WELCOME TO THE MATRIX

On Friday, October 14^th, my team was picked up from our hostel in the capital city of Moldova by our new host Andre and our translator Peter. We quickly learned that they not only had a spectacular grasp of the English language but also a healthy appreciation for sarcasm. (THANK GOD for sarcasm)

Like typical Americans, we immediately began firing questions at them left and right. How far are we going?! What is your ministry like? How many people in your church speak English? Are you married? Do you have kids? Are we your favorite World Race team yet?! What is your name? What is your mission? What is your favorite color?!

It soon became apparent that we were asking all the wrong questions. What we SHOULD have been asking was… Are we staying in Moldova or are we going to an unrecognized, self -declared country called Transnistria? Will we be able to use an actual currency or will we need to convert all of our money into an unrecognized Transnistrian ruble? Wait.. Transnistria is ruled by a King and has it's own border crossings and miniature army?!

IS THIS REAL LIFE?! I mean… Let's be real, it's probably not, because half way through Peter's explanation he gave us a mischievous smirk and said “Welcome to the matrix!” We were later told that we needed to be quiet for a few days because we were “a little bit illegal”.

Are you guys still with me? Because, to be honest, I still feel like I am living in the twilight zone. I am patiently awaiting internet access so I can email Alexandra and ask her how much she knows about this crazy imaginary country and it's king and it's currency. I am actually having a lot of Alexandra withdrawals because everyone in this “country” speaks Russian and wears super fancy boots with tights. XANNNN.

Alright so, details you ask? We are staying in a church. It's the only non-orthodox church in this whole area and it has 25 members. We have a bedroom with 5 mattresses pushed together to form one huge bed for the 6 of us. We call it “bedland” and let me tell you, it is girly sleepover central. The weather outside suddenly dropped to below FREEZING but bedland remains a warm tropical island of bliss. We also have a shower with HOT WATER, a bathroom and a PIANO for Angel to flaunt her musical talents this month. We will be helping out a lot with house churches and Monday through Friday the church has a soup kitchen type deal for the neighborhood children. Andre told us he wants this month to be restful for our team and we are so excited to dive into worship and Bible studies together. Could I be happier? UHM, NO.

ALSO, our host used to be in a Christian rock band and has a drum set piled in the corner of our storage room. I asked him to teach me how to play and he said no. HOWEVER… I am told that in Moldova you need to ask someone a question 3 times before they will say yes. SO… One down, two to go! (side note: I am not sure if that rule is recognized in Transnistria)