Kristin reached over and squeezed my hands as I was mindlessly picking the nail polish off my nails. “You’re nervous”, she said. I just nodded. She knows me all too well now. I guess she should; We have lived every hour of every day together for the past three months. We had just arrived in Moldova the night before and now the whole squad was sitting together getting our ministry assignments for the new month. I was nervous because just two days ago we were placed into new teams. I was going into this month without my girls, without my family. I tried, but I couldn’t blink back the tears when the taxi pulled up and it was time for me to say goodbye to them, bringing an end to that chapter of my race. After tears, prayer, hugs, and many “I love yous”, I left with my new team for the train station. Sarah, Rachel, Kristin, and Alicia will always be my sisters and my life-long friends. God knew exactly what he was doing when he placed us, specifically us, together for the first three months. As Team Charis’ journey has ended, my journey with my new team has just begun.
But I’ve since embraced it, and I love our new team! My teammates walk in the Spirit and are simply encouraging to be around. I can’t wait to see how God uses our team. I know He has big things in store.
We’re living in the woods now; away from pretty much everything. Most of our time is spent finding food to prepare, cooking it, then cleaning. After completing this process three times daily, there isn’t time for much else. We don’t have things that are considered standard in American kitchens; No running water, no oven, no microwave, no refrigerator, no dishwasher, etc. Going to the market involves walking 20 minutes to the bus stop, taking the bus for 25 minutes into town, and then only purchasing whatever you can carry in your arms. Getting water is 5-10 minute walk down the hill to the well. We do, however, buy milk from a neighbor here…straight from the cow. I’m learning to live in my new community and my new home for the month. Here’s a glimpse:
