Dear Friends and Family,
We hope this letter finds you well. I (Rachel) am writing this from our new apartment that we moved into a week ago. We quickly settled into this space and are really enjoying a bit of extra room and more natural light. Simon the cat is also pretty happy that our windows have screens that allow him to enjoy the sun and breeze all day.
This past month has been a busy but good one. One highlight was my parents’ visit to Moldova. We loved showing them the beauty of this country, what our life here is like and our program at the school with the kids. They helped me out in the sewing room by recovering my chairs with some happy fabric, one of the things I have wanted to do in that room but haven’t made the time for. Thanks, Mom & Dad!
We are currently in the throes of the end of the school year. I have just completed the layout for our final edition of the school newspaper, and it goes to print today. John has been busy planning our summer fundraising trip and is masterfully handling all of the logistics. We are also planning our first over-night camp with the support of a partner organization in Denmark. They have fully funded a week-long camp for the adolescents with whom we work. The camp is scheduled for May 29 – June 5. It has been a huge team effort, which is wonderful to see. We have all decided to be in charge of different activities while at the camp this summer. John and I have chosen to do art and handmade crafts. We have enjoyed finding different projects and will be working on preparing them in the coming week.
During the months of July and August we will be in the States with the goal of connecting businesses, churches and individuals to the work we are doing with La VIA (WMF Moldova). Our hope and prayer is to find more financial partners who believe in our vision and who will help make our work here more sustainable, especially as we hope in the near future to hire more Moldovan staff and also to find a more permanent solution for our building space. Below is an overview of our summer fundraising plans and itinerary. Please let us know if you would like to be involved in a listed event or, alternatively, if you would like to meet with us individually. We have created time and space for these types of meetings and would love to share more about our lives and work with you over a cup of coffee.
We fly into Columbus, Ohio on June 25and will spend our first week with family while we prepare for our first event on June 30…
Sunday June 30: an art auction in Columbus at Wild Goose Creative. All proceeds will directly benefit WMF Moldova. Email us for more details as you are all invited! We will also be posting updates on Facebook and via email.
July 10: Ann Arbor, Michigan; sharing with a small gathering of friends.
July 12: Dublin, Ohio; sharing with Dublin AM Rotary.
July 13-16: Columbus, Indiana; speaking with small groups at Community Church of Columbus.
July 18-21: Washington, D.C.; Rachel’s sister and future brother-in-law have planned an event for us on Saturday, July 20.
July 21-25: Portland, Oregon; Art auction on July 23, and sharing with churches and a small gathering of friends during this time. WMF USA is also in the process of moving its office from Omaha to Portland, so we will be meeting with office staff during this time.
July 25-27: Seattle, Washington; sharing with a small gathering of friends.
July 27-July 31: Denver, Colorado; sharing with groups of members of two churches.
August 1-8: Columbus, Ohio; we will be home this week and have time available to meet with you. PLEASE contact us if you are interested!
August 11-14: Atlanta, Georgia; sharing with small gatherings of friends over dinner.
August 15-21: Columbus, Ohio; We will again have time available to meet with friends and supporters.
Thank you for reading, supporting us and being invested in our lives. We are grateful for you.
With love and gratitude,
John & Rachel