Work and Play

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!

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!

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