Spring is Here!!!

These are just some pictures and a video of the remnants of winter. They were taken about a month ago in Briceni.

 

 Above are beautiful evergreen trees and the Moldovan flag decorating the raion (think state or county) building in Briceni.

 John giving some awards to students who participated (and two who won 3rd place!) in a Moldova-wide English writing competition.

It's like the whole community was holding its breath and now it can breathe. Seriously, that was the longest winter of our lives! I am so happy to write "was." We are just starting to preview what Moldova will offer come later spring, summer, and even into the autumn. Buds are forming on the trees and birds are getting restless. There is a mother of puppies that ushers her young around a courtyard-like area near our apartment, and it is very pleasing to watch them play.
Our spirits are lifting with the clouds and the sun is definitely bringing renewed energy into our lives. We went camping this last weekend in a nearby forest, and although the trees weren't yet green, just to be outside and enjoying God's playground for us was wonderful.

Ah, life couldn't get any better.  Jaime Wheeler should recognize the book.

 The sun is just setting through the trees.

And yes, the little tree did hold us through the night. It's a tough little bugger!

 We are planning some time with the church members to go to the forest and have a bbq and fun day. Every year the 1st of June is Kid's Day (Ziua Copiilor) in which teachers take their students to the forest for a fun day. This year it happens to fall the day after the last day of school, so it will be a wonderful Saturday indeed.

Waiting on spring.. waiting... waiting...

     We hear the south of Moldova is blossoming into spring. We saw weather updates from Lubbock showing snow. The north of Moldova has at least lost its snow blanket, but we are still under some soggy weather. Today we have rain drizzling, but the ambient light makes the moss on the trees glow a bright green. It's a different kind of beauty for sure.
     If you haven't heard, we have decided to return to the states in June. What has led us to this decision?
Hmmmm... Much prayer and discussion as a family.
     -Teaching health education in Moldova employs very different talents than nursing at a hospital, and Shelbi had always said she would not be a classroom teacher. We didn't know the extent of teaching she would have to do when we decided to come, but have given the school year our best efforts.
     -We are ready to begin our family and have kids. We knew we wanted this before starting Peace Corps, but were ready to wait a couple of years. Moldovan families and values have encouraged our want for a family, and besides that, we know too many pregnant women. It seems that there is some glitch/Godly desire that has planted itself in Shelbi's mind and won't give up. She has the fever badly.
     -We definitely miss our family. There have been many times we've Skyped and shed tears as we close the video window. It's strange that although we have Skype and email with the possibilities to communicate daily, we still feel very apart from our family.
     -Furthermore, coming to Moldova has shown us the value for permanence that our culture (and especially our generation) sometimes lacks. Moldovan homes can be hundreds of years old. Families live in the same villages and have the same friends for generations. The history is deep but cyclical and the value that offers relationships is incredible. It has truly been inspiring to witness the differences in culture, but we realize more and more that, along with our desire to begin a family, we desire steady relationships and daily accountability in our walk with God. If we planned to stay in Moldova long-term, that could happen here. As it is, the language barriers make genuine connection with people a little stifling at times. Because we don't have a more intense dedication to learning Romanian and Russian and have always imagined returning to the states to start our family, we know this is good timing for us.

     We will stay until the summer knowing we could maximize our impact with the students and teachers we work with by continuing through the end of the school year.

     We look forward to seeing family and friends into the summer.

     Until then, we have a lot of projects we are still working on and, of course, daily teaching. Please pray for our efforts in Briceni, Moldova as we prepare to leave in a healthy and supportive manner. Please pray for the development of the school and the students coming to English classes with the church.