June 1st

The t-shirt reads: God Loves Families. (The guys in the background are in a youth group that I frequently enjoy here).

My friend Natasha(who paints BEAUTIFUL cards) and I enjoying the festivities. Yes, I know....I NEED SUNGLASSES! You can't see my eyes for my squinting. :)


Today, June 1st, marks 10 months for me in Moldova!! Woo-hoo! (I have less than one month left in Moldova. That is so hard to believe!)

It is also my dear friend, Casey's birthday! Happy birthday Casey! I hope you have a wonderful day.

Today many countries around the world will celebrate International Children's Day. Moldova is celebrating today. I just returned from the center of the city. There were TONS of people, lots of balloons, music, and free ice cream(which I especially enjoyed). It was fun to see people from the various churches that I've visited, other missionaries, and friends.

There were many organizations represented today at the celebration. The evangelical churches were well represented. Many churches passed out flags that read: God loves families.

To mark my 10 month here, I'll share a quick story to let you know just how far I've come with dealing with the cultural differences.

As I was waiting for the trolley bus, it began to rain some. It was a light sprinkle and one that caught me unaware as it was an absolutely beautiful day. I knew that the trolley buses would fill up fast as people tried to get out of the rain. After skipping out on the first two buses that I could have jumped on(they were FULL), I got tired of waiting and just got on the third bus despite how full it was. Man, was it full! It wasn't even 80 degrees today, but in those buses it is HOT. Well, it was the typical crowded bus. I will spare you all the details, but let's just say I have never been so thankful for clothes in all my life. Just when my sweaty arm couldn't stand to grip the overhead bar(I'm so short) any longer, the bus approached my stop. I squeezed my way through the people and got off. Fresh air!!

Back in the beginning of my public transportation experiences here, I would have been stressed out by the lack of public space! Thank the Lord that I have adjusted to many things here. It has made my time here much easier!

God bless you, friends,
Shauna

p.s. I am not looking forward to riding the public transportation as the temperatures increase. Lord, help me endure the heat!.

A Full Heart

(I don't know why these pictures are showing up so poorly.) Here are the names of my friends. L to R: Irina, Julia, Olga, Nina, Me, Rodyca, Nelly, Nadia, Heather, Mariana, Ina, and Vica. Not pictured, but also at the party: Alida, Aliona, Ana, and Sara ...and Jessie is the bottom one, but not the top one.


I am writing this blog with a heart full of JOY.

A heart full of THANKFULNESS.

A blessed heart.

Ziua mea de nastere este pe 16 mai. (My birthday is the 16th of May in Romanian).It was so special to celebrate MY DAY in Moldova. I had a wonderful time celebrating with both Moldovan and American friends. This is the run-down of my day:
Friday morning Nancy backed chocolate muffins. Yummy. I had a short day of school with the girls. Friday afternoon I ate chili with my roommates. My roommates and I cleaned the apartment and prepared for the party.
Friday evening I had 16 girlfriends come over for pizza, snacks, cake, and ice cream. When it was time for cake they sang happy birthday to me. It was so fun because it was sung in 5 different languages: English, Romanian, Russian, Dutch, and German. Have you ever heard of such a thing? It was really fun. We had such a nice time of fellowship. I really wanted to share cake and ice cream with all the friends I have made over the last year. I have been so blessed to be a part of the lives of these special girls and young woman. They have poured so much into my life, helped me in very practical ways, encouraged me, and they have spoken wisdom into my life. I am blessed to call each of them friend.

I was blown away by their thoughtfulness on my birthday. They presented me with gifts, prayed over me, encouraged me with lots of beautiful words, and there were lots of hugs and kisses. Thank you, Lord for the blessing that each one of these women are in my life. My life is richer for having these women in it.

I am blessed.

I am thankful.

My heart is full of joy.

I don't want to step on anyone's shoes...

Yesterday was a good day. Earlier in the day I did laundry, dishes, vacuumed under the couch, and many other little things around the apartment. Fun stuff....I know!

Later on, I went to pay my internet bill, but the business was closed due to a holiday here. I believe it was a day of remembrance- Day of Victory. I enjoyed my venture out into the city. It was a very beautiful day weather-wise, too. There were a lot of people out and about. There were celebrations in the main square downtown complete with the traditional Moldovan dancing and costumes.

While I was on the trolley bus, I stepped on a man's shoe while trying to scoot into a new spot to make room for someone else. I have been told that Moldovans take great care in keeping their shoes clean. I have witnessed this with my own eyes. While standing on the sidewalk waiting for a bus, a young lady will bend town and wipe her shoes clean with a cloth. My attitude towards the matter is quite different. My thought is,"They are just shoes and they will get dirty again because I am walking on a muddy sidewalk." So, as if I didn't stand out enough with my casual, western dress, one can definitely tell that I am not Moldovan if they look at my shoes. But, I do respect the fact that Moldovans take great pride in their appearance and how they dress-even down to their shoes. So, I would never want to offend anyone by stepping on their shoes! This is bound to happen though in taking public transportation. So, I said to the man, "Sorry(in Romanian)." His reply,"It's okay (in English)."
Wow. It brought such calm to me. I thought...It is okay! Little things are going to happen in life and I should not let them stress me out. Somehow, hearing those words in English, really spoke volumes to me about resting and trusting the Lord with all things. God is in control and He is working my last several weeks out in Moldova for HIS good.
I need not stress or worry about finances, plans, accomplishing tasks, etc.
Everything is going to be alright.

It's okay. It's okay if I don't get everything on my list done. It's okay if I have to be flexible in my plans. And the occasional stepping on some one's shoe, really is OKAY.

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.

Celebrating Women's Day

I feel special....

Today is Women's Day in Moldova. I received a phone call today wishing me a happy holiday and many blessings. When I went to the market today, I had several people wish me a happy holiday. I received flowers from my fellow team members. I received chocolates from another friend.

Information about Women's Day from a friend's blog:

IWD(International Women's Day) is now an official holiday in Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The tradition sees men honoring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate their achievements. While there are many large-scale initiatives, a rich and diverse fabric of local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.

WOMEN'S DAY IS A BIG DEAL HERE. This isn't a holiday for moms only. This isn't Valentine's Day. This is a separate holiday. This is for all ladies. The flower markets were jam-packed. There was at least one flower per couple walking down the street. The girl was holding the flower(s) or they were both holding flowers probably because they were taking flowers to their moms.

Tonight I went to youth group. They had some special skits,songs, and games. During one game there were three boys who had to go around and give compliments to girls. If the girl liked the compliment, then she would sign a piece of paper. The boy with the most signatures won the game. So, one boy came up and said to me in Romanian, "You are like a very pretty flower." How nice. I signed his paper. I don't think he won the game, but it was a nice compliment!! (Why don't we have this holiday in America??)It felt kind of like I was 15 again and we were doing a special Valentines Day service at youth group or something. It was really funny.

After youth group I went to a nice restaurant with a few other girls. We tried to go to this fantastic Italian restaurant that has great pizza and good dessert, but they were too crowded. At the second restaurant we had to wait several minutes for a table to open it. Everyone was out celebrating and the places were packed with people. Overall, It was a very fun and special day.

Christmas in Moldova (No, this isn't late...Christmas is Jan. 7th here)!!

The Raatz' Christmas Tree. Quite the difference from mine and Kelly's! It was really pretty. For Christmas, my roommate and I spent the night with the Raatz family. We had a wonderful time the next morning opening our stockings from Santa :) and watching the girls open all their presents. It truly was a wonderful time and it definitely felt like Christmas.

My Christmas gits, stocking stuffers, and cards. Thanks for the Christmas cards, friends! Some of my gifts included: headbands(which I will need to wear to church here), gloves, movies, a wonderful necklace, notebook, and a wrap. My parents sent a special surprise package. I didn't know anything about it until Christmas morning. I almost cried. It was really special. Thanks Mom and Dad! Thanks also to the Raatz who made my Christmas extra special. God Bless!

me and my roommate kelly by our "charlie-brown-christmas-tree"

I'm sporting the polka dot pjs!!

Scroll down to previous posts for more Christmas Day fun!!

Goals-2008

(Happy New Year in Romanian)
It's 2008! Wow...how time flies. I had a wonderful year in 2007. The highlights: Nannying for a family in Branson from Jan-May, Graduation Ceremony in May, Becoming an aunt in July, Coming to Moldova in July-present to teach and work for the Raatz family. God has been so faithful!! I look forward to His faithfulness in 2008.

I always make New Year’s resolutions. This year is no different. Before writing my own, I wanted to take a look at the most common resolutions Americans make.

Popular New Year's Resolutions (according to usa.gov):
Lose Weight, Pay Off Debt, Save Money, Get a Better Job, Get Fit, Eat Right, Get a Better Education, Drink Less Alcohol, Quit Smoking, Reduce Stress Overall, Reduce Stress at Work,
Take a Trip, and Volunteer to Help Others.

Wikipedia’s definition: A New Year's Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year's Day and remain until the set goal has been achieved.

MyGoals.com has some great tips about achieving goals/New Year’s Resolutions.

The challenge is actually following through with the goals we set for ourselves. The key is having a plan. I plan on putting my plans together later on today, but for now here are some of my goals for this year:

1)Exercise. (this a must every year) Let's see if I can actually make it happen this year! :) Exercising 2 or 3 times a week-every week.
2)To love others selflessly. To set aside any motives and just love people!
3)Instead of judging others, gently encourage and inspire others.
4) Trust GOD in all things instead of being so quick to worry.
5)Say no to distractions in order to use my time wisely. This will require much discipline.

Here's a verse I want to cling to this year:
The Lord says, "My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like my ways. Just as the heavens are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. "Isaiah 55: 8-9

I have no idea what all the Lord has planned for my life in 2008, but I choose to trust Him and to be still and know that He is God. His ways are higher than mine. He is in control. I'm so looking forward to what He has in store.

Christmas Day Fun (Click on the Image to make it bigger)

First BIG Snow!!!

So, it snowed really big here last night. I took a few pictures for you to enjoy. I actually walked for about an hour in it today. It is really strange to be around all this snow. I don't feel very used to it being from TN and then MO for college. This is a lot of SNOW in my opinion. It is beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy it from inside, but I trotted through it today just for fun and to go to this expo where they were selling all kinds of arts and crafts from different countries. I bought a fun t-shirt that has the words" Where is Moldova?" on the front and a map on the back. I thought it would be fun to wear back home because everyone asks, "Where is Moldova?" At the USA booth, I bought some canned tomato soup. I think I will be making tomato soup with grilled cheese pretty soon! So good... Also, at the expo there was a SANTA and he would walk around to the different booths and wish them a Merry Christmas! (Crăciun Fericit! )He is a rather interesting looking Santa, so I thought I would take a picture to show as well. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving in Moldova

So, I had a nice Thanksgiving here complete with two celebrations, turkey, and all the traditional fixings. By the time the second celebration came around, I could hardly move I was full, so I didn't each much at the second shinding. The food was so delectable-I especially enjoyed the green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, turkey, and stuffing. I basically got to hang out with most all of the Americans I know here. It was a good day. It felt so much like Thanksgiving usually feels that I didn't miss home all that much. The turkey was Moldovan and had lost its life the previous day-skinny thing! I thought I would share a couple of pictures. Enjoy.