In Us

As our time in Moldova has come to an end, our time in Romania is about to begin. We want to share our experiences as God has begun to work in us (hence the title).
Before coming to Moldova, we had very few expectations other than those that previous mission trips had provided. We came expecting to make a difference rather than allowing others to impact us and our lives. These two examples display the little reminders that God is constantly at work within each of us.

One boy came to class with an entire loaf of bread. I half expected him to simply be showing off his bread when he shocked me. He began to break the bread into equal pieces and pass it out to his peers. As the supervisor of the kids, I thought that he might give me a large piece in order to get on my good side, yet he treated everyone equally, except himself: the bread was his lunch yet he didn't hesitate to give everyone else large pieces while keeping only a small portion for himself. In him, I saw the Spirit that lives in and among all of us coming out as he gave all he could selflessly.
One day a week I help the medical advisor of the program. On one of these occasions, I was told to help a boy clean his feet. As I proceeded to clean his feet, he strongly refused that I get near his them. Rather, he got up and attempted to clean my feet. Since he kept hesitating to allow me to clean his, I simply waited as he did the job alone. after that, he cleaned not only the room, but also the laundry room next door. This little boy that I was supposed to be helping was doing all of my work for me and I didn't even ask! It was just in his nature to help. He wasn't looking for praise or attention, but simply saw a need and tried to assist it.
These are few of the many examples that we witness in the school daily. This may not seem like a big deal or a life-changing experience, but they are daily reminders that God is truly working in all of us. Everyday, both of us find ourselves in awe of the small ways that God constantly nudges our hearts. We can't sit here and write about all of the things we have done for the kids because honestly that would be an extremely short post. Rather, we wanted to share how God is changing us and showing us that His kingdom is here and it is at work even in these children that have gone through so many struggles. It is not us doing things, but rather God changing our perspective through these children. They are unconsiously teaching us what it means to be a true follower of Christ.x
                                                                             -Cayley and Tsion
p.s. each of us have our own individual experiences (hence the use of "I" bear with us as we tackle the blogging world)

Videos

Tsion and Magda walking to the school in the morning, around nine so that we can make it to morning chapel. With the maxitaxi, it usually takes around forty minutes to get there.

This is the city as we walk to the market after work. We get off work around five and usually take a trolley bus and go to the market so that we have food for the following day. It may look dark, but it was simply a dreary day. The market that we go to is about a ten minute walk from our house.

We recorded part of our walk home on the same day. 

We hope these videos give you a glimpse into our daily lives!

What Is To Come

We know, we know, it has been FOREVER since we have made a post and we apologize greatly for that. We promise from now on to regularly post (at least once a week). Since you guys have been so patient with us, we have a few videos and a special guest who will write about life in Moldova from a local's point of view. As for us, we will tell you from a foreigner's point, which may provide a great difference. In the coming week we will be addressing life in Moldova, our purpose here, and what God has been doing in our lives. Sorry again for the wait, but please stay tuned as we attempt to document the journey that we have had so far! x 

-Cayley and Tsion

The Journey Has Begun

First off, I know what you all are thinking: FINALLY. We do apologize as we have been insanely busy but hey! We're here now, so sit back and grab a cup of tea, coffee, or your choice of beverage as we attempt to fit two weeks of adventures into one blog post. 

First and foremost, we would like to thank our parents and Chino Valley Community Church for allowing us this amazing opportunity to come and learn from the beautiful country of Moldova/ Romania (we are currently in Moldova). We could never thank those who contributed enough. 

So we have officially been here for two weeks. The first week was filled with jet lag and other beauties that accompany traveling across the world. However, once we were able to stay awake for a whole day, we began a journey of learning that will last for the next four months. We apologize in advance as we cannot say much about where we work or who we work with. We are involved with the organization Word Made Flesh and therefore are under strick guidlines involving what is posted on the internet. We don't want to exploit vulerable persons as that could possibly put them in danger. 

We are staying in a house with two other wonderful women, one of which we work with. Here are some pictures!

Here is our kitchen

and our bedroom, which is a hall that connects the living room to the kitchen.

And here is our living room.

The first week, we took a tour around the school that we will be working in since the children were on winter break. We were also introduced to our language teacher so that we might be able to have (elementary) conversations with the kids. We do not have a translator at the school for us and must learn so that we can communicate on our own. On Sunday, we attended Jesus Salvatoro Church, or Jesus the Savior, and met the youth in the community. 

This past week, we have been comuting to the school by either trolley bus or a van (much like our family's actually). That's another place our language classes must help as we have to tell the driver when to stop (opritz la semaforde ve rog!) We also met all of the kids that attend the school and not simply the ones who stay over the weekend. We have much to learn from them, as well as the full time faculty who have graciously welcomed us into their community. we are blessed to have such patient people to guide us in this journey. 

During the week, we have chapel in the morning followed by language class, book study before lunch (we are currently reading "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger" by Ronald Sider), then spend the afternoon with the kids. We are also studying the poor in scripture in order to gain a better understanding of how God defends the weak. 

This has been the first full week and we are challenged daily. It will be an interesting jouney through faith, but one that both of us are willing to take and are excited about. Again, we thank all of those who have helped us get to where are whether it be through encouraging words, finacial aid, or prayer. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below as we would love to hear from you and we will reply as soon as time allows. Please keep us in your prayers. x

-Cayley and Tsion

Bags are packed, tickets are purchased, now all we have to do is go. Please pray for a safe journey there and for our hearts to be open to what God has in store for us. x