A still small voice, a voice that spoke straight into my soul, said "Trust." Simple. Straight-forward. Trust. Trust that there was a plan for all of this. One of my favorite verses came to mind:
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
In that instant a peace came over me. Of course I was still nervous, but I knew we were ultimately in His hands. Nothing could change that fact.
Also, the fact that God is BIGGER than all of this. He had everything under control and nothing can stop Him.
God proved himself to be bigger so these little set backs did not hold us back. We had such an amazing experience that only God could have given us. We were able to pour out Christ's LOVE on these kids and see their whole demeanor change. They were filled with joy, the kind of joy only God can give.
It was amazing. God showed up in a BIG WAY and none of this would have been possible without Him.
Here are just a few pictures of the trip:
Moldova's soil is black. Completely filled with rich nutrients. This showed in all of their flowers and gardens. Their roses were extremely beautiful.
This is the wall of a fort built in the 1600s. There was such character in the stones.
A traditional Moldovan village.
A traditional Moldovan home. Most homes and gates were painted blue in order to reflect the heavens.
We visited an active underground monastery. This was a place of refuge for believers during the Crusades.
I don't know if you can see it, but on the right hand side of the picture there is a chain hanging from a hole in the side of the mountain. That is where another monk lives.
This cross survived the Crusades.
The Crusader's cross.
A church near the monastery.
Sweet Andre. He would follow me around, poke me in the back, smile, and say "Chubby Bunny." Those were the only English words the kids learned and they loved saying them!
This is Jonna. She is one of 10 (12 originally, but unfortunately 2 of her siblings passed away). 5 of those 10 were at the orphanage where we were, 2 were at an orphanage in Chisinau, 1 was at home, and 2 were married. She had such joy despite her circumstances, and she was such a joy for us to meet and hang out with.
This boy is very near and dear to my heart. Vlad. I saw him and knew. This is my "heart son" as I call him. I immediately felt connected with this boy. There was so much in his eyes that I couldn't pull away. He's 10 years old, and has so much life in him. His eyes just shine and his smile could light up the room. This boy holds a special place in my heart and I take comfort in knowing that God is holding him right now and taking care of him.
We took a morning and went out to the kids to give them oranges. Our whole purpose for the camp was to show the kids that they are valued, that they matter. The kids' faces lit up when they saw us coming. It was such a great experience!
We met some villagers out picking as well. There was such character in their eyes, hands, and faces.
We were able to share oranges and the love of Christ with them as well.
Here are just a few snapshots of my trip to Moldova. I hope you enjoyed looking at them and seeing just a few parts of the small story that we were involved in. If you want to learn any more about my trip feel free to email me. I'd love to share it with anyone willing to listen!
- Alli
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