Ok...so I know the last post was more travel details...but those are important details...God worked it all it out. Even if we had missed the plane...it was part of his plan ...I need you to know that. In the past, I have never been confident putting my beliefs in to words...and sending it out in to a world full of unbelievers...I felt like I could SHOW His love...but I could never TELL of His love...but I have to be confident in that...He is my confidence. I hope to grow in this...pray for me. Doers of the word are important....but conveying His Love in words is important too.
That being said...I will resume my entry.
We arrived in Chisinau sans one piece of baggage. Somehow...the one piece of baggage went to Frankfurt (which we did not). But, it was not an important piece of luggage...no time sensitive material or anything. We were greeted at the airport by our new friend and guide, Mia. She also brought along Nycole from Atlanta and Pavel (one of the house parent's at Simon's House-Pavel is like Paul in Romanian...but it sounds like PahVel). We loaded up the vans with our luggage and headed through Chisinau the self-proclaimed "City of Bad Roads". The roads are horrible...seriously...and the roads in Chisinau are the best in the country. Just an example of the lack of reliable infrastructure in the country. Chisinau (sounds like Kishy NOW) is the capital of Moldova. There are multi level buildings everywhere...that at first glance look nice...but upon closer inspection are in disrepair...The pictures don't do it justice. The bottom building is the right side of a pair of buildings called the "Gates of Chisinau" you can see pictures of them here.
In pictures the gates seem nice and clean...but in reality...they are not. I can't think of an inhabited building in the states that compares to this. It looks like it should be condemned. The living conditions even in the urban center of Moldova are sub par. Mia, our guide, told us that Moldova was once called by Time or Newsweek the Number one MOST DEPRESSING Place on the PLANET. The second you look around at the people you can see it lurking everywhere...in the shadows...in every corner...in the hollow eyes..its there....Hopelessness. They have no identify as a country (became a country in 91...former USSR), no place to work (no real industry of note other than agriculture), no faith, no quality of life...and the list goes on...and it manifests itself in the way the country treats its children...ABANDONED. They don't value life...
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