A few pictures.

I posted a few pictures. More to come. All of a sudden the computer wouldn't add any more. I will try again soon.
Sheryl

Home Safely

We are home safely. Thank the Lord for an incredible journey and safe travels. Now, off to work, I think. What day is it anyway? :-)

On the road again...sounds like a song doesn't it?

Skip and I will be leaving Frankfurt soon. We will leave the motel at 10:30am Frankfurt time, which is about 2:30am west coast time. Our flight leaves Frankfurt at 1:50pm. We will again fly to Denver and then HOME. We are both ready to go home. We totally enjoyed our tour yesterday, our time in Frankfurt, and Moldova.
Some of the things we learned this trip.
Moldova is the poorest country in Europe.
Most people in the villages and many in Chisinau have out houses, no indoor plumbing.
Many people that live in the villages have lived there all their lives and their houses have been passed down from generation to generation.
Most people do not have cars. Some have a wagon pulled by a horse. Others walk or ride buses.
Food is very simple. They eat soup and bread at lunch and dinner, with meat and a starch. They do not have a meal without bread. Bread costs about .40 cents a loaf, is white and dense. It comes in smaller loaves than in the States. It is very good and we enjoyed it a lot.
Many people clean up in the kitchen, no shower or bath.
Moldova is a communist country. It is oppressive. Due to shop lifting, while shopping, you are watched carefully.
The police stop drivers frequently to check their papers.
There are two languages spoken in Moldova, both Russian and Romanian. Some people mix the two while conversing.
We are not used to the conditions in Moldova. For us it would be hard to live there. But I want you to know that the spirit of the Christian believers is wonderful. They have a hard life, but they are rejoicing in the Lord. They love the Lord and are serving Him. BTW, one of the sweet young Christian gals asked me to send greetings to the Christians in the United States. So, Greeting from the Christians in Moldova.
That is all about things we learned for now. I want to share a scary experience that happened at the airport in Moldova. We got checked in and we went through baggage security. Then our passports were checked and we were ushered to personal security where we were frisked. Meanwhile a man calls our last name. I answer and he motions for me to come with him. He takes my passport and hands it back to the lady that checked it. Only I could go with him, not Skip. He takes me back to the beginning and shows me one of our bags. He tells me, in broken English, to open it for him. He keeps saying the word "metal." I open it for him and he pulls out our package of batteries for the camera. They were Duracell AA batteries that we bought at Costco. So, it was a big package. He examines them carefully and talks with the other guard in either Russian or Romanian. I was too scared to figure out which. I am shaking with fear. Skip is worried and wondering where they have taken me and what is going on. Finally the man says to the other guard, "no Moldova." I say, "U.S." He nods, puts the batteries into the suitcase and motions for me to close the bag. I am now able to leave but have to go through all the security checks again and then am finally reunited with Skip. We were separated about 5 minutes, but it felt much longer than that. I explained what happened and we went on. Let me say that is it scary to be separated from your loved one in a foregn country where there is not freedom and you don't know the language. We did not realize the oppression we felt until we landed in Frankfurt. Again, I am not trying to complain, I am trying to explain.
See you soon!
Sheryl

Misc.

I wanted to update those that follow this blog. We met the American group that came to Moldova to do work at the camp. There were 6 ladies and 23 men. They were from all over the United States. Many of them had never met each other. It was such a blessing to meet them. I enjoyed fellowshipping with the ladies. They all had a story to tell about how the Lord had provided the money for them to get to Moldova. It was touching to hear how God had worked in each ones life to provide. I thouroughly enjoyed visiting with them. On the last evening we were there we had an impromptu time of worship. There were 4 of us that kept singing songs while around the keyboard. We sang a lot of hymns, which I totally enjoyed. It was sweet fellowship with Christians from all over. Cool! What an awesome experience to worship the Lord with Christians from around the world, in different languages. God is awesome!
Skip and I arrived in Frankfurt, Germany on Thursday at 7:45am. We slept only 2.5 hours before leaving Moldova. We took a 2 hour bus tour yesterday and then made our way back to the hotel. It is interesting traveling in Frankfurt when we dont know the city or the language. We asked for help, and with the help, made it around. We traveled by train to downtown and back. It was a little nerve wracking, but we were thankful we arrived back at the correct train station. I fell asleep at 7pm and slept 13.5 hours. Skip only slept 10.5. I think we were tired. Today we are resting some. Tomorrow we have a 10.5 hour tour which we are looking forward to. This has been quite a trip for the Ragans, and we thank the Lord for the opportunity.
God bless you all. We will be home soon. We have enjoyed our trip and are looking forward to being back home.
Sheryl

Hello from Moldova

I haven't posted for awhile. We have been very busy preparing for the arrival of the American group. Two men came Saturday night and are doing measuring and planning. The others are coming tonight. Things are going to get even busier with 30 Americans and and 15 Moldovans to feed at every meal starting tomorrow morning. So, I thought I would take this opportunity to update.
We will leave the camp on Thursday morning at 1:30am, which will be 3:30pm Wednesday on the west coast. Our flight leaves Moldova at 5:05am to Frankfurt. We will probably not have internet access from Frankfurt. We will be in Frankfurt for 3.5 days and then will fly home and arrive at PHX Sunday night shortly after 6:00pm. It has been very nice being here and helping. It has been a lot of fun to be with Eric and Stephanie. This has been a very postive experience for both Skip and I. A learning experience, I might add. But, it is almost time to return home and resume our responsibilities there. Although we will be sad to leave here, we are just about ready to head back to the states and reunite with our family, church, friends and our dogs of course. :-)
We will see most of you soon.
Love,
Skip and Sheryl

Life Can Be Challenging

We are half way around the world. When our daughter's have difficulties we can do little from Moldova. However we can pray. Two weeks ago Jennifer found out she doesn't have a contract for next year for her job. In other words, she doesn't have a job. She also needs some expensive dental work done. We have been emailing back and forth. To be honest, her situation shook me up at first. We are not there to help. Emailing has helped and praying has definitely helped.

Then we got an email yesterday that Joy and Tony (our daughter and grandson) were in a car accident in Northern California on Monday. They are both alright. Tony is absolutely fine. Joy is sore and is in some pain. That news shook us both up. I cried for awhile last night even though everything was over and done. I couldn't help it. We worry about our children no matter how old they are. Joy's car was totaled and the "kids" had to go get another one. They took care of it and we were not there if they needed to consult us. I am sure it is a growing experience for them as well as us. We like to be there for our "kids."

Thankfully the Lord is always there for all of us, no matter where we are located. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. He doesn't need a plane ticket to come to help us. I am thankful we serve a God who loves us and cares about every detail of our lives. Thank you Lord!

Sunday

Sunday we went to the church in the village again. It was not a holiday this week and there were 22 people in attendance. It was all in Romanian so we understood little, but that is ok. There was one song we understood and sang it in English while it was sung in Romanian. Cool that God understood both. It is very special to worship God in two languages at once. It is indescribable.

After church we went to a Greek restaurant in the Mall in Chisinau. That was a very pleasant experience. We all had a good time. Then we ran a couple of errands and went to the Metro. The Metro is like Sam's Club in the U.S. I needed to exchange U.S. currency into Moldovan Lei. For some reason I was very nervous. Stephanie went with me. They told me that whatever the lady says she will be asking if you want the whole thing exchanged. We all figured she would talk to me in Romanian. So, I was surprised when she spoke to me in English. If the money is not in good shape they will not exchange it. I was concerned because we forgot to bring brand new bills. Within a few seconds she handed me Lei and that was all there was to it. So, I was nervous and shaking for nothing. It figures! :-) So, now I have exchanged money, whoo hoo!We came home, had home made pizza and watched a movie. It was a very pleasant day.

Today Skip is tiling again and I am doing more puddying with wood dough. We got more yesterday. I also made some home made macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight for Eric and Stephanie and us. We will eat that in a couple of hours. The noodles are different here, not as firm. The cheese is different too. It is soft and very tasty. Should be interesting.
Sheryl

Life in Moldova

Skip has been busy laying tile in one of the bathrooms. I have been busy putting wood dough on doors and door frames for two days. I am almost finished, but we ran out of wood dough. We will get some wood dough next week. The window guys have replaced all the windows in the administration building. They look very nice. Four new doors were put in today also. Much is being accomplished. Skip and his helper, Igor, cleaned out the shop the other day to prepare it for the group of Americans that are coming in a week and a half. There will be a couple of men using the shop to make furniture for the school.
Something interesting. Here there are birds which we call Coo Coo birds. We don't know what they are actually called, but we call them Coo Coo birds. Honestly they sound just like a Coo Coo clock. The first time I heard one, I thought it was a Coo Coo clock downstairs. But, it was a bird outside. Skip counts the Coo Coos and says there is no such thing as "54 O'clock." :-) Then Skip and the little Romanian girl downstairs go around saying coo coo, coo coo to each other. Words that they can communicate to one another and understand each other. It is cute to hear them. She is 4 years old and her name is Edita. She talks to us in Romanian and thinks we understand her. We don't. We were reading a Romanian book to her with animals in it. I was saying the animals in English and she would repeat them. Skip and I were very impressed with her pronunciation. Better than our Romanian pronunciation.
Well, that is all for now.
Sheryl

Grocery Shopping

Today we went grocery shopping. We went to the Bizarr first, then two different stores. Something as simple as shopping to us, is difficult here. The Bizarr had tiny booths all over a large area. You look around and try and find the best price. There is fruit and vegetables, meats, cheeses, hardward, kitchen supplies, etc. You just have to look around. Not everyone sells things for the same price. One lady was sitting selling domestic chicken eggs. Stephanie bought 20 eggs from her. The lady had one cracked open so you could see the inside. You don't buy things here in dozens, but 10's. The stores were much different than we are used to. There were things we had on the list that we couldn't buy because they were not available. The Metro is like a Sams Club. One of the ladies there watched me like a hawk and followed me because I looked out of place. Eric was watching her too to see if she would talk to me or bother me. She didn't. I stuck close to Eric and Stephanie, but I did look around. It was an interesting experience.

BTW, the house that was purchased for the church for $2,000.00 dollars was purchased about 9-10 years ago. Now it would cost $30,000.00 dollars. There is no bathroom at the church, just an outhouse. When things settle down I may get some pictures down loaded.

The camp where we are staying is just beautiful. It is green and lush. Not like the brown Arizona dessert. We are liking it here. Skip is busy working on the bathrooms in the administration building. They all need different types of work performed. Walls and tile, etc. I made more cookies today for the 29 Americans that will come in a couple of weeks. Cooking food here is more difficult. EVERYTHING is made from scratch. Some ingredients are not available, so you improvise. Building is the same way. If Skip doesn't have a tool he needs, he makes it or improvises. Getting things done takes so much more time. I am not complaining. I am explaining. That is the way life is here. It is different for us, but we are flexible, no problem. Skip is great at improvising. It is one of his greatest strengths. So, we are busy doing various things to serve the Lord here. Having 29 Americans to feed for 10 days is a huge job. I am helping Stephanie prepare for that task. Measurements, groceries, desserts, etc. I am enjoying myself. Stephanie and I get along well and work well together. It is fun. The Lord is blessing us and we are enjoying serving the Lord.

TTFN,
Sheryl

Church

Today we went to church in the local village. It is one of the churchs that Eric started. They meet in a house purchased for $2,000.00. The attendance was lower today due to a holiday. Eric preached in English and Keith, another missionary, translated into Romanian. Keith and his wife Marla have 5 children. The children were excited to speak to someone in English. So, while there was singing for a 1/2 hour I took their 3 youngest children, ages 8, 6, and 4 out for an impromtu Sunday School lesson in English. We all had fun. We sang in English too. They were sweet kids and it was a blessing to be with them. Then we joined the adults for the preaching. It was nice. We had a good service. One of their boys picked a flower and gave it to me after church. I think I want to bring him home. :-)
This afternoon Edward, the camp director is going to give Skip and I on a tour. We are looking forward to that. Edward and his wife have a 4 year old daughter and are expecting another child in just over a month. They are sweet servants of the Lord.
TTFN,
Sheryl

Hi from Moldova

Hi,
Everything is going well. My asthma is doing fine, Praise the Lord. Skip is busy working on some bathrooms in the administration building. The camp we are at is green, beautiful and peaceful. It looks somewhat like Washington State. Although the trees are not as big. There are rolling green hillls. The weather is in the 60's in the daytime and 30's at night. We have been very comfortable. It is on 25 acres with 10 buildings. The buildings are sub-standard by American standards. They are just over 20 years old but look like they are 50 years old to Skip. Yesterday Skip went shopping in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. They went for toilets, sinks and sheetrock. Skip said it was quite an experience. There isn't one store to go to. They had to go to many different stores to get what they needed. He said the whole city was like a 29 mile Home Depot. It was challenging telling a Romanian/Russian speaking translator what he needed with nails, and supplies, etc. They had lunch at McDonalds in Chisinau. Skip liked the frys better here and in Frankfurt than in the United States. It took 2/3 of a day just to pick up supplies.

Meanwhile I took pictures of the camp, made another applesauce cake and assisted Stephanie with other small jobs. Today we planted some plants, checked out supplies and cooking ware etc. It is a big job to have 28 American's coming in three weeks. They have to be housed and fed. Skip is working on the bathrooms where they will be housed. Stephanie and I are working on the food and tea for while they are here. The American group comes in the day before we leave. They will be here to do more construction on the buildings in prepartion for the Bible school to start in September. There is so much that needs to be done. The Americans will be staying in the administration building. The bathrooms have to be finished, Skip is working on those. New windows will be put in next week. Also, radiators, for heat are being installed. Indoor/Outdoor carpet will be laid down too. Then Stephanie and I will do caulking and stuff and painting needs to be done. It will be very nice when it is complete.

Tomorrow we are going to the local village church. It will be all in Romanian. So, Skip and I will not be able to understand it.

Tuesday we are going to the bazaar to do some shopping.
So, there is an update from Moldova.
Love,
Sheryl

Arrived in Moldova

Hi,
We arrived safely in Moldova after nearly 24 hours of travel. That is, 24 hours from the time we left our house. Everything went very well. There were no glitches in our travel. It was an adventure, especially in Frankfurt. We didn't know where we were supposed to go in the airport, but we figured it out. Then, we met a sweet Moldovan Christian woman in Frankfurt. We traveled with her to Moldova. God provides. Good thing she knew some English. Then she got someone to translate for us. It was a blessing. She said she knew that I was a Christian because my face reflected what was in my heart. Praise be to God! She thanked us for coming to serve the Lord in her country. We could tell people were praying due to the peace we experienced. BTW-We are about 9 hours ahead of Phoenix and CAtime.
Skip is out working and I am going to help Stephanie prepare food to freeze for a group of Americans that are coming in a few weeks.
Thank you for your love and prayers.
TTFN,
Love,
Skip & Sheryl

The day has dawned, Moldova here we come!

Today is the day we leave for Moldova. We are ready, excited and willing to serve. Your will be done Lord. Use us for Your honor and glory. Help us be available to witness while traveling. Protect us, keep us healthy, and keep our loved ones safe in our absence. We serve an awesome God! We love you Lord and thank you for this opportunity. For us, it is an opportunity of a life time. After we are done serving, bring us safely back to our family. In Jesus name, amen.

Moldova

Well, we had a wonderful day of worship, teaching and fellowship on Sunday. Our pastor called us up to the front for both services and prayed for our missions trip. That was special! We had so many people hug us and tell us they would be praying for us. That was also very special! Then the prayer team gathered around me and prayed for us. God has provided what we need financially for our trip and while we are gone. We are trusting that He will provide when we come back too. I will go 3-4 weeks without a paycheck when I come back. With Skip's business you never know what work will be there. Trusting, trusting, trusting! He promises to provide our needs! Phil 4:19, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
After church we met K.C. and Dustin for lunch. It was nice to catch up to her before our trip. Then we went home and packed and packed and packed. At 5:00pm we went to a picnic, for Sunday school workers. We enjoyed more fellowship, food, hugs and offers of prayer. We got to tell people, in more detail, what we are going to be doing. In case you are wondering. We are going to a camp in Moldova to help prepare the facilities for Bible School, which will be starting in August. They are in the process of laying gas lines to run heat to the dormitories. Skip may be working on that or any number of other projects. I will most likely be helping Stephanie clean, plant or whatever else she needs.
Just in case you are interested, this is the fulfillment of a 30 year dream for Skip and I. We were in the same Sunday School class for two years, but didn't pay much attention to one another. We went on a 3 day short term missions trip to Counselor, New Mexico. WE NOTICED ONE ANOTHER, and a little over a year later we were married. We have always wanted to do short term missions trips. Skip is so talented in so many ways. He can fix anything. He can create beautiful things out of nothing. He can be an asset to missionaries. God can use him and Skip is willing. Now, we have the opportunity. We hope that this is the first of more missions trips to come.
Tomorrow we leave for Moldova. Lord use us as You see fit. We are your vessels. As we travel help us to be available to witness for You. Use us for Your Honor and Glory. Take us safely, and bring us back to our family in the U.S. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Doctor said I can go to Moldova!

I saw the dr. this afternoon. As I expected, he said I could go, as long as I am still improving. I am stocked up on medications and will be carrying two different antibiotics with me, just in case. I think we have all the bases covered. Now, if you all will pray that I can continue to get healthy and STAY healthy, that would be appreciated.

Jennifer is feeling pretty awful. She had an infected, impacted wisdom tooth pulled yesterday. Her face is very swollen on the one side. Poor thing. At least it got taken care of before we leave for Moldova. She is on pain medication and antibiotics. Thank the Lord her insurance is very good.

I can hardly believe that we have just 4 days until we leave for Moldova. My to do list is long and filled with a variety of activities this weekend. Each day I get more done and feel good and then think how much more needs to be done. I should be staying home with my nose to the grindstone, but there are things that need to be done outside the home too, including shopping for food for Jenn, picking up a couple of other items, etc. Plus laundry and packing. We began the packing list two weeks ago, so that helps. The next few days will be busy, but exciting too. This morning I did quite a bit before I went to work. My mind is on our trip. I got to work and had forgotten my water and my protein bar. Then I was on the playground for 15 minutes and realized I forgot to clock in. Oh dear! I think I am ready to take this trip. I remembered the important things for the kids though. Today we set off our volcano that we have worked on all week. So, I remembered the baking soda and vinegar. Those were the important items of the day. My loving husband brought my water and protein bar. The office manager signed me in manually. I was kind of a wreck when I started out, but the Lord covered my bases for me. I saw the dr. after work and went to Walmart, plus did a ton of paperwork at home and set up all the bills to be paid while we are gone. Quite a productive day. I think I shall shower and go to bed. Tomorrow is another full day. Goodnight!

One week until Moldova

Well, one more week and we will be in the air over the ocean headed for Moldova. It is hard to believe it is almost here. Only 4 more work days until we leave. Only a ton to do before we leave. Every evening we are planning, figuring, talking, preparing, etc. We are researching the dollar exchange for the Euro, the dollar exchange for the Lei. The Lei is the Moldovan currency. We have never traveled out of the country. It is interesting and a bit intimidating. So much to do. Day by day we will get it done. What a trip this will be. We are excited.

I see the doctor Friday regarding the asthma/bronchitis. I am assuming he will let me go. We need the Lord's wisdom to know which medicines and doses to get to keep the issues under control. I am doing what I know how and trusting the Lord for the rest.

We have received unexpected money from unexpected sources this past week. Wow, was that a surprise and a blessing.

I am hoping to update the blog while in Moldova. If that doesn't work I will be emailing Bryan Thiele and he will give updates.

Thanks for the love, support and prayers. Moldova-here we come!

16 Days until we leave for Moldova

Wow, Moldova is coming up fast. When I look back over the past 16 months I am amazed that it is almost here. We are amazed. Today, Skip and I sat down and started preparing the list of things we need to take. We need to check on the laundry facilities to figure out how much to take. Don't want to go over that 50lb. limit. I still cannot believe we are actually going. It will be soon. I also made a list of things that need to get done before we go. I am not feeling stressed about preparing. The stress I feel is over the financial issues. Making sure there is money available to pay the bills while we are gone. Setting up the bills on line to be paid while we are gone, etc. When we started praying about going to Moldova, 16 months ago, we had a nice sum in savings. Being gone 3.5 weeks was no big deal at that point. But, with the economy, Skip's business being slow, etc. the nice sum is a small sum. The Lord knows that too. From the world's point of view, for us to go may look foolish. But from God's point of view it is not foolish. God has provided the money for us to go and serve Him. We will go and serve Him in a foreign country and He will provide what we need to pay our bills at home. Satan has challenged us and attacked us. We will be obedient, and go, and trust the Lord for the outcome. It is very possible that when we get back Skip will need to get a part time job in addition to doing the business. Things are just too slow. We are trusting the Lord for that too. This past Monday we each got shots to prepare for Moldova. Skip got 3 and I got 4. We figure it is wise to protect ourselves from diseases that are preventable. So, not long from now we will be leaving the country for the first time in our lives. We are looking forward to serving the Lord and to the adventure.

Less than a month to Moldova

I usually end up saying, "life is interesting." Well, I cannot resist writing it again, life is interesting. The devil is attacking me physically, mentally and emotionally. I am trying to recover from bronchitis and pneumonia. I have missed a lot of work at my new job. Working with children is not the best place for me, due to their germs. My immune system is not too strong. A little cold for someone else often means something more serious for me. The Lord gave me this job and I need this job. I am going to ask my boss about cutting to 30 hours per week, as opposed to 40. Hopefully that will help me some. I am just not sure what the Lord is doing in my life right now. I know that to be home would be best for me physically, but not possible financially. The devil wants me to believe that I am washed up, no good for service of any kind. It is not true and yet it weighs on me. I know the Lord is in control, yet it doesn't "feel" like it. I also know that feelings are not where we base our faith. God is faithful, even though I am unfaithful. God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

We will be leaving for Moldova in less than one month. What better way to attack me than physically. Being ill in a foreign country would not be fun, nor convenient. It would be "safer" to stay home and let Skip go by himself. However, I do not think that is what the Lord wants me to do. So, I have to step out in faith, trusting that the Lord will take care of me and my asthma in a foreign country. The devil wants to rob me of a blessing. I do not want to be robbed. I want to go. The Lord has provided the money to go and I will go, by God's grace. I must be feeling some better because my fighting spirit is arising. I am slowly gaining strength. Thank the Lord for that. This is more like a cathartic rambling session than a true blog, but that is where I am. Lord I give my life, my heart my all to you as best as I can. Use me for your glory. Help me to trust you in all that is happening in our lives with Skip's business, my job, our finances, our trip to Moldova. Thank you that You never change. Help me to cling to Your truth.

New Blog

I haven't blogged lately because I have been busy with my new job, and I have had the stomach flu for the past three days. I missed Mon-Wed of work this week. I had to see the dr. for a note to return to work. She said I cannot return until Thursday. It is frustrating to start a new job and then get sick twice in a couple of weeks. I ran a fever again with this one. I will omit the details of the stomach flu. I think it is self explanatory. Not too much going on here. Skip has been working off and on. Jenn has been busy. Joy is exhausted. Tony has had bronchitis and is taking breathing treatments every 4-6 hours. Joy says he wakes up coughing then gets mad and screams. She is not sleeping much. As a mom I am concerned about her for sure. She still manages to work full time and commute 45 minutes each way. That is a tough job. I am proud of her and concerned both. Not too much to say this time. Just updating. Thank you Lord for loving me even when I feel yukky.

Romans 12:1&2

I was working on my Bible Study tonight. Alright, yes I am behind, but I am catching up. I was reading Romans 12: 1 & 2 in the NIV. I am very familiar with the verses in the King James but obviously had not read it in the NIV. I know that we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice but I loved how the NIV stated it. Instead of "this is your reasonable service." It states, "this is your spiritual act of worship." I love that, our spiritual act of worship. That really spoke to me. I think of worship as singing, praising. But I didn't think of presenting my body as a living sacrifice as a spiritual act of worship. Beautiful!

Then verse two says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (ok, I know that) "Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will." We as humans are always asking what God's will is for us. If we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, we should be able to discern God's will. Right? When we are very familiar with one version of the Bible and we read a different version it can give us a fresh perspective. Sometimes being so familiar leads one to not think as deeply about the meaning of those very familiar verses. At least, that is how it is to me. After all, I have only been saved "about 100 years." And, no I never exaggerate either. :-) Now if I get any comments on this blog then I will know that people read it, besides Julie K. Thanks for reading it Julie. I love you friend. :-)