Thoughts About My Moldova Trip

I apologize for not being better about keeping this thing updated. The past few weeks, well, the past few months have been pretty crazy with my trip to Moldova and then my trip to Colorado for my best friend's wedding.  I wanted to give you a summary of my Moldova trip, so I copied below what I wrote for the young adult blog for my church. Usually I would have time to compose more, but as it turns out, things are still pretty hectic now that I'm back in the state of TN. So, if you would like to hear more about what I learned on my Moldova trip, please continue to read.  :)

My summary of my trip to Moldova:

I had the opportunity to go to Moldova for three weeks this summer and it was definitely an eye-opening and life-changing time for me. I spent two weeks at two different camps, working with teams and hanging out with the kids from the orphanage. We shared Christ with them through Bible study, music/worship, crafts, life skills and recreation. It was a lot different from the Christmas trip because I was able to spend a full week with the same group of kids. It was really hard to say good-bye to them at the end of the week. Despite the way their families may have treated them, they are able to immediately accept you the way you are and love you that way. I didn’t have to have the fanciest clothes or care about my outward appearance for the kids to love me and want to be around me.  They crave love as much as they give it and it was my privilege to be able to love them back in the same way they loved me.

One week was spent working with the young men in new JMI transitional living house for boys (Boys2Leaders). We taught them English and money management. They really wanted to learn English and we were surprised and proud of how fast they learned. When we first met one of the boys, he only knew one phrase in English. By the end of our time with the Boys2Leaders, he was able to speak enough English for us to understand what he was trying to say. As we talked with the boys about money management and saving for the future, we quickly learned that the concept of saving is not common in Moldova. Most people do not have any money left after paying bills, buying food, and paying for public transportation. After our discussion, I spent some time processing and I became very aware of how those boys live in the moment and how we tend to live in the future. We think about saving for a family “one day” or for retirement and sometimes we get so focused on our future that we neglect to live for today and cherish each moment we’re given.

As I look back on the three weeks I spent in Moldova, I can’t help but think about how fortunate I was to be able to see life through the eyes of the people there.  I was reminded that true happiness and joy cannot be found in anything materialistic.  The children at the orphanages reminded me of that every time they came running up to me to shower me with hugs and love. Their infectious smiles were worth more than anything in the whole world.  They may have very little physical possessions, but they have something many Americans lack…true joy. Their joy isn’t based on their circumstances or the situations they find themselves in.

I am so thankful to’ve had the opportunity to go back to Moldova. I was challenged and changed in so many ways. God has done so many great things there and I can’t wait to see all the great things He has planned!

~ Sara