"La Revedere"

the big day has arrived. Feb 1 will soon be here to send me on my way to Moldova. the next time I update this, I will be in Eastern Europe.
thanks again for all those who have and are supporting me!

all His blessings on you,

melanie

5 days and counting...

I can't believe it, but the time really has flown, and I am in my final week before leaving for Moldova. God has truly been good to me. I want to personally thank all of you who have contributed towards this trip, whether through prayer support, or financial support, or both! Thank you to those who have filled my account, and helped me reach my deadlines, and have prayed me through some stressful situations.

This week-I might add-might be pretty intense, as packing all my things into one bag that can only weight 50 lbs at the most, you can imagine must be a difficult task. :) Please remember me in prayer also as I say some tough goodbyes, or, as I like to say, 'see ya later's'.

Remember my family in prayer as well. Though they are never reluctant to let me go when they know God is leading me, it is always tough to say one more goodbye, and to let go again, never knowing what the future holds.

I have moved from Burlington to Milwaukee to pack up from here. I will be departing early Monday morning of the 1st. There is a lot of travel involved, so I will not reach Moldova until Feb. 2.

Moldova is 8 hours later than the US (CST). When you are going to sleep, I will be awake, starting my day.

I will make an effort to update this blog while I am away, though I am unsure how often I will have internet access.

I will appreciate any mail from home, though I can't say for sure how long it takes to get there. A Christmas card sent to me took about a week to get here. It may be longer to get mail there from the USA.

Here is the address I can be reached at in Moldova:

(my name)

C/O Corinne Anbeek

Castua Postala 5

5400 Rezina

Republic of Moldova

I will look forward to hearing from you!

God Answers Prayer-He's so Good to Me!

I have a God who is so much bigger than my wildest imaginations. He is the one who holds the universe in the palm of His hands. He who calms to raging sea with a word, and spoke the earth into motion, is the same one who knows how to calm my fears, and silence my troubled heart, and speak things into existence that were not there previously. Yesterday, God showed me that He truly is for me-no, He reminded me. I was able to purchase my ticket to Moldova yesterday. Kinda late, you say? Na-I'd say, perfect-God-timing. He knew what He was doing with me. I was really stressing out about the ticket this weekend, thinking that I might miss buying it, because of what turned out to be a misunderstanding on my part with the travel agency. Without all the details, I was able to finally get a hold of the agency, and find that I could reserve the ticket, and had 2 days in which I had to buy it -yesterday and today. It is done.

I also found out yesterday, after getting a report on my OM account, that I am very close, if not have already reached, the amount that I need to meet the final deadline for other expenses for my trip. I was concerned about this too, but have really been trying to let it go to God, and trust that He knew where to find the funds I needed. It's about His work getting done anyway, so why would He not be the one providing to get it done?

I have not wanted this trip to be about me at all, and truly God is not allowing it to be one smidgen about me!

It's all God. He is doing what man could not do. I can't say there is any part of this that has come together that has been my doing.

I am so excited about what He has ahead for me! I hope that somehow the excitement that I'm sharing can be imparted to you, at least a little bit, so you remember to pray for me while I'm gone.

I have realized that this trip, in many ways, will be different from the others I have been on, and one reason being, that I am going to miss a whole lot of awesome friends that I have become so close to...if you are out there reading this, you know who you are, and if you think I'm not talking about you, forget it, cause you are an awesome friend of mine, and I am so grateful that you are a part of my life, and a part of what God is doing over in Moldova.

Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for praying. God is getting me there, and it's friends like you that He is using to make it possible!

what's happening in moldova?

Here is an idea of what I will be involved with for 3 months in Moldova, if anyone is interested. Please remember all of these areas in prayer. thanks!

-melanie

Rezina(ra-zee-nah)

Day center for poor children - one day a week we help in the day center with activities;

Elderly home - we visit every week the elderly;

Internat - we give Bible lessons and do activities with the older girls, we are trying to find possibilities to do more sports;

Church - we have a youth meeting with a Bible study and also a meeting for the younger ones (12-15 year olds), we might start helping with the Sunday school;

Youth Club - Weekly there is a meeting with the non-Christian youth, where we play games and give them some more lessons

Cineseuti(chin-a-sa-oots)

Children's club

Visiting and helping the elderly at home

Volleyball

Youth club for non-Christian youth

Pripiceni(pre-pee-chen)

Children's club

Visiting and helping the elderly

English lessons

Sports - not yet, but hopefully we can start something soon

Papauti(papa-oots)

Children's club

English lessons

Sports ???

Saharna(sa-har-nah)

Sunday school

Visiting the elderly

Gordinesti(gor-di-nesht)

Sunday school

Meeting with a small group (at this moment 2 sisters) Christians

(a note from the outreach team leader)

By the time you are coming we will be a team of 8 persons and we might be working in more villages.

And we are always open for new ideas, but only if the local church agrees.

We are not working as a team together anymore, we are too many people on the team. So we all have our responsibilities. Three people might go to one village while two others go to another village, or remain in Rezina.

Every Monday morning and Friday morning we have a short prayer time together. On Monday morning we also discuss and prepare the week program. On Tuesday morning we have Bible study and prayer time (3 hours) and we eat together at lunch time on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. But this might change when we start to work in more places.

We try to be at every church meeting in Rezina, that is on Sunday morning and evening, Wednesday evening and Friday evening (this does not always work out when you are in a village.) On Monday evening there is the youth meeting at church and on Thursday evening there is a choir (optional). We also visit the different churches we work with on a Sunday morning. So one week some of us will go to Cineseuti (and the others will stay in Rezina), next Sunday to Papauti etc.

We work 6 days a week (at this moment Saturday is off). Because we work almost every evening we start most times around 10 in the morning.

Once a month there is a prayer and fasting day in Chisinau(kish-now) where we go to, then we are for at least two days in Chisinau.

God's still working-even now

Hello Everyone! I guess it's time for an update.

I have been keeping busy working in the dining room at the Christian Youth Camp/Conference Center where I am employed. Business picked up tremendously following the holidays. It is an awesome place to work, and I have enjoyed the opportunities the Lord has opened up for me to reach out to the youth that I work with, most being high school age. I really see this place as more than a place of employment. There is a lot of God-work that goes on there. I am excited to be a part of it. I will be sad to leave, in a couple weeks. I will not be working there over the summer, so it will be a sad goodbye to a lot of awesome friends.

Aside from the camp, I am employed my an elderly friend as her companion. I live with her, and help her out with housework, and running errands, and as company when she gets lonely. I find plenty of time to catch up on an old favorite pastime-reading. I also keep busy hauling wood, and keeping the fire blazing...then sit down with a book. :) Over the summer months I am employed here at the family camp where my friend currently lives.

I am currently still collecting funds for my trip to Moldova, and must say, it's almost scary to say that I am leaving in exactly 3 weeks from today, and I haven't packed a thing! I am certain that my last week will be a little hectic getting ready, just cause it always is. :) I am excited to go, and make a difference in even one life, if God should allow that, but am also looking forward to how God is going to do a work in my heart while over there. I know there will be a lot to get use to, and I'm sure there will not be a lack of struggle, since that is life. But, I am sure that God will instill in me some treasures that I will be glad to share when I return.

Please remember me in prayer as I prepare in these last few weeks, and that I will continue to stay strong in trusting the Lord for provision. I have yet to purchase my flight, as well as send in the remaining funds to OM(Operation Mobilization) for land arrangements. I am short, roughly, about $2000. (God owns all the cattle on a thousand hills, I hear)

Sometimes it is easier to trust when I can see His hand moving, but the best time to trust, and when that trust gets strengthened, is when all seems dark and impossible around me. Then my only stability comes from God. He is the only one I can lean on.

Please remember my family in prayer as well, because of the loss of a dear friend 1 day ago to cancer. Elizabeth Naragon was a close friend, in her early 40's, who left behind a loving husband, Tod, and a daughter, Michelle(11), and son, Steven(9), and many, many friends. She will be dearly missed, but we are rejoicing that she is no longer in pain, and enjoying the presence of her Savior. This is especially hard on my mom, as well as my little sister Tori, who is close friends with her daughter, Michelle.

Thank you, again, to everyone who is praying for me, and supporting me financially. The Lord is using you to bless me, and it means so much!