Amidst it all, we will see beauty.

Things have been going great here in Moldova. So sorry I have been slacking on the blog posts. I have decided that it is harder than it looks! :) I am coming up on 3 weeks here and it has been wonderful so far. Caroline and I have ventured alot into the city of Chisinau.; from eating Moldovan food at La Placenta, to being at the Freedom Home with the girls, to roaming the outside markets, to getting smashed against the window due to a full Minibus ride countless times...we have had great experiences and memories!
Thank you for prayers, support and for believing in me.






I have realized that there has been something overlooked before coming here. Being overseas isn't going to make me into a more cultured, rounded person who can mark off another country traveled to. I find it hard to go somewhere and not have a purpose. This experience is going to mold, shape, burn, break, redefine, confuse, establish, and show me how to be more like Christ. I cannot do any thing without Him. I am nothing without Him; in my heart, soul, thoughts, desires, passions, and moves. He is my everything.
Lately I have been thinking about beauty. Where did it come from? What is the root of a word that has decided to overcome so many young girls minds? I only place it in that category because this internship is only working with girls and their children. The girls at the home have re-opened my thoughts about beauty. So looking up the definition opened up a can of worms.
Beauty: the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations, a meaningful design or pattern, or something else. [haha the end of this makes me laugh]
The wonderful, lively girls at the home have beauty. They may not realize it but they radiate it every day that I see them and even those days when we are seperated. Their past is behind them, sure it catches up with them somedays but they are becoming free from a life that has bound them for too long. Their acts of valor and even those moments of learning to be better moms, a better friend and then becoming more of a woman of God are all acts of beauty. They are learning more about God and who He is in their lives. They are learning that He didnt forget about them when they were being beaten and bruised. He still finds delight in them. He believes that they can still change the world with who they are. They can rise up to be just like any successful person in this world. Because in the end this world doesnt matter, its how they chose to be and it is how they chose to be who they are. These woman motivate me to love them more. They challenge me to love others more. They may not realize it but they help me every time I see them. Their hugs, smiles, and patience with my Romanian have blessed me.


[welcome to the land of the white legs: the man beauty of moldova]

Beauty is the core of it all. Beauty is what started the world. Beauty is the root of love. God is beauty. God is love.

[ little cutie patootie!!]

[girls at the village we went to for a few days, dont be fooled by the cute smiles! they were mischevious! :)]

[see?!]

[this little guy was adorable!]

Silenced:

While off chasing my own dreams,

A little girl cried for her freedom.

My heart steadied to a slow beat,

Love doesn't live here anymore.

A little girl cried for her freedom.

The old man turned off the light.

Loves doesn't live here anymore;

Innocence taken and forgotten.

The old man turned off the light,

he wouldn't be the only customer.

Innocence taken and forgotten,

her eyes cast no more hope.

He wouldn't be the only customer.

The red lights diffuse the noise.

Her eyes cast no more hope,

ignored for long enough.

The red lights diffuse the noise,

you have forgotten about me.

Ignored for long enough,

she wants to go home.

You have forgotten about me,

My heart steadied to a slow beat.

She wants to go home but

I'm off chasing my own dreams.

[this was written by me in a class I took this past semester. still speaks a thousand words to me.]

[Moldova:1]

chisinau, moldova:

May 11: Landed in Chisinau safe and sound with only a mild case of jet-lag. Nancy and Caroline (the missionary and other intern) were so nice to point out my lack of quick response to our conversations and the frequent "deer-in-the-head-light" stare out the car window. And it was only 1 in the afternoon! I had a long day ahead of me. Caroline and I were brought to our apartment that we will be living in for a short time.

[our kitchen and view]

After a tasty meal at Andy and Nancy Raatz' home, I quickly fell asleep (due to a intake of benadryl and jet-lag).

May 12-13: Caroline and I had orientation at the Freedom Home, a restoration and community for women and their children who are rescued from human trafficking. Due to the confidentiality involved in this internship I need (and have) to be very careful with the information I tell and post. So there may not be as much about the women and their lives but who needs to know personal things about EVERYONES life in the whole world? I will tell you about the happy, joyous, funny, maybe sad things that happen while I am at the home. So look more for that later on as Caroline and I get to the FH more often.

I will be taking Romanian lessons MWF for one hour, I am stoked for that! They start this Monday. It is so important that I catch on as quickly as I can! Learning the language is so key to wherever it is that you go.

We have used public transportation more than I have ever before since being here. We take it to and from the FH. To lessons to the Raatz' home to downtown to pretty much wherever you want to go. We have made it to the open market a few times and it is beautiful. The fresh veggies, fruits, and spices are fabulous. There is just something wonderful when knowing you are eating something so fresh and tasty!

I have met some amazing people in the last few days. They have blessed my heart and I am excited for the next few months with them. The people of Moldova are near and dear to my heart. They are beautiful people who are searching for a significant purpose in this life. Please pe praying for our safety while here in Moldova and for health. Also, for the women at the home. Pray that they are open to friendships with Caroline and I...two months is not long enough but it is a starting block! this women are beautiful creations of Christ and He loves them very much. Restoration and new life is essential for them.

<3

annie-laurie

March 28, 2011

I love reading books. Recently I just finished a most amazing read. It inspired me to want to do great things. I wanted right then and there to drop the book, catch the next flight to some desolute, war-torn, hidden-by-trees village. I came across the book by the cute, little Nepali child on the front. Isn't the kid just so dog-gone cute? The book was written by Conor Grennan. A man who just wanted to travel the world in on year. I think he found more than that. On his first leg of the adventure he volunteered at a orphanage in Nepal called Little Princes. He got to know those kids, fell in love with those kids, and would do anything for those kids. After those three months he did end up traveling the world but he went back many times and ended up calling that place home before he got married. There was an excerpt from the book that just really struck me as a victory. Conor had just gotten an email from the love of his life-Liz-and was heading back to the Dhaulagiri Home (a house he set up for the children of Nepal) and this is what he experienced: "I went over to the Dhaulagiri to tell Farid the good news. As I was leaving, I ran into Leena in the foyer, alone as usual, staring out the front door. She was wearing her woolen maroon hat. The house maintained its chill with remarkable efficiency, regardless of the temperature outside. The hat was clearly too big for her; it was difficult to get clothes donated that fit the children exactly right. This particular hat, though, stuck up well of the top of her head. The elastic in it, meant for clutching a much larger cranium, was pulled together at the top, in a kind of a cone shape. It reminded me of a plunger, and that made it entirely too tempting to pass up. On my way out, I took it and plunged it up and down on her head, making a sucking noise. She giggled. I froze. It was the first sound that I had ever heard her make. I whirled around to see if Farid or anybody else had heard it. But no, we were alone in the hallway. When I looked back down at her, she had moved. But not just moved--as it took me a moment to comprehend: she was running very slowly away from me, looking back and waiting for me to chase her. So I chased her. She burst out laughing and took off for real. We ran all around the house for a full ten minutes. Farid came out of his room and did a double take as she sprinted past. He too froze, not wanting to break the spell. I scooped up Leena and carried her, smiling and giggling, over to Farid, and delivered her into his arms. Farid was wide-eyed. "This is amazing" he said, shaking his head. "It is amazing." I said. And just like that, from one day to the next, after months of not speaking, Leena had broken through her stone casing. She was a happy little girl." Little Leena was a young girl who was striped away from her parents at a young age. I cant imagine what she went through before she ended up at the home that Conor set up with Farid. I can only imagine that if this home had not been set up, Leena would still never be happy. This book was just one of many epiphany moments in my life. I have realized more and more that this, what Conor did is what I would love to do. I will go through whatever door the Lord opens. I so encourage you to read this book. {Little Princes by Conor Grennan} It changed my life. Once again.

March 14, 2011

i sit here wondering what i could write next. what inspired me today. what got me thinking. what made today...great.

i found joy in laughing today. i loved being around those friends who, with their joyous laughs, made me happy. friends have always seemed to be the cure for a broken spirit, huh? they seem to be with wonder-working medicine.

my best friends have inspired me to be something great. to do great things.

i couldnt ask for more.

bethany, alyssa, vanessa, samantha...you girls bless my life.

love you!;

lars, snoops, al, nips, laurel, annie, annie-laurie.

March 13, 2011

restlessness

that devours my soul.

that quenches my every thought and move.

im down on my knees

willing to go wherever and anywhere you want me to go God.

just a little while longer and I'll see You, know You and be with You.

my soul sings.

[oh the yearning to give this young girl help, love like a sister, restoration, hope, Gods comfort, food, laughter, joy, laughter, and peace]

awaken us,

like a

wildfire.

awaken us,

to do great things

for your

Kingdom.

Peace.

something we're always looking for but just finding the right place to find it.

i found peace in Catholic Basilica. I never thought that would happen. but i found
the high archs and detailed tapestry that were high up in the ceiling enchanting. it reminded me of the peace that surpasses all understanding, the peace that the Lord gives us. I love that man so much. He made beautiful things where we can bask in that beautiful presence and think about the great things that He has done.

the quiet, serene creak of the wooden floorboards led me to these candles. each one buring in a memory of someone who had died. the catholics know how to remember those that have gone before us. it's kind of bittersweet.

they had these beautiful colorful windows with vivd images and bible verses all over the basilica. they were monstrous and huge. they took up wall, covered in history of the people who had built this magnificant mansion of a building. what were their thoughts behind each biblce verse?

this got me. a box that says 'remember the poor' that is stationed right beside the exit door. its there right in front of you as you head out the door. dont forget the poor. one of the greatest things that the Lord says to us. dont forget that the love, hope and mercy that you recieve from Him goes directly to those who are forgotten, pushed aside and left for nothing.

kind of like a smack in the face. but a reality check for the reality that sits right outside the big glass-paned doors.

Philippians 4:7 "and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"

benefit the world. discover the soul.

As I sit here in class and I wonder about what this day could turn out like, I think about they way I could live my life. Now bear with me with my random thoughts...

I could live a life where I was so happy and I knew when the next paycheck would come. I could have a house that I loved with kiddos running around with their neighborhood friends in a suburban community with a public water park only blocks away. I could find fulfillment in that. I could have a husband who worked 40 hours a week and came home to me and the kiddos every night at 5pm with dinner ready on the table and the Vikings..NO the Broncos game on in the living room. I could do that, no problem. But there is something burning up deep inside me that I know I am made for something more. I know that I have certain skills and gifts that God has given me that shouldn't go unused.

I found that when I went to India I found my soul. I found that I loved being there. I loved that I could learn Hindi, I loved that I was comfortable taking a city "auto" taxi across town. I loved those people. I loved that I could be a part of a ministry that reached out to kids. Discovering your soul takes pain, dirty work, challenges, change, hunger, tears but also laughter, joy, success, accomplishment, and a new love. I believe that India is just one of many places where I will discover my soul. I feel like in someway the team I was with benefited the world and through everything...we discovered our souls.

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

[Psalm 37:6]

Our cause. Our call. Our lives benefit the world. Our souls. Our words. Our very existence was created to make a difference. I know I just don't want to sit here in class and make this day any ordinary day. I know that for a fact that everyday can possibly be different from the last.

My actions. My dreams. My passions. My desires. My life is all about discovering my soul. What I can do to benefit the world. All with Christ by my side and a passion in my heart.