Today was back to the old grind.
Yesterday we had another restful day, going to a different monastery. Despite a few (ask Alex about it) mosquito bites and the stair-master deluxe that took a few of us to the top of a mountain, the day was relaxing and a unique experience. As soon as we got back to Chisinau, we shopped for dinner supplies. Last night was our chance cook dinner for Victor and his family (the owners of the house we are staying in) Borris (our bus driver), all the Grace House girls and Boys2Leaders guys. We fixed them a homemade fiesta! Kelli and Nicole were on salsa duty, Kelsey and Autumn were in charge of queso, Josh and Brian (a professional chef!) were on the chicken and enchilada sauce duty, while Alex and April rolled the enchiladas, but not before Alex and Breanna made non-alcoholic Sangarias, Annie and Amy made delicious homemade brownies that ended up being like molten lava cakes, and last, but certainly not least, Lisa and Heather made everything look pretty and set the table for everyone. The homemade fiesta turned out spectacular. Everyone loved it and we had a blast spending time rushing around the kitchen with each other. Cooking dinner quickly became a team favorite. All of our guests were overjoyed at our special dinner.
As I mentioned at the beginning, today was back to the old work grind. This morning we awoke before the rooster (literally) and made our way out to a smaller village to help build a stadium. Honestly, none of us new what to expect after our original meeting with Beginning of Life when they informed us that we would be building a stadium, but it ended up being a local soccer field made complete with some playground equipment. Moldova Work Camp became the official title as we painted our hearts out all around the stadium. By the end, we were all covered in oil-based paint, but we stood in the midst of a sparkling new stadium that was sure to host it's first match in a few hours when the school kids came home.
After Moldova Work Camp, we headed out to another small town to distribute food bags to local families. The village was absolutely gorgeous, as were the people who inhabited it. The small town pastor and his family told us about how they started the church in the town and the many leaps of faith they took along the way. Then, they led us in two different groups to distribute the bags that were filled with basic necessities. The joy, relief and thankfulness on the people's faces is something that we will never forget. These people were often living with serious illnesses or several kids and had nothing to their names, but we gave them something they desperately needed. God showed us how to give everything and to give joyfully. Emotions were high, as the small village tugged on our heart strings. The day was a blessing for our team to participate in tangibly meeting the needs of the surrounding community.
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in... 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matt. 25:35, 40
