Tank Installation

There is allot of work to erect 2 - 80 foot water towers. 3 wells supply these 2 tanks with clean water. Each well is about 180 meters deep (560 feet). Each well pump supplies water at a rate of 10 - 12 cubic meters per hour. That rate is sufficient for nearly 10,000 people. We have 4300 villagers in Ermoclia, so we have pleny of water available.

Welding Water Tank To Base Foundation

This is how the water tanks are secured to the base foundation. The tower is welded to the base plates while the crane is holding it in place. The welders must ensure that the tank is perfectly vertical. This step in raising the tank is critical because the welds must securely hold the eighty foot tower and tank in place.

Ermoclia Water Tank Raising

This is our major water project we have been working on since we arrived in Moldova. There are 4300 people in Ermoclia, and we want them all to have running water in their homes. We were excited to see the water tanks raised, and see the pipes going to 200 homes,schools, public and government buildings. Our hope is to see all the people in Ermoclia connected to the water system.

Flash Flood

Thursday July 16, Fred and I had been doing paperwork all day, and decided to take a walk at about 6:30 pm. As we were walk out of our apartment we heard thunder and thought that was strange because it was so sunny outside. We hadn’t walked 5 minutes before it started pouring. We took shelter under an awning and waited for 30 minutes for the storm to pass by. It reminded me of bad thunder storms in Texas when tree limbs break, and the wind blows so hard the rain goes sideways. When it was over we tried to walk to our church building to see if it was flooded. We never made it down the hill it was flooded. These are some pictures I took of the flooded streets in Chisinau. There was no rain forecast!!! Ha, Ha

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are a major product produced here in Moldova. They use the seeds to make oil, and everyone in Moldova loves to eat the seeds. Old women sit on the sidewalks and sell the seeds to people as they pass by. The fields are beautiful, and I have never see so many sunflowers!!!

Cresa Kindergarten

The Creşa (Cresa means day care for children) Kindergarten is in a small village in northern Moldova. This facility is over 100 years old. It serves 30-40 children from a year and half to three years of age. Four well-trained educators teach and care for these children. There are also community volunteers who regularly work at the school each day. There is no running water in the school. Most of the volunteers remembered the same beds, furniture and toys from when they attended Creşa Kindergarten as children. The chairs and tables are unstable and coming apart and pose safety hazards of the children. Many chairs have no back supports left in them. During nap time, the kindergarten children are placed four to a bed. These children come from homes where 70% of the mothers and fathers work out of the country in order to support their families. Many of these parents will likely not return to Moldova, and these children will be raised by relatives.
These low-income families are required to pay a fee each year for materials and minor repairs but unfortunately, it is not enough money buy new furniture. LDS Charities is donating 8 tables, 30 chairs, 5 lockers and 2 storage cabinets. Local villagers were able to repair the leaking roof, fix windows and repaint the interior of the school house. They did this at no charge to the school.
The ceremony celebrating the new furniture and repairs was held on July 11. The children put on a program for us. We were greeted by the mayor and many community leaders, who thanked us very sincerely for the Church’s donation.