Baptisms

June 12 2016 Well, we had a busy week, we began our week by taking some sisters out to a village to see the country on Pday. It was a beautiful day and they saw a few things they had not seen previously. We worked hard and got all the English lessons finished and did some training with the missionaries here on how to use them. They are all on Powerpoint and include objectives, spiritual thoughts, teaching , conversations and homework. We hope it will work well and can be used for some time to come. We found out this week that there had been flooding in Chișinău last week, and saw some of the damage this week. There are blessings to living on a hill. So Friday there were 3 baptisms in the Russian branch, and then Saturday we had another one in the Romanian branch. Our missionaries are working hard,  after this transfer, we are down one companionship for at least one transfer. Deb was mending and adjusting baptismal pants, I conducted another baptismal service and then conducted fast and testimony meeting, and talked in that meeting of course. I thought I would be trying a lesson in Romanian, but as we got into the class, there was 6 people speaking only English, and one only who could speak no English. So we quickly modified and had an English lesson with translation. Handouts were all in Romanian, so it all worked out fine. We have fed the people this week. Friday we fed a lot of people after the first baptisms ( with the Cooleys), fed as many, if not more on Saturday after that baptism and then fed the branch after Church meetings today in a Linger longer setting. Large amounts of food, today everyone chipped in and there were a few leftovers, a rarity here. So we haul food from place to place, and continue to be on very good terms with the food cashiers at the grocery store. It is truly special to see the baptisms and be a part of Church growth. Highlight otherwise may be that we found a Mexican restaurant here, and it was very good. So a place was found for Debs birthday. El Paso was the place and we will return.

We don't know what to call these vehicles, but they are everywhere in the country. They have a rototiller front end attached to a cart and they use them to pull people and a wagon. Not fast, but a functional tool. The tillers are then used in the garden plots

A pretty little village with lots of Romanian  letters. Many villages end in the letter I, mostly silent , except to Romanian speakers. 

I turned 180 degrees from the other picture, a nice little  river valley. The river is called Râu Răut, which is very hard to say.

Did not see the colt until after the picture was taken.

Nice stork picture, da?

The roses are out everywhere, all over the city . They are simply beautiful, and my mother would have loved to see all of them. Many colors, and all along roadsides.

The 3 Russian brothers, from left, Vitali, Boris, Yuri. Vitali comes to our FHE and YSA activities and is only 17. All these men are incredible, Yuri is Vitali's father. After his baptism, Yuri spoke for at least 10 minutes.

Food at Saturdays baptism. It is not shabby cuisine. M &M cookies, strawberry cheesecake loaf, that was some of our treats.

In the center is Marina Vinogradova. She was baptized last Saturday, if ever one saw a countenance change , it was on this young lady. She simply beams the Gospel. On her left is Maria or Mariana Gorea, from Orhei. She is one of our favorites, we travel to teach her every 2nd tuesday.

So we have had another good week, still challenges of course, but oh, so many blessings and spiritual uplifts. We love working with the YSA and look forward to this coming week- we gather all of the YSA in Moldova for an all day activity. We have a busy week of preparation. That includes a number sleeping over at our apartment.