Glinjeni Shelter, Moldova Countryside, Food to Families...Day 4

I intended to close my blog with these beautiful floral/fruit photos but they loaded at the beginning so I'm choosing to leave them here.  I am enjoying these beautiful areas of gorgeous color and design in Moldova and hope you are too.  This white rose is on a bush along the side of the team house.  The cherry tree is across from the house and the large rose bushes are a couple houses away.

At the entrance of Glinjeni...

Our day began with another delicious breakfast at 7am.  After meaningful team member led devotions around the table, we boarded our large vans for the 2 hour drive to Glinjeni Shelter.

Our team is joined by our translators and about 13 CERI programs children.  Some of these children are being sponsored by some team members and the others are waiting to be sponsored but are already identified by CERI as children needing the life support offered to Moldova's most vulnerable children.  Each team member is partnered with a child and tasked with mentoring, encouraging and promoting participation/leadership in each day's activities as we model and voice godly, healthy lifetime skills.  This is a noble task which team members are embracing and working on each day.  The children are a variety of ages and personalities.  Some eagerly and joyfully engage and others draw their knees up and turn their head away when questioned or spoken to.  The latter is the expression I have often received as I have sought to converse with the girl we now sponsor.  Her sister responds in the other way.  Both girls are polite and physically healthy.  It's early in the week and more opportunities to converse await.

The week is off to a great start which I'll share in photos and captions.

Ready to load up and travel... 

Almost ready to load and leave..

Arrival at Glinjeni Shelter with Dearing giving instructions...

Joanna and Jeff getting sport supplies ready...

Surveying the site for activities of the day and meeting the 32 children there for the day...

Starting with instructions for kick ball...

Sponsored children in the CERI programs...

A few of the Glinjeni children...

Kicking off kick-ball...

Team members leading singing...

CERI  children and some translators...

Team members lead the Daniel story...

Listening...

Story time...

Flannel graph adds interest...

Good listeners...

Some of Dearing's soldiers...

Time is nearing the end for the children at Glinjeni Shelter which feeds 32 children living in poverty 3 meals a day before 21 of them go home and 11 stay at the shelter. .  Oranges are a gift from CERI.

Had enough for each child...

Group shot with our team plus all the Glinjeni people...

1 PM - time for team lunch!!!

Ready for team worship...

Olga on left and Parascovia on the right.  We are the sponsors of Parascovia..  Her sister's sponsor is not on the trip.

Enjoying the singing...

This gal has achieved celebrity status in Moldova.  The children could not get enough of touching her hair and skin plus getting photographed with her.  Adults were equally enamored with this gracious, willing, godly gal and her long braids.  Fortunately, she enjoys the attention and opportunity for serving the Savior with humility.

 Before leaving Glinjeni, we divided into 2 teams and took a bag of grocery staples to 5 families identified as especially poor.

Great opportunity to share some encouragement and prayer with this grateful Mother and son.  The son is experiencing epilepsy and some complications.

 

CERI child taking a turn with a ukelele

After sharing with families, we stopped for a short experience in the town Orthodox Church...
 
 

Our drive to/from this town gave us an opportunity to get out of the city for a drive north of Chisinau and enjoy the verdant farm fields and landscape.

 

Necessary facility and stop...

 

Came almost too quickly...

Fairly common site...

Beautiful country...