Linda's Report on Moldova

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

The trip was originally scheduled for early December, but had to be postponed because the packages we had shipped had not yet arrived. Our departure was rescheduled for January 16, 2005. After a snafu with the return of our passports with the visas, our trip went off as scheduled.

This was my first mission trip. Needless to say, it opened my eyes. I knew from others’ previous mission trips to Moldova that the children were in need and that it was a very poor country, but ‘poor’ to me is not nearly as poor as reality! My heart cried for the children and indeed for the general population of Moldova.

We stayed in the capital, Chisinau. This is a city of about a million people. From what I could see the people were either rich or poor, though the majority was poor. On the drives out to the orphanages I saw very little agricultural enterprises other than vineyards and a few orchards. I t looked like the people in the villages were ‘self sufficient’ in that they grew and made what they needed. This is an assumption as I did not actually visit with anyone in the villages, but there didn’t seem to be any businesses there. In Chisinau many people set up small stands along the streets to sell things such as sunflower seeds, prepared food, handmade items, produce, etc. Chisinau is much more modern than the rest of the country (though not up to US standards) and there was almost any type of retail business you needed.

In the orphanages, we visited with the children for a bit after they received their packages. They were SO excited! During our trip, we visited three orphanages. The first orphanage we visited was the one our church sponsors. We have sponsored that orphanage for the past 3 years. I’m not sure about the second orphanage, but the third orphanage was apparently sponsored by several smaller churches. The trip to this particular orphanage will always stay in my mind as the worst one for me personally.

All the packages being taken to all the orphanages in the country are stored in a warehouse in Chisinau awaiting distribution. The boxes are labeled with the orphanage number and with the number of each bag that is in that box. (Each child has had their picture made and a number assigned to them.) Orphanage number three had 120 packages. After passing out all we had, we found there were 40 young children who did not receive a gift! When I saw the faces of those children, I actually broke down and cried! Apparently these children (all were kindergarten age) came to the orphanage later in the year. The pictures of the children had been made in the spring. Since these children were not there when the pictures were made, they were not included in the count; therefore, there was not a gift for them. How I wished we knew what churches sponsored that orphanage. We would let them know that they need to send extra bags for younger children who are brought to the orphanage later in the year! It just broke my heart!

The day we left Chisinau, we attended church services with the children in the orphanage we stayed in. Though the entire service was in Romanian and I knew nothing of what was said, I was blessed beyond belief! I knew intellectually that God understands all languages, but it wasn’t until I was in a place where I did not under the language that I fully comprehended it. The faces of the people as they sang praises to our Lord and the face of the preacher as he spoke were radiant with God’s love. It was shining through! I was moved to tears!

For me this mission trip has been a blessing from God. If there is anything you would like to know about the trip that I did not include, please feel free to contact me.

Like most people, it was the pictures of those sweet children’s faces - especially the younger ones - that captured my heart. The thrill of buying things that I knew would be used by the specific child I had chosen was another driving force for me.

All of that was before I had the privilege of making that trip to Moldova myself. Now my passion for this mission has expanded. Not only do I want to provide for ‘my’ child, I want to do all I can to help the older orphans prepare themselves for a better life when they have to leave the orphanage.

I learned on this trip that in addition to the normal school lessons, the older children are taught life skills. In touring the orphanages, I had the opportunity to go into several of the girls’ classrooms where they were being taught to crochet, knit, embroidery, cross stitch and sew.

These particular skills have been a life long hobby of mine. I did not consider that this hobby (that I used just as relaxation) could possibly be used as a way of making a living for someone else. While watching the girls work on projects in the classroom I was reminded of the old adage: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you will feed him for life.” How could I be of help to these children? If these children could learn to be a productive part of the economy, would that not make some difference? What did they need? How could I help provide? It gave me new insight as to what was needed there. Not only were day to day essentials needed, but things with which life long skills could be taught and learned.

The teachers in these orphanages seem to have a heart for teaching and for these children in particular. They need all the help and encouragement they can get. Tools with which they can learn and supplies with which to practice what they have learned are needed. These items are not hard to find and are very inexpensive. How can I go about getting these items for the teachers – for the children? That is the challenge I came away with.