Safe Arrival in Moldova Dec. 13, 2008

It is 9pm in Chisinau, Moldova and 26 team members have just completed supper and our first team orientation meeting.

It has been an incredible trip here for Deanna and me. At every juncture we had provision for everything and all went extremely smoothly. Our departure from O'Hare was delayed by about an hour while a fan was changed on the plane but that time was made up in flight and we arrived in Frankfurt at about the same time as we were scheduled. We had no problem getting our luggage and getting checked in at Air Moldova. No extra fee was assessed for any of our bags as we had anticipated. The lines going through security were long but no bags were ever opened. A few questions were asked about contents but we were always cleared to proceed. We felt and knew that specific prayers were being answered for that process. Thanks so much.

The team members we were meeting in Frankfurt arrived at the gate after we got there but it was nice to begin to meet the people we will be spending the week with. Many are students at TX universities and all are excited as we are about what we will be doing.

All flights have been smooth and we slept fairly well on the 8 hr overnight flight. All luggage for all team members arrived with us.

There is no snow here but it is quite cold. Our coats felt good as we arrived.

Some team members are busy unpacking supplies before heading to bed. We will have breakfast at 7am; continued orientation, devotions and at 8:30 we'll head to Jesus Savior Baptist Church. Lunch will be at McDonalds and then we'll head to the warehouse where all the boots are waiting. We will load 3 trucks with the 5000 pair still to be distributed. There's no heat in the warehouse so we've been told to prepare for that.

Deanna and I will be part of a team of 8 that stays in Chisinau for the week but we don't know more than that about our schedule. Another team of 8 will stay in the same Team House here but they will go to different facilities.

We know God has already been blessing us during these days of travel. We are pretty tired but are so grateful that the week has begun with such grace.

In the airport at O'Hare, I met a young woman named Barbara. She had just said good-bye to a special boyfriend and was returning to Germany. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. As I heard some of her story, I learned that she's facing difficult choices with a conflict between her head and her heart. It was a time of sharing some things related to the most important gift of Christmas and what it means for all humanity. She was a good listener and I knew God was speaking to her through me. As you think of her, ask God to help her have the courage she needs to make the right decision for her future.

The computer is working so hopefully there will be more time in the days to come to send some updates.