The travel bug bit when I went to Zambia. I had been so
impressed with the unique opportunity that Mission Direct offered. 2 weeks
really does give you a taster of overseas mission work, without having to give
up the day job! When the opportunity arose in the summer of 2011 to run a
series of teams I didn't hesitate and immediately signed up. For ten weeks I
immersed myself into daily life, living with the locals in a rural village in
Moldova. ‘Where?’ I hear you muse.
Moldova is Europe’s poorest country and is sandwiched
between Romanian and Ukraine in Eastern Europe. It is a country that has been
described as Africa in Europe. The capital city of Chisinau may on the surface have
similarities to a western city. But as you drive into the countryside the road
deteriorate to dirt tracks and you are transported back in time to an era when
people got water from the well, had horses and carts and grew much of their own
food. This was my home from June-August 2011 as we hosted three teams from the
UK. As with any Mission Direct trip, our focus was a building project, in this
case refurbishing a lady’s house. Each team stayed for two weeks and I and my colleague
had a down week in between each team in order to prepare for the next. That was
the rhythm of the summer and these were my experiences….
