FRANTIC CATCH UP

Greetings from Moldova where the days are getting colder and shorter as we read about the record heat waves in Australia!

This blog entry is a desperate attempt to get back on track with our communication

There are many challenges and hardships being appointed in this part of the world, but on the ‘upside’ is the opportunity to have so many wonderful holiday destinations so nearby. With 6 weeks furlough owing to us this year we followed on our time home in Australia with nearly 3 weeks touring Switzerland and Italy. We planned our own itinerary taking advantage of Salvation Army accommodation in various places, and travelling by rail.

WARNING!!!

WARNING!!!

Holiday snapshots to follow.

Perhaps the best way to do this is include a few snaps from each stopover and you can drool.

Minimum commentary - We’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

INTERLAKEN. Switzerland

We flew to Milan where we stayed overnight before heading off to Interlaken the following day.

Here we stayed in an Army accommodation complex and spent our days at high altitude, gob-smacked by the spectacular mountain scenery.

Grindelwald in the Swiss Alps

Nice place for a picnic lunch!!

Us on top (almost) of Jungfrau, the highest peak in Europe

The weather was perfect with just enough snow on the mountain peaks to pretty it up. At times we hung by a cable over deep mountain ravines, at other times took the opportunity to do some walking in the mountains listening to the beautiful gentle clang of the cowbells in the distance. Such a beautiful country! Words and pictures fail to do justice to it all.

LAKE COMO

After 5 amazing days in Switzerland we boarded the train and headed down to Lake Como in the north of Italy.

Having searched the internet for accommodation we found a beautiful little hotel on the shore of the lake.

Mansions owned by the rich and famous abound, but we didn’t spot any celebrities at the take-away pizza shops we frequented!!! Once again, the scenery was spectacular, and the little villages with the narrow cobbled streets just enchanting, and the food – what can we say!!!

Pizza, gelati, pasta EVERY DAY!!!!. Just as well we also did a lot of walking.

Our 'Room with a View'

View from our 50cm wide balcony

View from a hotel where we had tea one night - stunning!

FLORENCE. Tuscany

After lake Como it was on to Florence for 3 or 4 days. We marvelled at beautiful works of art that are found in every street and in every building it seems.

The 'Beheading of John the Baptist'

Ian and Viv (Ian has his pants on!)

While based in Florence we did day trips to the old town of Sienna and the 5 towns of Cinque Terre – these are 5 old fishing / agricultural towns set miraculously into the sides of the cliffs of the Mediterranean Sea. They are now popular tourist resorts, visited by thousands every year- us included!!. It is possible to walk the track passing connecting each of the towns, but time was limited and we only managed the walk between the last 2 towns before heading back to Florence after a long day. Of course there was the obligatory trip to Pisa which we also did on the same day.

One of the five villages at Cinque Terre

NAPLES

We had ‘ummed and aahed’ as to whether or not we should visit Naples at all as this city often does not get a good reports in the tourist guides. Well we went and stayed for a few nights ‘in the back streets of Naples’ and were glad that we did. We decided that this was a city on steroids!! The traffic is crazy, there are almost as many motor scooters as people and the idea seems to be to get as many people on one scooter as possible!!

Typical Neapolitan street

While here, we travelled out to Pompeii for a day. We walked along the streets marvelling at the way in which this town has been preserved, and were intrigued to learn of the way of life back so many years ago.

Whilst in Naples we once again checked out some beautiful works of art – in particular the beautiful sculpture by Giuseppe Sammartino…’The Veiled Christ’'

There is also Via San Gregorio Armeno a street which specialises in nativity scenes – from the sublime to the ridiculous – most to our way of thinking erred on the side of ridiculous!!

AMALFI COAST. Positano

We had promised ourselves a bit of indulgence here and booked into a homely guesthouse perched high on top of a cliff in a little town just out of Positano. The view from our bedroom window was breathtaking, looking out over the Mediterranean Sea and the little town of Positano nestled below. It is a charming town with narrow, cobble-stoned streets, catering very much to tourists, but it was pleasant to wander and browse the shops.

Positano on the Amalfi Coast

One day we caught a boat to the Isle of Capri, lazed on the deck, waked around the towns on the island, then swam in the warm waters of the Mediterranean on the way back – we thought of you all as we did so!!!.

Every night we dined in a little restaurant not far from our guesthouse that must have one of the best views in the world!!

Evening view from our balcony

This was a relaxing few days before our final stop in Rome.

ROME

Once again we stayed in Salvation Army accommodation just a short distance from the centre of Rome. It was the final 4 days of our holiday and we jammed in as much as we could. There were all the usuals like the Coliseum and Trevi Fountain,but highlights of Rome for us were the St Peter’s Basilica, the visit to the catacombs and the Appian way, and of course the Vatican Museums.

Once again words and pictures fail dismally to portray all that one sees in these places. The works of art in the Vatican are truly awesome and inspiring; The Sistene Chapel did not fail to impress, and the stories of the catacombs were intriguing.

Trevi fountain from the side showing the assembled crowd

Ian walking on the ancient 'Appian Way' - the location of several catacomb sites

Catacombs near the Appian Way. Burial places for early Christians - not hiding places as some have thought in the past

St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican

'La Pieta' in St Peter's Basilica

The Map Room in the Vatican. About 150 metres long, every wall has a painting of an ancient area of Italy.

The Swiss Guard (and a nun!) at the Vatican

Our audience with the Pope (along with about10,000 others)

If you squint you can see him in white in centre stage.

The history, architecture, scenery and culture of Italy are rich, and of course the links with the early church are evident everywhere.

All in all – a wonderful holiday. We returned with suntans, a little fitter because of all the walking and ready again to put our heads down as we returned to Moldova.

So often we have to pinch ourselves as we visit all these wonderful places. We could never have imagined how the world has literally opened up to us. But it truly is our work in Moldova that brings us greatest satisfaction as we continue to work with the Salvationists of that division, endeavouring to make a difference for the sake of God’s kingdom here on earth.

Until next time….

Ian and Viv xoxo

It's been how long ?????????

What can we say??? Well, we are still alive and kicking.

Life has been busy and of course there have been important things like holidays to fit in to our schedule. We’ll try to fill you in on our activities since our past post.

It was good cause for celebration on May 10^th when we held the opening ceremony of a new building at Cahul in the south of Moldova. This had been a long, challenging building project (as it always seems to be in Moldova), but the building came up magnificently on the day. Salvationists from neighbouring corps joined in the celebrations and Commissioners Wim and Netty van der Harst were the guests. Before the official opening Salvationists gathered in the town square to advertise the special event and then enthusiastically marched to the hall. In true Moldovan style they were able to miraculously feed all those present before the long trip home over those horrible roads in a vehicle with no suspension. (Thank God for Voltaren!)

Making our presence known in Cahul Town Square

Marching up the street to the Hall

Checani Band playing outside before the official opening

Feeding the troops after the service

In early June Moldova hosted the Commissioning events of 14 cadets. TheEastern Europe Territory consists of 5 countries and because of political tensions it has not always been possible for the cadets to be together during their training. In fact the 3 cadets from Georgia have had to do the majority of their training in isolation, because of the tensions between Russia and Georgia.

It was great to have them all together in Moldova for the final weeks of training and then to share together for their Commissioning.

14 Cadets - 10 were from Moldova

Just a week after that… at last!!!…we were heading home to Australia for nearly 4 weeks furlough.

How sweet it was to walk through those doors at Tullamarine airport and hear little Joel call out ‘Nanna!! And, of course meeting and cuddling our dear little Sadie for the first time. As you can imagine the tears were flowing as we all met up again.

We stayed with Beth while we were in Melbourne, with Megan and Andrew not being too far away. Matt and Clare had travelled over from Adelaide to be with us, so we were able to spend lots of time together. Fish and chips was one of the meals we were looking forward to! One meal was enough!

We celebrated 3 significant birthdays while we were home. On our first Saturday it was Sadie’s 1^st birthday. Many family and friends gathered together for a BBQ lunch (another thing we have missed!) and then there was the gift giving.

Sadie's new handbag

The following Saturday it was ‘fairy bread’ again as we celebrated Joel’s 2^nd birthday with a ‘Thomas, The Tank Engine’ theme going. The night before, Viv helped Megan and Beth decorate the cake while the fellas headed off to an AFL game. It was lovely to be a ‘hands on Nanna’.

Waiting patiently for 'Pass the Parcel'

Making the 'Thomas the Tank Engine' cake

The magnificent finished article

By the 3^rd Saturday we were in Adelaide and mixed with the extended Callander clan as we celebrated Mum’s 95^th birthday. All a bit overwhelming I think, but she enjoyed having the family around. She is keeping remarkably well and still as sharp as a pin!!

Mum's 95th Birthday - she's looking good!!

Before arriving in Adelaide after leaving Melbourne, we spent 3 days at a holiday house in Daylesford with our immediate family. It was just lovely to cook meals together, play table games, enjoy the spa tub, browse the antique markets and the Lake Bookshop, and of course, the coffee shops and walk around the lake. It really was a memorable time together….and what a joy to have our 2 grandchildren jump into bed with us of a morning!!

Yahtzee and breakfast together - good times

The Spinks Clan in the Daylesford park

Some serious 'cousin chemistry' taking place

Then it was on to Adelaide where we stayed with Matt and Clare. Being Viv’s hometown it was also possible to catch up with her sister, Judy and her girls. We took the opportunity to ‘do coffee’ on the Norwood Parade on several occasions and did a family trip to Gumeracha where we fed the animals together at the ‘zoo’ at ‘the Big Rocking Horse’. Simple outings were so enjoyable!!!

Great grandma is how old..????

The 'men' feeding a 'roo at Gumeracha in the Adelaide hills.

It was refreshing to do business in a ‘no hassle’ manner, where the service was efficient and courteous and no stamps required. Travelling on smooth highways was another enjoyable experience, without the absence of blaring horns.

But of course, all good things must come to end, and long-anticipated holiday was over. It was 30 hours between boarding the plane in Adelaide before we set down in Chisinau!!!! There were 2 long airport stop-overs in Singapore and Istanbul. As tired as we were, we returned to our apartment where 7 young Americans had taken up residence. They were members of a Mission team from U.S. Central Territory. I definitely wasn’t cooking a meal for them first up, so it was a matter of a quick shower then all out for a pizza. Don’t remember much about that meal at all!!

Anyway it was back to work the next day, facing the 100s of e-mails that awaited us and of course the catch up boards.

The Mission team spent 5 weeks in the division. (They had already spent 3 weeks there when we arrived back). They spent a week each at 2 corps conducting children’s day camps and involving themselves with general corps programs. Other activities included accompanying the Mobile Clinic to the villages and conducting children’s programs while the medical team conducted their clinic. A couple of days were spent in manual work at DHQ and then the final week spent as part of the leadership team at our Children’s Camp where about 100 under-privileged children had a wonderful time with good friends, good nutritious food, games, stories, swimming and of course Bible teaching. A team from the UK also helped in the leadership of the camp. Of course tears were shed as they left and as always there was the sense of mutual blessing for those who were the visitors and the visited.

Ministry at Ungheni Corps

Street ministry at Dubossari

They did get tired at times.

The night before leaving to go home - memories of last years team!!!!

With our visitors 'out of the way' we seriously started to search for a new apartment to rent. We had been paying too much rent for too long, and the finance is just not available for us to purchase a new property at this time. Sadly, the world financial crisis has meant that sponsorship money has dried up and we find ourselves having to make difficult decisions as we go through the budget process.

Anyway we found a 3 room apartment and are paying just over half the rent we were previously paying. It is actually a little better décor than our previous apartment and the owner kindly did some renovations before we moved in which have really made it a pleasant place to live, even though we have one bedroom less than in our previous apartment. Still room for visitors, so you are still all welcome.

We signed a contract and moved in within 2 weeks, spent a week there settling in and then it was off on some more holidays as there was overdue long-service leave we needed to take. We headed off for 3 weeks in Switzerland and Italy (one of the benefits of living in this part of the world means travelling a distance equal to that between Melbourne and Adelaide means that we are in a totally different country!)

Will fill you in on our next blog!

Until next time… (which will be a lot sooner than this one!!!)

Ian and Viv xoxo

Still the visitors keep coming....

Since our last entry there have been numerous guests… from numerous countries… with numerous purposes for coming to Moldova.

At the end of March, Katarina Brieditis a Swedish product design and development consultant visited for a few days. ‘Sally Ann’ is a fair trade program that seeks to assist the unemployed in struggling countries to develop skills and business knowledge so as to increase their income and improve their way of life. For several years now there has been a fledgling expression of ‘Sally Ann’ here in Moldova. This has primarily been the production of quality table linen products and linen shopping bags. In an effort to develop the project, Katarina explored the possibility of additional product lines that would be attractive to Scandinavian markets where ‘Sally Ann’ outlet stores exist. Her visit took us to a variety of interesting places including Kirsova where there is a group of young woodworkers, some of whom are disabled. There may be the possibility of having them produce products in the near future. Their intricate hand-carved jewellery boxes are amazing! Katarina graced us with her presence and her amazing expertise in this area. (Part of her C.V. includes product design for Ikea). It is hoped that she will be contracted by The Salvation Army at least for a couple of years to implement her ideas.

Some of the beautifully carved boxes made by this group.

Then the Americans arrived. Captains Andrea Ellis and Iva West from the Kentucky – Tennessee division (our ‘Partner in Mission’ division) came to teach at the 4 day Leadership seminars. For the first 2 days just the officers were in conference. On day 3, they were joined by local officers (2 from each corps), and then on day 4 the officers had left and just the local officers remained. We covered such topics as ‘Servant Leadership’, ‘Strategic Planning’, Conflict Resolution’, Fund-raising, Planned Giving, Theology of Salvation Army Mission, Projects... There was certainly something for everyone.

A group of Officers and Local Officers at the seminar

Iva West and Andrea Ellis outside the Central Post Office in Chisinau

Us with the Cochranes

It was great to get to know these 2 ladies and we had some adventurous times together travelling around Moldova. Majors Lyn and Ron Cochrane also came along for the ride as they were also involved in teaching during these seminars. The bumpy Moldovan roads took their toll in more ways than one.

Andrea and Iva were especially intrigued by the way the chicken sellers at the markets in Moldova display their goods!!! So much so, we had to take photos.

Mmmmmm !!! A new twist to the saying.. 'You know what you can do with that..?'

Yeah.. we know it's not a chicken, but worth a laugh. We SO MUCH do not want to buy meat when we visit this market. It's much nicer at the supermarket packed in plastic containers!!

We are becoming expert tour guides, and people at the very few tourist attractions in Moldova that do exist, are getting to know us well, as we have been visiting their sites about every 2nd week since the beginning of the year..

On Sunday April 6th, Moldovans went to the polls to elect a new government. Not surprisingly, the Communist Party was returned to power, with a strong majority but there were those who claimed that the counting was flawed and protested at the corruption they felt exists in government circles. Moldova is one of Europe's poorest countries, and underdevelopment has sewn discontent amongst the educated elite, which longs for greater integration with Europe, but they are generally outnumbered by rural voters who back the communist party. The European press reported..

“ Demonstrators gathered in Chisinau, Moldova's capital, on Monday night after the election and Tuesday using the internet and state-of-the-art civil disobedience techniques. Mainly students, they called for closer ties with the European Union and began rampaging through government buildings, looting and burning.
Hundreds of people who had been present at the demonstrations were arrested. According to human rights watchdogs, many of those arrested were held in inhumane conditions and denied due process. At least three young people have died in circumstances apparently connected with the arrests. The authorities have admitted to some instances but at this stage it is uncertain how this will be addressed”.

We took a walk around the buildings the following day then wandered into the public square where protesters still were gathered. There was an eerie silence as people walked around trying to make sense of the wanton destruction that had occurred. Fires had been lit inside the parliamentary building and almost every window broken. Furniture, computers and files had been thrown out of windows and were lying where they had landed on the ground below. The cleanup has now begun with the cost of repairs being put at $US40million. Part of the government strategy in dealing with this has been to stop payments to students at certain universities (known to have students who were involved in the demonstrations) so as to help cover the costs. We are amazed at the speed at which repairs are happening at the presidential building when everything else seems to take forever to get fixed everywhere else!!

The Presidential building..

..close up of some of the damage here.

This is the Parliament building which was trashed by demonstrators, who occupied the building for 24 hours after greatly outnumbered police abandoned their defense of the premises..A careful look will show just about every window broken

Results of one of the fires...

... and another.

We walked among the people assembled outside Government offices the day after the riots.

Majors Ron and Lyn Cochrane stayed on for a week after the seminars working on Project and Child Sponsorship matters within the division. Once again we took to the road.. once again tiring… but once again meaningful and fulfilling as we see first-hand the good work that is being done under the banner of The Salvation Army.

At one point we stopped in to see a couple who are part of the ‘Adopt-a Granny’ project. Pavel has been bed-ridden for 8 years after the amputation of his leg. His wife cares for him as best she can, but it is a sad and lonely existence for them. The Salvation Army visits regularly with food and medicines. The pastoral chat is also greatly appreciated. Most of their small pension (about $US10.00 per week) is spent on medications. We have also assisted in the past with a wheelchair but because it was a 2nd hand one in the first place it had a limited life-span and a replacement now needs to be found. Hopefully we can help in this regard. We listened to their sad story and were amazed at one point when they were recounting the time when Pavel had to have is leg amputated …. the amputated leg was actually brought around to the wife at her home for her to dispose of!!## Understandably she is still traumatised by this memory!

In recent years they have become Christians, and the other amazing part of their story is to see them in these dire circumstances and yet hear them tell with such sincerity of the new hope and strength they have received because of their new-found faith. It was a humbling experience! As so often happens, we left their home feeling that we were the ones that had been blessed in deep ways.

Pavel and his wife in their home

Lyn Cochrane playing with a group of kids at Beltsi..

This was the only way we could fit 7 in the station wagon. Fortunately for Ron and Iva, this didn't happen over long distances!!

Then it was Orthodox Easter, and Commissioners Wim and Netty van der Harst dropped in to visit. Once again a lot of kilometres over bumpy roads...firstly to Ungheni (100 kms west of Chisinau) for Good Friday, then to Beltsi (about 150kms north of Chisinau) on Easter Sunday.
The meetings were excellent. Obviously much prayer, thought and preparation had gone into them. It is always such a blessing to see people respond in such moving and meaningful ways to the Easter message of God’s love.

Commissioner Netty and Oxana in action at Ungheni

The response of some of the folk afterwards..

The congregation at Beltsi - Easter Sunday

Commissioner Wim in 'full flight', with Captain Lev Freidkin translating.

Easter obviously is a significant religious celebration for Moldovans in general. Religious icons, cakes and painted eggs are all features of this celebration., which is celebrated with much food (in true Moldova style) after many days of fasting!!

Candles and Icon cards...

... and Easter cakes.

Sellers along the main streets..

Popular dyed Easter eggs... not chocolate mind you.

These gypsy ladies sell coloured dye powder so people can decorate their hard boiled eggs at home.

After lunch on Easter Sunday we took the long road home through Soroca, Moldova’s gypsy capital. It was a town of amazing contrasts with palaces in one street and hovels in the next. There are often justifiable questions around how such wealth is acquired!! The following pictures show some of the decadent homes (they love interesting roofs!!) and one home in great contrast.






Our visitors left on Easter Monday and we have appreciated our own space again for a little while. We are desperately trying to catch up on all the work that has piled up while we have been out of the office over these weeks.

There are many holidays peppered throughout these months. This last weekend has been the celebration of ‘Easter of the Dead’. After we had participated in worship and fellowship at Ialoveni last Sunday we took the opportunity to drop in at the cemetery in town just to see all this happening for ourselves. People pay homage to dead relatives by gathering at the graves of loved ones. Family groups had their picnics spread on or around the grave of their loved ones. Some were cleaning the grave, and headstone and planting flowers. There seemed to be no sense of morbidity. I actually came away thinking what a lovely tradition this was, as families gathered together to remember. It was lovely to hear strangers greet each other as they passed with the words.. “Christ is risen”. We were offered a plate of food by a complete stranger in honour of her parents. There was cake, pretzels, lollies and 2 boiled eggs.
As we left the cemetery it was interesting to see many poor folk of the town (mainly baboushkas) gathered on the seats near the exits waiting to be given leftover food and wine.

These baboushkas are happy to receive a gift of leftover wine from one of the many visitors to the cemetery that day.

We have another holiday on May 1st, Celebration of Spring and Labour Day..and Spring really is worth celebrating in this part of the world after the long, cold, drab winters. The world is coming to life again with tulips, daffodils, hyacinths. The trees have nearly all got their leaves and there are beautiful blossoms. The children have emerged from the apartment buildings and the public places are full of people. The outdoor cafes are starting to re-appear on the sidewalks.

A setting at a camp site we checked out during the week..

Ian 'pushing around' our translator, Natalia, who was doing her best to impersonate 'Jake the Peg' !

This blog entry is becoming way too long. We started off thinking there wasn’t much to share, but life continues to be full and rich. We have had our fair share of challenges particularly in relation to property matters within the Division.

We conclude with a few random photos..typical shots along the way as we travel the Moldovan roads. Most of these were taken in the course of one trip.

These ramps are dotted along the 'highways' so you can fix your car if you breakdown . You only have to push it up first!!!

There are many beautiful Orthodox Churches like this scattered throughout Moldova. Every village has one similar and it is nearly always the best building in the town by a long shot.

Yummy honey at one of the many roadside market stalls

These are some shots of typical village transport. They still hold a high degree of fascination for us.

There is an amazing collection of vintage motor cycles on Moldovan roads. They would probably fetch a fortune in Australia. They are kept going by Moldovan 'bush' mechanics, ingenuity, and scotch tape.

Probably one of our favourite roadside pictures. This is taken at one of the busiest roundabouts in downtown Chisinau.. but it's still a good place to graze your goats. Only in Moldova!!!!

That's it for now.. a post almost a long as 'War and Peace'!!

Until next time.. Lots of love.. Ian and Viv xo

A busy start to 2009!!

It's been such a long time we know!! Last year in fact since we last made a Blog entry. It is Tuesday and we are enjoying a day off after many weeks with very little time to ourselves. Its been a lazy morning...a couple of Skype calls home, a bit of washing and some reading..and dozing in between paragraphs.

We’ll try and fill you in with an overview of what has been happening for us in the last couple of months.

It was a 'black and white' Christmas. We woke on Christmas morning to see the snow gently falling, everything was covered in a white blanket and we may our way to the service at the nearest corps.

We had invited 3 of the young folk who work at DHQ to share the evening meal with us. We were planning to make it as close to a traditional Christmas dinner as we possibly could, so it was roast chicken, ham, etc on the menu, followed by cheesecake. Mid afternoon the electricity went off and did not come back on until 8 hours later..so we had to compromise a little. Fortunately we have a gas oven (albeit with a temperamental thermostat), but it all came together surprisingly well with apple crumble for dessert rather than the cheesecake. The meal was prepared with candle in one hand and cooking utensil in the other!!! The atmosphere was enhanced by the need to dine by candlelight.

Actually, for people in this part of the world, December 25^th is a bit of a non-event, and shops and businesses are still open. The big celebration comes on New Year’s Eve when families come together for a meal..and then Christmas is celebrated on January 7th. The government kindly declared Jan 1st to 10th as public holidays, so it was great to spend these days relaxing and catching up on a few things that had slipped down the page on our ‘TO DO’ list.

New Years Eve Moldovan style

But the rest did not last for long, as from mid- January up until now we have been playing host to many international sponsors who have come to see how their money is being used here in our project work.

It started with a photographer and journalist from Sweden who were preparing stories for Lakarmissionen, a large Swedish Christian Aid agency which partly sponsors our Mobile Medical Clinic. It also sends several semi-trailer loads of humanitarian aid throughout any given year, and at Christmas, provides us with 8,000 gifts, which are prepared by children in Sweden to be distributed to children in Moldova.

Journalist and photographer reporting Dimitri's story of receiving a wheelchair

Gifts being opened in village homes

Grandma helps this young diabetic patient unwrap her gift.

Then came the Norwegians – a representative group from ‘Norge-Moldova’. We have worked with this group in the past, most recently with the ‘Shoe Project’ at the beginning of winter. During their time with us we travelled to various villages, making contact with the mayors and exploring the ways in which the organisation could be of assistance. We have spoken before of Moldovan roads, but winter adds yet another dimension to car travel, especially in these villages!!

In mid February we welcomed a film crew from a Dutch television company who wanted to film the work of the Mobile Clinic. It is intended that the finished program will be screened in the Netherlands on Christmas day 2009 with the hope that many people will donate to the ongoing work of the Mobile Clinic. Such support will be more than welcome as one of our sponsors has indicated that they will be withdrawing from Moldova over the next year or so. It was certainly interesting to observe the whole process, but very tiring as we were up soon after 5.00am a couple of mornings running and not returning until after 7.00pm – all in a bid to get the best ‘shots’. As tiring as all this was, it again gave us the opportunity to observe village life – cold, raw, desperate, hopeless, dark - all are words that come to mind after such a trip. When the Clinic comes to town there are certainly raised hopes and the assurance that their situation is not forgotten.

And then some more Scandinavian visitors with Salvationists from Kristiansand corps in Norway and from Sweden joined us last week. Once again we are indebted to our Salvationist international family whose generosity makes such a difference to the lives of so many in Moldova. Groups from both countries work hard to send us several truckloads of Humanitarian Aid each year. Always included in these shipments are wheelchairs and other items of medical equipment which are gratefully received by many disabled people throughout Moldova. Without such equipment, these folk would otherwise have little possibility of becoming mobile. It was a special thrill for our visitors to meet many of the recipients of this equipment.

Ian taking on 'the locals' in a game of bocce

These two visiting groups also saw some of the feeding programs which they finance, and attended a Sunday service at Ungheni Corps, which is supported by the Kristiansand Corps.

The feeding program at Hinchesti Corps, sponsored by Norway

Corps Officers with the visitors at Ungheni Corps

The ‘spin-offs’ from all of these visits is of course the friendships that are formed, a broadening of one’s outlook, and an ever-growing appreciation of the internationalism of The Salvation Army and other Christian churches and missions in Europe.

In the midst of all these visits we also hosted another Leaders Conference for the Eastern Europe Territory. Good fellowship coupled with good work made for a productive and enjoyable time together.

Of course while all this happens, the day-to-day administration and ‘people’ work happens back at DHQ, so we have a bit of a back log to catch up on before our next guests arrive later this month.

Posted below are some further photos that help tell the stories of the past few months..

DHQ is coming along quite nicely...

Village transport to the Medical Clinic.

A little black and white TV we saw in a village home.
It doesn't work but still rates a place on the table.

Ian playing 'Prince Charming' when we took 10 pairs of size 37 shoes to a village as 'giveaways'

Could this be Cinderella?? Oh no!! It fits!!!

Happy customers.. grandma and disabled grandson.

Time out between home visits for some 'street football'.


Spring has come.. the temperature has climbed to +7c... so it's time to get the hot pants out!!! Moldovan fashion is an interesting beast!

...and of course, it wouldn't be complete without some up to date piccies of our grandkids for you to gloat over...

Megan and Joel on his first trip to the Melbourne Zoo.

..with dad in the butterfly cage...

..and being fascinated by the elephants.

Sadie just enjoys being smooched....

...and helping her dad eat his gelati.

Until next time.... Lots of Love Ian and Viv.. xoxo

One year on... !!

Hard to believe, but last Tuesday we celebrated 1 year since arriving in Moldova. So many new experiences, new places, new foods, new people, new culture, new languages, new friends….but we are different people because of this. We have survived…even more that that we have thrived and have no regrets about our decision to accept this appointment in the challenging country that is Moldova.

The beautiful colours of a European autumn have disappeared, and again the trees are bare, the landscape is stark, the days are short and the nights are long, as the cold of winter again sets in. The hats, gloves, fur-lined boots and long underwear have come out again! It has snowed twice already, albeit very lightly.. just a foretaste of what is to come.

Our last blog was so long ago…let’s fill you in on what’s been happening

Projects are a big part of the Salvation Army’s mission and ministry in Moldova. Approximately half a million dollars every year is given by sponsors to support projects of varying kinds aimed at meeting the needs of the most disadvantaged in Moldova. Ongoing projects include feeding programs for children and elderly, after-school / homework groups, medical assistance, work in the women’s prison etc. However in recent months it has been great to be involved in some one-off short-term projects that have really made a difference to the beneficiaries…

One sponsor donated almost $3,000 that we used to help make improvements at a village kindergarten in the southernmost part of Moldova. This kindergarten operates out of an old 2 storey building which has seen better days. In fact in Australia, no kindergarten would be allowed in such a building. There is no running water, no sewerage, inadequate kitchen facilities, and parts of the building are falling down around them. 100 children are cared for each day while their parents go to the fields to work. Many of them come from one parent families as often Mum or Dad have travelled abroad in search of work. We travelled down there recently to see the repairs that had been done, and the equipment that had been purchased with the money. Considering the state of the building, it is commendable to see how clean and tidy it is kept. It was afternoon nap time when we arrived and all 100 children were tucked up in bed, asleep, or pretending to be asleep! The staff had used the money wisely to have new windows installed and buy some nursery furniture, but as we walked around we couldn’t help but think it was just the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps the most confronting sight for us was the outdoor toilet the children were required to use…about 20 holes in the floor in a concrete building, with no distinction between girls and boys, and no heating. (Remember winter temperatures in Moldova can get down to about minus 20°C !!). But there is no town sewerage or water connection at this point in time, and the truth is these are the kind of toilet conditions they have at home as well…maybe even worse!!! The people were so grateful for our assistance and in true Moldovan style expressed their appreciation with food!!!

Where to wash your hands when there's no running water

Some of the new equipment purchased

Nap time at the kindergarten ( I think some were cheating!)

New windows installed upstairs

NOT a new toilet block! This was pretty gross.. but all the kids had available.

Some of the kindergarten kitchen facilities

Another more than adequate afternoon tea (burp) presumably prepared in the kitchen above!!

The Moldovan government is unable to provide adequate medical assistance to its people but those most disadvantaged are the elderly and the chronically ill. In recent months we received a request from the Diabetic Association. It was decided that we would help families of children with diabetes who are required to pay out crippling sums of money every month for glucose monitoring strips. (this averages out to about $100 per month and the average wage is about $200 per month). In one family we helped, 3 out of the 4 children have diabetes!!! The ProDiab Association arranged for the presentation of these materials in a park, in the dark on a very cold winter’s evening. It was difficult for us to fathom the rationale of the location, but nevertheless the families were grateful for the assistance we were able to give. We have decided that we will continue to support this group into the future as we are able. Just this week we will be delivering Christmas gifts to some of these families which will again hopefully bring some encouragement to them.

Packs distributed for kids with Diabetes

The other project that is in full swing at the moment is the distribution of 550 pairs of fur-lined boots to children around Moldova. This has been made possible through the generosity of sponsors in Norway and Sweden. It is expected that these will all be distributed to the children before Christmas.

Speaking of projects, it was great to have fellow Aussie Officers, Lyn and Ron Cochrane staying with us for a week while they renewed their Russian visas. They have responsibility at a Territorial level for projects and Child Sponsorship. It was great to share Vegemite and Milo together. They took the opportunity to see some of the projects happening ‘at the coal-face’. They travelled with us to the Kindergarten, to see our prison ministry, and of course to the Mobile Clinic. Part of this trip included negotiating a fairly treacherous uphill village 'road' as we set out to deliver a wheelchair to an old lady who had been bed-ridden for 2 years following a stroke. Such visits are very sobering…such a pitiful situation. At times one feels so helpless and overwhelmed by the plight of these people. It was moving to share in the Lord’s Prayer together, each in our own language. The return trip was a slippery experience going down another track to the main road.

We are also in the middle of distributing Christmas gifts to disadvantaged children throughout the country. we receive about 8000 simple gifts from Sweden, and these are distributed amongst orphanages, children who are identified by local government social workers, and those identified through the Corps networks. We also have distributed a lot of humanitarian aid in the form of medical equipment, furniture, clothing and other items to the different regions. This is a logistical nightmare, but we do it rather well with a good team of helpers.

After one year in Moldova we have decided to make a concerted effort at becoming more proficient with the national language – Romanian. We took on the challenge of an intensive 3 day course which was brilliant!! We came away feeling quite empowered and enthused to go further. It certainly gave us a kick-start and some confidence to use the language in our everyday dealings with people. Of course our sentences are very basic and faltering, but we have lots of willing helpers who give encouragement.

Another milestone, or at least the start of achieving one, has been the commencement of the new DHQ building on the current site where we work. This kicked off about 6 weeks ago, and it has been good, steady progress so far. I imagine not a lot will happen during the serious winter months of January/February, but foundations are down, and the walls have just been commenced. The prediction is a finish around June 2009. The plans include a Corps Hall and associated facilities, DHQ on the second level and 2 apartments on the 3^rd level, but I am starting to wonder if it will be big enough for us to fit in. Time will tell, and we may have to be creative, but it will be an improvement on where we are at the moment.

A lovely occasion occurred on Sunday 16^th November, when our grand-daughter Sadie was dedicated back to God by Matt and Clare. Unknown to our family, we had arranged to link up through the internet, and were able to watch the whole Church service live with the help of a web cam. At one point, they flicked over to the big screen, where we came up, larger than life, brought our greetings to family and friends, and had the opportunity of reading the Scripture during the dedication ceremony. There were quite a few tears shed, and it was a special thing for us to be able to be part of this special occasion in our family’s life. We are truly grateful for the wonders of modern technology.

Participating in the service from a distance

What an amazing day we had last Sunday… the whole gamut of experiences. We shared in a worship service at a Corps where there were almost 30 children and a similar number of adults crammed like sardines into a tiny hall (actually two adjoining rooms of a house). The Chief Secretary, Lt Colonel Alistair Herring was with us for the day. It was great to be part of this.

We then visited one of our Officers in hospital who has had an ongoing problem following a hip replacement late last year. We were required to ‘don’ white gowns before entering the ward, supposedly to help control infection. It seemed a bit of a farce, because during our time with him, we couldn’t help but notice the ripped lino on the floor, the grubby bed linen, the eight beds in a not so large room, and the leaking drip bottles which were recycled mineral water bottles. I don’t think our white coats made much difference. Such is life in Moldova.

To top off the day, we then proceeded to the Leo Grand Hotel (one of Chisinau’s finest!) where we had been invited to share dinner with the Australian Ambassador to Russia and Moldova, Margaret Twomey. The invitation came about as a result of her association with fellow Army officers who join with her in singing in an ‘expat’ choir in Moscow. She was visiting Moldova to meet the President, and rang ahead of time to arrange a meeting with us. Colonel Alistair Herring, our Chief Secretary, who was here for the weekend, came along and became an honorary Aussie for the night. It was a delightful evening as we shared our stories, and she has expressed a desire to visit again and to see and experience life in the villages of Moldova. It had truly been a day of contrasts.

This is our second Christmas in Moldova, away from our family and friends. The emphasis on Christmas here is far less than in Australia, in fact it is almost non-existent. December 25th is just a normal work and school day for most; however DHQ closes and some Corps have a service in the evening. We have only been confronted with the fact that it is actually Christmas a few times, mainly when we have sung carols at Church. There have been some decorations and trees going up in the main street over this last weekend. In some ways it is nice, because we are not bombarded with commercialism, and it is much easier to focus on the real meaning of Christmas in this context. We will celebrate the 25th endeavouring to make it special.

We take this opportunity to express our love to you all and wish you every blessing at this Christmas time. We feel that it is a privilege to call you our friends, and we thank you for the support that you give us in a variety of ways.

Until next time… (possibly next year!!) Lots of love from Ian and Viv xoxo

Celebrations and Chocolate !

Sunday evening and we are relaxing a little after attending Corps in Transnistria. It is such a humbling experience to share with these uncluttered people. Their testimonies to God’s faithfulness in the midst of life’s tough circumstances come with such rebuke to my own spirit at times. We celebrated harvest this morning at Cochieri. It was lovely to see the simple display of fruit at the front of the hall as they celebrated Gods’ provision for them.

Since we had last visited, the corps had received 30 new chairs that had been purchased with money given by an Australian friend to replace the hard backless forms. The young leaders of the corps had also taken it upon themselves to wallpaper and decorate the worship area making it more conducive to worship and also blocking out the cold draughts of winter. They were so proud of their efforts!

Before.....(hard, backless forms)

...and After !

Coloured lights add an interesting touch to the 'new look' worship hall

On the way home we again stopped to purchase the local fruits. At the moment its apples and grapes and mushrooms in abundance. All can be purchased from countless people who set up for the day along the side of the main roads of Moldova.

Last week there were a couple of significant occasions in Moldova.

On October 12, ‘Rainbow of Hope’ Corps celebrated their 5^th Anniversary. It was a great event with nearby corps swelling the numbers and helping them celebrate. We have been to 2 or 3 such combined events, and they all pretty much follow the same format…with lots of musical items and lots of talking!!! but no one seems to worry about a 2½ hour meeting – they enjoy every opportunity they have to get together in such a way. Commissioners Wim and Netty van der Harst made the visit to Chisinau as guests for the celebration.

Moldovans love to bring flowers as part of their act of worship.

On the same day Moldova celebrated its National Wine Day. Moldova is famous for its beautiful grapes and wines. People thronged to the main street, Stefan cel Mare, and enjoyed sampling the local wines and feasting on the shaslicks that were being cooked. The smells were delicious (but we didn’t taste the wines). Unbeknown to us, at late notice the President of Moldova declared the following day (Mon) a national holiday..we figure it was ‘National Hangover Day’! Anyway we didn’t complain too much and enjoyed the sleep-in and a bit of ‘downtime.

Traditional Moldovan dress.

Tuesday 14th was also a public holiday – ‘City Day’ where the different regions of Chisinau set up displays (again on the main street which was blocked off for the occasion). The wine companies were gone but there was still heaps of food and many cultural displays and traditional dancing in the streets. Ian didn’t need a lot of convincing to enter into the spirit of the occasion. These people do love to celebrate and music and dancing is such an important part of it. We left late afternoon but the celebrations continued on into the night and from our apartment we could hear the fireworks later in the evening. We are told that the evening entertainment is geared more to the youth.

Yep...they tasted as good as they look!!

Look out 'Dancing with the Stars'

Last week it was great to have Commissioners Wim and Netty van der Harst in the division for several days. They had expressed the desire to have a longer stay than usual with the intention of getting into some of the more distant areas from Chisinau. We covered hundreds of kilometres over atrocious road. The constant heavy vibration as we travelled was very wearing, but we had a great time catching up with officers, learning more about their Corps programs and inspecting properties.

The Commissioner giving some 'fatherly' advice to some young Corps Officers

We visited the Officers apartment and told them to go and buy a real bed!

The half finished hall at Cahul. The congregation couldn't wait until it was finished. The work has restarted, so its back into the old hall for a few months.

Recently I have thought that perhaps we should include a few more stories from our work. Let me tell you about a recent trip I had to Beltsi..

‘Adopt a Granny’ is one of the projects that we run in many corps centres. It is similar to child sponsorship, but the beneficiaries are not kids, they are pensioners. I think that on previous occasions we have mentioned how tough life is for the elderly in Moldova. The pension is about $10 per week! It is impossible for any one to survive on this amount of money. Families have to take on the responsibility of caring for elderly parents, but if you have no one – who cares!!! It is especially difficult in the winter months when you can’t get out for fear of falling on the ice, and the little money that you do have has to pay for heating.

We work together with Dorcas Aid International, a Christian relief organisation, to help address this situation, by assisting over 200 such people. "Adopt a Granny" provides basic necessities and medical care to over 1,200 elderly people in eastern Europe and Africa by asking sponsors, mainly Dutch individuals, to donate 22.70 euros, or approx AUS$44 per month.

The most needy elderly people in communities throughout Moldova are identified and then visited by a Salvation Army volunteer worker twice a month to deliver food and medicine and to assist with chores or paying bills etc. Equally important is the chat together – perhaps the only contact these folk have with anyone beyond the four walls of their apartment.

Last week I travelled up to the country with Theo, a gentleman who had flown from the Netherlands with the sole intention of meeting up with the elderly lady he sponsors.

After climbing the stairs to the 6^th floor of the apartment block, we were welcomed by 80 year old Stepanida into her sparsely furnished two room apartment. In the lounge room was a divan that doubled as a bed, a small table, kitchen chair and a stand for the TV. The other room was a tiny kitchen/food preparation area. I gathered that Stepanida spent just about every day sitting on the divan or kitchen chair watching a TV that had seen better days (about 20 years ago!) Her son who now lives in Siberia makes no contact. The only bright spot in life it seems is the visit by the Army worker twice a month!

As we sat and chatted for about an hour, Stepanida shared how she had been a teacher in Soviet times. She was a widow but couldn’t remember how long ago her husband had died (‘it was so long ago!’). Theo, her sponsor was a very kind and gentle man who remarked with great concern on the bad condition of her teeth and offered to pay for some treatment. Stepanida’s response was, ‘Thank you, but I won’t need them for much longer!’ Theo then presented her with the gifts he had bought for her: coffee, tea, soap, towels, and 3 blocks of CHOCOLATE. Her eyes lit up and she couldn’t express how grateful she was.

Then came the part of the conversation I shall never forget. Someone asked a fun question: “Do you like chocolate Stepanida?” and she responded, “ I don’t now. I can’t remember. I haven’t had chocolate since I was a child!!”

She then immediately proceeded to offer us some, which of course we all politely refused. It was soon time to leave and we wished her well, advising her not to eat all the chocolate at once!! Our only regret was not to have seen her take her first bite of chocolate. No chocolate for 70 years!! Some of us can’t survive a day!!

We are often challenged by such encounters and thank God for the privilege to be here at this time. The way we see the world is forever changed!

Until next time..... Lots of love from Ian and Viv xoxo

Turkish Delights

The floods have subsided and things have settled back into some sort of routine. The really hot days of summer seem to be a thing of the past and we are enjoying mild weather usually around 20 degrees during the day with cool evenings. We are enjoying sleeping with a doona on. The leaves are starting to change colour and we are ‘psyching’ ourselves up for our second winter.

During the summer many officers take their holidays - many travelling to the Black Sea along with 100s of others all fighting for a bit of sand on which to sit. The month of June to August reminded us very much of January in Australia when everyone is in holiday mood, enjoying the outdoors especially in the evenings. Sidewalk cafes have sprung up everywhere and on every street corner someone is selling ice cream or 'cavas', the favourite drink of the local’s (made of fermented bread we are told).

Over the last few months we have enjoyed being a part of another Moldovan wedding – these weddings are so much fun. This one required us to decorate our car. We then went to the civil ceremony then on for the Christian blessing on the shore of a nearby lake, just as the sun was setting. It was a long hot day, but again most enjoyable.

In true Moldovan style, even the local street dog joins in the celebrations.

Corps visits have included Botanika, Central, and Riscani in the north of Moldova, where the children and youth were fully involved in the worship experience. Hinchesti Corps also celebrated its 10^th Anniversary and we accompanied Commissioners Wim and Netty van der Harst for this special celebration.

This picture from Riscani has some history. The blouse the young girl is wearing would be 20 years old. As well as bearing her Junior Soldier badge on the front pocket, the badge on her sleeve is a relic from Soviet days of the communist 'Pioneers' youth movement.

Hinchesti Anniversary meeting

On September 1^st schools and universities recommenced for the new academic year. A couple of weeks before that date, it was interesting to see a ‘tent city’ suddenly appear along the sidewalk of one of the main streets with a hundred or so stalls selling school uniforms, books, stationery, school bags etc. Then on the first day of school to see all the children so beautifully dressed in their school clothes. Nearly all of them wear black skirts/pants with white shirts.

Buying up for the new school year.

Early in September we joined with other leaders from around the territory for another Conference at Old Orhei. Again it was like a mini U.N. meeting with 9 nationalities represented – Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Romania, Moldova, Sweden, Georgia, Canada and USA. We spent two really worthwhile days together talking through various business matters and of course enjoyed the fellowship which is always a rich aspect of Salvation Army culture. The weather was great (in contrast to the frigid conditions back in February when we met at the same place). We were even able to enjoy lovely evenings together sitting outside.

We are in the process of looking for a new apartment. We presently occupy rented premises, but the owner wishes to move back in so the hunt has begun. We have been fortunate that throughout our officership we have never had to buy a new quarters or give oversight to any building programs, but we are now required to do both here in Moldova where there are so many pitfalls when it comes to real estate! Hopefully we will find something suitable fairly quickly.

At last September 10^th arrived and it was just wonderful to greet Stuart and Beth after they had fought their way through the thronging crowd that is part and parcel of the Chisinau airport experience. (People mill around about a foot away from the customs hall exit door, all pushing and shoving to get a glimpse of relatives who are still inside, yet to emerge!!)

We had been so looking forward to their coming! We spent about 6 days together in Moldova and were able to show them a few sights and various aspects of our work. It was good for them to meet people and go places that until then were only names.

Stuart and Beth making friends in the waiting area of the Mobile Clinic.

Checking out Central Market, which Beth describes as 'Victoria Market on steroids'!

Then on 16^th September we flew out together to Turkey for 10 days. Istanbul is a large bustling city with a population of 15 million people (14 million of whom sell carpets!!!). We had a great time exploring the bazaar, enjoying the food and seeing the ancient sites. It was Ramadan, and after sunset the place came alive with people breaking their fast and joining in the festive atmosphere. We were overwhelmed with the friendliness of the Turkish people. There isn’t enough room to tell it all but one of the highlights was the Turkish bath experience. (Put it on you ‘TO DO BEFORE I DIE’ list!)

(Above and below) The Grand Bazaar - the biggest covered market place in the world with 4000 shops

The Blue Mosque

Beth and Stuart (aka Mustafa !)

Stuarts favourites - Turkish delight and Turkish coffee

Dinner at one of the many makeshift open air restuarants set up for the month of Ramadan

Enjoying a cruise down the 'Bosphorus'

The Turkish bath experience. Mens side. The women's side similar, only without any clothing! A scary but liberating experience, and special 'mother/daughter' bonding time for Viv and Beth. (No such bonding between Ian and Stuart!)

After Istanbul we travelled south, taking the opportunity to do a Gallipoli tour – an informative and sobering experience. Of course w e heard the story many times, but being there helped cement it a little more.

Anzac Cove

Our little 'digger' in the trenches at Gallipoli.

Nearby were the ruins of the ancient city of Troy, then Pergamon and on to Selcuk to see the ruins of Ephesus. Once again we had heard the stories many times from the Apostle Paul’s journeys, but the visits here helped bring them alive. The ruins of Ephesus are truly amazing. The engineering genius of the Romans has stood the test of time. As you walk around the streets or sit in the amphitheatre you can’t help thinking of the 1000s and 1000s of people who have done this before you .

Then on to Pammukale – an amazing geological formation of limestone pools. Over many centuries these pools have been visited as a place of healing and restoration. The ancient ruins of Heirapolis are just nearby. We took the opportunity to swim in the thermal spring pool, where you had to negotiate the ancient marble columns that had fallen into the water. It was most refreshing and a fun place to people watch. I think Stuarts’ comment said it all, ‘The person who invented the bikini has a lot to answer for!!!’ I actually came away feeling quite thin in my modest one piece black bathers. But we still won’t include any photos of Viv in bathers at her request!

It was a sad farewell to Stuart that evening as he boarded the overnight bus heading back home. Together with Beth we journeyed on for 2 days at Cappadocia. Once again, amazing landscape – but totally different from what we had already seen. The effects of erosion on the volcanic soil had left what the locals call ‘fairy chimneys’. These have been inhabited over the centuries but particularly by Christians of the early Church as they sought to escape persecution by the Romans and other invaders to the land. There were entire underground cities, and countless monasteries and churches built into the rocks. One of our holiday splurges was to take an early morning balloon flight over the landscape – words and even photos fail to express what we saw.

Then it was back to Istanbul on an overnight bus for a teary farewell to Beth at the Istanbul airport as we went our separate ways. She travelled on to Egypt for an 8 day tour and we returned to Moldova and are now back hard at it.

It was such a great time together. Turkey is a most fascinating country and the time we spent with Stuart and Beth was truly precious. It did us so much good.

Just two photos to conclude, both toilets (Sorry)

One is taken at the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus, the other in a village in Moldova in 2008. Guess which one I'd rather be 'sitting' on??

Until next time... Ian and Viv xoxo