Moldovan village life is EXACTLY what I needed to finish my
race strong! We are living in some
serious poverty here, but you couldn’t tell based on the attitude of my team
and our joy. We’ve developed, like
most World Racers do, the ability to live like Paul:
“…I
have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I
know what it is to have plenty. I
have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether
well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who
gives me strength.�
Philippians 4:11-13
Such good words, such a good life lesson. I truly have lived in many, varied
circumstances this year. In small
villages, in the bush, in the outback, in major cities, in our contact’s
houses, in our own apartment, and now we live 30 minutes away from our ministry
site. We get up early when it’s
still in the low 30’s outside and walk uphill and along the train tracks. Then, 12 hours later when the day is
through and we’re well fed with barley and bread, we walk home and collapse for
the night. There is no water in
the village of Cornesti. They have
shallow water wells sprinkled throughout the town, but no plumbing. Our tiny outhouse looks like something
out of a cartoon.
But this first week has been a charmed life. Our contact is named Vitalie, and he
has his hand in about every facet of Christian missions. He’s incredibly busy. But not only does he have our team, he
has 3 other teams from the recently launched A-Squad! He has nearly 30 missionaries willing to help him in any way
possible.
I walk this way every morning…
Doesn’t this look like a unicorn?? This place is magical!
Nasty, crazy beavers
My first week here has been mostly relational. I’ve been able to play the guitar and
learn a few new songs, but my time has been spent with one — on – ones with the
precious A-Squaders. Before we
moved out to the country for ministry, we had a few days in the capital city of
Chisinau to hang out with A-squad and love on them. The rest of my squad mates dispersed, but we were lucky
enough to get assigned to live with three of them. God has given me words for six of the women on this squad
over the past six days. They are
in month 2 of their World Race and they have a freshness and new energy that my
team is feeding off of. But we
have our God given wisdom and knowledge of World Race life that they are hungry
to learn about, so we have been exchanging stories and testimonies and feeding
off of each other. God is so good
to have orchestrated this for us.
I thank him for NO internet this month (except on Mondays, where we are
granted a short time in an internet café and a shower…that’s right, one shower
a week) because the internet was such a distraction for me last month. I thank him for shoving the ladies and
me on my team in one small room in front of the space heater to huddle together
for warmth. I thank God that we
eat together for every meal, and since the ministry is varied, we can come
together and talk about what each other has done that day. It’s a simple, wonderful life! Couldn’t be a better way to end this
year of incredible provision.
Home sweet home
Yay for outhouses!
