I'm Gonna Lay Down My Sword and Shield....

I don't know how many of ya'll know that old song, but thanks to my mom, I know I lot of little old songs.

It goes, "I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield down by the riverside
              Down by the riverside, down by the riverside,
              I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield down by the riverside
              And study war no more."

This weekend was miserably cold and had just enough of a drizzle to put one in a somber mood.  The Invest-Credit staff from Chisinau, Beltz, and Cahul, along with their spouses, gathered together with a team of Americans from PEER Servants (one of our partnering organizations) and a German-American from another one of our partner organizations, HOPE International for a retreat away from the business, the long office hours, and the general stress of it all.   We gathered with the goal of establishing real relationships among the staff and between the staff and the partners.  In total, I think there were about thirty people.

We left Friday from the office and rode about an hour, hour and a half, outside of the city to Camp Bradulet.  Turns out Bradulet is normally used as a children's summer camp.  Biggest give-away: children's furniture, sheets with airplanes on them, and the absence of heating!  

The cold was a great unifier though!  One of our partners, Scott, did a great job of planning out the structure of the retreat.  We were to have dinner, do some activities to get to know each other better, and then a bonfire complete with an introduction to American culture, ie s'mores!    Our "cabin" had a gathering room that was the perfect size to hold all of us.  We shivered on couches and chairs forming a large circle, all of us buried under these heavy orange blankets the camp provided us with.  It was a great bonding experience!
            
We went around the room with each person sharing a little about who they were and why they were here and something they learned about their neighbor at dinner, pausing for translation every few sentences.  I was so surprised at how open everyone was.   Some of the younger Moldovan couples had eaten with one of the older American couples, and the comments of the Moldovan couples were how encouraged they were by seeing this couple who had been married 51 years.  Other couples had connected by discussing their children.  One of the Moldovan couples is expecting their third child (most families in Moldova consist of one, maybe two, children), and were so excited to visit with one of the American couples who had seven children.   It took us quite a while to go all the way around the room, but everyone remained patient and engaged.

Brandon's boyscout experience, however brief it may have been, paid off in a perfect bonfire.  The Moldovans were very open to trying this odd things called "smores," though the German complained that sweet things don't go over a fire, only things like meat!  As everyone started to head to bed, Leanne, one of our partners, handed out hand and feet warmers, definitely a great idea!

Saturday consisted of a devotional, a brief explanation of Invest-Credit, HOPE International, and PEER Servants, a game of Reds and Blues (to emphasize the importance of trust and communication), jenga time for the guys and jewelry-making for the ladies, and a big game of Mafia.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.  It was beautiful to see the relationships develop as cultural barriers diminished and spiritual bonds deepened.

Personally, I appreciated the opportunity to get to see the staff outside of the office, with their loved ones and just having a good time!  It was also an incredible blessing to build relationships with our partners as well.  PEER Servants is comprised completely of volunteers, all who have vast business experience and who are passionate about using their abilities for the Lord.  Brandon and I both picked their brains for advice, and they graciously poured their wisdom into us.  To be honest, I felt a little guilty for having gotten so much out of this retreat!  But I am so thankful for each of the partners!  Though we only had about two days with them, I had really great conversations with each one of them.  To be fair, they were also curious as to why Brandon and I had each chosen to come to Moldova and what our future goals were.  I came away from the retreat in awe of the unexpected blessing it proved to be!

~ Redeemed