Tales from Our Fairytale: Traveling to Vulcanesti

5:00 am here – 9:00 pm home

I was pretty exhausted, went to bed around 10:30 expecting it to be hard to wake up at 7, but by about 3:00, I knew I was fine!

I woke up and it was still nighttime dark outside, so I checked out my phone and it was definitely 3:00 am!

I was able to sleep for the next couple of hours, but kept waking up. Thankfully, Jen woke up as well, so we were able to get up and get moving without worrying about disturbing anyone.

I was trying to get ready, but I am having lots of trouble with my straightener! It got SO hot you could smell it and it ended up burning my hair. Can’t get it to come on at all now – so my hair is currently half way done.

I am missing Brad so much, so I’m really praying that God would just give me a peace there. I don’t want to miss out on anything, but I definitely don’t want to miss out on something because I’m sad.

I’m also praying that I would be aware of the Holy Spirit and that I would follow His lead. I’m definitely nervous about what’s to come, but I’m very excited as well!

10:30 pm here – 2:30 pm at home

Saturday has been a jammed packed day with lots of different things for us!

We had breakfast at the PU around 8:30 and then took a bus (Richard let us know they were brand new and a lot nicer than most) to the downtown area of Chisinau for a tour of the historical city.

We followed the tour with souvenir shopping in the same area and lunch. I ate lunch with the ladies from the medical team. I still have not had much luck with meals, but I’m actually getting full! We ate at an American style restaurant in a very nice hotel called the Leo Grand.

We took the same bus back to the PU where we got our bags packed, met our interpreters for the week, and headed to Vulcanesti – pronounced Vulcan-esht – the village where we are staying for the week.

The bus ride was pretty bumpy, but I was so exhausted I slept for about 2 of the 4 hours. Mrs. Cyndi said I looked like a rag doll being thrown around, and that’s about what I felt like when I woke up.

We arrived to the local Christian church in the village where some members of the church had prepared chicken and mashed potatoes for us. I was able to eat some of that, but still not doing great on the eating.

Our meal was followed by a church service. It was totally in Russian, but we sat with our interpreters so they were able to translate the sermon for us. It was definitely a great way to experience the language and culture of Moldova. Those of us that were married were asked to wear head coverings as a sign of respect to their culture.

After the service ended, we all grabbed our bags and headed to our host homes. Our interpreter, Irina, is precious! I’m looking forward to getting to know her (and the others) throughout the week. Tina Beshears, who works with Bryan at Medco, is also at the home with me. I am SO thankful to be sharing a home with these two ladies for the week and glad to have a Fielder team member with me.

The big question (for everyone) since deciding to go on the trip has been, “What will my host home be like?” Well, God certainly blessed Tina and me in this area! I’m not sure about the others, but the family we are staying with has a beautiful home. They have indoor plumbing with a NICE shower and an indoor toilet. We have to go to the outhouse for “number two,” but I’ll take it – that seems to be the rule ANYWHERE you go.

They also have a beautifully updated kitchen with a nice oven and a front-loading washer. I’ve even noticed a few TVs!

The wife is one of the women that cooked our dinner at the church and is just precious. She has 23 and 21 year old daughters who are both going to school to be language teachers (French for the 23 y/o and English for the 21 y/o) and a son that is 15.

They were all so welcoming to us and so glad for us to be here! It was a very neat experience to be openly welcomed in to their home.

We stayed up for about an hour with them and ate an apple cake the 21 y/o had made, and finished it off with compote (a juice that is made from boiling fresh cherries and strawberries with sugar). It was VERY good and a specialty for their country.

I was definitely exhausted when it came time for bed – still not totally adjusted to the time change. We have 2 rooms between the 3 of us with a twin size bed, where Mrs. Tina is sleeping, and a full size in our room. It’s put up against the wall, so it’s not really good for two people, so I slept on the floor – not the best experience ever!