My mind is spinning a little bit, maybe from a long week, maybe from that cup of oh-so-good coffee I'm sipping...
I love that my room has such expansive windows. The porch lets in so much light, and with the tall evergreen that waves its branches at me every time I look out, my room seems to be half inside and half out. When the government is slow to adjust the heating for a sudden cold front, the effect is even more realistic.
This week started fast and then seemed to just drag on. There have been plenty of projects to keep us busy at work. I like it that way, but it can be frustrating to have to consult multiple people for each project. Thankfully that wasn't an issue this week. Working in an international environment is an experience in and of itself.
The hardest part about this week is that sometimes Moldova just sickens us. Literally.
Honestly, it's really easy to get sick here. I don't know if it's the weather or the lifestyle or what, but whatever the cause, it's been part of the reality of living here. There have been weeks where I felt completely drained and exhausted, days where I can't find my voice, and the occasional sore throat and fevers.
My caffeine-fast a few weeks ago was an attempt to conteract the fatigue. It didn't really help, but I've been really careful to eat lots of fruits and veggies and.....meat. Yep, I decided I had to overcome my distaste for preparing meats...ick. At any rate, I've been feeling much better for a week or two, but Brandon has been sick for a week or so now (which is actually what led to us deciding that Moldova makes us sick). Please pray for health and strength, for me and for Brandon and for the rest of our coworkers too!
Excitement of the past week: there's a new baby in Moldova!!! My coworker, Alexei, had his third child this week - a healthy little boy! Alexei and his wife have a two and a half year old girl, a year and three month old boy, and this new precious bundle of joy! He's already told me that they want to have another girl too. Alexei's story is beautiful. He shared with Brandon and me during my first couple of months here. He and his wife wanted to have children, and they even had a plan for how many they wanted, but they couldn't seem to conceive. They went to many doctors, and they were told many different things about whether or not they would have children. So finally, Alexei said he gave this struggle to the Lord. Through the years that they had been seeing doctor after doctor and told one thing after another, the Lord had been working in Alexei's heart. His practical plan of having only a couple of children so that he could adequately provide for them, was changed to a faith-filled vision of a home full of children surrounded by lots of love. Two things stood out to him, he told us. One was the news clips of parents who lost their only children in the tragedy of 9-11. The other was looking at Muslim communities. He said that as Christians we tend to focus on converting non-Christians to build a Christian community. The Muslim communities (and this is how he told us, so I can't back the validity of it, I'm just sharing) have many children and raise a Muslim community. These two things changed his perspective on a large family. Not too long after, they were blessed with their daughter. I've only seen a picture so far of the new baby, but he is a cutie! We're hoping to see him soon.
We've seen God provide for Invest-Credit! Our cash balance was very low, as we've entered a high demand season for agricultural loans. Brandon and I have been working on funding proposals for three different partners, but these proposals weren't going to secure the immediately needed funding. Thankfully some of our partners came through with a very timely loan, and we are able to continue to serve our customers. Praise the Lord for His provision! As you think of us, please pray for His guidance of this organization and continued provision. We are severely understaffed, and this puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the office and a lot of stress on Ghena.
I'm really excited to be beginning a project involving my alma mater! My connection to Invest-Credit started with an excellent professor at Charleston Southern. Now that same professor, along with some of my friends still at CSU, are planning a Walk for Economic Empowerment. It's just getting started, so check the link from time to time to see how it's going. Ohio State University will also be holding a Walk for Economic Empowerment. Both are operating under our partners PEER Servants and have a combined goal of raising $15,000 for Invest-Credit. I really believe in the importance of economic development, and business as missions is my heart, so I am thrilled to see others getting involved, particularly the students, faculty, and professors at Charleston Southern (GO BUCS!).
Tonight, I'm meeting up with friends from the International Service. It is always so encouraging, inspiring, and just plain hilarious, spending time with them. Some of us went out for pizza after church last week. We quickly lost track of time and rushed out to catch our ruterias. I've been so blessed to meet these people. It just amazes me how God brings people into my life! Ah, I've got more to tell you about my epiphanies on job searching, but I've really got to go get ready!
Much love,
~ Redeemed
Title taken from "The Outsiders" by NeedtoBreathe. They're one of my favorite groups (hailing from South Carolina too), so check them out!
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