[disclaimer: this blog was written last month, in March!]
Is it really March already! It’s crazy how I started this adventure in the summer of 2014, and now it’s already a quarter of the way through 2015. I really can’t believe it. March has flown by, thanks mostly to the weirdness and wackiness that is Moldova.
This month we are working with Pastor Vlad and his family. His church is in a nearby village, and he’s part of a network of churches that works with World Race teams often. But we are the first team Vlad has ever hosted. So it’s a learning experience for him and for us! We are living alongside his wife and 6 children, helping out wherever we’re needed around the home and the church. His wife Diana cooks three awesome meals a day for us, mostly traditional Moldovan fare (not too strange, but still different). Their kids are crazy rowdy sometimes, but we get to babysit the 5 month old quite a bit, and I love it.
But here’s the catch. Vlad and Deana speak almost no English. The majority of our communication involves either Google Translate or hand motions. And even then stuff gets lost. We had multiple miscommunications and interactions that ended with us not really knowing what our day would hold. Everyday was an adventure, especially with our limited showers (only once a week!), lack of running water (brushed our teeth with a bucket), and outhouse (in the cold).
But this month revealed to me so much about patience and acceptance and simple living. Our host family was amazing. And they live in Moldova all the time! They’ve never left! While my living situation felt cramped and cold and with limited amenities, they never complained once. And they are constantly living in the harshness that can be the Moldovan countryside. Vlad and Diana inspired me this month, with their hospitality and faith. So while somedays this month felt like a struggle, I know that really, this month was amazing.
