Sunday, January 26, 2014

 A new shipment of 225 wheelchairs was received into the Society of the Disabled warehouse during the week of January 13, 2014.  A shipment originated in Vietnam where thy were made.
 Also in the wheelchair shipment were 100 walkers.  These are to be distributed to those who have applied.
 This Mihai Marginean, President of the Society of the Disabled in Moldova.  It is through Mihai that the Church has been allowed to have Humanitarian Service Missionaries active in Moldova.
 This was the scene in front of our apartment building on January 20 when a steady drizzle froze to anything it came into contact with.
 Another scene in front of our apartment building on January 20.  The ice ended up being about 1/4 inch thick on the limbs and power lines and my auto wind shield.
 These two school girls were tasting the ice on the needles of the tree along the side walk not far from where we live in Chisinau.
 On our trip to Carahasani on January 24.  The highways were somewhat clear but the trees south of Chisinau were coated with over a 1/2 inch of ice.  The day after the ice storm, we had about 4 to 5 inches of dry snow.  The daytime highs since the precipitation has not been above 20 degrees F.  The first day above freezing is forecast to be February 2.
 The lake behind the frozen trees is also frozen.
 We did notice that some of the power lines were down causing some power outages.  Fortunately, Chisinau did not have any outages.
 This is the country road to the village of Carahasani.  The thing out in the middle is a wood rack where people are scavenging the broken limbs, cutting them up and possibly taking them to their homes for use as fuel for warmth.  Most of the trees along the road are walnut trees.
 The willow trees, as seen here, broke down the most as they could not support the weight of the ice.
 Another scene along the highway between Carahasani and Chisinau.
This is a shallow, hand dipping well located in front of the mayor's office in Carahasani.  We saw a lady carry a bucket of water from the well and take it to the community center across the street.  At the time of our visit to Carahasani, they were in the fourth day of a village-wide power outage.  We wore our coats in the mayor's office because it was cold!  We are applying for funds to help the village of Carahasani get clean water running inside of each of the houses in the village.  Water from the shallow wells most likely is contaminated and not fit for human consumption, according to US standards.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

 Ice sculpture in the park during an evening stroll.  It was part of the Ice Expo in Chisinau.
 Sora Case stands beside an icy snow man in Chisinau.
 Statue of Ion and Doina in the plaza in front of the building housing the American Resource Center in Chisinau.
 Arlana keeps busy during the Christmas holidays painting chairs in our apartment patio in Chisinau.
 Ceremonies dedicating a new gymnasium of a highschool located in Cimislia, Moldova.  Even though we were invited guests, the Church was not apart of this renovation project.
 Another project that was completed during the Christmas holidays was this 4,000-piece puzzle.  We started it in October to keep us occupied during some slow times in our schedule.

 We visit with the Moldovan shoe maker and his wife in their shop.  They made Arlana's boots as well as 106 pairs of boots for some children located at a boarding school in Carpineni, Moldova.
 Elder  Kneib hands out shoes to a girl in her classroom at a boarding school located in Carpineni.
 A group picture of a class of students after they received their new boots as a gift from the Church.
 A picture of another class at the same school.  The little boy was especially grateful for his new boots.
 Excitement in the classroom as students get to see their new boots for the first time.
 Even the older students were happy to get some new foot ware.
All of the students were well behaved and each said thank you in their own way.