Voi binecuvânta pe Domnul în orice vreme

Hello to all,

Well, summer has officially arrived and the weather is hotter than ever. As I understand we have been having record highs here in Moldova with temperatures soaring over 90 degrees farenheight. However, despite the unusual heat, things continue to go well. My English students at the orphanage continue to progress in their language abilities as I introduced the past simple tense to them last week. Thus, they are now able to form simple sentences about what they did yesterday, what they are doing today, what they do usually, and what they will do tomorrow. I am glad that most of my students will be at the camp this summer so that we will be able to continue learning English together. I also hope to begin teaching a whole new group of students as there will be more time for this at the camp.

The time I spend with my small group continues to go well. The time we spend together is meaningful, and our relationships continually grow deeper. The Bible studies we've had this past month, on the other hand, have been difficult. Sometimes it seems to me that the boys have lost interest in spiritual matters, but I can't allow this to discourage me. I know that God is at work. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to stir their hearts and to draw them to Himself.

As I mentioned in my last email, there are now two boys from the orphanage, Denis and Iurie, working for my host family's father. They started working this past week and from now on will be working all summer. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to learn life skills and to be exposed to healthy family life each day. I will be teaching them English, personal financial management, and other life skills through daily life together (how to make a shopping list, how to prepare a meal, etc.). Also, Denis is now living with me, so we are of course spending a lot of time together. Again, this is a great opportunity for him to observe "normal" life outside of an institution and to begin to pick up the life skills that he will need in the future.

This week I will be spending my time doing lots of shopping for the camps that will take place this summer not only in Chişinău, but also in two smaller Moldovan towns, Cahul and Faleşti. Liz and I are helping to prepare for the American teams who will be arriving to help with the camps by purchasing everything from lunch supplies to sports balls to art supplies. I will then begin going to camp each day next week and am looking forward to the time that I will spend there with the children.

I know that in my last email I mentioned that I was planning on attending seminary this fall, but I am beginning to think that I might be headed in another direction! A group of people from the organization that I visited in Romania in January, called Word Made Flesh, came to Chişinău this past month for a visit. I spent a weekend with them showing them the city and what I've been doing here. Toward the end of the weekend, the group reminded me of how their organization is very interested in what God is doing in Moldova and how they might be involved in expanding their work into this country. They invited me to fill out an application to be an intern at their site in Galaţi, Romania in order to pray and discern with them in regards to what God is doing, as well as to observe and participate in their work with the children there. It took me a long time to get used to this idea, as in my mind I had been intending on returning to North America in the fall, but the more I pray about this, the more I feel the Lord leading in this direction. My application for the internship is currently being evaluated, so please pray that the Lord would lead as He pleases. I am still holding my place at two different seminaries and have not yet thrown out the idea of going, but I will be making a concrete decision within the next month. Thank you all for your support in this area!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1) Ask God to give me wisdom as I live daily life with Denis and Iurie and as I think of how to show them necessary life skills. Pray that God would continue to work in their hearts, drawing them to Himself.

2) Pray that I would live this summer with purpose at camp and that God would use me as He pleases. I am still not exactly sure what my role there will look like, so I need to continue to listen to His voice. I have several ideas outside of teaching English, music, and Bible, so pray that He would be present in their formation.

3) Continue to pray that the Lord would guide me in my plans and thoughts for the future.

Finally, please visit my blog, http://moldova-john.blogspot.com , where I have posted several pictures from this past week.

"Voi binecuvânta pe Domnul în orice vreme; lauda Lui va fi totdeauna în gura mea" (Psalm 34:1).

"I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips" (Psalm 34:1).

Har şi pace,
John