After church we had a chance to hit the Art Market and view beautiful handmade things. We followed that up with a trip to Ion’s (John’s) office where he was able to show us what he does, explain what it takes to place orphans into the homes of Christian families. Ion also was able to inspire us with a story of how his church (which only has 103 members) was able to collect and buy enough food to pass out boxes of food to 300 families (mostly elderly) in and around his village. I loved that his church was willing to give and sacrifice in order to serve the Lord and make a huge difference in these families lives. To be able to share the love of God with those who may feel forgotten. Finally, it is off to Bender, Transnistria we go. After a time of filling out paperwork, waiting in line so that they could see our individual faces, we made it through the check point and arrived at the Grace Church (about 50 minutes late). The people here met us with smiles and warm greetings. Pastor Peter is an amazing man. Tony Black (our team leader) had a chance to speak in front of the church and introduce the team, Ion preached and we listed to more beautiful music. The church ended our evening with a special, church-wide fellowship where we ate some amazing food and desserts. We have ended our day with a team meeting where we have planned out how tomorrow should go with the understanding that we have to flexible. Now. as I sit back and reflect on the day, I have to say this: if a delayed border crossing and limited internet while in Transnistria are all that went wrong, then we have had a GREAT day. Tomorrow, we will meet a new group of orphans and hopefully start developing a relationship with them that allows us to tell them about God’s love for them. I believe that 80 of them will be receiving new beds while we are here this week. Looks like an early Christmas for them.. Please keep praying for us.. Dan McBride]]>