Today we went to the Russian occupied area of Moldova called Transnistria. We were able to visit the orphanage in hopes to build a partnership with Sweet Sleep. As you can see, their current beds are in poor condition from the years of use with many, many kids. Hopefully a Sweet Sleep team will be able to replace all 120 beds in March when they return!

We were able to leave the children with a special treat. Long live bananas!

Jet lagged and dog bit

Today in a nutshell; we woke up, ate breakfast and drove in a van to an orphanage. We walked around, handed out bananas and candy, and had lunch in the nearby town. Tony and Dan made us laugh. The drive was bumpy but the people in the van were great. I gained a respect for the people of the land and fell in love with Lucia and our translators. We drove home, saw christmas lights in Chisinau and had chicken and pickles for supper at the mission house. Went to bed.

The day for me was defined by what I think they call "Jet lag". My body doesn't know what day it is or what time it is and I have periods of normality followed by periods of extreme sleepiness. In fact, I had to take a two hour nap after dinner just to be able to process what happened today and put it into words.

Here are some random things I've noticed in my jet lag fog:

-The people here are no different than us, they just have not had the opportunities we have had. In some ways they are better than us. They don't complain and are very greatfull for even the smallest act of kindness.

-Moldova is Moldova not Romania or Russia, Inteleg?

-Transnistria is loyal to Russia and they speak Russian but they are not officially recognized as independent from Moldova.

-The younger women are apparently enamored with the west because they dress rather provocatively with high heels, tight jeans, hair and make-up even though they must of had to spend a large portion of their income to portray that look!

-The locals seem quiet and unashamed of who they are and how they live, in fact they love their country and each other.

-The Orphanage buildings and equipment were very old and in serious need of repair but were clean and organized.

-The teachers and workers make use of anything and everything to do whatever and are effective. Since teachers can't really print things off the internet for teaching and crafts they design and draw it themselves with skill.

-The children were disciplined and respectful and grateful to have clothes and shoes even though the clothes didn't match, the coats may not zip up or the shoes may have no laces.

-So far, the food whether home cooked or in a restaurant has been fantastic!

-Apparently americans stand out easy and may even be intimidating to some.

-God loves the people and the children and the Church must help these people!!!

-I am glad God has opened my eyes to how blessed I have been and ashamed at the same time that I have been ungrateful, selfish and mostly ignored the cries for help from others in the past.

-One cannot see first hand the suffering and depravity of his fellow creation and then not do something about it. Children are children and innocent regardless of where they live or what lanquage they speak. I wonder how my life will change.

A little story, after we returned from Transnistria we stopped by the mission house to freshen up and then go to downtown Chisinau. In the downtown area there were Christmas lights and lots of people and an area where you could have your picture made in front of various back grounds that said "Happy New Year 2012" in Romanian

The background that interested me had a live owl, an eagle and two chinchillas. So Darla and I had our picture made here. The back ground that interested the group had two small dogs and a dwarf dressed like an elf. I grabbed one of the dogs and we began filing in and posing for the picture. My dog was interested in what I had for lunch which was apparently still in my beard.

I was describing what the dog was doing, sniffing and licking my beard as we were all facing the camera. That was when the animal clamped on my beard and tried to rip it from my face. That's when I screamed like a little girl, which in Romanian apparently means "everybody laugh at the stupid american man afraid of a little dog".

Bible verse that comes to mind.

Isaiah 3:13-15

The LORD takes his place in court; he rises to judge the people. The LORD enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: “It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.

Gnome Away From Home

Many hours spent in the van traveling today. This afforded some quality bonding time with the “Christmas in Moldova” team. These “team moments” will hopefully help establish a comradery that will help our team more effectively take on the mission God has sent us here to do.



Today was a “scouting” day to an orphanage in a Russian occupied area called Transnistia. The mission was to see the orphanage and the bed situation in order to prepare for another team to build beds on a future trip. We also took a treat of bananas and chocolate for the 260 boys and girls that live there year round. While our time at the orphanage was not long, we were able to see the living quarters and distribute the treats to the children.

While I have seen children in a variety of improvised conditions, this was my first experience in an orphanage. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the situation of this facility was better that what I was anticipating. I was very impressed with the orphanage staff and their apparent care for the children and desire to improve the environment for the children. While the bedrooms and classrooms are basic and outdated by our American standards—what they have is clean and well kept.





As with every mission journey I have been a part of, God reminds me of His Kingdom agenda for ALL people. It is so easy to get caught up in where I live (which is Brentwood, TN) and be so focused on what is going on in my little world. Often forgetting that there is a whole world of people who live in drastically different conditions and many who have never even heard about the love of Jesus.



I’m reminded of lyrics from one of this year’s VBS songs…

You said, “Go,” so I will go, You said, “Tell,” so I will tell
Sharing Your story, proclaiming Your glory
To a world that needs to know what they’re worth
I will take Your name to every nation
Spread the Good News of salvation
Baptize in the name of the Father
The Son and the Holy Spirit
I will teach the things that You’ve commanded
Make sure that Your truth is planted
Jesus, I will do whatever it takes, To bring glory to Your name

Easy words to sing but more difficult words to live out. God has been challenging me over the last few years that His command is not complicated-it is simply to “go.” It’s not always around the world; sometimes it is across the street. But my job is to obey when He says, “go”—no matter where it is or to whom it is. My prayer is that glory is brought to the name of Jesus through building beds and loving on children this week!

Posted by Amy Carter

getting ready for a big surprise!

I will let the photos do the talking. We are going to our first project tomorrow where we will surprise 260+ smiling faces at the first orphanage we will be serving. To give them an extra special time, we assembled gift bags for each child. While the gifts may seem simple to Americans, Lucia (the Moldova Sweet Sleep Manager) assured us that it would bring joy to many hearts tomorrow. We had a great time putting them together, too!

We Made It

That’s right,we finally made it here to Chisinau, Moldova. Our trip started Christmas night as we left home at about 8:30, stayed in a hotel in Irving (I was able to get between 3-4 hours of sleep) and was at the airport by 5:30 a.m. on the 26th. Three flights later, the layover in D.C. at Dulles will be memorable, and we finally arrived in Chisinau at 12:00 on Dec 27th (with all of our luggage and all of our people). We are going to be staying at the IMB House for the next couple of days, then we’ll be off to Soroca, Moldova. Tomorrow we are going to the Transnistria area of Moldova (we’ll get a taste of what the old Soviet Union was like while visiting here) to visit with 260 orphans. Hope they’ll be happy to see us; we are taking them bananas, Kit Kat bars and cookies for each one of these kids. We bought way too many bananas tonight (guess you can’t trust the produce guy at Metro) so the orphans that we see later this week in Visoca will no only get new beds but will get bananas daily (bananas are a big treat here). I am looking forward to seeing how God will use us this week. Go has put us all here for an important reason, so I ask that you take time to pray for this team as we reach out to these special needs orphans in Slobozia and in Visoca later this week. More to come tomorrow. I should even have pics…

Dan McBride

The Journey Begins

Well, we made it; 3 planes and 24 hours later we're in Moldova. What a fabulous team God has assembled for this trip. We've already made several memories during our layover in Dulles in Washington D.C. and were amazed by the ease with which we made it through the airport in Munich. We are settled in the IMB Mission house and are excited about our unique oppportunity to get to travel to the Transnistria area of Moldova tomorrow to visit with 260 orphans there. I'm always amazed how God can bring people from all different walks of life and even different countries together and can create such harmony. It is a beautiful thing to be able to serve with these gifted and talented folks in this precious country. If you're reading this blog, take time to pray for this team as we reach out to these special needs orphans in Slobozia and in Visoca later this week. I know great things are going to come out of this jouuney and I pray our lives and the lives of these needy children will be impacted for all time. God bless!

Christmas - It is 4 Days Away! Don't Miss It!

Due to a plethora of crazy schedules and siblings living across country from one another, my family decided to celebrate Christmas early this year. Two weeks I ago I flew to Texas and the whole gang was there. We did everything like we have always done-family get-togethers, amazing food, gift exchanges, family drama, and everything else you could imagine. It felt nice. It was Christmas. Not long after all the gifts were opened and everything was cleaned up I realized that although the family gatherings were over, the presents had all been given, and it had even felt like Christmas, Christmas had not yet happened. This was a big moment for me. In fact, it kept me quiet for a few days. Realizing that Christmas day was not over and we still had time to celebrate and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas made me VERY excited! It hit me in a way that I am not sure has ever happened to me. Maybe that is a bad thing? I took it as great! I was beginning to realize that I could say that Christmas is not about the presents or the traditions, but reality is Christmas has become something to me that includes both.

I came back to Nashville and began to reflect on the time I had just spent with my family. I began to think about the Christmas story. I could really sit down with my Bible and think through these accounts now that I have a little extra time. It's really amazing what you can do when you are no longer facing the pressures of the perfect gift and baking the perfect dish for the party! Anyway, I became very reflective. I thought about how all throughout Scripture there have been people who were waiting in great expectation for the coming of the Messiah. I also thought about how all throughout history and even today how few people have actually realized he has already come as a child in a manger and died on the cross for our sins. I thought about how easy it is to greatly expect something and still miss it. 

The birth of Christ is not just exciting. It changes everything! 

 Doing Christmas differently this year has been huge for me. I am not saying that this is the only way to fully experience Christmas. In fact, I am sure others do it well all the time. However, for me, I feel like it has saved me from missing an opportunity to truly reflect and to experience Christmas in a significant way. It has given me the opportunity to step away from the traditions and the gifts and choose my response to Christ and His coming. You see I believe that when we look back on our lives one of our biggest regrets will be when we do not choose to love people well. I think it will have little to do with the gifts we bought (or did not). We will be most satisfied by the moments when we chose to love the way the Lord has loved us. That love is complex and simple. It most definitely includes grace and it requires patience. This love makes a choice to be consistent and unconditional. It does not often look all nice and pretty. It is a love that we cannot come up with on our own. That is what makes it so incredible! Christmas itself is a huge example of the love that God has for us! It is also an unbelievable opportunity for us to show that love to others!

My challenge to myself (and to you) is that you not miss Christmas! Give the gifts and spend time with friends and family, but do not miss the opportunity you have to understand better the love you have been given through Christ and, as a result, love people well! 

Merry Christmas!

Last Minute Shopping - For Men!

ATTENTION MEN:
Sweet Sleep knows Christmas shopping can be stressful and most of us wait until the last minute. We want to help you. And the best part is, when we help you, you will be helping others!

• Sweet Sleep is excited to announce that we will have our retail store open to MEN only on Wednesday, December 21st for a special shopping opportunity in which we will help you pick out the perfect gift for that special person in your life. Stop by from 4pm-6pm on December 21st to take advantage of this unique (and painless) shopping experience.

And the best part is we will have stylists on hand to help you pick out the perfect gift. How easy is that!

• We have an amazing selection of handmade jewelry from Uganda that every woman will love. Each piece is unique and comes with the story of how the jewelry was crafted in Uganda.
• We also have hand sewn scarves from fashionABLE. We couldn’t keep these on the shelf last week during our open house. Thanks to fashionABLE, Sweet Sleep is the only place in Brentwood that you can hand pick these scarves in person.
We also have items for all family members such as t-shirts, hats, running shirts and much more. Lots of great stocking stuffers available!

*WE WILL ALSO BE GIVING AWAY A PAIR OF TITANS CLUB LEVEL TICKETS AND A PARKING PASS TO SATURDAY’S LAST HOME GAME VS. JACKSONVILLE AT THE OPEN HOUSE*


Our office is located in Brentwood off of Old Hickory Blvd and Franklin Pike in the Mazatlan Restaurant building beside the post office. Our address is 116 Wilson Pike Circle Suite 100, Brentwood, TN 37027.
For those unable to make the open house, you can shop at our Sweet Sleep On-Line Store.
Sweet Sleep accepts cash, check, and all major credit cards and a portion of the sale price is tax-deductible.

What Moment Are You Living In?

Today is December 13^th. I think. For me though, it might as well December 20^th or January 4^th or August 26^th. And I say that because I have found myself more often than not these days thinking ahead and not in just hours, but days, weeks and months. Do you ever find yourself waking up on a Friday and already dreading a Monday? Or worried about a situation that might happen next month? I know I am guilty of this and it reveals a big flaw in my spiritual life. If I am constantly living in the future, than I lose sight of the present. And when I lose sight of the present, I am left with little time to worship and praise God for this day he has given me and how lucky I am spend another day fulfilling the call he has me here on earth for.

I was reminded of this a few weeks ago upon learning about a terrible tragedy involving a man from Hendersonville who was well known throughout the community. He was young, just married and headed to work one morning when he was tragically killed in a car accident due to heavy fog on the interstate. In a split second, lives were changed forever.

The future suddenly became irrelevant.

Far too often I wake up and take for granted the day I’m given. I hurry through breakfast, find out where in the world Matt Lauer is, try to squeeze in a “quiet time” and head off for a day that comes and goes in a flash. And each day I rarely stop to take the time to thank God for the breath he has given me. My nature is to worry about things down the road that I have absolutely zero , zilch, nada control over. I think I do. But in reality, I no more have control over the next 30 minutes let alone the next 30 days.

But occasionally, I do make it a point to stop to thank God for the present. I thank him that he has given me another day at a wonderful job that I love. I thank him for my wonderful family that I am blessed to be a part of. I thank him for friends that I can spend hours laughing with on a 12^th South patio or spend a Saturday with serving others. And on the days in which I do this, I am filled with such a comforting peace that it makes the days worries seem quite insignificant.

I love this line from author Francois Fenelon where he says, “To live in both peace and vitality, we’re invited to trust God and simply let his will unfold. That way, we go through each day in a spirit of worship, not being concerned whether we will have answers to our every question. Above all, live in the present moment and God will give you all the grace you need.”

This particular moment is all we need. It’s my prayer we would all stop and remember that each and every day.

“Heavenly father, help me to prayerfully receive whatever comes today. Let me see through your eyes what is really happening, with mind and heart fully open to your Holy Spirit.”

No Need to Worry!

Clear, moonlit nights are the best.  The ones where the stars look so close and vivid you could almost reach out and touch them.  The ones where you can see virtually every valley and mountain on the moon.  The ones where the light from the moon seems as bright as a street light when walking down the driveway.

I don’t often take the time to sit and just think about how small I really am in the grand scheme of the universe that God created.  Francis Chan, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA has a video that details just how vast and expansive the universe really is.  When I stop and consider that an all powerful God who created not only the earth, but the moon, the sun, the stars, the galaxy and thousands of other galaxies, loves me more than anything and wants desperately to have a relationship with me, I am stunned.  

One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11, which says “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future”.  Think about that for a second.  The God of the universe, maker of all heaven and earth, has plans for ME.  He is concerned about ME.  He knows me and loves me without condition, so much so that he sent his son to die on the cross for my sins so that I could have a way to be with Him in eternity.

Why then do I worry about the trivial day to day things that tend to make me frustrated or upset?  Why do I worry about where I will be five or ten years from now?  Sure, it’s okay to make plans and to be aware of daily responsibilities – we all are tasked with that – but it’s the worrying, fretting and anxiousness that I often feel that I need to lay down at the feet of Christ.  God is sovereign and in control.  Nothing happens anywhere, anytime that He does not know about or allow.  Whatever I may be worrying about at any given time is no match for the sovereign maker of the universe.  

So, the next time you find yourself looking into the night sky, looking for the Big Dipper or noticing how close Venus looks, think about this:  the maker of all of this loves you and cares for you.  He holds you in his hands and has plans for you.  No need to worry!

- Tim Pereira