Letters from Moldova: Review in Photos

I've missed a few blog posts, so I'm going to keep it fun and catch you up through some photos.

We were invited for some fun at a harvest festival put on by International Christian Fellowship Church. I tried my hand at sewing, thanks to help from my friend Marie, and made Juju a dinosaur tail. We had a blast! I think the highlight was traveling by bus, all dressed up and accompanied by buddies, Mercy and Addy or should I say Minnie Mouse and Princess Leia. I think it was a highlight for everyone else on the bus as well!

He actually wore his dino tail!

We had a little Halloween party at our apartment. It was a fun pumpkin theme with reading The Runaway Pumpkin, playing pin the face on the pumpkin, and making pumpkins out of stuffed paper bags. Us mommas had fun making food themes, and the kids had fun stuffing their faces with the goodies...healthy goodies too! Did I mention there was actually candy corn present thanks to a friend bring us some from the States.

Did you know that we are like pumpkins? Jesus takes all the yuck that is inside us, cleans us up, puts a smile on our face, and shines his light through us!

Here are the cute faces that were at the party.

The handsome Vlad

Mercy: aka Minnie Mouse

Dino Juju

Princess Addy

I have no picture for the next event, but it is worth the notice. Hot water! After two months of no hot water, we were thrilled to have it running through our faucets again. This also meant that we could start heating our apartment as we use radiators. Wohoo!

The Admirals Basketball Academy was approached by the US Embassy to hold basketball camps as a way to promote American culture. We were thrilled to bring in a good friend and enthusiastic basketball trainer Tim Lewis. It was special to see Tim as we served with him while in Macedonia. The camp was a hit and Tim was able to reach into the hearts of many kids throughout the area.

Last day of camp

Juju Bug turned two this November. We started the morning off with our traditional birthday pancakes and ended the day by celebrating with special friends.

He blew that candle out 8 times!

Did I say we have extra fun friends!

Who doesn't love Thanksgiving?! We sure do! We celebrated with a chicken, no turkey, and substituted candied carrots for sweet potatoes. It was a first for making homemade dressing and apple pie. I'm sure glad we did!

Let's eat!

Mike turned.....how old? We had all the basketball boys over for a get together of endless eating (athletic teens sure do have a good appetite) and playstation basketball. The boys surprised Mike and got him a coffee maker for his birthday. I'm a little thankful for this gift too as it feels more like home with coffee dripping in the kitchen.

Yes. I'm excited over a coffee maker!

Look who decided was ready to be potty trained. Good-bye cloth diapers, that is until May!

It's a whole new world!

Dec 25th, New Christmas, isn't an official holiday in Moldova, but this was the first year that it was actually recognized by the government. We celebrated as a family on Christmas Eve as Mike was gone the following days for a youth basketball tournament. Juju and I were invited to celebrate with a small group from our church on the 25th. We had a great time, esp Juju, sneaking way too many cookies!

Christmas letters!

Christmas with small group

After Easter, New Years' Eve is the holiday to celebrate, and celebrate we did! We had a fantastic time at our ministry partner's house, eating, playing games and passing out chocolates and mandarin oranges. We wrapped up the night watching Putin give his annual speech that was broadcasted on television and tried to fall asleep through an endless firework show that lasted into the early morning hours.

Fireworks over Parliament

Mike led the second US Embassy camp, which brought in kids from Bender, Transnistria. It was a fun four days. The kids and their coaches were glad to be apart of the camp. Not only were they given basketball skills but every day they heard parables from the Bible.

Kids from Bender

Orthodox Christmas, Jan 7, is a very mellow holiday. Many of the Admiral boys spent the day at Nick's house, where they cooked dinner for everyone. They did a fantastic job and everything was gobbled up.

Boys: "Pie like in the movies!"

We were able to host the first International Coalition Training in Moldova, with special guests from England. It was good time of growing deeper in the Lord and how sports can be used to share the gospel.