Our first day in Moldova!!

Hey friends, family, and prayer partners,

It's has been an amazing first day. At 9:00 after a great breakfast from our hosts, we headed off to camp. All think we were all excited, and those of us who had never been, alittle nervous, but as we drove up to the camp and got off the bus , the kids starting greeting us. Some of the first kids to greet us were those looking for their sponsors that they had met on previous trips, that exchange brought tears to my eyes. Seeing Stuart meet Petrica face to face was so touching. The children here are amazing and so loving. I need more hands and arms, because they all want to hug you and hold your hand all the time. Bryan, if your reading this, I met your girls. As soon as I introduced myself and told them that I was your friend and worked with you, well let's just say that was all we needed to break the ice and we bonded instantly; their my buddies too now - I know you are wishing you could be here with them too. Now, I understand your affection for them; they are really great girls. I was disappointed to find out that my Antonina will not be at summer camp until July, but there are so many kids here to love. They follow you around, want to carry your backpack, hold your hand, cuddle, and want to take picture with your camera. Our translators are great and so fun and part of the experience is just getting to hang out with them too. Rachael led our intro to the lesson before we split out into our small groups. She did a great job and she always amazes me as her mom; I am so blessed to be sharing this experience with her. I really enjoyed our hang time with the kids. As all those who have come before me had shared, there are always some kids the just gravitate to certain individuals of the team. I have several special friends now....Alina, Natasha, Nastea to name a few...I wish I had more hands and arms!! I can't wait until tommorrow; it's hard saying goodbye to the kids when you leave. I can't imagine how Friday is going to be when I can't say I will be back tomorrow. Our afternoon small group and cabin time was cut out by an unexpected visit from a youth team from the goverment, but we still got to hang with the kids and even participate in some of the programs they had for the kids - that's an interesting story for later.
Hey, all you EMIers, you'll be delighted to know that the kids call Stuart, "Stuart Little" :)

To Kevin and Zack - I love you and miss you. Rachael sends her love too.

It 8:45 here and we're leaving the internet cafe now to go to our house and eat. Love to you all and keep praying for us!! God Bless, Laura