Concordance Results, etc.

Answer to the previous trivia question:

Being the ill-informed guys we are concerning the works of Shakespeare, Nathan and I were both amused that we had been invited to lecture university students on the famous playwright. So it was pretty funny to both of us, as we headed off to do the lecture, that I had enough slim shadow of a doubt in my mind that I asked him, “Hey, what was Shakespeare's first name?” We further imagined the situation had we stood before the class, talking about, for example, Howard Shakespeare. Well, anyway, only one of you (brer Jeff) committed to the correct answer. Several of the rest of you fell for my primary decoy answer concerning misplaced lecture notes. :) And to John L.: correct, that only a real occurrence might have inspired answer #3. To excuse him though, it was when he was in perhaps the second grade, and I think asked by his teacher, and apparently also by his older sister.

New question:

What play is currently showing in the Tiraspol theater, over in Russian dominated Transnistria?

1. I Don't Want to Live in Amerika

2. Earnest Goes to Siberia

3. The Taming of the Amerikan

4. Capitalist Pig in Moscow

Friday morning we were off to Balti, to see the results of the concordance exercise I had given the ladies there. I was looking forward to it, having heard that parting word from one of them two days before, “Thanks for giving us this work to do.” Vyera met us outside as she often does, and warned us that it might be a small group today. “The heat just got turned on in Balti today, so it seems some of them didn't want to leave their warm homes.” (more about heat in moment; and pictured at left is Vyera, very likeable lady) We got inside and only one other lady was present – the one who had thanked me for giving them the work. Another lady came late, but she is one who had not been present the day I gave them the work. I was disappointed, and also worried that I had been unwise in designing the task. Bummer.

Well, we discussed what these two ladies had found, and a little more about how to use the concordances, and headed back to Chisinau. On Sunday, I was in Tiraspol so I didn't get to see what happened in Balti that day, but Nathan and first Serghei were there. They said that several of the ladies absent on Friday were there and telling things about what they found in their concordance study, so I was much relieved. Apparently the heat really was the contributing factor to their absence on Friday.

The heat for the majority of people here is produced in a few central locations through the city, and is in the form of heated water. The water is pumped throughout the city, underground, into the buildings, and then through radiators in the various rooms of each flat. Friday was the day that Balti decided to start heating and pumping water. Here in Chisinau we still await such a decision. Since the people are poor, they tend to prefer enduring the cold longer, rather than to pay for heat, so the city holds off until it's “cold enough.” We've had one hard freeze, and daytime temps have been 50s and 60s mostly, maybe some in the 40s.

And a word about the Sergheis. I don't prefer calling them 1^st and 2^nd Serghei, and then there is the less than ideal teacher in Benderi, a third Serghei. Henceforth, I will name them differently.

Serghei Corcimaru is the man here teaching and preaching, who is responsible for nearly all the growth that has happened here. Converted in Moscow during his university studies, he then moved back home to Moldova and started teaching, thus reaching the others. He's the one I met 7 years ago. I will henceforth call him Serghei Sergheiovich, as per Russian naming. Middle names in Russian are a form of the child's father's name, and as it happens, Serghei's father is also named Serghei; thus he is Serghei Sergheiovich.

Then there is our driver, Serghei, a member of the church here who has been driving us to Balti and sometimes to Transnistria in his cargo van. I will call him driver Serghei.

And lastly, there is Serghei in the Transnistrian city of Benderi, who is less than cooperative with the Christians there. He will continue to be Benderi Serghei.

Saturday I was invited by Natasha (Serghei Sergheiovich's sister) to go with her and her son Dennis to the open market to find some clothes for him. They found what they needed, and I found a hat to keep my head dry when it's raining. Ten bucks, I was happy.

Meanwhile, Nathan was going with Serghei Sergheiovich to take Valerii to the hospital for a surgery to happen this week. He is the one I mentioned in one of my first blog posts back on about October 5. He will have two toes to his remaining foot removed, due to gangreene. I went later in the day to visit him, Dennis coming also to translate, and Nathan returning with us to show me where he was in the building. The hospital was a dreary looking place, and the food looked worse. But Valerii (on the right) had food that Serghei Sergheiovich had given him that morning, so he turned down the offer of ???? that the nurse offered. The guy on the left was friendly and asked us some spiritually oriented questions, but wasn't interested in pursuing any study.

On Sunday, Driver Serghei took me to Tiraspol to lead the assembly there, while Nathan and Serghei Sergheiovich went to Balti. I spoke to the church in Tiraspol (five present) about the work of the church, and planned to discuss related ideas during the discussion period that would follow. During my lesson though, there was much getting up and returning, answering of cell phones, etc. At the end of the assembly, one lady explained that her building had flooded that morning, and as a result the discussion period was eliminated. Hopefully I'll get to cover that material on another visit soon.

That afternoon here in Chisinau, I presented the same material, and did get to cover the additional material. It went quite well I thought, and they understood the points very well and quickly.

Today has been our “Day of Rest.” Nathan and I both went to town separately, partly exploring, partly shopping. I was searching for Sun City, reportedly the biggest grocery store in town. They're usually pretty small here. I happened across a different grocery store in the center that was pretty good, and its upper floors are surely the mall I had been told about. But this wasn't the part of town where I had been told to look for Sun City, so I went on the area to which I'd been directed. I had my doubts about the area, and sure enough, it was all embassies and hotels. Oh well, I'll maybe find it later. For the moment, I headed back to the one I had found by mistake to buy my day's groceries. Approaching it from a different direction, I saw a huge sign on the building. “Sun City.” Turns out also that the whole building, grocery store plus mall, is “Sun City.”

While I was exploring the mall, I saw a shop that sells leather coats. I've wanted a good leather coat for a long time, but have always been unwilling to pay the prices in the States. So I thought I'd check this store out. Really good looking coats, and sleeves sufficiently long...usually it's very difficult for me to find good length. Checked the prices: 390, 450...Wow! At 13 lei to the dollar, I figured quickly that that's less than $50! Started trying them on. While I had one on, the girl showed the price tag, and said “price in American dollars.” Rats. Oh well.

This afternoon we met Driver Serghei's wife Irina at the church meeting place, where she is teaching children. She got the idea to find kids in the neighborhood of the meeting place whose parents would appreciate something for their kids to do in the afternoon, and who have no one at home with them, and to teach them five days a week, plus Sundays. We sat in on her lessons today, and enjoyed watching her teach the 5 kids present, one of them Natasha's younger son, Artiom. Artiom is a clown, and always loves the camera, as you can see in the picture. Irina taught them about some of Jesus' miracles, and then had them memorize John 20:30. Dennis (at far right) was there to translate for Nathan and me.

Finally, if you didn't yet notice the brief post I made early this morning, about food suggestions, please scroll down just a bit more and take note. :)

Two Questions

Just a quick post here, a full one will be posted later today (with the previous trivia questioned answered).

1) I'm taking suggestions (actually requesting help) on what typically American meal we should prepare for a few of the Moldovans. Restriction: It can't be something like hamburgers that includes both bread and meat - due to the peculiarities of a couple of people involved. Bobbie, you might let me know if there are any meals you already prepared for them when you were here.

2) What cartoon character did the clothes on my chair look like when I woke up this morning?

All for now. Gotta run.

Developments in Tiraspol/Benderi

The first of several trivia questions in this and following posts:

What did I ask Nathan as we were leaving to go present the Shakespeare Lecture?

1. What? Didn't you get directions?

2. Hey, what was Shakespeare's first name?

3. Nathan...why is your shirt tucked into your underwear?

4. Uh oh...do you know where I put my lecture notes?

Post your guesses below!

So, the night before the Shakespeare lecture, Serghei's wife Anna told us that we would also be meeting the department head, who allows these lectures by Anna's Christian friends to take place in the university classroom. She further said that we would need to bring some English books as a gift for the woman, and that since we had no way of knowing that ahead of time, that she was already prepared to bring two books she had been given by Americans, she would give them to us, and we could present them to the department head. In the end, I had one somewhat suitable English book with me, with which I could easily part, so we were able to convince Anna to keep the better of the two books she was going to provide.

We enjoyed presenting the lecture. I presented a summary of the play, related the biblical background of its themes, and discussed one of those themes in relation to the play and in general; Nathan then discussed a second theme. There were 40-45 second year English students, only two of which were guys. During the Q&A afterward, nearly all the questions were asked by the two guys. Several questions focused on spiritual things. A few examples: Must we show mercy (a theme of the play) to those who oppose us? What religion are Nathan and I? Were there denominations in the first century? (-in response to my emphasis on the problem of denominationalism and religious division) We had good discussion and made good points. And of course there were other questions of a more general nature. After one of the girls asked our ages, one of the two guys asked her “Which one do you like more?” Also have some indication that the other guy might be willing to study with me.

Tuesday evening was a gathering at the church's meeting place, where Nathan presented a follow-up study to his Sunday morning class discussion of types in the OT.

Next day was Wednesday, which means the road trip to Balti and the women there. Just before Brace Rutledge left here, he talked to the women in Balti about personal study, and spoke to them about the use of a concordance to aid in their study. He also purchased several Russian language concordances for them. On Wednesday, I reminded them of that study and of using concordances, and then provided several words/topics to look up. I let them choose which ones they each wanted. They were to take 20 minutes or more to gather some passages, learn something new or see something interesting about their topic, and be able to tell us all what they found. Well, as any of you who have been to Balti know, it can be a difficult group to keep control of, as they do like to talk. It took forever to get the idea across, to make the topic assignments, and help them get started. By this time, one of the women said that this hour study was really not enough for this, and suggested they take the concordances home, do the work, and we can pull it all together next time. Great idea! So that's the plan, and we go there again tomorrow to see what they have found. As we were winding up on Tuesday, one of the women told me, “Thanks for giving us this work to do.” Yes! That made me feel good. And thanks to Brace for introducing them to the concordance.

Wednesday evening Natasha and son Dennis ate supper with us. I had last minute bought something that looked like steaks to cook, tomatoes to do my Mom's broiled tomatoes, potatoes to boil, and bread. Got home and remembered I can't broil the tomatoes because our stove's oven doesn't work (doesn't even have a door). But I tried something new with them, and it actually turned out really good, and similar taste to what I wanted anyway. Potatoes were good (Nathan's work), except he didn't know to put salt in (but that was easily fixed on our plates), and having potatoes with the peeling was a bit new for Natasha. Then the beef. Found out when Dennis read the label that it was veal. Cool! But how to cook them? No grill, so I just did them in a teflon skillet. Probably not long enough. Or something. I dunno. They looked like they might be done, so we served everything up. As far as rare, medium, or well -done is concerned they were about right. But not very tender. In fact not even a little tender. “Really hard to chew” would be close to the right phrase. We all ate some anyway. At one point, Dennis picked his up with both hands, and tug-bit a hunk out of it. It was sometime near that point in the meal when he looked at me and said, “Not the best meat I ever had.” Well, we all enjoyed the company at least. And the other dishes were good. When they were leaving, Natasha asked for a toothpick like Dennis had, and walking out the door, said “I go outside, and I will continue to eat meat.”

(At left, a park in the city center; at right, the building where we live)

THIS MORNING: TIRASPOL/BENDERI

Nathan and I were prepared with material for questions previously asked when we met with Christians in Tiraspol this morning, several from the Tiraspol church, and three from the Benderi church (both established by inst. brethren). But as soon as everyone was seated, two began relating events from the Benderi church; that one of the them, an older lady, had asked what the collection money was being spent on, and had been told that this information was only the business of the person who had been appointed to take care of the money, that the members had no right to ask such questions, that the preacher there (yet another Serghei) was more mature and knew the justifications for however it is being spent, and that this is sufficient. After more questioning, in particular as to why money wasn't being given to those of the church who are in need, the answer was that the money wasn't being spent on this because it was rather being spent on refreshments/tea for when the people assemble. This woman asking had then come under criticism by many of the rest in Benderi, and only one spoke up to defend her (Sasha, also present this morning).

Serghei Corcimaru responded to some of this and to other important matters, and I discussed the openness of church decision making in the NT church (Acts 6, 15); that churches, not select individuals, were responsible for sending moneys for 1^st century purposes; that Paul took measures to handle money honorably in the sight of men; and finally, that such refreshments are not part of the work of the church in the first place. The woman appreciated these points, and asked what they should do, how to handle the situation they are in. Since “Benderi Serghei” clearly will not listen, I suggested she make efforts to share these things with the others. When she said she didn't think she would be able to present it well, I offered for Serghei and I to go with her. So she is planning to invite any and all from the Benderi church to her flat next week, with us there to discuss these things with them. I ask your prayers, and welcome any suggestions.

Lenin, Stalin, and Shakespeare

Chisinau, and especially Transnistria, still have shadows of the communist era. On Saturday morning Nathan and I roamed around the downtown area, and came across the monument pictured here. I don't know yet what the inscription says, but the third word is clearly a reference to Lenin. Farther on, back between some buildings in the center of town, we saw a statue in disrepair that looks to me to surely be Stalin, though it seems he was discredited by later communists, and would not be represented in public in the years since. Am I right? Am I even right that the statue is Stalin?? I'll have to work on that later.

But it's when you enter Transnistria that you really see the Soviet era propaganda. I'm not sure yet what this sign in Benderi says, but notice the hammer and sickle at the top. The third photo shows a huge propaganda monument in the middle of a Benderi traffic circle, that speaks of progress, hope, hard work, etc. Another large sign has three large medallions featuring “CCCP” (USSR) and also the hammer and sickle repeatedly. In Transnistria, these images are more than just shadows of the past.

Serghei, Nathan, and I had a good discussion/study with Zhenya (Eugene, 30ish or less) Saturday at noon, that lasted 3 hours. He has investigated a number of religious groups, and at times felt at home with some, but is still searching. Lately he has been associating with the Christians here. He had several questions, and seemed to be satisfied with our answers for the most part. From Serghei, it sounds like Zhenya, for the moment, is just lacking the decisiveness to commit.

On Sunday, Nathan preached in Balti, with Second Serghei teaching. Serghei Corcimaru and I went to Tiraspol in the morning, where Serghei directed the assembly. This is the church established by institutional brethren, but which are displeased with the man supposedly preaching for them. Several were absent, but Sasha from Benderi came to join us and those present. I preached in both Tiraspol and in Chisinau, with Nathan teaching a study period in Chisinau. In both Tiraspol and Chisinau I preached on the need for involvement by all in the work and assemblies of the church. It's a much needed topic here, and one that Serghei requested even before I came. I've seen a little fruit from this effort already. I hope I will see considerably more.

Today was our “Day of Rest,” which means we were able last week to know we would have time today for an appointment with the two college girls who initially wanted to speak with us for English language improvement. One of them at least, is sincerely interested in learning why we believe in the Bible and in God – though this may be a mere academic interest as I sometimes found in the Czech Republic. At any rate, we studied for about an hour and a half...and covered what I might cover in the States in about 25 to 30 minutes. Their English skills are not so developed yet, which makes for slow going. I spoke with them about the problem of sin (Gen 1-3) to indicate the need for a Savior to come, and then started in with the OT prophecies, having hoped to get into typology a little bit. We didn't even finish the few basic prophetic passages I had in mind. But we have another appointment for Friday, and even if we don't get very far before our departure, I think it might be far enough for her to want to start meeting with Serghei. The girls are both named Christina, and the picture was made at our door just before they left today.

Most of the rest of the day was spent in preparation for our lecture tomorrow at the teachers' university here in Chisinau. Serghei Corcimaru's wife Anna teaches English there, and has invited us to speak on Shakespeare, in a way that can link to Biblical principles. Quite a task I figured....especially since, as best I can remember, I have never read anything that Shakespeare ever wrote. Which is why, when she offered me some lecture topics a few months ago, I reserved the topic “How the King James Version Influenced the English Language.” Unfortunately for me, someone here a few weeks previous to me (initials JMS) stole that topic and left me with the Bard! Actually, though, having investigated one play in particular, I think our efforts with Shakespeare will lead to a better link to actual Biblical teaching than the KJV lecture would have. Ever read “The Merchant of Venice”? Very entertaining trial scene, but more significantly, it looks like Shakespeare was deliberately borrowing Biblical principles concerning justice and mercy, in his story of a Jew and a Christian at court. The Jew is insisting on the full and harsh execution of justice against the Christian who is financially indebted to him, and unable to pay. Portia, as a lawyer exhorts Shylock:

“And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy...”

So, Nathan and I tell the story, then academically (one cannot proselytize on campus) point out that Shakespeare was basing his story on principles found the in the scriptures of Christianity, and elaborate on that. Then take questions for 40 minutes. Wise as serpents, innocent as doves. I hope it goes well.

Transnistria, and other news

Yesterday morning (thurs.) we headed off to Transnistria, the Russian dominated region along the eastern border of Moldova. At the border, the first stop is at the Moldovan checkpoint. Another quartermile and we arrive at another checkpoint with first a few Russians, and 100 feet further to the Transnistrian guards. The Russian who checked us asked our driver, second Serghei, “What are you carrying, a load of guns?” All in jest, though he did look us over well, as they do each time. Headed on in to the Transnistrian cities of Benderi and Tiraspol (see Moldova map link at right), where the two churches established by institutional brethren are. This is the regular trip each Thursday. Driving through Benderi, we passed a police checkpoint, which are common all over both parts of Moldova: police stand at the roadside watching for which vehicles they want to direct to the side of the road for inspection. Traveling in a cargo van, we get stopped almost every time. So there in Benderi, we were stopped again. The Russian/Transnistrian (?) officer asked Serghei where we were going, pretended not to hear, and then leaned in way too close, to hear the repeated answer. He was getting close enough to smell Serghei's breath, checking for drunkeness. As we pulled away, Serghei said with a smile, “That's why on Thursdays I always do not use toothpaste.”

The situation in Benderi and Tiraspol is in a state of flux. There is an American institutional preacher who visits here, Ken G., who is the legal owner of the building just being completed in Benderi, and who according to the Christians there, dictates whatever is allowed there, and whatever decisions are made there. He is the man whom we met two weeks previous when he was visiting from America. The Christians there enjoy Serghei's studies with them each Thursday, and the native preacher supported by the Americans does not study with them. Ken G. is working to find someone to move to Transnistria, and that someone will surely be someone whom Ken G. hopes will supplant Serghei's influence there. Well, Serghei wrote Ken G., asking if he could use their building to study with the Christians in Benderi. Ken G. replied in the negative, accused Serghei of trying to buy the Benderi/Tiraspol Christians with gifts (completely unfounded), and said that there was no point discussing anything with Serghei, since debates are always fruitless and he tries to avoid fruitless endeavors. Serghei replied with an excellent letter, in which he mentioned near the end that he would share both these letters with the Benderi/Tiraspol Christians, and would share any further correspondence with them as well, including any arguments Ken G. might want to make.

So that was on the table for our study in Tiraspol (with Christians present from both cities), and we hoped to have a study either of previous questions or of the institutional issues, at their choice. In fact though, the entire time was taken with discussing the letters and their thoughts about Ken G. and how things should be. The result was that the Tiraspol Christians asked Serghei to start coming on Sundays to lead their assemblies. So Sunday morning Serghei and I will travel to Tiraspol, while Second Serghei and Nathan will travel to Balti as normal. I believe (and hope) I will be doing at least some of the teaching in Tiraspol this Sunday. Then on Sunday evening we will have the Chisinau assembly.

Thursday evening we met with several of the local Christians again, and I discussed the work of the Holy Spirit, as per their previous question. I thought it went very well, with lots of discussion.

Late yesterday evening, I had a chance to call two girls whose numbers I had been given, and who had requested the opportunity of speaking with Nathan and me and in English, for improvement in their language skills. It's sometimes funny how foreigners put things in English (as I'm sure it is when I put things in their languages). “Appointment” is not a word they learn early on. But they do learn another word indicating an occasion when people agree to meet. When I called the first one and identified myself, she said “I would like a date with you and to speak English.” Well, the four of us had the “date” this afternoon between other studies. We were hoping that we might be able to interest them in spiritual things, and at least one of them appears to have some interest. They both claim to be Orthodox, but rarely attend any services, though their parents go from time to time. During our conversation, I spoke some about what we are doing here, and about the nature of my faith. I then turned the conversation in a different direction, but shortly thereafter one of the girls brought it back to faith, saying she found this interesting and would like to know more about the reasons I believe in God. That was what I was hoping to see, so we made another appointment for Monday afternoon.

I have neglected to tell about our relocation. The flat normally occupied by Americans who visit the church here was obviously occupied by Larry and Brace when we got here, so we were staying in a flat owned by Serghei's mother-in-law. She and her daughter (Serghei's wife) lived there some years ago when they were especially poor, and the flat reflects that fact. After Larry and Brace's departure early this week, we have been able to move in to this nicer, more comfortable flat. I didn't really want to live more upscale than the average Moldovan, so I asked Serghei and he says that this flat is about the average kind of flat here in Chisinau. We have a bedroom, a living room that doubles as a second bedroom, bathroom facilities, and a kitchen (pictured). My bedroom (also pictured) is the living room bedroom. I like it better, and Nathan likes his better. Excellent!

This morning it was again a road trip, to have a study with the women in Balti. We studied Romans 12, with much discussion. So much, that I didn't really get to say everything I had wanted to say. :) But we enjoy being there, especially due to Vera, who is such an active and cheerful person. Then this afternoon was our “date” with the two girls learning English, and this evening was another gathering at the Chisinau church's meeting place. Some who had asked questions the night before were not present this evening, so instead of dealing with those issues, Serghei decided to use the time and to use us to learn some new songs they don't know here. The Russian songbook has over 400 songs, many of them translated from English. For each song we knew and they didn't, Serghei had Nathan and me sing one verse in soprano, a second verse with Nathan still soprano and me on bass, and a third with both of us singing bass. He would record this part with a digital recorder, and then we and the ones gathered all sang the song together. It seems clear we will be doing more of this.

Tomorrow, Saturday, is some time to run downtown, a study with a non-Christian at noon, Singing/Russian with Dennis at 3, and supper at Serghei and Anna's at 6.

Cluck or Moo?

Tuesday morning we were free of studies, so went by Serghei's flat for a little while at midday, discussed some things, and were able to give him a hand in installing a window. We also took a load of our laundry to a small clothes washing establishment. It's a room in the half-exposed basement of a panelak apartment building several blocks away. The room is maybe about 12'x17', with 3 or 4 washing machines, one in mid-repair. Brace and Larry recommended the place to us, largely on account of the way the lady running the place seemed to take pride in her work. Of course she didn't speak any English, and Nathan and I have only about 3 Russian words between the two of us (okay it's not quite that bad), but setting a bag of dirty laundry on the counter of a clothes washing establishment said much of what we needed to say! With hands pointed to darks and whites, then the separation of the hands, and the similarity between the Russian and Czech words for separated (I know Czech), we were able to confirm that yes we wanted colors washed separately. With a little confusion at first, we were able to understand that our clothes would be ready two days later (the inoperable washer apparently slowing them down from their normal next-day service). Her name is Daria, and we told her our names. She seems to be a nice woman.

We also made a stop at the grocery store. When my parents were in the Czech Republic and Mom needed ground beef, she went down to the butcher shop, waited her turn, and then did the meat grinding motion with her hands, while simultaneously saying, "Mooo-oooo." It worked. And I believe the butcher was very cooperative, as she was an attractive and dignified lady...just didn't mind being humble. Well, Nathan got her genes...at least on the first count. In the grocery store, Nathan was at a glass counter in an area similar to a deli, and was examining some items rolled in some sort of bread wrap. Neither of us could tell what kind of meat was inside. So Nathan got eye contact with the girl behind the counter, and then, with folded arms mimicking flapping wings, said, "Cluck-cluck-clu-clu-cluck" with appropriate tones, and then, "or Mooo-oooo?" Unlike Mom, Nathan's question called for the worker to also say what the animal says - and this girl was not about to do it. I wish I had had my camera ready for her facial expression. She had half a smile showing some amusement, but the rest of her expression said both "You are a nut," and also "You don't really think I'm gonna do that, do you?" We both looked at her expectantly anyway. Finally, she shifted her head a bit and then held up two fingers, meaning the second one, beef.

When evening came, there was a study at the church's meeting place for whomever wanted to come, which usually seems to be a majority of the Christians here. I had planned a certain lesson for this hour, related to the fact that Serghei does most of the leading in the assemblies here - discussing prayer needs, leading singing, choosing prayer leaders, distributing the Lord's supper, and when such as we are not around, preaching and teaching. Of course Serghei would like very much for others to be taking their part in those leadership matters and further developing themselves. So I had planned a lesson to address that need, but for last night's meeting only a few of the Christians were able to be present. So instead, I simply took questions. One was a request for a discussion of the meaning of Col. 4:16. Another was about the phrase "the last days," and when that period is. Spiritual gifts and whether the Holy Spirit might talk to us directly was another subject asked about. From that last question came a more general question about the role of the Holy Spirit today, which we will discuss tomorrow night (Thursday night) at a similar meeting of the Christians.

Just before going to that study last night, I noticed water in our flat around the bottom of the toilet, and no water pressure anywhere else. As a result of the leak, the building superintendent had apparently turned off the water for the whole building. The lady from whom we are renting this flat, a member of the church here, came over after the study, made some calls, got a temporary fix, and the water turned back on, and a repairman would come in the morning.

Then this morning (Wednesday), we were on the road at 7:45 to make the trip to Balti again to study with the women up there. Second Serghei drove us in his van as usual, and we had good conversation the whole way, the two+ hour trip passing quite quickly. We were glad to find several of the women present, especially after the announcement that Serghei had had to make on Sunday morning. I presented a lesson on Joy from Philippians 1, and they seemed to respond very well as we discussed Paul's situation and the joy and optimism hs nevertheless had, by focusing on the good things rather than on the bad. We are thinking that we will use that begining to take them through a study of Philippians, since their studies don't usually seem to cover books as a whole.

When we got home from Balti in the early afternoon, the plumber was still here, and we didn't get water until about 5:30 this evening. But everything seems to be solved now.

We were to have a study this evening with the older couple who are recent converts. But Serghei's nephew called to say that it had been cancelled (the man wasn't feeling well), and asking if he could come over for more "Russian/Singing" lessons. So that's how our evening was spent, followed by discussion of the studies on schedule for tomorrow. It should be an interesting day, but I'll save that for my next entry. :)

Settling Into Moldova

Nathan and I arrived back in Chisinau Moldova about supper time on Saturday. Just before dark, we decided to walk in the direction of the city center, partly for simple exploration (we haven't been more than a few blocks away, except in a crowded van or bus), and partly to get our bearings. We were both confident that we are south of the center, so we started walking north. Made a kilometer or more, and seemed to be approaching the edge of town. Decided that our flat must be on the southeast corner, so we headed west, supposing that we would then run into more of the city. No luck. Turns out we are on the northeast side of town. We eventually made it nearly to the center, but still didn't quite find it, and with the help of a bus, found our way back to the McDonalds near our flat where we got our supper (today we finally found a city map, with which we feel much better oriented...we bought one each).

McDonalds is a bit different here. For starters, they serve beer. The other difference is the clientele. McDonalds prices are pretty expensive for your average eastern European, and especially so for residents of Moldova. So the only ones who frequent the place are the few who are wealthy (most everyone in Moldova is quite poor...but then there are the few who were positioned well to enrich themselves when the change in government came some years ago). On Saturday evening, it was full of the wealthy, as could be seen by simply checking the parking lot and watching the drive-thru: late model Audis, BMWs, Mercedes, and Range Rovers. We on the other hand had walked 4-5 km to get there!

They have better restaurants however. Today, just before the departure of Brace and Larry for their return to the States, the four of us went to a restaurant downtown where Brace had once eaten on an earlier trip. Nathan had lamb. I had pork cutlet and stuffed eggplant. All very good. The service was better than any restaurant I think I've ever been in. The customary greeting just inside the door is with cups of wine for men, and flowers for ladies (he seemed a bit aloof when we didn't take the wine). Napkins on the table forming little cones, starched beyond belief. Waiters who speak four or five langauges, dressed in traditional Moldovan costume. We had some extras such as special teas and desserts, and the bill for four was about $45. Still, we'll probably eat there again only once before we leave. It's just so far above the average Moldovan's ability.

Sunday morning we were outside at 6:40 am to be picked up by Second Serghei in his van, with First Serghei and his sister already on board. Nathan and Brace and I joined the group for the ride to Balti to meet with the assembly there, made up almost entirely by women. They meet in the home of Vera (sp?), the lady standing next to me -on a chair- in the photo. She is exuberant and a very likable person. Standing between Nathan and me is Serghei Corcimaru (first Serghei).

One big problem in Balti has been jealousy over the benevolence given to them by American brethren, through the hands of Serghei. Serghei is tasked with the difficult job of giving those funds to the various saints there and elsewhere according to their need, deciding who is really in need and who is not. Some appear to be more interested in the financial help than in spiritual things, and become jealous when they think they need something more than another. At least a couple of them are suspected by the others to be attending mainly for the purpose of getting this financial help. All this has created friction within the group, and in Serghei's description, the financial help turns their interest to physical needs and clouds their interest in spiritual things. On this Sunday, Brace presented a very good lesson on gratitude and serving even in difficulties, and I presented a lesson on the miracles of Jesus (a previous question of theirs), focusing on the idea that the real purpose of the miracles wasn't to solve all the physical problems of everyone; in addition to being evidence, those miracles taught something about the nature of the real purpose of Christ: healing our spiritual blindness, cleansing us of spiritual disease. At the close, Serghei made an annoucement concerning the benevolence he had been providing: that it must cease. He told them he would like to help them in both ways, spiritual needs and physical needs, but that the provision of physical assistance was interfering with their ability to receive spiritual help...and so he must choose one or the other; that being the case, he said his choice had to be spiritual assistance alone (except in exceptional cases). I could see in the faces of a couple of them that they were not at all happy about this (and at least one of those two is one whom the others suspect of being mainly motivated by financial help); but others seemed to understand.

Later in the day we were back here in Chisinau to meet with the local assembly, where Brace and Larry presented their final lessons before returning to the States.

Today, Monday, is in Serghei's words our Day of Rest. No studies. Thus the trip to the center and shopping, and the restaurant described above. This evening though, Serghei's nephew came over to the flat Nathan and I are sharing. Dennis (the English form of his name) is a very bright 14 year old, a Christian, and speaking English just about as well as Serghei himself. But he has never really learned to sing, so I had offered last evening to give him some singing lessons tonight in exchange for some Russian lessons, or as he calls them, our singing Russian lessons. He saw for the first time that he can sing and sound good, and is eager for more help in the coming weeks. Nathan had been writing on the computer a few feet away, when he surprised us with the flash of the camera while Dennis was helping me with Russian. One other note: Dennis led Nathan and me in prayer this evening, in which he included, "...and we pray for the kids who are on the street, and cold, that You will help them and comfort them, and let them be warm."

Getting Caught Up

Okay, this is the fourth entry I've written today, in an effort to get my blogging caught up to the calendar. I could have put it all in one entry, except uploading pictures takes forever with dial-up, so it's easier to get it done in separate entries. SO...to read these in chronological order, scroll down to the entry entitled "Long Time, No Blog," and work your way up from there.

Additionally, I need to contact some of you. Would John Lawrence, Noemie Arrellano, and Ryan Gilchrest each email me. Thanks! (I don't have email addresses with me)

Catching Up: Wednesday-Saturday

Our host in South Bohemia (the region of CZ where I lived) was Roman Vacha, a very good friend of mine, but not a Christian. In addition to looking forward to seeing him, I was hoping to renew our conversations about God and the Bible. The latter was only minimally realized. Roman simply doesn't think God exists, and believes he is too busy to spend much time investigating the possibility. Busy he is...but not too busy for that. We did enjoy seeing one another again though.

For our second day there, Roman had a trip planned for Nathan and me. We went at midday by car to Kvilda with bikes mounted on top; then rode some 20 kilometers one-way: through Sumava (nearly equivalent to the Blue Ridge Mountains), crossing the border into Germany; stopped along the way to pick and eat a few wild blueberries from the low-growing blueberry bushes that cover the forest floor; through the German town of Finsterau, and up the lower reaches of Luzny mountain, and then hiked the rest of the way up to the peak, for really great views. The biking trail was not along a ridge, meaning lots of ascents and descents...of course mostly ascents. Nathan and I were both beat by the end of the day, me worse than him. As I told Roman during the ride, when I lived over here for 5 years, I had European legs (lots of walking and riding kept them in good shape), but I unfortunately have American legs these days. Still, it was a great trip and a great day, some 40 km round trip. Near the end of the ride, we stopped at the source of the Vltava River which runs through the Czech Republic, including through the city I used to live in and through the heart of Prague. The spring was bubbling with cold clear good tasting water. It was my third time to visit the source, and it was nearly completely dark by the time we got there. After much picture taking, Roman opened his thermos and gave us each some hot tea he had prepared that morning. Temp was down to around 40, so the tea felt good.

Thursday, Nathan and I made a hasty tour of Cesky Krumlov, crown jewel of South Bohemia. It's a small town with the Vltava winding through its heart, looping, nearly redoubling on itself three times. On the precipice above one bend of the river is the castle, overlooking the city below. And the city itself still has the feel of a town of a few hundred years ago. I'll never tire of visiting this place. Heading out the lower end of the castle grounds is a bridge over what might be called a dry moat: a depressed area where 3 bears were and are kept to guard the entrance area. But we were rushed by the time we reached this point, and took less than 10 seconds to see if the bears were in view to be photographed. Didn't see them in view so began running onward to insure we didn't miss our bus out of town. But on that bridge above the “dry moat” were two other men as well, in clothing we both found interesting: the traditional Austrian pants to just below the knees, with long thick socks all the way up. Recall we had only slowed down enough to spend not even 10 seconds “looking for the bears” and neither of us knew the other had the same additional agenda. Getting safely out of ear shot of the bridge, Nathan said as we ran, “I got two pictures of the backs of those men,” to which I replied “Oh cool! I got one of their front.” Crazy Americans.

Just catching the bus, we went to Ceske Budejovice for the afternoon and evening. Though they were unable to host us longer, Jindra and Misa Kubicek had invited us for supper (excellent gulash and dumplings), along with the mother of each of them. All four are members of the church in Ceske Budejovice, with which I used to work. Jindra and Misa were two of the ones I was closest to, and it was a memorable evening. Jindra wasn't quite home from work when we arrived, and Misa was still busy with preparations, so it was their two girls (age 7 and 4) who took us out to the garden (Czechs don't say back yard, they say garden, and this one has truly and always been a garden, full of flowers and fruits). The girls ran ahead eager to show us everything. They ran to show us the pond. And the fish in the pond. And the snail in the pond. They ran to pick us some strawberries still on the plants. They ran to show us the parakeet cage (walking inside, we found three box nests of young parakeets, nine in all). They ran ahead and came back with tomatoes off the vine for us to eat. They ran to retrieve an apple apiece for us. Such sweet little girls and fun to be with.

After supper, I asked if Jindra and his father might be willing to play for us. They regularly play together, Jindra the piano, and his father the saxophone. It was a great little private concert. Mr. Kubicek also told us about the WW2 bombs that fell in Budejovice when he was 16, and about the one that fell in their very yard (the garden we had earlier been enjoying), shaking the house and shattering all the windows. Of course I had heard the stories before, but it was great to listen to him telling them all over again in his animated way.

On Friday, it was back to Prague to be ready for our Saturday flight back to Moldova. It was a fun train ride to Prague, Nathan and I talking with 3 Czech girls in our compartment of the train, and some funny incidents along the way.

Friday evening dinner was with Honza and Pavla Novak, a great couple in the Prague church, with three great kids. Again really good food...I tend to highlight food a lot, don't I? We both ate to the point that I told Honza I felt like I was gonna make his kids go hungry, but they insisted and I happily obliged. I first met Honza on my brief initial visit to Prague in 1991, before he was married and before he was a Christian. There is now a growing maturity in the Czech churches that is good to see.

Another change among the Czechs is a growing prosperity. When I left seven years ago, these friends of mine (for the most part), rode bikes and trains and buses wherever they went. Most of their kitchens were plain little communist kitchens. Now they all have cars they use with regularity and have nicely remodeled kitchens with nice lighting fixtures and built-in dishwashers. And a few are getting out of the ubiquitous panelak apartment buildings 7-10 stories high, by building their own single-family homes. It's becoming a different world.

Saturday found us at the airport, leaving the Czech Republic until who knows when I might get to go again. I do miss that place. I told Honza Vlcek during our first daylight hours in the country, a week earlier, that I was surprised...I had forgotten how beautiful the Czech countryside is. And then there are Prague and Cesky Krumlov. But most of all, there are my friends. Some of my very best.

And now it's time for the month of work I came for. I'm back in Moldova and eager for the days ahead.

Catching Up: Sunday-Tuesday in Prague

After the morning (and only) assembly(described earlier; great to be with them again), we had a potluck with the Prague Christians (good food!), and then I met with the song leaders. After that, Nathan finally got to see Prague. Of the European cities I've seen, I have to say that Prague is the most beautiful. Staromestcke Namesti (Old Town Square), Charles Bridge (built by King Charles in 1357), Prague Castle (seat of CZ government)...great great places. Pictured is a portion of Old Town Square.

Late Sunday evening we got back to Honza and Monica's flat for the night. While we were eating supper with them, the TV was on, and it happened to be tuned to a medical show, and an operation of some sort was being shown. Monica noticed and comments were made about the not-so-appetizing nature of the program, but then Honza mentioned that in fact the operation being shown was "a eunuch surgery." Nathan and I glanced at each other, and then busted out laughing. Honza's mistake, as I quickly realized, was simply incorrect accent placement. Instead of eunuch, he meant unique..."a unique surgery." The same mistake happened once when I lived in CZ, my translator relaying the arguments of the Jehovah's Witness I was studying with as "Jesus cannot be God, because Father is eunuch in His power." It took me a while to figure it out that first time: "They said what?"

Monday we had lunch with Mike and Tatana, and I finally got to enjoy Mike's renowned ribs. Very good, and perfectly complemented by Tatana's potatoes, and typical tomato-cucumber salad. Toured around Prague some more, and then supper with Robert and Tami, who invited Honza and Monica to come also. TWO main dishes: lasagna, and a chicken-spinach casserole. All very good. But best was sitting around the table laughing with these old friends Honza and Robert, and the wives they have each taken since then.

Tuesday Nathan and I ran around Prague a little more in the morning, and then met with Roman Vacha, another old friend of mine from the area in South Bohemia near Ceske Budejovice, where I used to live. Roman took us south for a few days, but that will be my next entry.

Long Time, No Blog

It's been 6 days since my last entry. Been busy having fun in the Czech Republic. Couldn't find time to get online and post. We arrived back in Chisinau Moldova yesterday, met with the church in Balti this morning, got back about 20 minutes ago, and will leave in about 15 minutes for the assembly of the Chisinau church. I should have time this evening after 8 or 9 I suppose to bring you all up to date since my last entry.

Prague, Czech Republic

Flying from Moldova to the Czech Republic our layover time in Vienna got shortened to only 20 minutes between landing and takeoff. Got off the plane as quickly as possible, only to realize that we were not at the gate; we had to load onto a bus which would take us to the terminal, and of course the bus would wait until everybody deboarded and got on the bus. So much for the rush off the plane. Good thing we hadn't been too pushy. :) Anyway, we made the flight, our luggage didn't, but it got put on another flight just 30 to 45 minutes later.

In Prague we're staying with my good friend Honza Vlcek and the girl he met and married since I last saw him. Very good to be in their home. On Saturday we and other Christians from throughout the Czech Republic and Slovakia met together in the city of Brno for a bimonthly study. I helped Charlie Brackett in teaching about personal study. Jindra and Misa from Budejovice were not able to be there...the whole family of five is sick in bed with something like the flu. Got back to Prague on Saturday evening. On Sunday I taught the morning class on the subject of singing: it's purpose and how to make it more edifying. I had been asked to meet with the song leaders while I am here, so the class made for a good lead-in to the song leader session, which we had later Sunday afternoon. Nathan preached during the assembly period on the subject of humility.

Sunday evening Nathan and I had time to run around historic Prague for a while. It's now Monday evening. Today we toured around some more, had lunch with Mike and Tatana Morrow, and are now enjoying an evening at Robert and Tami Hodanko flat, with honza and Monica also invited. Tomorrow we'll be heading to south Bohemia to spend a couple days with a very good friend of mine who lives SW of Ceske Budejovice. Happy trails to all.

Last Study Before Prague

Second Serghei picked us up this morning at 7:40 to make the trip once again to Balti, to study with the women in the church there. There were fewer of them today than on Wednesday, but they appreciated the study. We just got back a few minutes ago (it's 2:30 pm) and it's almost time to head to the airport.

These two/three days here to learn our way around, meet the brethren, and learn where the various studies are have been useful...and full! It seems impossible that we have been here only two whole days (plus 2 parts of days). So many new experiences, new sights, how could it all have happened in so short a time? Of course we'll be heading back here for a month of work, and the other two Americans present will be leaving right after our return here. Spending time with them has been very useful for getting acquainted with things here, and I'm really looking forward to the work ahead.

For now though, it's off to the airport and a week in the Czech Republic. This week is personal time for me, though I'll be teaching on at least 4 occasions while there. It will be great to be in the country where I spent five years of my life, and to be with old friends and see the sights of Prague and South Bohemia.

I've been taking lots of pictures. I hope to get some of them in the Blog soon! Easy process, but I always have only a few minutes to update the blog and choosing pics gets eliminated! I should have more time this coming week.

Of Difficulties, Russian “Peacekeepers,” and Orphans

Last night’s appointment was with a couple (perhaps in their 60’s) who have been Christians only a short time, though they had previous affiliation with a denominational group. We briefly discussed spiritual matters, but the discussion quickly turned to other things. They live in a flat that has a bathroom and one other room. A kitchen down the hall is shared by 6 such flats. She has her own health problems, but his are more urgent. Due to gangrene he lost his left leg from the knee down. Gangrene is in his right foot also now, and it appears he will lose that foot as well. Their pension is $70 per month. It should be more, but the state personnel who assigned them their status for help gave them class 2 instead of their deserved class 1, so that they would bribe him to put them in class 1. Such is the world where communism has had (and still has) its influence. Serghei has been given funds for such purposes, and supplements their income.

This morning it was off to the Transnistria region. The Dnister River flows parallel to the eastern border, leaving a narrow strip just several miles wide between it and the border (see Moldova map link below and right). The people there are oriented heavily toward Russia, and a brief civil war was fought in the 90’s for their independence (whereas the rest of Moldova leans away from Russia). Although Transnistria is not a distinct country, it is governed independently, and a border crossing must be passed to enter the region, complete with passport checking and Russian soldiers brought in “to keep the peace:” Peacekeepers. Serghei calls them “Transnistria keepers.”

Our purpose in going had to do with 2 churches in Transnistrian cities, Benderi and Tiraspol, churches founded by institutional brethren. An institutionally oriented preacher, American, owns their meeting place, and a new one is being built. He brings in large of sums of money from the US for helping the brethren there. Banquets are funded by American churches for these brethren, who live in a region that looks like the old Soviet Union. The new building is reportedly quite an extravagant structure. It’s heady stuff for them. Several of them have problems with the preacher supported by institutional brethren, but in a sense they are bought and paid for by all the money from America. We went today, with news that both the local preacher and the American preacher would be at the study that Serghei usually conducts with several of the Christian from those two churches. They were there, and we were able to compel the local institutional preacher to renounce some things that he has reportedly taught, things that appear to have been used (if used at all) to keep the brethren submissively under his control. Whether he actually taught these views we are uncertain (it may have been a misunderstanding), but if he did teach them, at least it will be very difficult for him to now re-introduce those ideas once he has now clearly renounced them.

Leaving the area, Brace wanted a picture of a certain castle, which, unfortunately for photographic purposes, is now part of a military base there. Pictures are “frowned upon.” Seghei said that if caught, arrests were not unlikely, and beatings would follow. ….so we had to take them discreetly. J Of course it was not until after we passed it, taking pictures from the car with cameras just above window level, that Serghei mentioned beatings. I had taken four as we passed, hoping one would be good. So with the news of beatings, Brace and I started erasing all but the best one, which could be quickly deleted if anyone started asking questions! Of course, we crossed the border without difficulty.

Coming back into town we stopped at an orphanage that Serghei and others have visited in times past. Brace in particular has visited there, and later sent them funds collected from individual Christians in America. As a result, their already scheduled “Teachers’ Day” activities were delayed until our arrival, so that they could include us. The kids performed for the teachers and us: readings, music, a skit, etc. I’ll write more about this later, but have no more time right now. I also wanted to write about the concentration camp survivor we met, but that will have to wait as well.

This evening we are invited to Serghei and Anna’s flat for a social gathering of the Christians here, and it’s time to go.

On The Ground

I’ve finally found a chance to get online! Our flights went well, though in Budapest Hungary the girl at checkin looked at our tickets, did some checking,and told us “It is cancelled” “Our tickets are cancelled??” “No, the flight is cancelled.” But she said she could give us standby tickets for the same flight. (???) I asked about our luggage - “Yes, it is all on the plane” Anyway, we eventually got on the plane and all was well. We arrived here at 3:30 pm local time, having gotten no sleep that night on the plane, and with little sleep the nights previous. My possible sleeping time on the plane was spent talking with a young Romanian who currently lives in Atlanta. He taught me some Romanian, and we talked about faith and many other things as well. We’ll be in touch when we both get back to Georgia

Serghei met us at the airport, and it was great to see him again after 8 years. He showed us the shopping possibilities in our neighborhood, we bought some groceries, and by then it was time for a Bible study at the meeting place of the church here. Exhausted, I was glad that two other men visiting and teaching here were already responsible to lead the discussion that evening, though Serghei had fun scaring me that he wanted me to teach that night. Brace Rutledge and Larry Paden are here but will soon be heading back to the States. Brace presented a lesson, which was followed by much discussion and many questions. Soon the questions were on completely unrelated topics, and there was a lengthy discussion of wine and alcohol with two different views being presented. I hope to further this discussion in coming weeks.

Nathan and I both noticed something we thought was quite significant; that although opposing views were being advocated, and strongly so, that these brethren were just as warm and friendly with each other following the study as they had been upon their arrival for the study. It was wonderful. A number of brethren could stand to learn some things from their example.

We finally got home, got to sleep, and got some good rest.

We were up again at 6:30 a.m. to be ready for a trip to go to a city in northwestern Moldova today. Larry, Brace, Nathan and I were driven there by a second Serghei in his van (his job is hauling loads of whatever somebody wants hauled, thus he owns the van). Although Second Serghei was at the study the previous night, I had not had a chance to get to know him, so the drive back and forth today was a good opportunity. Without exception, it is always a joy to get to know the Christians of Eastern Europe.

The city where this morning’s study was is Balti, in northwestern Moldova (see map link at right). There is a church there consisting entirely of women, though one man was present for the study, along with about 7 women. Brace again led the discussion, and they also had questions. We have another study in an hour and a half, at 6pm, with one of the older ladies in the church here.

Interesting sights on the highway to Balti. I’ll share one with you. Very frequently along the road, we would see a cow or bull resting or standing eating right at the road’s edge. People who own cattle, maybe one or two or three, but who don’t own land (or possibly for other reasons also), tie them up on the public easement along the highway so they can graze some there.

Moldova is so much poorer than much of eastern Europe, and certainly moreso than the Czech Republic where I previously lived. I am told that one reason for this is that foreign companies are unwilling to come in, due to the lack of contract law here. Those in power would apparently rather continue the system of bribery that prevailed for so long in so many of these countries.

I hope to do some teaching before leaving for the Czech Republic on Friday, but if not, these two or three days were really just for getting a feel for things, learning my way around, and settling in. We’ll be back here after a week in CZ, and I’ll have more teaching opportunities then than I can handle.

It’s GREAT to be here. It’s a joy, and it’s a good work. See you back here again soon.

About to Fly Out

This is just a brief entry to welcome you all to my blog. My nephew Nathan and I should be leaving the house around 8:30 in the morning (monday morning), take care of a couple of errands, and eventually get to the Atlanta airport and take off at 2 pm. In true Smelser fashion, I'm way behind and rushing to get things done. Sorry fellow Smelsers, but you know it's true. Our arrival in Chisinau Moldova will be 3:30 pm Tuesday (8:30 am Tuesday here in Georgia), after stops in New York's JFK and in Budapest (where Nathan and I have a 4 hour layover...just long enough to get to the town center for a bit and then back to the airport). Should have some interesting tales to tell by the time we get on the ground in Moldova...if I have immediate internet access. Hope you'll check back.

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