February 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
You will possibly open this letter during the time of year that demands chocolate and confectioner’s sugar, and suggests pink and red were colors destined to be together…forever…in love… However, this letter is being “penned” in the middle of January. Many Moldovans celebrated Christmas on January 7 according to the Julian calendar. New Year’s was just this week. We are still getting back into a routine after the holidays.
A handful of kids remained at the orphanage during winter vacation. Everyone else that possibly has somewhere to go leaves for vacation. The week after New Years we hung out with the kids who remained to played games and colored. We even reenacted the Nativity story with the kids using a manger scene. However, a precious gift for me during the Christmas season was spending a couple of hours chatting with 3 junior high girls. It was the Sunday after Christmas. I went to the orphanage intending to do English lessons with a couple of older girls, and ended up visiting with these three young women when the other girls didn’t show up. I’d met these three in the summer at camp, and we just sat around and laughed and talked in their room that afternoon. They sang some songs and played guitar. In the midst of surroundings that scream hopelessness, these 3 young women have hope. My Christmas gift that day was being able to laugh with them and offer some encouragement. At the least, I was encouraged.
A full year has passed since I landed in Eastern Europe on a one-way ticket. I loaded my two huge suitcases into a truck, as did four other people, and we made our way through a snowstorm to a house on Stradă Hâjdeu. Chişinău is still becoming home. I am still transitioning out of hurch youth leader and cubicle worker into someone who can adequately communicate tough love to a troubled second grader. I am still learning not only Romanian language and Moldovan culture, but am beginning to see all the different layers to the emotional and psychological pain of these kids. As a team we are still working on communication, trust, and caring well for each other. Each of us are still transitioning, even as the ministry or work is changing constantly.
We now are able to lead a program in rooms given to us to use by the director, a place we can meet together with the kids. About 15 kids have been coming consistently. We are well on the journey of building relationships and being Jesus in a place of so much oppression and darkness. But it is still a long road.
We really need your prayers.
- Praise God for the amazing way that He has worked this year in Moldova.
- For wisdom and knowledge in helping the kids and how we conduct the program.
- For unity and grace and love as we continue to work as a team.
- For the 3 young women who will be our Servant Team. Please pray for me as I prepare for their arrival on February 15.
This last year has been a gift. Thank you for praying and giving and supporting. I couldn’t have made it through my first holiday season away from family without it. Seriously.
Much love and Merry Christmas,
Annie