Saturday, July 31, 2010

Moldova Saturday, July 31, 2010...

Left San Antonio at 8am Friday and arrived in Moldova at 7pm Sat. The time here is 8 hrs ahead of TX. We were delayed in Chicago 2hrs after we had boarded our 747 double decker plane due to cargo distribution issues but those were finally resolved and we soared away. No problem finding our teammates in Frankfurt as we saw them enjoying lunch as we looked down through big windows above them. The blue team shirt was spotted from quite a distance. Flight to Moldova was delayed for an hr. on the tarmac but I wasn't awake to know why. We arrived safely and were very thrilled to discover that ALL of our checked bags and boxes arrived with us!!! We were stopped at customs and asked what was in our boxes but my letter with list of contents of each box and my verbal description satisfied the agent within a few moments and we were all waved through with nothing being questioned nor opened!!! That is for sure an answer to prayer!

Four other team members had arrived earlier so our welcome supper was around the large oval dining table as the 12 of us shared all together for the first time! We are a team of many ages but all excited about this adventure we're now sharing at the site for which we've been preparing for a long time.

Breakfast at 7:45, Jesus Savior Baptist Church from 9-11, lunch, some unpacking and our first trip to camp lies ahead of us for tomorrow. Right now our smiles are wide, our hearts are overflowing with gratitude to God for his protection and provision and our spirits are high in anticipation of the joy and privilege we're already having.

Looking forward to updating this blog daily as our week unfolds. You are an important part of our team as you continue to share with us through prayer. We love you and depend on you.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Sharing Mission Moldova 2010...

We are less than 36 hours from departure for what has become an annual August trip to Moldova. This country is in Eastern Europe - between Romania and Ukraine. We will travel through Frankfurt, Germany to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. A team house provided by the IMB will be our home for about 10 days.

This year there are 12 members on our team. We are all ages and come from a variety of places. For some, it's the first trip, and for others it's a return to a place which is familiar and well loved. One will leave young children at home but because she and her family feel this is God's will for this summer, she trusts herself and them to His care.

Our assignment for the week will be to provide the programming at a camp for about 150 children ages 7-16 who are social or true orphans. During the school year, they are residents of a Boarding School. During the summer, they stay on the grounds of a camp because they have nowhere else to live during June, July and August. Some have a parent but for a variety of reasons, that parent is unable to provide for them. Others do not have parents.

We will share 5 days with these children and the adults who supervise them. We will do Vacation Bible School type lessons and activities which will fill the day from 10am until 7pm except for a 2 hour lunch break. Hopefully in the process we will communicate God's great love for them as we teach, play and share ourselves through translators with words and through smiles, hugs and our presence when words aren't available in the language they understand.

We are nearly packed, we're prepared, we're very grateful for all who helped with our preparation and are very eager to see how God will use us this summer. We are trusting in Him and praying that His words will be remembered when our week there comes to a close.

Travel days will be July 30-31.

I'll try to update this blog from Moldova depending on availability of a computer and a connection.

The following verses were sent to me today by someone committed to praying for us as we spend these days in Moldova. They have encouraged and inspired me.

"God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things,
may have an abundance for every good work!"
2 Cor. 9:8

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Introducing Constantine...

Dear Blog,
I have neglected you so badly but today something miraculous and momentous happened and I must share this good news!!! There's been a birth in Detroit, MI which must be announced as we have just welcomed our 5th grandchild into the world. And he's the first child of our second son.

Constantine Jamesson Worden
July 19, 2010
10:58pm EDT
9# 4oz
21” long

After 23 hours of labor, it was determined that baby boy Worden’s head was just too large for the preferred birth plan. Shara had given 150%, had a “Dream Team” of Doula, mid-wife, Dr. and nurses who coached and cheered but in the end advised that he just wasn’t able to get into and through the birth canal so a C-section was advised and carried out. Shara knew it was the right decision as she agreed to the procedure and is at peace with the decision. She had no meds other than pitosin earlier this evening to intensify her contractions. She had prepared and practiced so knew how to relax as contractions kept pace all day long. James is in awe of her courage and strength – says she was phenomenal.

As you can guess, the name has Russian leanings. Though the name isn’t specifically Russian, it is a fairly common name in Russia. James was reading about Constantine early in the pregnancy and they both decided they liked the name. Jamesson is a nod to both his Russian and Scandinavian ethnic loves - Russian because of having lived in Russia for over 2 years and Norwegian in family heritage. Russians use the father’s name with the addition of an ending meaning “son of” for a middle name. And Scandinavians add “son” to the father’s name for their sons’ surnames. They plan to pronounce Jamesson as a 2 syllable word. This name means Constant, Steadfast, Son of James. Isn't that affirming and noble?


Psalm 139: 13-18
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake, I am still with you.


With Joyful Praise and Thanksgiving,
Grandma Lee