Service and So-on

Iasi Branch to the rescue!














Elder and Sister Willard, our humanitarian missionaries, visited Iasi this past week.  They had contacted the local Ronald McDonald House and agreed to bring them 150 welcome kits to be used by the families of children patients, during their stay in the hospital here in Iasi. We stayed after church and help assemble the kits.  The branch members were truly troopers and finished the work in record time.  We enjoyed a few treats together afterwards.  It was an amazing day for all.  We took the kits to them on Monday morning and were met with extreme gratitude.



                                  (Bucharest)


We took a little stroll down around the Palace of Culture.  We haven't had a chance to go in yet so more on this later.  The statue is Stephen the Great, a revered 15th-century Prince of Moldavia.  Iasi used to be part of that region, today Moldova.  We are about 20 km from the Moldova border.
I'm assuming that this she-wolf is a version of the legend of Romulus and Remus, a Roman myth where the she-wolf nurses the abandoned twins until they are found by a shepherd and who eventually grow up to found the city of Rome.
Couldn't resist the aroma of the grilling mici.  It is only found in Romania, at least this pork version.  It's similar to a polish dog or a bratwurst but not as compact and the flavor is indescribable.


Caught a glimpse of the lunar eclipse this week.  It was really quite a sight even though the photos don't capture it very well.  Definitely a "blood moon" event.  It was a total eclipse for us, and these are just coming out of it.







Had a little time on P-day so we wanted to catch the botanical gardens before everything is gone.  It was a remarkable walk of solace and beauty.  We even got a short taste of some cacti and desert plants.














Saturday found us in the village of Perieni.  Our good friends, Dorian and Maria Stoica invited us out to their country home to help them harvest their grapes.  The homestead is where Dorian was born and grew up.  It's complete with the blue and green touches and the ceramic block heater.  Beautiful!  We started early and made a full day of it.  The large black trough holds about 1650 liters and by the end of the day it was pretty much full of squished grapes swimming in their associated purple gold.  Of course, they insisted on feeding us.  It was a country barbecue, cooked over wood, complete with mici, chicken, pork, sausage, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and toast and topped it off with local watermelon and chased it with "fresh" grape juice.  Meal fit for a king.  Oh, how we have gained a love for them.  Being raised as we were, we struggle to comprehend the differences, during the exact same time frame across the world.

We are so grateful at this harvest season for the beauty of the earth.  As the fruits of the labors are being harvested, leaves begin to change color, the mornings are brisk, children off to school and warmth of the afternoon.  We have paused to reflect on our own change in this harvest season.  We have felt an abundance of love for all of Gods children around the world, noticed the beauty in God’s creations, and seen the miracles in our life as we have strived to walk with covenant confidence.  Hope you all have a bounteous harvest season.  God is so Good! 


























 

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