3:28 PM
After a fairly long bus rides and tricky border crossings we finally made it to Cahul on Tuesday afternoon! We were greeted by one of our contacts and were taken to the places that we are going to be staying for the next 2 months. Overall Cahul gives a very friendly and inviting small-town feeling.
Thursday was our first day of ministry. Here in the Cahul they have a few churches that we will be working with. On this particular day we went to Salvation Army Church to help decorate for Christmas and work with the kids there. Salvation Army works with kids who are a part of difficult family situations; some are orphans or are having a tough relationship with their family. Most likely we will continue to prepare lunch, play with the kids, or help them with their homework. Those of us that speak English have a great opportunity to help some of these kids with their English homework!
Later on Thursday the team walked over to Emmanuel church for the youth meeting. Our first night of youth was pretty different from what we will normally be doing. It was a discussion about family dynamics and why there is often conflict between generations. This church speaks Moldovan, so for our team we need everything translated from Moldovan to English, then English to Russian! Sometimes it can be pretty funny when I sit there and realize how many times the same statement is said, but it different languages. With all of these languages also comes many cultural differences. Being in Moldova I have been learning much more about the cultural dynamics even in our own team.
Friday was more of a practical day, since we needed to get a few things done about housing and other things. One thing we did do was walk around and observe the people here in Cahul. What we have been told (and noticed) is that much of the youth here have left, looking for better opportunities. This means that youth ministry is very important and helpful work to build up future generations that will benefit and spiritually nourish this community.
Saturday the team split; one half went to an English Club in a nearby village and the other to a different village where a church is building a kids camp. My group went to the camp. The four of us came expecting to plant trees, but we hadn't thought about the frozen ground! I think we all learned about how to work hard and get covered in ice and mud. It was a pretty fun and tiring day!
Sunday the team split again. Each half went to different churches, some to preach and some to say their testimony. It was a fun Sunday and good start to the weekend (we have Mondays off from ministry, this will be our weekends :] ).
I'm looking forward to continuing ministry with the churches and contacts that we have met so far. Some things to look forward to are English Clubs and VBS and lots of other things. Please be praying for our team in ministry. Relationships here are really important, so some of us need to learn how to be open and outwardly friendly to just anyone here. It even means a lot to these people to have someone say hello or give them a gift (Moldovans LOVE gifts!). Hopefully I will be able to update you all soon, luckily there is internet to update my blog here in the local cafes! The girls on my team are very blessed to get a permanent apartment to live in for the remainder of our time here. So thankful for the people who made it possible for us to rent this apartment. Keep us in your prayers,
Victoria
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