A Visit to Moldova

Dear All,

This past weekend we were in Chisinau Moldova visiting with E/S Pinder and seeing some of the projects they have done to help the people of Moldova.  When we arrived you could see that it had snowed the day before, but not too much.  3-4 days prior to our arrival they had had a larger snow of about 10-12 inches.  Most of the streets are not plowed, they are left as they are until the snow melts on its own.  The streets are full of potholes, and the government has no money to fix them plus there is a high level of corruption in all levels of government in Moldova so very little gets done without a bribed.  Living the Gospel in these Balkan countries is very difficult because of the  50 years of communist rule after WWII, and the present day corrupt governments   During communism the people were promised security:  a place to live, a job, and food on the table.  In exchanged the people gave up their agency and lost their ability to think for themselves.  They weren't suppose to think, in fact they got in trouble if they thought and asked questions.  They people were to obey and do as they were told, not think or reason.  Now that they are free the older generation is floundering and struggling.  They don't know what to do and look for someone to tell them what to do.  Before the government told them where they would live - no choice, if you didn't like it too bad.  The government assigned you a job or vocation for your life- you were not free to chose your occupation.  If you didn't want to do that job-tough that was your job and you had better not complain.  You had food on the table, but you had no say about type,quality or quantity   When the Russians left they took everything- money, equipment, industry and know how; when the Russians left they Mafia moved in.  The Mafia was generally comprised of former KGB members.  Because of the high unemployment and low wages many people leave Moldova   They immigrate to anywhere out of the Balkans.  1/3 the passports in Frankfurt are non German, the lucky ones can get a workers VISA some may even get an immigration VISA.  There is such a problem here in Germany that when we came we had to show proof that we could finance being here, and not become a burden on the government.  Most of the immigrants send money back to their families in their homeland.

Once you get out of the main cities the life style goes back over 100 years.  In Moldova 1/3 its entire population lives in the capital city of Chisinau.  Let me show you some of the living conditions for many in the villages.

Picture of Chisinau (capital city) airport on arrival.  Taken from the airplane window.

Local neighborhood water supply in a typical village.  The water is contaminated and should be boiled before consumed.  If you want a bath you must make multiple trips. then heat the water in typically a wood burning stove.

These wells are every where in the villages.  The Church did a project to bring clean water into the homes of a village.  A resident in his 80's, he said this is the first time he has ever had water piped into-his home.  He will never see indoor plumbing.

This is the bathroom in a school for the handicapped that the Church is partnering with another organization to remodel.  Notice that there is only 1 tap, no hot water so we are going to install a boiler so the kids will have hot water for bathing.

This is the same school for the handicapped.  The lampshade is just plastic paper wrapped around the light bulb.  They hardly turn the lights on because they can't afford the electricity

The door of the school is so warped that it won't close any tighter than this.  We will also replace doors and windows in the school.  The school was originally built in 1963 by the communist, and not touched since then.

This is a new bathroom in another school that the Church is funding to have installed.  Presently the students who live at the school must walk about a 100 yards to use an outhouse.  Not too bad in the summer, but at night in the winter- pretty miserable.

This is suppose to be the oldest standing Church in Moldova.  It is a UNESCO site.  They think it was built in the 12-13 century when the Ottoman Turks ruled Moldova.  At one time there was a Mosque near by.  This Christian church had  to be built so it would not be higher than a horseman with his sword raised up.  You can see the people going down into it, it still has a dirt floor.   The walls were painted in the 16th century with religious scenes, and you can still make out many of the scenes.  Legend has it that one night the Turks used it as a barn for their horses, and the next day when they came to get their horses they were all dead.  The Turks in retaliation gauged out the eyes of the saints painted on the walls of the church.

Here is an example of the interior walls.  The wood bean was added after an earthquake in the 1860's damaged the
church.

These lovely orthodox churches are seen in several villages.  They are funded by a government tax.  But most of the Moldovan have had their belief in god beat out of them, and don't believe in God anymore.

We will be traveling a lot in the next few weeks trying to visit some of our couples who are really isolated, and also going to Lisbon Portugal to help create a project there to do in conjunction with the temple groundbreaking.  These almost 2 years have really flown by, and the last 2 months will not pass any slower.  

We send our love to all,

Oma und Opa

,

D