Shh girls, be quiet.

Our dear friend Ed speaks some English, but his favorite phrase is, "Shhh, girls, be quiet."  He may not know much, but loves to tell us to hush (even if we aren't even talking). Today, we heard this saying a lot.  Many of us have taken it upon ourselves to start saying it back to him. So to all of you, Shhh, be quiet, while I tell you about our day.

The morning and afternoon was much like yesterday. We went into schools and taught children how to make friendship bracelets and took funny pictures, while another part of our team went to talk to the teens about healthy relationships, the problems with violence and their goals and dreams. After we were finished at the school, we were sitting in the lobby waiting on the other half of our team to return and some of the teen students who had attended the first session came up to April and Josh who had led the relationship talk and began asking them more questions.  It was really encouraging for us to see that we are not just talking to these kids, but we are truly impacting their lives by sharing part of our stories and giving advice.  Although we are not able to talk openly about God in these sessions (it is a public school and just like in America, religion is not allowed in school) we know that God is speaking through us into the lives of these students so that seeds are being planted and that someday they will come to understand the fullness of the Lord our God.

This afternoon we got to partake in a different activity.  We went back to the Beginning of Life and got to treat some at risk teen girls to a spa day.  None of these girls had ever been to a salon in their life! We set up different stations around the room and offered, hand massages and manicures, feet washing and pedicures, and facial massages.  At first the girls were stand-offish, but soon they began to really love the treatment.  Letting these girls partake in such a luxury was humbling to us.  We truly got to serve them and treat them to what I think Jesus would see as the equivalent of a modern-day feet washing.  These women had never been treated as if they were this beautiful... ever. We got to treat them like princesses and remind them that they are indeed princesses and deserve to be treated as such. We stayed so long fellowshipping with those girls that we actually got kicked out of the room where we were set up, but at the end they were asking for another time that we could hang out with them. We created true, meaningful relationships with these girls.  A few of them even asked us to write them notes.  We made an impact, thanks to God. I pray that we continue to be the hands and feet of God and that they are able to recognize the power within us, the power that drives us and gives us the love that is bursting from our hearts as the love and power of Christ.  I pray that someday these women will look back on today and not see 11 American girls painting their nails and massaging their faces, but rather they see Jesus calling to them, "My daughter, come to me.  You are my princess; you are captivating.  I love you; you are worthy to be loved."  I pray that is the message we left these girls with; I pray we gave them hope in themselves.  I believe that seeds have been planted. 

It always seems to amaze me that even though I try, God cannot be placed inside a box.  He does not fit inside the boundaries of a country or a language.  He is not confined to a hemisphere, continent, language or culture.  He surrounds us-- all of us.  All 6+billion of us.  Tonight I was reminded of his majesty as we worshiped with our brothers and sisters from the Grace House and Boys2Leaders (the boy equivalent of the Grace House).  Despite having different languages we sang the same songs. As they sang in Romanian and us in English, I was moved by the vast power of our God. He is so much bigger than we ever remember.  We also shared some of our favorite scriptures-- them in Romanian and us in English.  Even though we speak different languages and live across the world from one another, even though our struggles are different, even though we live in a completely different culture and society, we are bonded together with one heart for one purpose: to serve and love our God.  Though we read in different languages, we read the same Gospel; we receive the same message and are moved by the same Spirit.  Praise be to God! This reminder was so uplifting and humbling.

Praise be to God.

Faithful Father

Our God is a mighty refuge, a healer and a faithful father. Yesterday we got to taste the mission of Beginning of Life; today we got to actually see the work at hand. 

After our overwhelming day yesterday our team got to spend time talking through what we were feeling.  (Being an all girls team, we have lots of feelings) But through our conversation we got to experience the love of the Lord and identify the places that God is working in the lives of our team.  We know that God has picked us all individually to partake in his Kingdom work in Moldova. Truth is invading our hearts. 

Today we went into the schools where Beginning of Life programs and provides lessons about the dangers of trafficking, but they also teach children to dream, and to become passionate people.  Our job was to be another voice to the teenagers, to help teach them how to dream and to see the importance of having healthy relationships, to unveil the truth about sexuality and to teach about the destruction of violence.

People gawk at the cluster of chatty American girls sauntering all over Moldova, in the schools it was no different.  We split up in two different groups. Most of the group went to help out in 1st grade classrooms. While we were in the classrooms, we helped to teach the kids how to make friendship bracelets.  Our God delivered us and thanks to Brian's ability to speak Russian fluently, we were able to come up with a lesson for the kids to learn.  While they were learning how to make their friendship bracelets, we would pull them out individually or by pairs to come dress up in stereotypical Tennessean garb.  For the first graders, the Goodwill overalls, flannel shirt and Farm Bureau trucker hat, swallowed them but they loved every second of it. When we grabbed them by pairs, they even began to look like mini American Gothic look-a-likes!

While that was happening three of our group members spent time talking to the teens about the more "taboo" issues.  They opened the door for God to speak through them.  They opened their mouths and let God's words flow through them by using their stories to impact the lives of hundreds of Moldovan teenagers. We talked about our experiences and got real with the teens, helping them to understand the importance of healthy relationships and what those look like, violence and dreams and goals.  It was an incredibly special opportunity for us to partake in.

Three more of our girls got to spend time with the single mother support group that is a part of the Beginning of Life organization.  They taught them how to make felt pin flowers and t-shirt necklaces/ headbands. They got to spend time and attention on some of the needy and hopeless women in Moldova.

Tonight we met with the Grace House again.  A few of us shared our testimonies with the girls in the house.  God moved in big ways, showing us that he is alive all around the world.

Although we don't speak their language, we are confident in the power of the Lord that lives in us.  We are confident in his power and that he speaks through us, despite the language barrier. We serve an incredibly faithful father who blesses all that we do.  He encourages our dreams and sets us free of our past.  In Him we are new. 

Today in a word: Overwhelming

Today was anything but a typical day in Moldova; yet today was an incredibly special day for our team.  We were overwhelmed by a wealth of knowledge and information followed by a list of tasks to complete.  Needless to say, we were a smidge overwhelmed.

Today we learned all about the Beginning of Life organization, where we will be working for the rest of the trip.  Before we left the States we had a pretty good idea about the overall mission of the organization, little did we know, there are MANY aspects about the organization that we had no clue about.  We didn't know about the emotion and the passion the staff had for their people; we didn't know about the many services Beginning of Life provides; we didn't know the extent of work that they accomplish.  So, the first part of the day we got to know the in's and out's of the organization.  The staff, wanting us to be fully understanding of the greater aspects of their work, detailed everything for us.  It was a wealth of information, but it was all information that makes working for them so much more meaningful.  We walked away from the meeting sharing a connection and passion for their ministry.  We were able to empathize with their stories and their ministry as a whole.  Here is a summary of what we learned:

• It is the fruit of persistent prayer.
• Has a school department that focuses on prevention and a rehabilitation program that focuses on the victims of trafficking.
• School department
• They go into the schools to teach trafficking prevention as well as teaching other life values.
• Although they are a Christian organization, they are not able to speak openly about God in the schools, but they provide other outlets like clubs and support groups where they are able to talk about God.
• They teach kids to dream and to believe in Moldova.
• They also teach kids how to live simply and not to want as many material possessions, so that they can live accordingly to their income.
• Escape is the magazine that they distribute to different schools and areas in Moldova as well as a few to the UK, Isreal, Germany and the Ukraine. 
• Escape talks about the myths of violence in the home (in Moldova they have a saying, "an unbeaten wife is like an unclean house," Beginning of Life shows the fallacy in that saying), trafficking, alcohol, differences between guys and girls, the art of communication, sexuality, etc.
• They have produced 12 editions and 48,000 copies of the magazine.
• To get involved you can send in articles to be used in the magazine or even adopt a student, school or region that can receive the magazine. 
• The school programs along with Escape helps children to begin asking the larger questions in life and to build dreams to envision a better life for themselves in Moldova.

• Rehabilitation program
• They have a support group for young mothers who have been trafficked, sexually exploited and/or abused.
• They try to create a holistic environment focusing on the physical, psychological, social, spiritual and mental aspects of the women. 
• They currently have 6 girls living in the rehabilitation house that holds up to 9. 
• The girls are directed to the house by a plethora of sources (government agencies, churches, authorities, etc.).
• They encourage schooling and offer prayer meetings.  A motto they believe in states, "if you don't want to pray, we will pray for you." 
• Recently, they have been creating different hand made crafts that they are selling to make an income. They sell dolls, purses, small artwork, beaded decorative trees and much more!
• Trafficking in Moldova
• 90% of those trafficked in Europe come out of Moldova and Romania (Moldova is only the size of Maryland)
• In the last 20 years (the entire history of Moldova) 350,000 people have been victims of trafficking.  Of those, 47,000 are under 18.
• 30,000 people just disappeared.
• 50,000 people per year travel abroad to work. (Parents going to work in another country to work and sending money back to Moldova is an epidemic here.  In total, the minimum number of people who work abroad is 750,000 people, a third of the country's population.  Because of this statistic, enticing victims with promises of a well paying job in another country is very common.)
• Of people trafficked out of Moldova: 70-80% are in prostitution; 13% are in labor; 5-8% are in begging. 

This is an incredible mission in Moldova that is completely run by Moldovan people.  The Beginning of Life is the pride, promise and future of Moldova. Hearing the staff talk about what they do was a breath of fresh air even in compared to what our lives as American's.  It is evident that they fully rely on the strength of God in everything they do.  They are the hands and feet of Christ throughout the country to a poor and desolate population; they are the embodiment of the church.  The founder of Beginning of Life kept saying, "Dream, don't be afraid.  We are just tools in God's hands, he will do what he wants to do in your life."  Words of encouragement were found in every staff member.  We are so thankful to be working with such a unique organization.

The second half of the day was spent planning and then Kelsey, Heather and Alex got a chance to teach the 6 women of the rehabilitation center how to make magazine necklaces and paper mache bowls.  Although they were without an authentic translator (the translator had only been speaking English for 4 months, so she wasn't very good) they communicated through love and friendship with women who have never had hope.  After about an hour with our girls, the women in the rehab center began opening up with our team members, craving their voices to listen to; craving their love and attention that is a product of the love of our Lord.  Their dream is to be loved and respected, but our dream is that they will be given hope in who they are and in their worth as women. Oh, and that they are able to make lots of money off of the crafts that we were able to teach them!

Today was an incredible day and we can't wait for the rest of the week to work with such an amazing organization!

Praise be to God! Let us be your servants.

Welcome to Moldova!

After a long flight and much traveling, we made it to Moldova. 

The first few days, we were in a smaller town called Balti about 2 hours outside of Chisanau.

The first work day, (Friday- after the traveling we arrived in Balti in time for dinner Thursday and went to bed)  we worked with a Women's Center (Sotis) there in Belti (Bel-t-z).  Before lunch we had an orientation with the director from the center.  She told us all about the center's purpose and the history.  Sotis is a refuge for women who have been abused in the families or who have been trafficked.

• About 60% of the women served were at some point trafficked or are at risk of becoming trafficked.
• They can hold up to 19 women (including any children of the women)
• Currently they are housing 14. 8 of them are adults and the rest are their children.
• Every woman stays at least 30 days (paid for by the government) and can stay 3, 6, or 12 months. 
• Women who stay longer are typically young mothers or trafficking victims.

• Sortis is the only center of this kind sponsored by the governement. 
• Services are free.
• They also partner with other organizations to provide more services to the women. 
• Currently they are receiving a grant funded through the UN and Orange Mobil to provide professional schooling and jobs.

After we learned all about Sortis, we had lunch at a local restaurant and then came back after lunch to work with the women of Sortis.  We made different crafts for them and helped them to  make scarves, button bracelets and magazine necklaces (pictures will hopefully come soon, but no promises).

Friday night we went to the local park and rode some rides in the park.  It was so much fun! We rode a huge rickety ferris wheel and viking swings.

On Saturday we had a really special day!  We went to the same park but this time we rode the public bus and met 56 kids from an orphanage. Luckily they brought 6 teachers and staff members from the orphanage (Tsaregrad).  These kids are from a VERY small town a little big away from Balti.  For most of these kids and adults it was their first trip into a city. Tsaregrad is one of the same orphanages that our team visited last year, but since then they have had no other visitors.  It was really fun when we first saw the kids because some of the kids recognized our returning team members. It was so joyful for the kids!  They got to ride the ferris wheel, a small roller coaster and a swing ride.  The kids absolutely LOVED it all! After the rides we went to a pizza place.  Again, this was the first time that both the kids and the adults had ever had Mountain Dew and pizza.  They actually liked it!  After lunch we went back to the park and played tons of games and did some crafts. We were worn out by the end of the day and so were the kids.  They ended up falling asleep on the way back to the orphanage.

On Sunday we made a special trip out to Caprini where we went to church.  It was so special that we got to visit that church.  It was a beautiful church that is small and a wonderful evangelical church. After church we went back to Balti and had lunch then went to another smaller town where we met the Beginning of Life people. In that town we helped work a festival for the local townspeople.  While at the festival, we blew up balloons, had stickers to give out, made THOUSANDS of bracelets, and painted THOUSANDS of faces. The people from the town LOVED it. The Beginning of Life people threw an awesome party.  They provided a stage and huge speakers for music, and had bounce houses, a trampoline, and bars for a gymnast, then they had a fashion show!  It was really fun to see the different ways that the town celebrated.

Today, we went back to work with the Women's Center.  However, in the same block, there are several different centers. This morning half of us got to work with children with mental illnesses and the other half  of us worked with older people with mental illnesses. Working with people with mental illnesses was very hard, but we had a lot of fun. We helped them make bracelets and danced with the older people. They even taught us a traditional Moldovan dance.  After lunch we went back to the same area of centers and half of us worked with the Women's Center again while the other half worked with the Homeless Youth Center. At the Women's Center we taught them how to make headbands that they can sell at the market.  We also got to teach the staff how to make the headbands and magazine necklaces so they can help teach the women as well.  It was an amazing day. 

We have finally arrived in Chisanau, home sweet home. From here on out we will have internet, so continue looking for updates.  Sorry this one is so long.  The others won't be as long.  Also, please tell all your friends to watch our blog. 

Love from Moldova.

 

We are here!

Thanks for being patient! We are in Moldova.  Everything has been going incredibly well since we arrived, but we have been in a city without internet access.  We just arrived in the capital, Chisanau, where we will be staying the rest of the time.  I will update the blog from here on out, but until then, it is dinner time!  Thank you for all of your prayers, love and support. 

We are safe and sound!

A new year; a new team

Friends and family,

Welcome back! 2012 has finally greeted us!  As the new year has settled in, so has our planning for this year's Moldova team and for the trip.  As of today are exactly 14 weeks away from our departure for Moldova.  Our team has been set and we have even had our first meetings.  April and I are excited about this new team and this year's trip to Moldova.  We have been working tirelessly over the past year to fine tune the 2012 mission and to begin scheduling our time in Moldova.

What to expect this year:

• May 9- May 24.  
• We will again be staying in the capital city of Chisinau, Moldova.  
• We will again be working with JMI and while in country we will be spending quality time with the girls from Grace House. 
• This year we will also be working with a new organization in Moldova called Beginning of Life.  Beginning of Life will give us several new opportunities and more connection to women who have been a victim of human trafficking, as well as participating in prevention programs in the public school system.
• These are just a few of the initiatives that we will be involved in this year.

God has blessed our team in incredible ways already and we cannot wait to see what else God has in store for us.  Please feel free to look around the site, everything has been updated to reflect this year's mission trip.  Please also feel free to share our blog with any friends and family.  Fianlly, we would also love to have your prayers for our team, the women in Moldova and our trip in general.

Thank you so much for your continued love and support.

The end has come

I can't believe that it is the last day that we are in Moldova.  Today has been one of the best days; I realize that same phrase was said about yesterday, so maybe it is just the love that has been shared all culminating to this point.  Today has been a celebration day for our team.  We are celebrating the work that has been done this week, but more than that we are celebrating the work that is being done here in Moldova.  This is an incredible country with a beautiful hope.  As one of our team members put it, Moldova is a masterpiece in progress.  We are celebrating what has happened.  Today we have spent a lot of time reflecting on what we have done this week and what we have encountered.  We have been using this day to soak in the best of Moldova.  Tonight we will celebrate with the whole JMI team, Boys 2 Leaders guys and Grace House girls over a traditional Moldovan meal.  But I can't ignore the celebration that has been taking place before what will happen tonight.  I also can't put into words what we have experienced better than what our JMI team leader, Brian, has crafted in his blog.  Therefore, I want to share what he said.

God came near. Well, it happened. We didn’t feel it when it happened, or else we would have exploded. But that tug you just felt was the hem of Jesus’ garment leaving your fingertips. That shove was the hand of God hiding you in the cleft of the rock as He passed by. Perhaps it was the litle girl in the green dress at the orphanage…perhaps the monk who lives in and tends the altar fire of a 600-year-old cave chapel. Perhaps it was the breakthrough of the Holy Spirit in one of our team-sisters.

Our devotional this morning brought it all home. A Lipscomb student from a religious background opened with saying “well, I was stuck. I felt different from the rest of you. I’ve never experienced this kind of community. I’ve never felt the scriptures actually ‘speak’ to me. So I stayed up all night reading and praying and asking God to move my heart.”

God comes near…not because we came across the ocean to work with orphans and vulnerable women. But because we have lived in community for a week. We have served with all our energy from breakfast till dinner. We have played and laughed and cried till late into the night.

Jesus came to establish His Kingdom on earth. He did it by gathering a diverse group of friends, by living in community with them, by serving tirelessly, and by hanging out out on the shores of the lake nightly around the fire. The unwritten parts of the timeline of the ministry of Jesus are myriad. Those are the times that you tap into on a mission trip.

This is the core spirituality that Jesus came to teach us to walk in. It doesn’t take coming on a mission trip. It can be accessed locally if you seek it first. But sometimes it takes the ‘retreat’ event for God to break through. Be assured…God will come near. Avail yourself to God in a local ministry or through a mission trip and you will surely fell the hem of Jesus’ garment slip through your fingertips.

God has blessed us all by being here.  Throughout today I have had the opportunity to have several conversations with people and realize how purposful this trip has been.  Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement; your love and companionship.  You have all helped influence us and have therefore blessed Moldova.  See you state-side.