Last Full Week of Ministry

2:08 PM

Nikolai is an elderly man who lives in his own house in town. Walking to his house you will see the auto shop, and maybe ten or so houses before you get to Nikolai's house, number 3. Almost every house on the street has a decent fence, structure, and even a nice mailbox. When you see Nikolai's house, you may not be sure that you've arrived to the right place. I don't understand how he could have lived there. Our team arrived to help him with some normal tasks: chopping wood, cleaning, and grocery shopping. Since we had little time to go to the store (we were going to eat lunch with YWAM Cahul) walking had to be quick. The nearest grocery store was too far for this man to walk. I was even getting tired from our trip. Once I came back with groceries I took a good look at his kitchen. The "sink", which was old and falling apart, was full of plastic bags and stale bread. There was hardly a stove. Cobwebs hung in every corner, black with dust and dirt. Standing in that place I also noticed an unsubtle slant to the floor I was standing on. Blankets were hung in every doorway, probably to keep the heat in, and the cold out. 

Nikolai is a man who firmly believes in God and attends the charismatic church when he is well enough. We prayed for his lung problem and cataracts. He will not be able to get the surgery needed until he has money. We all hope that he is healed and feels like he is valued and loved. I am especially praying that he finds people in his community who will continue to encourage and pray for him. 

This month we have been working with the charismatic church on many different projects. We have done some practical work like doing things for this man Nikolai, Sunday School, and also a youth club with kids who are in troublesome situations in their home life. With this ministry, called "New Way", we will be teaching the girls in the group on how to make different creative crafts to sell. I am enjoying working with these kids even though it will be for a short time longer!

This week is our last full week of ministry in Cahul. My last week in Eastern Europe will be a debrief and goodbyes. I can't believe how this outreach has been. Experiencing Cahul has brought many stories and people to talk about. I can see how relationship really makes all the difference. So get ready for a wrap-up of life in Cahul! Keep praying hard as the team pushes to make this last full week an awesome one. Thanks for reading!

Victoria

VBS and Other Random Thoughts...

4:14 PM

VBS Lucesti Team

Once again it's time to update you all on A LOT of happenings around here in Cahul. We all had a blast doing the VBS in Lucesti. So you can all experience a little bit of what went on that week, here's a video I put together, so enjoy! The last day of the VBS we distributed shoe-box Christmas gifts to the kids. These kind of things that others across the globe do for low-income communities really does positively effect families in places like Moldova. To see the kids faces light up when they carry a big shoe box is something you don't want to miss. 

VBS Emmanuel

The past two weeks have been more of relationship weeks. We have been doing a number of things from praying for people and even going out into the city to help YWAM Cahul by searching for organizations in the city that they can possibly work with. We also did a short VBS with Emmanuel church. Even though it was only two days it sure was a fun two days! It's structure was very similar to Lucesti's VBS with English Club, Bible class, Crafts, and games. The kids seemed very excited to be there. Emmanuel church had an encouraging team helping us with the VBS, we are all so glad that we got to minister with this church.

Last Thursday me and a few others went to visit a friend that helped get our team leader's car out of the ice a while back. This man just happened to be the director of Cahulpan, the largest bread bakery in Cahul. Upon our arrival we were led up the stairs to his office. Ivan, the director, greeted us with a big smile. We talked for a few minutes, and then he said that we could even have a tour of the factory! After our tour, we said goodbye to Ivan, and he said that we would be getting a box of cookies as a gift. This guy seriously has a lot of generosity. I am so thankful for people like Ivan that welcome us in and take time just to talk. 

When you go away from home for an extended amount of time there are so many possibilities of how you could react. For most there is a "romantic" period where you are just happy to be in a new place and experience new things. Then after that period is over you figure out that maybe you just might miss home more than you thought...I have definitely been experiencing a bit of homesickness. It doesn't mean that I don't love ministering to the people here in Cahul or anything like that. Sometimes our bodies just can't handle the change especially if we are already sick. One of my team members had to go home at the beginning of this month because she wasn't getting better. Her body was really trying to heal but after a time sometimes we have to make a choice. Please keep her in your prayers! 

Please pray for our last few weeks here in Moldova. The students will be doing much of leading the different ministries that we are a part of. Because of this your prayers are very appreciated! 

Victoria