During spring nature dresses up in holiday clothing as if an invisible angel comes down to Earth and transforms the withered and numbed foliage into something green and alive. This is the season, when everything around is so fresh and green, that we continue to organise a chain of trips with the Dreambus.

The children were told they will go on a journey. After that announcement came the most difficult decision of choosing which children would go.

The Dreambus was in the Cahul home schoolyard at 6.30 in the morning ready for the children. Forty-five children woke up at 6am and prepared for the long 170 kilometre trip to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.

Daily activities in all of the orphanages are boringly repetitive. The children do the same things from the beginning of the school year till the end. These routines are not interesting or stimulating. The few rare competitions hardly compare with a trip to the outside world.

In the cool early morning the children began their trip to Chisinau. Some were excited because this was the first time that they had travelled in such a large bus, watching TV at the same time. “I have never had such an experience. I have only seen buses with TV’s in them on TV. Our Moldavian buses are dusty. After a trip you often have a headache. But with this bus I felt very well,” said Alina Nebunu an 8th grade pupil. 

Their first stop was at Andy’s Pizza. To have breakfast in such a spacious place was a new experience. The most memorable times were when the waitresses offered them pizza and said, “Please, it is for you,” or “Enjoy your meal!” or they just came over to talk. The children felt important as they discovered friendly people. 

Eating pizza with a fork in the left hand and a knife in the right hand was another new experience. Their teacher encouraged them to eat up their meal. She could not understand why they just looked at each other. Then the most courageous boy explained …

“It was the very moment to show them how to use these utensils. I did not want to lose the opportunity to teach them. At the home we cannot do that,” said Mrs Efrosinea a teacher from the Cahul orphanage.

“For the first time I used a fork and knife while eating. I never had this experience before,” said Alina.

Alina has lived in the Cahul Home for 6 years. Her parents are unemployed and do not have enough money to raise and educate their 6 children. Her father is an alcoholic! This is why his children were always out on the streets. When Alina was in the second grade she was brought to the orphanage.

The next stop after a tasty meal was the at the National Museum. Here the children began their jouney into the World of History. They learned about their own country and its fauna and its flora. The children saw a full-size dinosaur skeleton for the first time. Wide-eyed, they listened attentively to their guide. They saw rare animals and birds of their own country that previously they had only seen in books.

The next place to visit was the zoo. The children saw exotic animals. They went from cage to cage and admired the eagles and owls. They were amazed at the birds’ colourful feathers; the funny game played by two young bears; the monkeys and the stillness of the tiger, lion and panther. When they could not recognize an animal they read the information about it on small plates hanging on the animal’s cage.  

With half the day over the children were still anticipating new experiences. The time of fun was near. They drove to “Aventura Park”. Each child had 2 tickets to ride the attractions they chose.

Eventually the children stopped at McDonald’s restaurant. Tired but excited they took their places. Every child had a tasty meal.

Finally, as they shared with each other their happiest moments of the day, the bus drove them back to the home.

“It was the most interesting trip I ever had. I am happy and I want to get to the home and tell my experience to my friends and my loved director. I know she is waiting for us. I say a big thank you to all the people who helped to provide such an interesting trip for us all,” said a very happy Alina Nebunu.

“The children are thrilled by this excursion. I have never seen them happier than today. I know each of them and I can read the happiness on their faces. It is very nice that such trips like today’s can mix education and fun,” said Mrs Eufrosinea.

Olga Daud, teacher, expressed her own gratitude. She said that the values that Mission Without Borders workers show and teach the children every day are changing their lives. She is convinced that we are a strong stimulus for the workers in the home. We make special input to the children’s spiritual, emotional and educational lives.“I always dreamt about going on a trip. MWB made my dream come true! On a beautiful day we went for a trip on the Dream Bus to Chisinau. I was very excited. All the way I admired my country. I never imagined that I would go to the Zoo and see exotic birds and animals. I had heard about them but I did not know what they would look like. I was happy to have breakfast at the pizza place and dinner at McDonalds. I am very grateful to the big-hearted people from MWB. This trip encourages us to praise the Lord more and more for His care and mercy. Through His goodness He makes our lives easier with interesting and unforgettable experiences. Everything MWB organizes and shows us is very interesting and attractive. They make us forget about the difficulties of our lives,” said  Nicu Bors, aged 11, from the Sarata Noua home.

“We had a Dreambus excursion full of joy and new things. I visited Chisinau City for the first time. On the way we sang songs and recited poems we had learned during summer camp and the Bible lessons.
 We praised God! First that He planned to fill us with joy through this trip and second that He created such beautiful things around us to make us so happy. The games organized by the coordinator brought us much fun. Nothing could have been better! We are grateful to Mission Without Borders for their care and effort to make our lives more interesting and give us  unforgettable experiences,” said Galina Botez, 15.