Our Moldovan contact Andrei and his wife Larisa are awesome people. And by saying that I mean more than just that I think they are cool people that I enjoy hanging out with; they are passionate about loving people and about making the Gospel known in this community. They passionate about the freedom of Christ, a freedom that stands in contrast from Andrei’s own past of drug & alcohol addiction. Not to mention, it’s nearly every other day that Larisa tells me of another person whom she was able to “speak speak” with about Christ.
Many Moldovans seek to flee to Italy or Spain for better work or are desperate to move to the United States, but Andrei and Larisa are both faithfully answering their call to Ocnita. As a result of this trend, many parents essentially abandon their children, but Andrei and the members of his church are always looking for ways to make their love a reality to the kids left behind or the ones that live with alcoholic parents who live an absent existence.
One way we got to be a part of what Andrei & Larisa are passionate about is through helping Andrei at his rehabilitation center in the village of Naslavcea. This place houses those getting sober from drug & alcohol addiction and seeks to show real freedom in Christ. Andrei has amazing vision for growth for this place to extend its’ reach and impact in the region. We were able to sift sand the "pioneer way" in order to make concrete for a porch under construction andwe moved a ton of firewood that will help to heat the center this winter. Another way we got to help out was through tearing down a wall to make way for a driveway so people can have better access to the center. Basically, we got to spend an entire day destroying stuff, uprooting trees, shoveling away excess dirt, and heaving stones in order to make way for the rehab entrance. It was grand.
before & after of the wall we tore down for the driveway.
doing work.
After a long and fulfilling day of work at the rehab center, we walked down the road, built a fire and enjoyed sausages over the fire and placenta (pla-chen-ta), which is a delicious pastry type thing (not to be confused with the placenta you may know). After this took part in the Russian Bath.
Now, when I heard “Russian Bath” first come out of Andrei’s mouth, I immediately began to construct images similar to my ever so delightful Roman bath experience in Budapest, Hungary. I figured the Russian version couldn’t be that different, it had to, at least in some respect, resemble this:
But in reality it was this:
A Russian bath is essentially a Finnish style sauna (dry heat) followed by a sprint down into a freezing Moldovan creek. This cycle is to then be repeated for hours on end. It sounds painful and horrible, as it is the first few rounds, but then it becomes strangely addicting. The transition from the sauna, which stood at a stifling 70 – 100 °C (158 – 212 °F), to instantly losing all feeling in the icy river became less and less dramatic and more and more enjoyable. I felt fuly alive each time I laid myself flat in the creek, and as I screamed the whole time as I trample-stomped out of water with steam rolling of my skin.
It was invigorating. I could have done it all evening. Our day in Naslavcea and in month in Moldova was the perfect blend of both work and play, just as I like it.
Work hard, but play harder.
