I can’t believe I’m writing this list for my third country. How can September be over already? How can Moldova be over? It’s strange to see months fly by but I have some precious memories to carry away with me.
1. Our host family. I usually kind of try to save my favorite memory for last but I simply cannot go through and list anything else before I talk about the Cucos family. Pastor Mihail, his wife Galina, and their three sweet kids David, Lydiana, and Mihaila. Stole. My. Heart. It’s hard to even know what to write. Mihail was the only one who spoke English, and even there communication was difficult at times. It’s interesting, before coming on the race I dreaded the possibility of being placed with contacts who didn’t speak English well. One of the main reasons I wanted to come on this trip was so that I could connect with believers in different parts of the world, learn from them, encourage them, be a part of what God is doing through them. I thought a language barrier would a wrench in my plans. Now I know from experience that love will find a way. We were united in our love for Jesus and that makes us a family.
2. The campground where we stayed. We felt so spoiled. Once owned by the communist government, the camp is now property of the Baptist Union and run by Mihail. It was awesome to hear the stories of how God provided the funds to purchase the grounds and since then again and again to keep it operating. We were like kids in a candy store playing on the ziplines, jumping on the trampoline, and shooting down the waterslide into the pool. Inside our beds were so comfortable, we had plenty of space, and two bathrooms! I felt so at home and thankful for anoasis where I could rest and play. Plus it left me thinking of how much fun it must be for the children, and how glad I am that kids can have awesome experiences like a fun week at camp tied to learning about God and growing closer to Him.
3. Meal times! It wasn’t long after we got to Romania that my team started talking about how much we already missed mealtime with Mihail, Galina, David, Lydiana, and Mihaila. And not just because the food was delicious. Though it was. Read my previous blog for more on that. Meal time was so much more than just the meal. It was the conversation and the laughter and the joy of good company. We were always doing charades to fill in meaning wherever the language barrier left gaps. Our team got to share some of our stories and in return we got to hear about the amazing things God’s done in their lives.
4. Milking cows. Our wonderful friends were so eager to give us a true Moldovan experience, arranging for us to do and see everything, and we were eager to engage in whatever they offered. So we were thrilled when they told us that Galina’s sister had invited us to come to their home and milk their cows. We got there when the sun was setting and set right to work. I’ll be honest. It was a little harder and a lot grosser than I imagined. And I felt a little foolish with all of eleven of Galina’s nieces and nephews gathered round watching the Americans struggle with the udders. But in the end they thanked us warmly for working so hard and insisted that we keep the milk for ourselves. Then to top it off they brought out a watermelon, like the fatted calf, and cut it up for all to share. After looking around at their home and belongings it seemed to me that they didn’t have a lot to give, and that made the gifts feel so weighty. I felt so incredibly honored.
5. Children’s ministry on Saturdays. When we got to Moldova Mihail explained that one of the things he had planned for us was pouring into the kids from his church. While we talked about how we wanted to go about it, we realized that this was our first time planning for ministry. During our first two months we mainly did behind-the-scenes acts of service as our ministry. Any time that we got to minister to people through relationships or evangelism it was unplanned and sought after during our free time. It was great to get scheduled time with these kids, especially because Mihail gave us freedom to use the time how we wanted. Each Saturday we would get together with the kids and spend time just playing games, laughing, and trying to get to know each other through broken Moldenglish. After an hour or two of having relaxed fun, we gathered everyone together to watch us perform a skit about the Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys. (Starring your’s truly as Paul!) At the end of the skit we gave a gospel presentation and played a review game. It was really such a joy for us and we were all sad that it had to end so soon. You’d be surprised how much you can come to love a kid in just a short time, even when communication is difficult. I pray that they take something away that God could use to bring them closer to Himself, whether they remember something we said or just the way we made them feel loved.
6. Driving around in the van. This is going to seem weird but I mean it! I will always remember driving up and down the bumpy Moldovan roads. We spent a lot of time crammed in the van, our whole seven person team, plus Mihail’s wife and three kids, sometimes two or three other church members. Sitting, standing, half on the lap of the person next to you. I have this precious memory: Bouncing home late at night in the back seat, the van filled beyond capacity, exhausted from a full day of church services and home visits, stomach so full and eyelids heavy, with a little one sitting on my lap and friends all around. And in the dark we laughed and sang as we flew up and down over every pothole. These were the moments that felt like little gifts from God.
7. Hiking and sightseeing. We got two days off a week- one just to rest and another to sightsee with Mihail as our guide. He took us on long drives to beautiful views, hiking through the woods to find waterfalls, and to visit an old orthodox church. Each destination was breathtaking it its own way. We were so blessed to have a contact that was willing to bless us in this way! Mihail was so aware of the goodness and blessings from the Lord and I think that had a lot to do with why he was so eager to bless us.
8. Scraping and painting. Ah, the hours I spent working on these tedious jobs. Painting wasn’t actually bad, that was pretty fun even- especially when Abby and I got to be a little creative with the outhouse doors. The scraping, however, left no room for creativity. We worked on a building that needed to have the old cheap (Soviet Union Era) paint removed. And so we spent days scraping away… I can close my eyes and still so clearly remember the scene: me, standing atop a wobbly ladder, surrounded by the constant scritch-scratch sound against the wall, paint dust flying into my face and coating every inch of me. In little ways it was challenging… the monotony, little aches and pains of dust in my eyes and scraped knuckles, and, this might reveal how much of a wimp I am, but it really wore my arms out to go at it for hours on end like that.
9. Visiting the public schools. The principal was a little hesitant to have us visit at first, asking “No politics? No religion?” We agreed to come to the English classes and present about the United States. The students got practice listening to us and then translating what we said. At the end we answered their questions and they answered some of ours! During our visits we never talked about Jesus or the Bible, but I m encouraged that God can use it for good. I was so glad to be a part of improving Mihail’s connections with the community. The teachers and school officials seemed so pleased with how things went, they kept inviting us to come again to Moldova any time! And it was really just a joy to be in front of a classroom again. It made me miss my job back home. The children were thrilled to meet us, a few preteens actually asked me for my autograph!
10. Our farm friends. Our last week in Moldova we had the privilege of spending the day on a farm. We were welcomed in and allowed to gawk at their animals and take pictures like the silly Americans that we are. And these darling people didn’t laugh at us! They graciously let us tour the farm and even take turns riding their horses. Then we were able to go into the orchards with them and gather walnuts. It was so great to help out a little and bless them in return for the hospitality they showed us. We enjoyed an authentic Moldovan meal around their table and I got to try eating raw eggs right out of the shell! We chased geese, laughed at miniature Vietnamese pigs, cuddled puppies, and wondered over some weird rat/beaver/otter-type animals that we couldn’t quite figure out. In the end we didn’t want to say goodbye to the human friends we had made. They insisted we keep the walnuts we harvested, which was unbelievable but classic Moldovan… which leads me to number eleven…
11. The generosity. I have felt loved and taken care of by the people we’ve met in each country, but Moldova took the cake on this one. I’ve already written a blog on this subject but I feel I could fill an entire book and you still wouldn’t hear it all. The thing is that I met some of the poorest people I’ve seen since leaving the States and yet they wouldn’t stop giving and sharing. It was painful at times because I knew that I don’t deserve special treatment and I wanted them to keep what they had for themselves. But again and again I was told “No, no! This is hospitality.” It was so important to them to take care of guests. I think the fact that we were traveling and would be aliens away from home for a year made their hospitality sirens go berzerk, not to mention that we are serving God. They were so generous and eager to bless us. It was something special that I hadn’t really experienced before. I don’t know how I could ever forget it.
