Trip to Iasi, Romania (Part 2)

Here are some more pictures from the trip.
Gold VW Bug inside another mall that we went to. The sign said "2008 Car of the Year."
Easter decorations inside mall.(Reminded me a lot of the malls back home)We just celebrated Easter here last weekend(see previous post).
I didn't get a really good picture of the fairly large mall, but here's a picture from the BUSY parking lot.

Some gypsies sitting on the sidewalk in front of some stores
They had beautiful flowers on the hotel premises. Tulips are my favorite. :)

More flowers.

The view of the city from the hotel balcony

Trip to Iasi,Romania (Part 1)

Monday through Wednesday, our team took a retreat/team-building trip into Romania. It was my first time leaving Moldova since last August. I was super excited to visit Romania. It was my very first time to see Romania. It felt like a different world compared to Moldova, but in many ways the countries are still very similiar. There were 12 of us traveling in three vehicles. Everyone got through all borders just fine. It was my very first experience crossing borders of different countries, too. Here are some pictures from my trip.

In Iasi, our first stop was a mall. The mall had a small food court so we ate at KFC! How exciting to have American fast food other than McDonalds.

I don't recall ever eating a lot of KFC in America, but boy was it TASTY. I had a chicken sandwich with fries.
We stayed at a hotel called "Little Texas". It was a wonderful place that was decorated with all things Texas/cowboys/Western style. The owner is an American from Texas. He opened the hotel and restaurant as business as missions.
Front of restaurant. The restaurant served MEXICAN food, of course. Oh, it was so tasty. They also served the most amazing complimentary breakfast ever. I definately took advantage of the restaurant and enjoyed all the delicious food.
The part of the hotel my roommate Sara and I stayed in.
Natalie and Lauren climbing a tree.
My new roommate Sara and I.
Elissa, Natalie,Lauren, and I
Heather, Heidi, and I.(My eyes are closed, though). They are a lot in pictures. What do you do?

Taco Night and Good Friday!!

Tonight we gathered together as a team and ate yummy tacos complete with all the fixings: salsa, cheese, onions, sour cream, cheese, etc. They were delicious. This was especially exciting because you can't buy tortillas here. They do have unleavened bread/pitas, and lavas available though. Almost the same...but not quite. So, the tortillas were homemade!! There were also movies playing, fun games, and we even broke out the Wii(newer version of Nintendo, if you didn't know). Side note: I was just introduced to the Wii this week. It is fun-filled game that provides a lot of laughter and a good workout(the first time, at least). I have been so sore since I started playing. :)

The best part of the evening was when we celebrated Good Friday together. Easter is celebrated here this weekend(Orthodox calendar). We prayed, had communion, and sang songs.It was so great. It is always a humbling experience to take communion and remember the sacrifice Christ made for us on the cross. It is so incredible to me to think of His pain and blood that was shed to wash us white as snow. I am so thankful that my sins are forgiven and remembered no more. I am also so blessed to serve a Risen Savior.

Cute Baby Faces!!

One Sweet Baby Girl and a little yawn!

I just couldn't get enough...of that sweetness!

Cute!!

I had a missionary family stay with me for a couple of weeks. Here are a few shots I took while babysitting. How cute are they?!?

What School Can Do To A Kid...

Look at HOW FrAzZlEd she is!

So cute!!

Teacher's Pet

She had just taken her hair out of braids...thus the WILD HAIR!!! How fun!

Encouragement

I just wanted to share some verses that have encouraged me lately.(All verses are from the NCV-New Century Version)

So my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Do not let anything move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted. 1 Corithians 15:58

Be alert. Continue strong in the faith. Have courage, and be strong. Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's victory parade. God uses us to spread His knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume. Our offering to God is this: We are the sweet smell of Christ among those who are being saved and who are being lost. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15

So we do not give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. We have small troubles for a while now, but they are helping us to gain an eternal glory that is much greater than our troubles. We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18

We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us. We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed. We carry the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the life of Jesus can also be seen in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4: 7-10

Another Stroll in the Park

The weather here has been so beautiful lately. I was able to enjoy a couple of strolls through the park this weekend. YAY!

I love temperatures in the 70s. It's my favorite kind of weather. Not too hot, but some sunshine and a nice breeze. What I like to call: perfect!

My Decision

I don't think I have updated everyone on my decision regarding whether or not to stay in Moldova for another year or return to America.

So, I will take the opportunity now to share.

After a lot of praying, talking, thinking, weighing all the factors involved(and there were a lot), and wise counsel, I decided not to return to Moldova in the fall. (There are too many details regarding how I made my decision to go into detail here. Just know that my experiences in Moldova have been wonderful and life-changing. I had to make a decision though and this is the one I came to.) I will be staying in America for the time being. Who knows what God has in store? Only God right now. I am still seeking and praying about any further plans.

I will most likely return to Memphis sometime in early July. I will most likely be staying there for at least a couple of months. I have some ideas in mind, but that is all they are-just ideas.

I look forward to seeing family and friends, sharing about my time here in Moldova, and transitioning back into American life(although I think it might be difficult now that I have life experiences outside of America).

It is strange to think about coming home and not really having any plans. I have had a plan or known the next step since I was in high school (2002). I knew I was going to college. I knew which college. I had my degree to work towards. Since 2006, I had Moldova to plan and look forward to. Now, I have no for sure plans, but to go home. So, this is both exciting and scary at the same time. I look forward to what the Lord has in store.

Thank you for your support, encouragement, and prayers.

I still have 3 months of this exciting journey. The journey is far from over!!

God bless,
Shauna

What Do You Want To Know?

What questions do you have about Moldova, me, or my time here??
Somtimes it is hard to find things to blog about or rather it is hard to know what would interest people. SO, if you have any questions, please feel free to post a comment to this blog.

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On a side note.... I will give you eight statements in honor of my 8th month here:

1) I am really addicted to Coca-Cola.
2) I was able to put a baby to sleep the other day-it was really a sweet moment.
3) I don't like walking through the rain and mud.
4) I am usually afraid to cross the street. (I never know if the cars will stop even though they are supposed to).
5) I wish I was on time to work more frequently.
6) I actually got at least 8 hours of sleep two nights in a row this week.
7) I ate too much cake and icecream the past two weeks.
8) I haven't had a Romanian language lesson in the past month. (I'm not sure if I will have any more either).

Rain, Rain GO AWAY!!

Today I went to meet my friend at my favorite restaurant in Chisinau: The Patiseria. It is a nice french restaurant that serves quiche and great desserts.

After lunch we had planned to take some pictures around the city, BUT it started to RAIN. Nothing new about this. It rained all week. I meant to get a picture of one of the many puddles of mud, but I forgot. So, instead of taking pictures we had to go to plan b and go inside to a bookstore. Here are a couple of pictures from outside the bookstore after I was caught unprepared(yes, I forgot the umbrella) by the rain.

I can't wait for the rain to go away and the sun to come out! I am ready for nice spring weather, walks in the park, and more picture-taking opportunities.