Saturday began with breakfast as usual at 7:30. The kitchen surprised us with potato wedges which were really dobre (good). After fun morning conversations with the team, we continued our routine with our daily devotion. Shane and Lauren kicked off our devotion in prayer and shortly after dived into our daily topic. We focused on a passage from Matthew 5:14-16 which talked about being a light. This topic felt slightly harder to grasp personally because it seemed difficult to understand the idea that we are a light of hope to others. How can one keep a radiating and infectious aura of love and kindness throughout the day without getting burnt out? This is a question that can be answered in the passage in Matthew when he states “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house”. I like to interpret this bushel basket as an individual’s struggles and temptations throughout the day that keeps them from shining bright. That we must consistently come to God to refuel our light as the enemy continuously tries to turn it off or even worse, make it shine very bright in areas of our lives that are tempting and unhealthy.
At 9 we gathered in the hotel lobby to go to Old Orhei. The drive was beautiful and relaxing. Most of us were staring out the windows and taking in the amazing scenery. Looking at the country side and farmlands reminded us of home. We stopped by a café that had a very pretty aesthetic. It was honestly the cutest café we’ve ever been to. We sat down outside in the heat but it was bearable with a nice breeze. We had coffees and pastries as we relaxed and took in the beautiful country side on the other side of the road. Our drive resumed after the 30 minute coffee break and we arrived at a gorgeous canyon area after singing and annoying Sergei with our country music. We took a team photo and hopped back in the vans to reach our destination!
Arriving at Old Orhei we were immediately struck with the beauty and heat of the valley. With the temperature reaching a maximum of 31 degrees, the group was eager to hike up the hill in the middle of the valley and enter the caves where the monks of old had retreated to a life of devotion. Sobriety immediately hit the group as we paid respect in the underground monastery, and explored its history. Leaving the cave and it’s shelter from the heat we continued our journey towards the orthodox church on the hill. Along the way the team took the opportunity to connect with each other and develop deeper relationships. Entering the compound of the church, the laughter of children from touring schools greeted us. The beauty of the lush courtyard was only exceeded by the symbolic murals within the church. Reconstructed in 1902 the church is adorned with golden steeples which shined brightly in mid-day sun. Unironically reminding us all of the morning devotion of a “city” shining bright on top a hill for all to see. A light that is impossible to hide, seen by everyone with a purpose solely to glorify God.
Leaving Moldova’s most historical valley we sat down for dinner at a safari restaurant. While quickly observing many of Moldova’s wild animals we sat down to enjoy a course of the country’s famous chicken noodle soup. Definitely the best I ever have ever had (sorry mother). With a surprise second course, we all had more than enough food to sustain us for the remainder of the day. Looking forward to our evening, we rushed to return to the Urban center where a fundraising event was being hosted in partnership with Sunny Land Farms. An organization utilizing an abandoned acreage to nurture and educate children and persons with disabilities such as down syndrome and Cerebral Palsy. We introduced ourselves to the congregation with a host of animal renditions to break the ice. The spotlight however was on the Sunny land crew with their Good Samaritan skit. They had setup a beautiful stage for the theatrical play. Watching them was very moving as they acted out with much emotions and love. After the skit ended, most of the team was in tears. The event then ended with lots of cheering and love as the wonderful actors gave out hand made origami boxes filled with Moldavian chocolates. The evening was resumed on the main floor. We were able to talk to some lovely people and get to know their backgrounds and stories whilst drinking coffee and eating apricot jam filled croissants.
We are so blessed to have such amazing hosts and are thankful to God for being our light of hope and compassion!
Much love,
Ethan Oram and Adam Accad
Old Orhei, Moldova
Traditional Moldovan Late Lunch
Play Run by Sunnyland
Supper at Moldovan McDonalds (Canada has more salt!)
