There is an "acknowledged" Christmas on Dec 25th. Then a "celebrated" Orthodox Christmas on Jan 7th. Today. It's interesting to have celebrations for Christmas twice and the New Year celebration in the middle. Gift giving is not such a big part of the celebrations as in the USA.
Because today was "Christmas" (again) and because we still had some toys that had been donated by the PennYan Branch in New York, Patrice Read's family in Indiana, and some Moldovan money from Alexandru one of our contractors - we decided to buy a few more things and do Christmas for one of the poorest families we have met so far in Moldova.
We visited this familyof 6 last week to find them living in a corner room in a tool shed on a pig and sheep farm. They had been homeless and living in an open field previously. The farmer allows them to live in his tool shed only if they will work on the farm. They have 4 boys: Victor 7, Maxim 4, and 3 year old twins Constantin and Natolie. 7 year old Victor was shepherding about 100 sheep across the mud road to pasture when we pulled up. (see photo). Mom and the 3 other boys were in the corner room in a tool shed that was big enough for a double bed only. It had a ledge at the end of the room that boys played on because the inner wall was heated. It was -9 outside! Mom had been hanging the boys cloths outside on the line to dry so when we went inside the 3 boys had almost no clothes on because their only clothes were hanging outside. Tom called it "freeze-dried" cloths. Elena Barlow came with us on this visit and we both felt so much compassion for this little family that we gave Olesea (mom) the cash that we had in our pockets so they could buy food. Elena was adopted from Moldova by an American family and had come back to Moldova for Christmas to donate coats to orphans. We also sent along a large box of boys clothing that Vera from the Chisinau Branch gave us to give away and we gave them a blanket that we had received from the Coltons while we were in Germany.
Lidea, our water contractor and NGO, told us while were there that this family could get social assistance if they could get into a house and the cost of buying a home in that isolated village was about $1,000-$1,500. Can you imagine buying a home for so little!??!! Elena said she was going to go home the next week and immediately try to get donations of that amount and send to Lidea so she could get this family into a home. Lidea and Elena have been emailing about how that is coming along. We said we would help personally with some household goods to get them into a home.
For now, though, we decided to give the boys a moment of joy on Christmas day. Look at the photos of what we saw the first time we visited and some photos of us delivering the gifts. We took so many photos! It was so soul satisfying to be a part of this. Lidea gave them warm orange socks, hygiene kits, and some other needed items. Because we took so many photos I've decided to post some photos and then do a fast speed slideshow of the boys opening gifts. I hope you enjoy it. I hope you can identify items that you donated and see how much joy it brought to these children. They will NEVER forget this day. We gave mom and dad gifts too and even gave them Book of Mormon's in Russian and Romanian. Merry 2nd Christmas to you all!
Because today was "Christmas" (again) and because we still had some toys that had been donated by the PennYan Branch in New York, Patrice Read's family in Indiana, and some Moldovan money from Alexandru one of our contractors - we decided to buy a few more things and do Christmas for one of the poorest families we have met so far in Moldova.
We visited this familyof 6 last week to find them living in a corner room in a tool shed on a pig and sheep farm. They had been homeless and living in an open field previously. The farmer allows them to live in his tool shed only if they will work on the farm. They have 4 boys: Victor 7, Maxim 4, and 3 year old twins Constantin and Natolie. 7 year old Victor was shepherding about 100 sheep across the mud road to pasture when we pulled up. (see photo). Mom and the 3 other boys were in the corner room in a tool shed that was big enough for a double bed only. It had a ledge at the end of the room that boys played on because the inner wall was heated. It was -9 outside! Mom had been hanging the boys cloths outside on the line to dry so when we went inside the 3 boys had almost no clothes on because their only clothes were hanging outside. Tom called it "freeze-dried" cloths. Elena Barlow came with us on this visit and we both felt so much compassion for this little family that we gave Olesea (mom) the cash that we had in our pockets so they could buy food. Elena was adopted from Moldova by an American family and had come back to Moldova for Christmas to donate coats to orphans. We also sent along a large box of boys clothing that Vera from the Chisinau Branch gave us to give away and we gave them a blanket that we had received from the Coltons while we were in Germany.
Lidea, our water contractor and NGO, told us while were there that this family could get social assistance if they could get into a house and the cost of buying a home in that isolated village was about $1,000-$1,500. Can you imagine buying a home for so little!??!! Elena said she was going to go home the next week and immediately try to get donations of that amount and send to Lidea so she could get this family into a home. Lidea and Elena have been emailing about how that is coming along. We said we would help personally with some household goods to get them into a home.
For now, though, we decided to give the boys a moment of joy on Christmas day. Look at the photos of what we saw the first time we visited and some photos of us delivering the gifts. We took so many photos! It was so soul satisfying to be a part of this. Lidea gave them warm orange socks, hygiene kits, and some other needed items. Because we took so many photos I've decided to post some photos and then do a fast speed slideshow of the boys opening gifts. I hope you enjoy it. I hope you can identify items that you donated and see how much joy it brought to these children. They will NEVER forget this day. We gave mom and dad gifts too and even gave them Book of Mormon's in Russian and Romanian. Merry 2nd Christmas to you all!
7 year old Victor shepherding.
Dad taking care of the pigs.
The tool shed they live in. Actually they live in a corner room of the shed. 
The outside door leads to the hall to the corner room.
The rest of the toolshed I saw while walking to the back room they live in.
The door to their room.
Twin 3 year olds sitting and 4 year old Maxim standing on the ledge in the room.
Olesea and the boys. She had just been outside hanging cloths in -9 weather.
Elena (back seat) planning with Lidea (front seat) on how to help. Tom is driving.
At 8:30 am on January 7th, the official Orthodox Christmas... we arrived at Olesea's and Uri's "home" with the gifts that Santa accidentily left at our apartment for them. They were thrilled! Enjoy the moments captured in this slide show. And again, Merry 2nd Christmas to all you who helped make it happen. We love you
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I love it!!!
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