Come over to Moldova

Finally up to date.. !!

2009-12-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all our friends.

As always life is busy and the end of 2009 fast approaches. In this coming week we celebrate 2 years since we stepped off the plane onto the snow covered tarmac at Chisinau airport for the first time. Time has passed so quickly..so much has happened, so many wonderful experiences, but there is still so much we feel that needs to be done.

Let’s try and bring you up to the present..

About 3 months ago we moved apartment as our previous landlord dramatically increased our rent beyond what we really could afford. We have resettled into a smaller apartment with one less bedroom, but nevertheless very comfortable, and it feels like home.

Our new apartment block.. ours is the fourth floor on the left hand side.

The smaller sleeping capacity was recently tested when we had 2 officer couples staying a couple of nights – little squeezy but we all managed despite the toilet deciding not to work during that time!!!.

In early October Moldova hosted a Territorial Officers Councils for 3 days. This was a logistical challenge organising transport and accommodation for about 130 officers from the length and breadth of the Eastern Europe territory. Due to the fact that there are 4 languages (including English) spoken across the territory in different countries, there was the additional requirement of arranging translation so everyone could fully participate in the experience.

The Salvation Army in this part of the world commenced just over 15 years ago. It has a been a bit of a roller coaster ride to this point of time and there are still challenges with registration and various legal requirements. Despite all this, there is a good work being done and this gathering of officers was testimony to the work of God over these years. There was time for quiet reflection, whole-hearted worship, spiritual challenge and of course the rich fellowship which is a unique aspect of such Salvation Army gatherings. Commissioners van der Harst and Colonels Herring gave excellent leadership to our days together. We celebrated and experienced the unity in Christ that is ours despite the diversity of cultures.

The surprises continue to come!

A few months ago we were contacted by the Australian ambassador in Moscow who asked us to give assistance to an 85 year old Moldovan born Australian citizen who was in some distress in the north of Moldova. He had suffered a couple of strokes while visiting the place of his birth and they were requesting some assistance to bring him to Chisinau while they arranged for him to travel home to Perth. The stroke had left him paralysed down one side, but he was still able to shuffle around. He was unable to talk but understood what was being said. Having brought him to Chisinau we arranged some accommodation for him, but the surprise came a couple of days later when the Australian embassy made contact with us again and asked if one of us could accompany home to Perth, of course with our fare being paid! Viv made the LONG journey assisting with toileting and eating, but it all went well and we were eventually greeted at Perth airport by an ambulance that had been arranged and he was taken off to hospital for assessment. It was a tiring journey as our friend did not sleep at all, and there were also 2 lengthy stopovers at Istanbul and Dubai.

Of course, Perth is so close to Melbourne and Adelaide, and so I was given permission to travel on over to the east coast to spend time with the girls and their men, and of course, those 2 beautiful grand children. We spent special times together fitting in as many outings and ‘Nanna times’ as we could before getting back on the plane to make the L-O-N-G journey back again.

Joel getting the eggs from the chickens at home

Teaching Nanna the fine skills of netball

'Anything you can do......'

Sadie, the individual!!

Enjoying a drink after running through the water sprinkler at Glenelg beach

Then came another surprise trip!!

Only a week after arriving back from Australia, Viv was asked to attend a ‘Sally Ann’ conference in Norway as the Moldovan representative, replacing someone who was unable to get a visa in time. Of course she accepted and spent a week in Oslo meeting up with other delegates from all over the world.

Above, the delegates in session.. and below.. the Sally Ann shop in Oslo

An outing with the team.

‘Sally Ann’ is a fair trade business that seeks to provide employment opportunities to the world’s poorest people. This is a means of addressing poverty in a sustainable way, rather than just providing charity.

We heard amazing stories concerning the origins of the business in Bangladesh. ‘Sally Ann’ has developed to the point where products are now produced in several countries and sold through outlet stores in Scandinavia. The purpose of the conference was to generate interest for even more countries to become producers, and for Salvation Army territories around the world to open ‘Sally Ann’ stores. It was an exciting time of sharing as we considered what an impact this could all have on the lives of so many of the world’s poor. The hard work is now before us to make this dream a reality. Once again, the fellowship was rich fellowship and we were hosted so generously and graciously by our Norwegian friends. (I think I tasted the best cake I have ever tasted !! as well as reindeer meat).There was also a little free time available where I was able to walk around Oslo – a beautiful city situated on a fjord.

The Oslo Opera House on the left and the docks on the right

With visitors all gone, and no more trips on the near horizon it has been good to re-engage with the business of the division. There have been so many travels, so many visitors and so many special events to organise, and there is often much that is left undone as we attend to all these other matters.

In recent months we have had 3 regional gatherings for Sunday worship as corps combine together. These have been opportunities to promote our mission and to bring mutual encouragement to each other.

The combined congregation at Beltsi in the North..

Us in action with Oxana our translator

The first stage our new building on the DHQ site has now been completed. This is a 3 level building – on the ground floor a new corps building; on the 1^st floor DHQ offices, and on the 2^nd floor - 2 small apartments for officers.

Looking good on the outside, but still lots to do within these walls...

It has taken over a year to come this far. It has been an interesting process (to say the least!!) as we grapple with the unique Eastern European way of doing construction and business. Things have now pretty much come to a standstill as we now have to seek new sources of funding to complete stage 2 of the building including the interior, landscaping and furnishings.

If any one has a free $250,000 please contact us ASAP!!!

On this past weekend we had the opportunity to participate in the Winter Bazaar that is organised by the International Women’s Club of Moldova. This is a yearly fund-raising event that supports charities in Moldova. For the first time, ‘Sally Ann’ had a stall selling products produced by our workers here in Moldova. It proved to be very popular stall with people showing a lot of interest in our work and of course, also buying.

Captains Slava and Elena Katrutsa staffing the 'Sally Ann' stall

Busy at work with customers...

Meanwhile our band played Christmas carols outside, welcoming people as they arrived. They did us proud.

The Band making a great contribution on the day..

Click onto the following link - or paste it into your web browser to to hear the band in action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRRIlUUkzus

The day provided excellent exposure for the Army and wonderful opportunities to network with other agencies and build our relationship with the community. We handed out literature which told of our mission and work. Of course, in Australia The Salvation Army is well recognised and almost all Australians know of our work, but here we are still relatively unknown, so such an occasion is such a blessing for us.

Another recent sponsor visit saw us head out to the villages once again with the Mobile Clinic. On this particular day we accompanied Sasha, our outreach worker as he visited the homes of some of the villagers. On such visits he distributes food parcels, clothes, blankets, walking sticks, wheelchairs and disposable adult nappies to those families who are nursing bed-ridden loved ones at home.

Two typical photos of the people that we meet in their homes in the villages

Providing crutches to a 'granny'.

In every village, the Orthodox Church stands very prominently.

We met an 80 year old lady who had lived in her small house all her life. There was no electricity, no gas and no water. She sat alone every day in this room.

As we shared with her she said, ‘I live here alone’, but as she kissed the crucifix that hung around her neck she added, ‘but Jesus is with me !!’ We left a small parcel of food to help, but it seemed such a puny offering in the midst of such poverty.

This is the home of the lady we spoke about - a run down, mud walled, thatched roof hut.

But the real work is all about our mission and we have begun the process of visiting each corps and centre to conduct a review and facilitate some strategic planning with the corps officers and local leaders. This will take a couple of months to complete with the Christmas holiday season coming in the middle of these visits. We hope and pray that as folk commit to their goals there will be significant benefits for God’s Kingdom in Moldova.

Above, the Corps team at Ungheni, and below, the group at Beltsi.

The temperatures are dropping dramatically. In the next few weeks we have forecast temperatures as low as minus 13 degrees !!! …and lots of snow. It may be another ‘white Christmas’! We hope so!

There may not be another ‘blog’ until after Christmas, so we take this opportunity to send special Christmas greetings and express our deep appreciation of your continuing interest, love and support to us and to our work. I am reminded of the little old lady who sat in her village house…she said.. ‘but Jesus is with me!!’ We celebrate the coming of Jesus into this impoverished and broken world… ‘Emmanuel – God is with us’, and as his people we seek to do his work in this world.

To check out more of the work of The Salvation Army in Moldova, become a Facebook friend of Armata Salvarii.

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

Craciun Fericit si La Multi Ani!!! (MC and HNY!!)

FRANTIC CATCH UP

2009-11-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

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!!!

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 ?????????

2009-10-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

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....

2009-05-01T02:16:00.000-07:00

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!!

2009-03-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

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... !!

2008-12-18T11:07:00.001-08:00

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 !

2008-10-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

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

Here, there and everywhere.

2008-08-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

We are experiencing our first Moldovan summer. The temperatures are in the mid 30's during the day and most people take the opportunity of having holidays during this time (including us). So things are a little slower at the moment.

SO… how come we haven’t written for so long??? Good question. Let’s try and catch up on the last two months!

With summer come the ‘fruits of Moldova’. The strawberries have come and gone, as have the raspberries, cherries, and apricots. Peaches are still a plenty, and we are currently getting ‘stuck into watermelon'. Bring on the grape season, which hits in about three weeks!

When driving through the country, villagers often sit by the roadside selling produce from their gardens, hoping to earn a little extra money.

Early June saw us head north to Moscow for about 6 days, where we had the opportunity to meet various heads of department in the Army in 'the flesh', and discussed business for a couple of days. A visit to Moscow also means a visit to Red Square and various other attractions, which was very exciting.

Outside THQ in Moscow.

St Basils Church - Red Square. Can you believe it? (a 'pinch yourself 'experience!)

The Kremlin and the Moscow River

Not long after returning home, Viv attended another Women’s Camp, this time in Moldova. 100 women gathered making the most of the opportunity for fellowship, Bible study and relaxation.

It was also during this time that we had welcomed into the Division a Mission Team of 7 young adults from the U.S. Central Territory of The Salvation Army. They had arrived during our time in Moscow, and returned to spend a weekend with us before they left. It was good to be ‘mum and dad’ again as they shared our apartment with us for two days prior to going on to Russia. They led different children’s activities, visited elderly people, ran some youth days, attended our prison ministry, and worked very well as a team. Many were impacted by their ministry during the ten days they were here, and we believe that they have returned home to ‘the States’ the richer for this experience.

The group at Beltsi Corps...

...ministering at the women's prison

'Crashing' at our apartment

The night before departure to Moscow. What to take - what to leave!

Summer is camp time in Moldova. Each year, one of our sponsor groups 'Global Action' contribute a large amount of money so we can send 100 disadvantaged/orphaned kids plus leaders to a camp. We dropped in for a visit one day... they were having a great time.

After all these activities, there were a couple of ‘catch up’ weeks before taking two weeks furlough. We had anticipated the visit of Viv’s sister and brother in law, Judy and Rob for some time, and it was good to spend a few days here, showing them the country and something of what we do before heading off on a motoring holiday. Our furthest destination was Prague. On the way, we enjoyed driving through the beautiful Carpathian mountains in northern Romania, a very sobering visit to Auschwitz in Poland, a quick stop in Vienna, and then several days in Prague. So many contrasting experiences, each of them highlights for different reasons. One cannot help but be deeply affected by a visit to Auschwitz, where during WW2, 1.5 million people, mainly Jews, were exterminated in a period of 18 months. Tourists walk around silently as if trying to comprehend the scope of all that happened at this place. That’s how it was for us. It makes no sense. But as we reflected later, the same kind of atrocities still happen in our world today.

On a lighter note, Prague must be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with its magnificent architecture. Our days were full, walking around this city, taking in the sights. By chance, we happened to come across a concert that was part of the Prague Proms, featuring the Chicago Apostolic Church of God Gospel Choir and the Czech Symphony Orchestra. We decided to go, a decision that we didn’t regret. The choir had come to Prague especially for this one off concert, and the group, numbering about 200 black gospel singers, was magnificent. They sang with orchestral backing and unaccompanied, and got a huge reception. We went home truly inspired.

Inside one of the many marionette shops in Prague

The Charles Bridge in Prague

Typical street scene in Prague

Rob and Judy left us here to go back to Australia, and we headed for home via Budapest in Hungary. We had two nights there taking in the beautiful sights of this city on the Danube River. An evening cruise on a balmy summer evening capped off the trip, and showed us a different aspect of the city in lights.

View of Budapest

The magnificent Parliament building

Budapest Castle from the Danube at night

Another 'Danube' shot of the castle

As we crossed the border to come back into Moldova, we were greeted with a heavy thunderstorm. It might have been very welcome in Oz, but unbeknown to us, during our time away, it had been raining heavily in areas that we had travelled through only the week before, and parts of Romania, Moldova and Ukraine had been flooded. Many houses had been severely damaged or destroyed, thousands evacuated as flood waters spread and major rivers threatened to break their banks. It has been quite devastating. Within days of returning, we were caught up in helping to distribute emergency relief supplies to victims in some of the most affected areas.

Life in villages is tough at the best of times, but this has brought extra hardship for those who have lost possessions and dwellings. Most villagers in Moldova need to draw their water from wells scattered throughout their towns, and because of the floods, many of these have been contaminated. The Government have limited resources to help, so life is gloomy for those who have been affected. We work alongside other agencies in order to meet people’s needs, but we too have limited resources at our disposal. Still, we do what we can, and the little that we offer is gratefully received.

Returning home with gratefully received assistance

The notice on this well warns of it's contamination by flood waters.
Note the waterline on the house

Typical village women.

So that just about brings us up to date. No wonder we’re feeling too tired to write a blog entry!! (Or maybe that’s just the onset of old age!!?)

You will probably have caught up on the news of the conflict between Georgia and Russia that is of concern to us at the moment. Although Georgia is over 1000 kms from here, both Russia and Georgia are in the Eastern Europe Territory of The Salvation Army, and we have friends in both countries. Please pray for a quick and peaceful resolution to this conflict.

As usual, some random photos....

The staff quarters at the camp before the flood...

...and after!
(This was the place where the previous week we had held our Children's Camp!)

A village bus shelter before the flood...

...and after!

Cochieri Corps meeting outside 'under the vines'. Look how laden they are.

Cricket in Moscow. It was the Aussies vs the 'Rest of the World'!! (It was a holiday and all the expats from THQ and us got together for a picnic)

One of the many beautiful bronze statues that adorn a Metro underground station in Moscow

Immaculate gardens inside The Kremlin precinct.

Some things never change!! Anyone for a Big Macskii?

Arriving at the Chief Secretary's home. It was still very light at 10-30 pm!

Our 'happy little Vegemite', Joel.. who is now walking...

..and the beautiful little Sadie who is now full of smiles!

That’s it for now. Until next time…. Ian and Viv. xoxo

Brides, Belly Dancing and Birthdays..!

2008-07-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

After returning from our trip to Ukraine, Ian conducted his first Moldovan wedding of Anastasia and Dmitri (Nastia and Dima). We were to discover that at Moldovan weddings, guests don’t spectate but rather participate. Australian weddings are boring by comparison. All weddings in Moldova are conducted by a civil celebrant in a registry office. If a church blessing is desired, this follows on afterwards. The wedding started at 2.00pm and we didn’t get home until nearly 12 hours later….. and we were by no means the last to leave!!

The Civil Ceremony

Of interest – during the service the couple find each other’s rings which are hidden in a bowl of wheat. Tradition has it that the first to find a ring is the ‘head of the house’. On this occasion, Nastia found it first! (We knew she would!)

At the reception we were encouraged to join in the dancing, the eating and the offering of well-wishes, gifts and money. At one point later in the evening, a few of the older ladies took Nastia aside, removed her veil to signify that she was no longer a bride, and dressed her in an apron and head scarf to signify that she was now a wife. Her first task as wife was then to cut and serve the wedding cake. Not sure how that tradition would go down in Australia, but it doesn’t seem to be an issue here!!

Another fun tradition was the bride being stolen at one point during the evening, and the groom had to oblige by performing a number of fun songs, dancing, answering a few questions etc.. in order to get her back (see above). Well, she eventually came back, and they travelled off into the sunset..or should I say, the sunrise…. except that traditionally Moldovan weddings last for 3 days! The expectation is that they then celebrate at the groom’s family all the next day and the bride’s family the day after. It was fun, and a real privilege to be part of the special day!

We still needed to be at Rainbow of Hope corps the next morning where we enrolled 6 new soldiers.

What a great weekend!

We had just enough time to get the washing done then pack our bags and return to the Ukraine on May 21^st where we were contributing to the Divisional Women’s Camp. We came to the conclusion that in many ways Home Leaguers are the same all over the world, but these women love to sing and dance. They are fervent in their worship, love to read the Bible and pray together. Ukrainian culture came to the fore in the evening sessions. ..with singing, traditional Ukrainian dancing, belly dancing(!!??) poetry recital, drama and LOTS of talking! In the midst of difficult life circumstances, these people have a love for life and each other. We also came to appreciate the flexibility and ingenuity of these people. When the power failed for half a day, everything was just relocated outside and the power run off a car battery…all very matter of fact. In fact it was a great setting – even better than being inside.

These ladies were supposed to be grains of salt.
After a while we thought that the head pieces were about 30cms too high!!

An old Russian tale.. The Big Turnip

'Wheel of Fortune', Ukraine Womens Camp style.

Ukraine's answer to Adrianne Xenides !

Driving home on Sun afternoon we stopped for a while at the town of Uman to view the magnificent landscaped gardens at Sofia Park, which were just breathtaking. This is certainly a land of contrasts. There is so much of the country that is tired and neglected, but then you come across these breathtaking gardens of which the locals are understandably very proud.

35 candidates gathered the following weekend for the Divisional Candidates Seminar. These are quality young people (and some not so young) who are responding to a conviction that they serve as officers in future days. It was such an inspiration to be in their midst and sense their passion. Currently we are working with several of them who have indicated that they wish to be a part of the next session. Intakes of new Cadets only occur every two years with a limit of 15 due to budget restraints.

Then on the Saturday, a Music Seminar - again mostly young people who just love being together. There are many excellent musicians in the division and worship bands that could ‘hold their own’ anywhere. (Music is a strong part of Moldovan culture). A fun part of the day was the parading of ‘Salvation Army uniforms of the future’ which the young folk had designed. Once again, there was singing, dancing, poetry, drama.

We’re still trying to catch you up on all our travels. Next installment will bring news of our trip to Moscow.

Our experiences are varied. As you read our ‘blog’ you may be forgiven for thinking that life is a holiday, but the challenges and frustrations are many and varied as we work with very limited resources and burdensome government bureaucracy. And of course there are those times when we feel deeply the separation of the miles and the absence of security, familiarity and efficiency, and of course family and friends.

Joel turned 1 last week, and the photos we have seen helped us sense something of the occasion, but not quite the same as being there. Hopefully we will be there for his 2^nd, Sadie’s 1^st, and Ian’s mum’s 95^th this time next year.

In all of these new and varied experiences, we prove daily that God never changes. He is constant in every way and we have proved him in new ways in our lives. As we continue to make personal adjustments in this new context, we discover again that… ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever’. Hebrews 13:8 NLT

Once again, as we close…. here are some more random photos, and a couple that are blatantly and unashamedly indulgent!

This picture typifies life in this part of the world... coming to grips with the new, but clinging to the old.

Shepherds in the fields looking after sheep or cattle are commonplace.

Ukrainian spring flower garlands.

Our beautiful little Sadie...

about to pout..

Getting to know cousin Joel

Joel - Megan's son!! There are similarities....

The birthday party photo collage.

‘Til next time. Ian and Viv xoxo

2008-06-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

First things first....

On June 20^th, our second grandchild, Sadie Joy Reeve, was born to Clare and Matt. As you can see she is beautiful. Get used to seeing photos of her and Joel featured a bit in successive posts. We’re grandparents…that’s our job!!

Sadie with mum and Aunties Beth and Megan

Joel meeting his new cousin

NOW… the blog!!!

It's been a long time since our last posting.

Where were we???? It would be an understatement to say that life has been hectic. There have been many comings and goings, several trips abroad and camps attended, mixed in with the everyday demands of Divisional life. Let’s reflect… We may do this in a few rapid fire ‘blogs’ over the next week or so.

May 7^th…. Viv’s birthday. What a present…an International trip!!!!

We set off in the car on a 9 day visit to Crimea in the south of Ukraine, our neighbouring country. Crimea borders the Black Sea. This time incorporated two or three days of public holidays and weekends.

On the promenade with Yalta in the background

Our first five days were spent in Yalta on the South coast, which is a beautiful resort town on the coast, surrounded by spectacular mountains. We stayed at a little B&B with magnificent views of the ocean. The cost for this view was climbing precarious exterior stairs (more like a glorified ladder!!) but once there, it was worth it.

We had been requested to do a three hour presentation at Yalta University with the given topic ‘Unknown Australia’. Those who attended were students who had been studying English. We gave a brief historical and political overview, and spoke about the economy, geography, culture, and of course sport!

It seems that everyone in this part of the world is interested in pictures of Australia's unique fauna. (When there is any confusion about whether we are Australian or Austrian, mentioning the word ‘kangaroo’ soon clarifies our roots!) Vegemite tasting was also part of the experience. Needless to say, it was either a 'love or hate' reaction.

Meeting the Director of the Yalta University(centre) Yuri, our translator is on the left and Olga, the Co-ordinator of International Studies is on the right

The next few days were spent exploring this area and its associated rich history, especially when it comes to wars, spanning many centuries. Our tour guide was Yuri Gulyanytsky, a Salvationist from Yalta who is an expert on the area. Places of interest included Livadia Palace, the scene where Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill talked about the future of Europe at the end of WW2.

In the grounds of Livadia Palace

Continuing on the 'war' theme... we visited the field where the ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ took place, and also saw some former secret Soviet Naval bases, which are now popular tourist destinations. A unique feature of one such base, Balaklava, is the secret submarine maintenance docks. At the height of the Cold War, subs would enter the inlet of this village, and enter an excavated tunnel that was the entry point to the underground workshops. These former naval establishments are a shadow of their former selves.

Look carefully at this poster to see the 'secret' access to the Submarine workshop

In the township of Balaklava

The road along the coast is reminiscent of the Great Ocean road in Victoria with sea on one side and towering mountains on the other. There was the mandatory visit to a couple of spectacular Orthodox Churches which had been magnificently restored in post Soviet times.

Near to the town of Sevastopol are the ancient Greek ruins of the settlement of Hersones, dating back to the 6^th century B.C. A new sense of historical perspective comes when you walk amongst areas with such history, and try to imagine the everyday activities that happened 2500 years earlier. Yuri and Ian fossicked along the beach and found some fragments of old earthenware pottery.

Yuri and Ian searching for artifacts.

There are also pockets of Turkish influence in this area and we were introduced to the delights of Turkish cuisine.

It's a tough life for Turkish men!! This man was set for the day to be waited upon by his Turkish women.

In Yalta itself we enjoyed leisurely strolls along the lengthy promenade and were constantly fascinated by the variety of activities happening, ranging from chess games, string ensembles, palm reading, and mini bike hire.

An entertainer who kept singing old Soviet war songs.

Palm reading

The‘Swallows Nest’, a ‘castle’ is an iconic landmark of Yalta,built by a wealthy German for his gypsy lover. It now sits precariously on a cliff top overhanging the black sea. The story goes that the gypsy lover left after only one night. (C’est la vie!) Because of his nationality, the man left at the commencement of the Second WW. The Swallows Nest is now one of the main tourist attractions in the town.

The views from the 'Swallow's Nest' are breathtaking

Sunday morning we attended the Yalta Corps and participated in worship. We were again overwhelmed with a warm welcome, and had flowers ‘thrust’ at us several times during the service.

The Salvation Army meets on the third level of an old Soviet building now used by an association for the blind. As we climbed the stairs we saw this relic from Cold War days, giving instructions on what to do when ‘they attack us with nuclear bombs.’ (Fascinating!)

On Sunday afternoon we journeyed on to Kerch on the East Coast of Crimea. Here we spent three days teaching a module entitled ‘Contagious Christianity’ to delegates of a lay leadership course. This is an interdenominational college with representatives from many churches including the Army. The course aims to develop lay leadership in the Churches of Eastern Europe. Yuri was our translator, and has the wonderful gift of making us sound better than we really are. We were challenged by their eagerness to learn, their strong faith and their powerful prayers. We were also challenged by the camp food, but we are managing to eat everything that is put in front of us. The reality is you either eat or go hungry. The campsite itself was formerly a Pioneers camp (‘Pioneers’ was the equivalent of a youth movement – with a mixture of ‘scouting’ activities and political indoctrination) There are many of these camp sites scattered throughout the former Soviet union now abandoned. The campsite at Kerch has been transformed through the finances and support of Global Action, a Christian teaching and aid organisation, which also happens to sponsor many projects run by The Salvation Army in Moldova.

Ian teaching with the help of Yuri, our translator.

In the few hours we had free, we did a whirlwind tour of the city of Kerch, with Yuri once again proving a great tour guide, giving us a comprehensive history of the place.

A sea view from Kerch. Just 5 kms across the sea behind us is mainland Russia

Like many before us, we are taking the salute under one of the many statues of Lenin that remain intact throughout the former Soviet Union

The 850 kms back to Chisinau took us 15 hours in the car. It was a long way on fairly ordinary roads. We have come to the conclusion that Ukrainian drivers are amongst the worst in the world. It is common for cars and trucks to overtake other vehicles whilst going up a hill or while taking a bend, regardless of what might be coming in the other direction. At times it was quite scary. Since then we have been told that the Ukrainian road toll over the Easter weekend exceeded the road toll for Sweden for all of 2007.

We are still here to tell the story….

Sometimes we still have to pinch ourselves to remind us that all this is really happening to us, it still seems so unreal. We feel privileged to be serving in this part of the world. In the midst of all the above mentioned experiences are the many challenges that are part and parcel of everyday as we lead the Army in this Division. But God is at work, and continues to provide grace and strength for the task.

Until next time… Lots of love.

Ian and Viv xoxo

2008-05-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

Life has been frantically busy with many happenings and much travelling, hence this long overdue blog!

On the last weekend in April we celebrated Orthodox Easter and although there was no public holiday on Good Friday, DHQ did not open. Corps hold Good Friday services in the evening so that folk can attend after work, school etc. We attended a small gathering at Botanica corps. Even though it was all in Russian, the powerful reminder of the story came to us in new ways, and with new perspective, through drama, monologues and prayers. It is always moving to be in the midst of these sincere worshippers. The service then concluded with a light meal, as people had been fasting throughout the day.

A few days previous we had travelled to the regional town of Beltsi where there is a vibrant Army corps. We accompanied Captains Lev and Alla Freidkin, DHQ officers who are of Jewish background. They took us through the Passover meal and we were powerfully reminded of the story of the Exodus as we shared in this symbolic meal. There are of course for us the undeniable links with the Easter story and our deliverance from the bondage of sin into fellowship with God.

At midnight on the Saturday evening of Easter we took the opportunity to walk to the little wooden Orthodox church near our apartment to share in the orthodox Easter morning celebrations. We were warned that this would be about a 5 hour service. It commenced with the lighting of candles, then proceeding outside to walk 3 times around the church in procession, then we made our way inside. This procession carrying the candles and accompanied by chanting we are told symbolizes the growing light of the Easter morning. Once inside the service was fairly repetitive liturgy and chanting from a choir of women situated upstairs in a loft. The tiny churched was packed and we stood all the time. I felt sorry for the many old ladies who were there. Many had brought baskets of Easter food to be blessed by the priest at the conclusion of the service. They were going to stand for about 5 hours. It was also quite stuffy as there was also lots of incense. It was fairly repetitive, with priestly chanting, and continuous singing from a small women's choir upstairs. It was conducted in Romanian, but every 15 minutes or so the priest came in front of the congregation and said three times, 'Hristos in viata' (Christ is alive) and the congregation, responded accordingly each time. This began almost with a whisper at the beginning of the service and got louder as time went on. I must admit we didn’t see the distance to the conclusion and left at about 2.30am but while we didn't understand a lot, it was meaningful to be involved in this very ancient ritual.
Next year, we might go to bed early, wake up at 2am and then go to see how the service ends!!

The following weekend we were hosts to Commissioners Max and Lenora Feener (Territorial Commanders of USA Southern Territory of The Salvation Army). They were accompanied by Commissioners Wim and Netty van der Harst, who are Territorial Commanders of our Eastern Europe Territory. USA Southern Territory generously sponsors many projects that happen in

Moldova

. It was good to show them many of our programs in operation and advise them of ongoing challenges into the future.

Visits during their time here included the Mobile Medical Clinic in a very poor village called Selemet, about 100 kms from Chisinau. Over 220 patients were seen that day in the community building that was provided for our use. The mayor of the village gave a special welcome to us. Once again, wheelchairs were provided, medications dispensed, baby formula give out. Once the clinic got underway we were invited to afternoon tea in the mayors office who again expressed her deep appreciation for the Army’s visit saying that for many in the village our 3 visits each year provided for most in the village the only access to medical care that they had.

Two TC's and a donkey. (The donkey is in the front!!)

The 'feed' in the Mayors Office afterwards

The closest Ian will ever get to being a Mayor!

The next day we travelled to Dubossari where everyday the corps provides food and assistance with schoolwork to the most disadvantaged children in the area. About 30-40 children gather in the tiny hall which we have told you about in previous posts. Dubossari offers an excellent example of incarnational ministry. In recent days we have arranged for improved heating so that there is now hot running water for the kitchen staff and the ability to make the place warmer in the depths of winter.

A friendly soccer match involving the youth of the Corps on the local 'oval'!

Nothing gets past these guys!!!

We also dropped in on other corps so that the visitors could see the property needs that exist for so many of our corps.
On Sunday there was a time of combined celebration for corps in Chisinau. It seems that no matter how hard one tries to keep the meeting a reasonable length, participants usually just do what they want to do. So the requested one song turns into a bracket of 3 or 4. Not so bad if it happens once, but everyone does the same thing. Anyway, no one seems to mind. They just love getting together and celebrating in worship.

The quintet from Checani in the service - they are brilliant!

Commissioner Lenora Feener

A very powerful drama presented by the Central Corps Youth.

Commissioner Max Feener and Oxana from DHQ, who translated.

We were encouraged by their visit and the promise of ongoing and additional support for The Salvation Army in Moldova.

Until next time....

Love from Ian and Viv xoxo

Work and Play

2008-04-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

As time goes by it seems that the sights, smells, customs, experiences that all seemed so new and fascinating are now everyday occurrences. Even encounters with traffic police are a bit ‘ho-hum’. Not to be outdone, Viv got in on the act and was reprimanded for driving down the street the President lived in – definitely a ‘no-no’ so she found out. But no money changed hands – just a warning! I think they are a little gentler with the ladies!!

Since our last post (yes, we know – it was along time ago!!) things have been pretty ‘full on’.
Just over a week ago the Territorial leaders Commissioners Wim and Netty van der Harst and Colonels Alistair and Astrid Herring visited for about 5 days. During that time we had 2 full days of strategic planning workshops – one with officers, and the second with soldiers. It was encouraging to hear them speak passionately about Salvation Army mission in Moldova into the future. Of particular encouragement was the high number of young people really identifying with Army mission and wanting to impact their communities and villages. In the next 5 years the territory has 3 areas of focus:
The first is about consolidating our existing corps and moving into new areas according to need and the availability of resources. It is recognised that healthy corps means healthy mission. Just about all our evangelical, humanitarian and social work emanates from the corps, so we need to resource them as much as we can
The second focus is on leadership development of both officers and soldiers.
The third is to work toward financial self-sufficiency. Up until now all our work has been funded from outside the territory, so the aim is to approach government, businesses and individuals for assistance along with teaching soldiers about giving.
It was exciting to hear the ideas that officers and soldiers contributed in these areas.

Another day was spent having a divisional review. Hours and hours of work had gone into collecting, translating and documenting a lot of information from corps and projects around the division, but it was a helpful exercise to sit together and identify strengths and weaknesses.

For a bit of light relief we visited the ballet –‘Romeo and Juliet’. We were given discount on the best seats in the theatre and only had to pay $6.00 rather than $8.00 a seat!! It was a great evening capped off with pancakes back at our apartment!

Corps visits on recent Sundays have been to Cahul, a good sized Corps over two hours south of Chisinau on the Romanian border. As often happens we were greeted in the traditional Moldovan style with bread, salt and juice, and then entered the hall. There was an enthusiastic congregation, and four soldiers were enrolled. They are in the middle of building a new hall which is being funded by one of the US territories.

On another Sunday we visited Cochieri, perhaps our smallest Corps, where the worship setting is fairly basic. We rent a house in the village, and use one of the rooms for a worship setting. Three young girls give oversight to the Corps while the Corps leader, a cadet, is away training in Moscow for two months. There was a good spirit in the place, and a new Adherent member was into the Corps. Even though the Corps is very small, it is a good expression of 'incarnational ministry'. Many children from the vilage find this a warm and welcoming place.

Guess what this is?? Typical of a number of our Corps.

One of the HUGE issues for Moldova is the problem of human trafficking. There are many agencies at work in the country endeavouring to address this. Many approaches are taken – some agencies focus on working with vulnerable groups, others work at education and awareness programs, others work with victims when they return to the country.
Every month Viv attends a meeting of these agencies, where agencies report on their activities and share information. At this time The Salvation Army is not a big player because there are many agencies involved, however, we are enquiring as to whether there are any gaps that maybe we can fill.
It was interesting at the last meeting of this committee to hear a presentation about organ trafficking. Once again people in the poorest villages are the ones who get caught in these schemes. It seems that it happens more often than the government is willing to admit – but just another indication of the lengths people will go to in order to get money so that their families can survive. The going price for a kidney in Moldova is about $3,000 and the recipients are usually ‘rich’ Westerners .

Have had a day at home today – spent the morning doing preparation for Sunday when we are going to Edinets, a town about 3 hours away over bumpy Moldovan roads. My back is always sore after such a trip. Also did some washing this afternoon – was unable to do it any earlier because there was no water for 12 hours. It just happens- unannounced – you wake up and there’s no water!!!! But we’ve survived. All a part of normal life here in Moldova.

There are many glaring needs that need to be addressed both within the Army and in the wider community. We are endeavouring to prioritise and keep chipping away in order to make a difference.

We are both well, and although there are still times when we feel the separation from family and friends, we have a sense of being in the right place at the right time.
Once again – a few random photos with comments…

A few of our DHQ staff enjoying Spring weather

The DHQ garden is coming to life!

A tiny Orthodox Church that has just been built entirely out of wood (apart from foundations) not very far from our apartment. It has been fascinating watching it being built.

One of our disappointments was not being able to attend Clare's graduation from Whitley with her Bachelor of Theology on April 3rd, to add to her science degree. She continues to study this year, and we are proud of her achievements. Megan, Andrew, Beth and Stuart , and of course MATT AND JOEL were there as part of her cheer squad on the night! (In our first edition of this blog, we unfortunately offended a family member who saw that his name was missing from the list of people in Clare's support team. Sorry about that, Joel!!!)

Hey!!! Just coz we can ok???

Until next time.... Ian and Viv xo

You never know what (or who) is around the corner!

2008-03-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

There is no such thing as a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive in Moldova. Not only are there the potholes, the horse drawn wagons and the pedestrians to avoid, there have also been Ian's two close encounters with the Politia Rutiera. (Traffic cops)

The first happened driving back from a Corps two Sundays ago when we got routinely stopped. Ian had forgotten to bring his drivers licence which is an offence almost worthy of the death penalty, or so it seems. I was asked to accompany the policeman into his 'office', where he took my passport, and then proceeded to get his chief up from down in the village. I was told I would receive a 'very heavy penalty'. An hour later, I emerged from the local police station having had to pay the enormous sum of about $28, the 'maximum' penalty for an offence of this kind. At least I got my passport back! We philosophised about the whole experience, and reckoned that it cost about the same as a trip to the cinema in Australia, but was far more entertaining!!

Ian being escorted into 'the Office' ( an old camouflaged train carriage) for interrogation!

Then last Sunday, on the way back from another country Corps, I was pulled over again. This time I was ready with my licence. But on this occasion, he had been 'clocked' doing 58 in a 40 zone (in the middle of nowhere mind you!!) This time he took my licence and said I would have to go to the village and pay 200 lei (about $20) fine at the bank, then come back and get my licence after I showed the receipt. Not even in Moldova are the banks open at 4-00pm on a Sunday afternoon, so this was going to be difficult. He then suggested that I could pay 50 lei to him 'for gasoline' which is a nice way of saying 'cash sale, no receipt'!! I couldn't believe the blatant way this was happening. Luckily I had Alla, our finance officer in the car, and she did some quick talking to the policeman. She said that we could pay the 50 lei, no problem, but 'this was a sin, and God will not bless this money!' This obviously put the wind up him, because she said, "he says..OK you can go!' Needless to say, someone else is driving next Sunday!

Alla our finance officer doing some fast talking. She got Ian off the hook.

Corps visits over the last two weeks have included Dubossari and Ceadir Lunga.

Dubossari is a vibrant small Corps in Transnistria with an effective outreach program into the local community. They meet in a very narrow hall (about 3 mts wide by 10 mts long) but the worship is inspiring. There were two people who came to faith at the conclusion of the meeting.

We did say small! The hall is actually only the right half of this building. NB. Asbestos roof!

Sunday morning worship at Dubossari. It is a case of come early for a seat. Some people were standing at the back during the course of the meeting

The small area at the back of the hall used for childrens afterschool program. Note the sink in the rear corner used for washing up after feeding 30 kids each day .

Ceadir Lunga is another smallish Corps in the south of the country. There is a strong Turkish influence in the region. Their hall, a rented property, is one of the biggest we have in the division. Here, too, the worship was meaningful, and the preacher for the day was a Cadet, who is the Corps leader.

A big wood-fire stove just behind Ian both heats the hall and acts as an oven on occasions.

It's always humbling to share in worship with these people.

Once again..there was the traditional Moldovan style meal at the quarters after the service for the visiting Divisional leaders...

...which included 'galooptsi', rice and mince wrapped in grape leaves or stuffed in capsicum. Very tasty...

... but this was a new one for us. 'Cold soup'. Meat and some vegetables set in gel/fat served cold. We did the polite thing and ate just enough to keep our hostess happy. Fortunately, on most occasions, it is 'serve yourself'.

Viv has been involved over the last 10 days in two League of Mercy seminars in different parts of the country. League of Mercy workers have a very influential ministry amongst the poorest people in their communities, and these seminars were opportunities to bring encouragement and training to those who attended. A feature of this work in Moldova is the high proportion of young people who are involved. Much of the ministry centres on the visitation and support of elderly people in the community.

Moldovans love to include drama on any occasions that they can. This one served to illustrate a point regarding League of Mercy visitation.

Last Saturday, we visited the National Archaeology and History Museum. One can't help but be taken by the history of this region. It gives a sense of perspective to stand and look at artifacts discovered within kilometres of this city that were used by human beings up to 10,000 years ago.

There were also many beautiful works of art, often with a religious theme.

This 18th century painting is titled "Christ the Living Vine"

"Christ the Good Shepherd"

There are frustrations and new experiences that occur every day, but in the midst of that, we continue to feel a sense of rightness in being here at this time. We are privileged to share with these people, many of whom are still so relatively new in their faith. Their encounter with God and The Salvation Army has brought new joy and purpose despite the difficult circumstances in which many of them still live from day to day.

Today, we had planned a picnic for DHQ staff with the aim of building team morale. If only it had been yesterday when it was sunny and 21c! This morning the wind was strong, and the steady rain changed to snow. We decided to make some changes and have the BBQ in the carport at DHQ. We made some enquiries to explore alternative activities, and after a lovely meal of shashlicks and salads, we took everyone to the local bowling alley where we had booked 3 lanes for an hour. For all except two of the staff, this was the first time they had ever been to such a place. TV was their only experience of this sport. It was such a joy to see everyone having a great time. The older ladies became like little kids they were so excited. Their expressions of appreciation at the end of the day were humbling as we reflected how such a simple activity had meant so much to them.

Again, we conclude with some random photos (and explanations where needed!)

The street entrance to DHQ.

DHQ. A series of adjoining rooms .

Both humans and animals rummage through the bins outside our apartment block hoping to find something salvageable.

The 'bin monitor' at the adjoining apartment block doesn't do quite as good a job as ours.

Who needs a Hills Hoist? Just have to make sure you have good pegs!!

Until next time... Viv and Ian xo

Just in the nick of time!

2008-03-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

First things first!
This is what they look like….the ‘green cards’ that we have been asking you to pray about.

They are AT LAST in our possession!

We have finally jumped through the last hoop, and they were handed to us today, with our visa due to expire tomorrow!! We now rest easy as far as being able to stay.

The truth is we paid for them last Wednesday and had our photos taken, but we chose to opt for the longer processing time in order to save the Army $80! That can be put to better use in this part of the world. It is a great relief to be freed from this concern. Thanks for your prayers and interest. God is good.

‘Primavara Vine!’ Spring has come! The buds on the tree outside our window are bulging with a promising tinge of green, the sun is more often ‘out’ than ‘in’, the grass is starting to grow, and the days are noticeably getting longer. The place is coming to life. Even as we walked home this evening, we commented on all the children playing outside. Up until now they have largely remained inside, out of the cold.

It seems that Moldovans find any reason to celebrate, and the first day of spring is one of those occasions. It is known as ‘Martisor’. There are several legends that lay claim to be the basis of the celebration, but a common theme in each of the stories is blood in the snow. As a result, people present each other with lapel decorations of red and white flowers to wear for the month of March. As we walked down the main street on March 1st, one entire block of the footpath was lined with people standing shoulder to shoulder selling these trinkets as well as spring flowers. It was quite a sight.

Part of this tradition is spring cleaning….and that includes everything!!! Even the asphalt soccer fields that we cross walking to work had teams of schoolkids out with the traditional Moldovan straw broom sweeping up leaves and other rubbish. Beats being in the classroom I guess!

International Women’s Day (8th) is also celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm, and we even got a public holiday last Monday because the 8th was a Saturday. It’s like the equivalent of Mothers Day, but not confined to mum’s. Women are presented with flowers and chocolates and many accolades.

The men also get a guernsey. Late in February is ‘Men’s Day’, by no means as grandly celebrated as Women’s Day. It is more a recognition of returned soldiers. At the Corps the day after, we saw the man in the photo below proudly wearing his uniform and medals. He had been a member of the Soviet Army for many years.

In recent days, we have made new friends in Captains Brad and Anita Caldwell. They are American officers who have served in this Territory for 7 years, presently in the education field. They stayed with us for several days while conducting some seminars with officers and employees. We had a great time sharing with them, enjoying the freedom of conversation without the need for a translator. A highlight of our time together was a meal out one evening. We had the small restaurant to ourselves for most of the night, and were serenaded by our own personal muso’s, a brilliant violinist, and an equally accomplished pianist. Some financial incentive encouraged them to keep playing, and they even came back later in the evening for an encore! It was the kind of entertainment yo would have to pay a small fortune for in Australia. Professional musicians in Moldova are very poorly paid, (remember that we said seats at the opera were between $4-$10 each!) These kind of gigs are a welcome added source of income. They sure earned their money that night.

Seminar participants.

The guy in the middle is Yuri Gulyanytsky from Ukraine. He is the Territorial Sergeant Major.

A couple of Sundays ago, we travelled north to the city of Beltsi, where we conducted Sunday worship. It was a great experience as usual, followed by a sumptuous lunch (as usual!!!) We had then offered to go another 40 kms north to pick up an officer from a village Corps and bring him back to Chisinau with us for some medical treatment. We had half expected to stop the vehicle, bip the horn and wait for him to come out. To our surprise and delight, as we pulled up, four beautiful young women in national costume ran out to meet us, then insisted that we come in and let them dance in our honour. This was not going to be a whistle stop! We watched thirty minutes of enthusiastic dancing, had a sumptuous afternoon tea (more food as usual!!!) then all in the minibus to travel home, trying to avoid the potholes along the way. It had been a twelve hour day..full of surprises! (as usual!!!!)

Ian in action at Beltsi Corps with Oxana from DHQ who translated on the day.

‘Skype’ is a Godsend. It is great to be able to speak to our family ‘live’ and see them via a web camera. We were delighted to see Joel crawling for the first time the other morning. We ‘goo’ and ‘gaa’ and talk and sing to him, but more often than not he seems more interested in the computer keyboard than us. It’s good therapy for us anyway. It is also good to see Clare’s increasing ‘profile’ as we continue to count down the days to the birth of their baby in June. She looks beautiful. (They all do!!)

Any excuse to put in the latest photo of our little man!!

Work wise we seem to be settling into routine and are beginning to identify issues both short and long term that we will need to focus on. Now that we are ‘Australian Moldovans’, the holiday is over and it’s in for the long haul.. ‘heads down – b_ms up’ and into it!!

To finish... a few random photos that help 'tell our story...'

An uncovered manhole - not an uncommon sight! There is no such thing as a leisurely walk - you've got to watch where you're walking all the time.

The snow has gone, revealing the rubbish beneath. This is our kitchen window view. Nice!

Viv inspecting the high tech fire fighting equipment at a Corps building!!

The toilets at one of our distant Corps. All of a sudden, Ian lost the urge!!!!

If you have a set of bathroom scales, here is a 'weigh' to make a dollar a day (if you're lucky)
The equivalent of 5c a time. This was taken on the main street of Chisinau

Until next time..

Ian and Viv xoxoxo

Where are the Goalposts?????

2008-02-22T12:33:00.000-08:00

In many respects, life has settled into some sort of a routine…. if life could ever be called routine in Moldova! Every day life brings fresh surprises, and about four new laws which we have to negotiate to operate as The Salvation Army. The ‘goal posts’ seem to constantly change - that is if you can even find the goal posts to start with!!!

In the past three weeks, we have endeavoured to make face-to-face contact with all the officers in the Division so as to share our stories together, and to assure them of our support. This has been a really valuable exercise, and at times, very moving as many of them shared as we asked them each how they came to faith. In Soviet times, some were secret members of the underground church, others spoke of their links with the Communist party and of their conversion from atheism, some spoke of the influence of their grandmother’s faith, and still others came to the Lord because initially their children had been invited to a children’s program in the local Corps. All amazing stories!

These conversations also assisted us as we attended the Divisional Commander’s conference earlier this week. We shared in preliminary discussions about the annual Field Change (moving of Salvo Officers for non-Army readers!) as well as other strategic issues about the Eastern Europe Territory. The internationalism of ‘the Army’ was evident, as the leaders of five countries, Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova and our Territorial leaders met around a common table. There are nationals leading in Russia and Georgia, whilst other leaders are ‘expats’ from the Netherlands, New Zealand, Moldova, Sweden and of course Australia. It was a rich experience - the kind that always seems to be a part of Salvationists sharing together.

The venue was a small conference centre at Old Orhei about 50kms from Chisinau. Close by, there is the 15th century Butuceni monastery which is set in a large cave on the side of a cliff.

We walked up one lunchtime, and were met at the door of the cave by a young entrepreneur whose name was Iwo.

He immediately offered to guide us down the steps into the cave, (for a price!!!). He made a killing! We met the resident Orthodox monk, Efim, and saw where he sleeps, which is comfort in comparison to the small carved out ‘cells’ that used to house several other monks in past days. There is also a chapel area about 6m by 6m that hewn from the rock. It was ornately decorated, as indeed are all Orthodox churches and around the centre of this area were souvenir crosses, bracelets and pictures for purchase. It was like being in something from the middle ages.

The conference was memorable for many reasons. Here are two..

The conference centre proved to be something akin to ‘Fawlty Towers. The day we arrived, we had a meal about 6-30pm and then off to our rooms to settle in. A feature of Moldovan construction is one power point per room, and see how many times you can piggy back power boards and adaptors to power up all your appliances. It was cold (got down to about –12°C) and the power kept going off. This must be the only building in Moldova with a safety switch. Great!! We had no heating, there were no sheets on the bed, only a bare mattress with a sort of mattress protector on it, and a doona that did not even reach the sides of the bed. And the toilets did not flush during the night. (Yeah..we’re getting old!) To top it off, no heating also meant no hot water!!! Even washing the bare necessities was painful! It was fun, sort of, and after sharing similar stories at breakfast, we made a few adjustments for the next two nights to help us keep snug and warm. It’s amazing how resourceful one becomes when desperate!

Another highlight of the Conference was sharing devotions ‘al fresco’ one morning . We walked a little way up the side of a hill and stopped beside a leaf bare tree, with a large rock nearby.

In silence we considered the stark but beautiful scene before us. We were then invited to sing together a verse of ‘How great thou art’ each singing in our own language, and then to read Psalm 100 slowly verse by verse(again in our own language) which speaks of the faithfulness of God. Here is the Psalm…

1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!2 Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.5 For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

It certainly was a choice moment as we shared this time together.

Prior to this conference, we had Alistair and Astrid Herring, the ‘2IC’s for this Territory, staying with us on the weekend. We took them to Capriana Monastery, (described in an earlier post). On this occasion we met Dmitri the bell ringer, who was insistent that we climb the bell tower to see his bells (!!) It involved a climb of about 50 steps up to the top. They were impressive to say the least, and one was manufactured in 1902. Dmitri looked almost as old! The view was also pretty good.

Alistair and Astrid Herring

This guy was the Church Candle Extinguisher

Dmitri the bell ringer (in the background!)

I have been driving for about three weeks now, and am becoming more confident doing nearly everything ‘backwards’. There was quite a heavy snow as we drove up into the hills, and the roads were white when we left to come back home. We managed to crawl back to the main road having only fishtailed twice. It was a rather harrowing experience.

Our latest challenge is to get our work and residence permits which have not yet been granted. Because of some new laws that came to light after our arrival, (why are we not surprised?) we needed to supply evidence of our educational qualifications and also a Police check from Australia to say we are not criminals. Both involved some challenges as the originals are all in storage in Melbourne. However, we are led to believe that all the required papers are now in the hands of the appropriate Government Department awaiting approval. We would be glad for the ‘pray-ers’ who read this to pray that this will go through quickly, because if we do not receive these permits before our visas expire on 15th March, we will have to leave the country, and will not be allowed back in until 2009!

Having said all of this, we are loving the place, and relishing in the challenge!

Here are some random pictures…

Traditional Moldovan welcome offered to us at Orhei Corps

Salvation Army uniform with a Moldovan touch!

Traditional hospitality after the meeting!

Some of the welcoming committee at Orhei!

That’s all for now… Until next time.

Ian and Viv xoxo

The Army at work…

2008-01-29T11:34:00.000-08:00

Life has started to get into some sort of routine for us, although there have still been some highlights which we are happy to share with you.

We finished off last time mentioning the visit of some people from IHQ to check out our 'Sally Ann' work project. They have been and gone, and together we explored some ideas for helping this fledgling ‘business’ grow. During the few days they were with us, we travelled to Ungheni, a town in the north west of Moldova where the project began in this country. It was good to meet with the ladies who sew the items which are shipped to Norway and Sweden in response to orders received. It was moving to hear their stories of how this work helps them to improve their meagre lifestyle. Similar stories would be told in every village in Moldova as the government provides nothing to help people in these situations. It’s good to be able to say The Salvation Army is making an effort to provide work opportunities like this, and we want this to expand. This is more than band aid treatment for the problems that exist…it is tackling the root issues that cause so much hardship. Unemployment rates in the rural areas are around 80%, but this is a start. The pictures below show the ladies making beautiful linen tablecloths and place mats.

Sunday 20th January we travelled about 20 kms out of Chisinau to a small town called Ialoveni. Here there was a warm congregation to greet us, and special guests from the local government were also there for the service. They spoke appreciatively of the work of the Corps leader and members in the community. Every day, a meal is provided for some of the poorest people in the town, and humanitarian aid is distributed to agencies and individuals by The Salvation Army as it becomes available from neighbouring countries. Even though many of our Corps are ‘smallish’ (35-70 people) they still have a significant impact on their communities.

On Saturday 26th January (Australians all let us rejoice..etc) we set off with the Mobile Medical Team to visit a country village, Dezghingea, to see them in operation (no pun intended!)

We arrived at what used to be the local hospital, and already about 200 people had gathered there in wait for some attention. There are no medical services at all in this village, and the nearest town with any services is about 10 kms away. A long way when you have no transport – and no money, especially for the elderly.

The state of village roads

The hall where the clinic was held

Locals coming to the clinic. Many of these horse drawn carts share the bad roads with fast moving trucks and cars.

The day started with a greeting by the local district health official, who expressed his appreciation for the ministry of the doctors. Dr. Caraman, a Salvationist who heads the team responded, and in his response, pointed out that the greatest healing comes when we encounter God. A singing group of five from the nearest Corps sang a couple of songs and a brief spiritual message was given.

The crowded waiting corridor

The doctors then went to their battle stations and consultations began. There is a gynaecologist, a cardiologist, general practitioner, ENT specialist, paediatrician, dentist, and pharmacy staff. We were taken to each consulting room (except the gyno) to hear about their work. It was interesting to observe two or three patients being consulted at the one time, and to see the primitive conditions in which they operate, with no modern medical technology at their disposal. Mothers of young babies also come to receive formula for their children.

'Two or three at a time...'

This old lady had just received a free hearing aid

Ian was doing OK until we entered the dentist’s room. Because of the state of people’s teeth, and the lack of ability to do fillings etc, all he does is pull teeth. A quick jab with anaesthetic, wait two minutes (if they are lucky) and then yank!!! A ‘two point shot’ is then performed with the offending article being thrown into the adjacent rubbish bin! At this point, Ian had to sit down, (although he was careful not to sit too close to the dentist in case he was mistaken for the next patient.)

'This won't hurt a bit!'

Pharmaceuticals waiting to be distributed

Also during the morning, we presented a wheel chair to a boy about 15 yo, who had cerebral palsy. (We learnt that his father had worked at Chernobyl when the nuclear reactor melted, and both children in the family have difficulties which are attributed to the father's exposure to radiation). Previous to this he had to be carried by his family wherever they went. Now he is mobile, although one wonders how he will go on muddy dirt roads with hundreds of potholes. The look on his face was worth it all. We also took another wheelchair around to a home where the husband, about 60, had suffered a stroke and was paralysed down one side. This will also give him some more ability to get outside and around a bit. The whole experience was great, and highlighted the value that this mission has in 15 villages throughout the country.

Nostalgiac picture in one of the clinic rooms from Soviet times - Lenin keeping watch!

Just before we left the clinic, we wandered across to the adjacent Orthodox Church for a look. The priest, Father Dimitri, was delighted that we wanted to come in, went and got the keys, robed up for us and spoke about the 200 year old church and his ministry. We have heard stories of the Orthodox Church’s opposition to the protestant church, including the Army included, but as we talked together for about 30 minutes, it was good to share about the things that unite us rather than divide us. It was a special time.

Ian, Father Dimitri and Captain Lev Friedkin, DHQ

The beautiful, very ornate Orthodox Church

The roof of the Church

The next day, we visited Criuleni, a small village about 35 kms from home, and were privileged to meet with the members of this Corps in worship. Their building is a house which has had two rooms made into one for their meeting area, about 3m by 10m. There were 30 people in attendance. The building has no heating, and it was very, very, very cold. At the end of the service, hot tea and biscuits were served. Many of the people in this country meet in cold conditions, although the Territory is endeavouring to address this problem. Requests often come to DHQ asking for extra finance because they can’t afford their heating bills.

Criuleni Salvation Army Hall. Like many builidngs of this vintage,
the roof is made of asbestos!

Inside the hall.

Children participating in worship

Strong, sweet, hot black tea and biccies!!
Most welcome in this cold hall.

We had our own Australia Day celebrations on Monday by hanging our flag in the lunch room, then introducing the staff to vegemite on bread. There were mixed reactions, but some have become converts.

Today we visited a Corps in the far north (Edinets) which has a small meeting room and weekday administration facilities in a basement provided free of charge by the local government. As we sat and shared with the officers, two buckets caught the drops of water coming from the ceiling. It felt and smelt damp, and the small blower heater in the corner did little to warm us up. We had been given some money from friends in Australia to use at our discretion, so we had great pleasure in telling them to go and buy a decent electric heater, and sent us the bill.

Corps Officers of Edinets - Captains Ivan and Svetlana German and family!

We conclude with a few photos from our installation meeting which was held on 13th January.

Traditional Moldovan welcome: partaking of bread, salt and juice.

Some of the congregation

Commissioners Wim and Netty van der Harst conducting the Installation

Tag Team preaching - English/Russian style!

That’s it for now. Until next time…..

Ian and Viv xox