Moldova, Monday, August 9, 2010...

Sharing faith and fun with friends is fantastic!!!

That's a description of our day.

Six members of our team got off this morning without making enough noise to wake me up!!! That allowed me to awaken quite well rested.

We drove to the camp about 9:15 and arrived there at 10am. Quite a few of the children came running to welcome us so we hovered and hugged there for awhile. Robert and Mark were picking up a total of 4 boys. John and I were picking up 2 girls.

We headed first of all to the botanical gardens where we had a tour of about 6 large, greenhouse type buildings filled with hundreds of different plants. We started with dessert plants and continued through tropical growth. The guide was very knowledgeable about everything and the plants were quite dramatic. I'm sure the botanical words were a challenge for our translator but she did very well. The girls had been there with a school class but they enjoyed it for the most part.

From there we drove to a newish pizza restaurant which the girls and our translator had not been to previously. We were seated at a table placed in a very private location and I silently thanked God for a space in which our conversation could flow however He desired. We ordered and as we waited for food, we had good conversation. One of our gals had shared a dream about the end of the world which she has had for the past 2 nights. She wanted to know if we could interpret it for her. (John said he wasn't Joseph - a lesson we had during the camp week) but we used the dream to share some of God's truth about the need to be ready for "the end of the world". Both John and I shared about our time of "Repentence" which is the way here of saying "becoming a Christian." One of the girls has a story about her repentence. She is the gal who started attending a Bible Study at her orphanage because they brought candy each week. As time continued, she attended because she was being drawn into a relationship with God and has repented and is known as a commited believer. The other gal said she had not repented and was still thinking about it and had never had an opportunity to repent. It was time to eat then leave by that point.

We returned to the Team House where the boys were playing some video games which Robert had brought from the states. I was able to continue the conversation about repentance with Lena alone with the translator. She is not ready for this step as she considers herself Orthodox and doesn't feel as though this step is necessary or approved of by her church. I shared with her but didn't press for a decision. I offered her the possibility of asking questions when she writes us or asking CERI staff should she want more information. We had given each child a little booklet entitled, THE WAY TO GOD and she had begun to read it. The Lord will continue to speak to her heart with His truth I pray.

The children left about 4:30 to be returned to the camp. We will connect again tomorrow for the same length of time. We plan to take the girls shopping for school supplies and perhaps some new pants. We also hope to go to an amusement park.

The temperature all day was quite moderate - didn't need a jacket but it was overcast and very comfortable.

Have had a great supper and are now waiting for Boris to arrive. He has been a van driver in the past but now has other work. We'll just catch up with him before we leave here Wed. am.

We've had a sweet day. One girl does not have a living mother nor a very involved father. The other gal has a mother who has emotional problems and is unable to care for her family. The girls long for their unavailable mothers so seem to enjoy my hugs, our hand holding and the focus of even a few hours of time. It is a specail privilege.

Let me know if you have an interest in sponsoring a Moldovan orphan. There are MANY children still needing sponsors. Check their website: CERIkids.com or find the site for BAPTIST CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES and look for their work in Eastern Europe.

Thanks for your prayers. We have one more full day here and then the day of travel home. It has been good to be here and these extra days are very special.