some pics from our week in Moldova

We arrived in Moldova on the day after the big riots following the election. The damage to the parliament building was incredible. The students took over the building and in the frenzy that ensued the building was devastated and many people injured.

Whilst in a village we came across the 'Easter Fair' - a country show and the high light was the merry go rounds and the house of horrors - named Luna Park

Spring has sprung and the tulips were everywhere, the blossoms filling the trees

We managed one day off and took a drive into the country side to visit an old historic monastry set in the hillside

If we are looking scared it is because we were out on the cliff in the picture above. About half way up the cliff face.

The low rooms are the bedrooms where the monks used to sleep - carved out of the rock.

the resident monk reminded me of someone from back home - and so he abliged with a picture.

We were there to vist the various projects that are happening. we saw lots of Borsch, beetroot and buck wheat with chicken pieces. Feeding programs are a key program offerred to both children and elderly.

I spent some time in this elderly program and thought I was back in Kardinia for a while.

This kids program was themed road safety and the kids had the opportunity to test their driving skillls with a computer game.

But one of the reasons they come together is to do homework and we saw many dedicated teachers working with the kids to complete their work.

We visited a new hall built in one of the villages - kindly donated by Norway. A great facility - one that any western country would expect. Unfortunately here it is difficult to have the funds to maintain and pay for the elctricity & services to run the building. But there is a corps here doing their best to make it work and looking for creative ways to use what is an excellent facility.

The many complicated laws and processes made the building of this complex a real challenge. An example of this - the law states that there must be 2 toilets for each gender - the result........ take your pick???????

The roads are a particular challenge - it is not unusual to drive down a road and discover a manhole cover has dissapeared - no warning - just watch out!!!!! Or maybe some rocks on top will stop someone from stealing the lid???? It is a brave person who drives in moldova.

This is just a few glimpses from our week in Moldova. It was a great experience to go out and be a part of the army work for a week - released from the desk for a small glimpse of what it is like for the people in this struggling country. We visited programs, we sat with people in their homes, talked with officers and managed a little sight seeing as well. We returned to moscow safely with a better understanding of the many challanges facing our work.

taking a walk around parliament

I remember in 1988 with our children joining with 15,000 other Chrisitians to walk around the new parliament house in Canberra Australia. The building was to be opened by the Queen and so many people took the pilgrimage to join and offer 24 hours of prayer before the opening. we sang songs as we walked in unity and many prayers were offerred. It was a peaceful and memorable expereince.
It was a very different story in Moldova this week when a similar number of people gathered around the Moldovan parliament building. They were not there for prayer, but rather to demonstrate their anger at the results of the election that had just taken place. Using modern technology - facebook, SMS the crowds came quickly and a violent frenzy erupted. The crowd stormed the building - the police retreated and the building was gutted. Furniture and papers thrown out windows, computers stolen, many floors set ablaze. 9 floors of the building decimated.
Two nights after the event I walked with friends around the building to observe the damage. It was interesting to watch the many locals who also came in disbelief and wonder. We looked at the building with the blackened walls, broken windows, vertical blinds hanging from the vacant places. We watched as the riot police packed away their riot gear into a big van. We looked at the piles of broken glass and wrecked furniture and littered paper. The result of the demonstration did little for the cause. Students now have no money to study as the government suspended all payments to pay for the damages. Moldova made the front page of news all around the world. This very poor country, struggling to recover its economy, struggling to finds its identity. An interesting place to find the Salvation Army. The challenges and opportunities are great.