Edwards Christmas Letter 2016 from the
land of Moldova
1. And it came to pass in the land of
eastern Europe, in the country of Moldova, that Lynn and Debby Edwards had
spent almost a year as missionaries. And they did reflect much on the past year
and the many changes that had occurred in their lives.
2. And they did especially rejoice for
the blessing and presence of Skype and other electronic tools that did allow
them to communicate with family freely and did see frequent pictures of
grandchildren rapidly growing, yea, and even coming into the world [ well, not
the entire process, just the end result]
3. And they did marvel much at the
sparing of their lives again and again on the road and streets of Chișinău,
and the highways of Moldova, where much carnage takes place, and much craziness
enters the roads in a very speedy and speeding manner, and where laws are
something to be broken frequently. And they did thank their vehicle, a red Opel
that did somewhat resemble a car.
4. And
Deb did refuse to drive because of exceeding great fear, and Lynn did drive and
become much like a Moldovan, to his wifes dismay and terror.
5. And they did delight in Moldovan
cuisine, well, at least half of them, and taste foods like sarmale, and odd
salads, and a corn meal dish like food, but called mamaliga, and verily, it was
nasty and foul. And Deb did refuse to eat carp. And who knew walnuts could have
worms?
6. And it came to pass that they both
realized quickly that living together in constant close proximity was
interesting, yea, at times too interesting, and they did both repent and change
and did still love each other, after the wounds did heal.
7. And they did travel much on roads
which did keep one awake when tired, and did often brake for horse and wagons.
And Deb did realize that one cannot get enough pictures of wagons, though after
1000, it was verily close to enough.
8. And they did visit piațas often and
could find almost anything and everything in a piața, and the sales people did
recognize us and smile often, and even try to speak to us in both words of
English they knew. And they were exceedingly friendly.
9. And Lynn and Deb did teach much,
classes in 3 languages, medicine, cooking, English, Self-Reliance and other
assorted things. And Deb did make quilts on a Toyota machine, which did sound
much like a John Deere of ancient vintage. And they did help much in the
branches of the Church in Moldova. And they grew to love many people,
especially the young adults, and especially the humble , poor people of
Moldova. For they were genuine, kind and caring despite much poverty.
10.
And Deb and Lynn did marvel much at poverty,
and corruption and inequality and the goodness of most people who manage in
circumstances most could not imagine. And at times they were almost
overwhelmed, but knew they could do some things to help. And they did wonder at
the materialism of themselves and many others from our country.
11.
And
they were overjoyed at Brendan and how well he did on his mission to New
Mexico, for he had matured, grown and changed, all for the better, even though
he was very good to begin. And there was no pride, but they were exceedingly
well pleased.
12.
And
they both were thankful for family, to watch a father , to watch a house and
finances and to care for each other. And blessings were counted frequently, but
the end was never accomplished.
13.
And they did both realize that their brains
were older and somewhat less plastic than in earlier years. But luckily with
their age, this was often forgotten quickly, along with other assorted facts.
14.
And they do thank all their friends and family, but more especially those
who remember to write to them. But they do love you all , and for those who
have neglected to write, repent speedily and all will be well,
15.
We
do love and miss you all, have a happy and holy Christmas!
Elder Lynn and Sister Debby Edwards
edwardsinmoldova@blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment