. When I began packing I quickly realized that there was just no way I was going to fit everything in 2 suitcases. So, I just bit the bullet and packed 3. When I checked in I told the representative that I knew about the extra luggage fee and was prepared to pay it. His response was "yes mam, that will be $50." $50!!!! Praise the Lord! Maybe the guy wasn't aware of what he was supposed to charge me, but that was information I wasn't sharing! Ha!

The flights were all perfectly on time and relatively painless...well...as painless as torture can be! If you've flown with me then you know I don't fly well. I just can't sleep and I'm always really uncomfortable in my joints and muscles. When I arrived in Moldova I was so exhausted after not sleeping for over 30 hours. I was shocked and grateful that all of my bags came and I walked straight through customs without being stopped. I really had no idea at who to expect to be at the airport (besides the person I knew was picking me up!) and was thrilled to see 5 of the young girls from my church I will be working with, 2 of my favorite guys from church, and my wonderful friend Galina! The girls had made this big round loaf of bread with a few pinches of salt in the middle of it. I was to take a piece, dip it in the salt, and eat it. This is a traditional and special way to greet someone in Moldova. I was very honored!

After arriving at the place that I would stay these first 2 days, all I wanted to do was sleep but it was only like 1:30 in the afternoon. I forced myself to stay awake and ended up going shopping with Jennifer to get some stuff for dinner. We took public transportation to the grocery store down the street from them and when we came out of the store it was beginning to pour down rain. We had to walk to the bus stop and wait there for a few minutes (rain has now become a down pour!) before the bus got there! So by the time we got back to the apartment we were soaked. Twas an interesting first day! I finally got to bed around 10:00 and thought I would sleep until about 5:00 the next afternoon based on how tired I was. Well, 2AM rolls around and I wake up and am wide awake. So, I ended up staying up for about 2 hours before falling back asleep. Wasn't the most thrilling part of my day, but I'm grateful for the 7 hours of sleep I did get!

Today was even more interesting. I wanted to go to the office or missionary training center (MTC for future reference) because I had not seen the finished building. Last year when we were here the structure was up but it was far from completion. I spoke with Nelly, a wonderful friend and secretary at the MTC, and asked if I could come. She said I could but that no one was working today and she was only there to finish some things. Well, I decided to go anyway so she gave me directions and I ventured out for my first solo outing. I had to walk to the bus stop, take a trolleybus a few miles down the road, walk to another bus stop, get on Rutiera (another form of PT) #159, go 20 minutes, look for a sign that said Budesti, tell the driver to "stop here please" (in Romanian), and the MTC would be there on the right. Well, I successfully got off the trolleybus at the right stop but somehow I missed that I was supposed to turn down a certain road to get to the Rutiera stop. So I walked to the next bus stop and ended up waiting there for about 35 minutes waiting for the 159 to pass by. Obviously, it never did! So, I decided to cross the street (crossing the street here is like darting out in front of traffic in new york...just fyi) and try my luck at the other bus stop and hope that it was the right one. Nope! Another 15 minutes wasted. I saw a young lady and asked her if she knew where this Rutiera stop was. She didn't. Then I walked into a little shop and asked the lady in there if she knew. Nope. Two guys came in and I asked if they knew and finally one of them pointed me in the right direction. Turns out that my Rutiera stop was right around the corner from the first bus stop I was at! I was literally like 2 minutes from it the whole time! As soon as I started walking down the correct street I saw the 159 plain as day. Let me explain a Rutiera to you: actually, just look at the picture below and imagine like 20 something people crammed into the back of this thing! They fit as many people as possible in until the door won't close anymore. So here I am trying to find a sign that says Budesti and I can't even see out the window because people are all around me and I'm standing up. By the grace of God I leaned down at just the right time to spot the sign and the MTC. I was so happy to see Nelly! The trolleybus

The Rutiera

She showed me around the office and I was simply amazed at how beautiful it was. The whole building was built by only a few men who all have something to do with the MTC. It's such a great place and a blessing given straight from God. I was able to have lunch there with Nelly and a few other friends. We had borsch (pictured below) and rice..yum! I was also glad to meet Rafael, a worker here from CCI Brazil. We are both working with and under the leadership of Fyodor so he is the closest thing to a "team mate" that I have here. I'm excited to see how God grows and blesses his ministry here.

Borsch (beet soup)

Tonight I went to my friend Galina's house. We had tea and just talked for a few hours. It was so good. I just am so blessed by her and her friendship. She really is an amazing woman of God. An incredible wife, mother, and friend as well. So now it's almost 1AM here and my body is still telling me it's 6PM, as it is at home. Hopefully soon I will adjust. Tomorrow I go to Veronica's house where I will be living for good. I'm excited to see her!

I know this was a long post but it's more so for me to write down my thoughts. It's easier and faster to type than it is to write...sad, I know. There are so many things that need to be done and I covet your prayers over the next few days as I go to banks, familiarize myself with a new district that I am very unaware of, begin the process of acquiring a living permit, meeting with a potential language teacher, developing initial relationships with the young women I will share life with, getting a cell phone, and just generally adjusting. I'm so grateful for the support and encouragement I've received over these last few days. Even weeks. I'm blessed beyond words to know and love some of the greatest people in the world! I appreciate your confidence in the work of Christ here. And, I am proud to represent Him.

There are about a million dogs barking outside the window right now. Hello Moldova.