Message for VillageVicar.

[Shadow Man]

Dear Father Bill,

I just want to say that I find your answer perhaps the most well written and thoughtful responses I have ever witnessed on here.

I do not know if you were somebody else on here previously, and frankly I do not care.

You are thorough, intelligent, have just the right amount of wit and are bang on with your advice and information.

Thank you for bringing a modicum of common sense on to AB when there are so many who just post inane crap and fuel the fire with swathes of hate and jest.

Regards

Shadow Man.

[VillageVicar]

Beryl: Good morning!

I�d like to go next week, but I have a wedding I committed to six months ago. My next scheduled date is on the 15th of November. I�ve paid for the Great Organ Hall (Salon cu Organ) in Chisinau for an event, celebrating children�s successes. This is leading to National Child Day, which commences on November 20th.

Thank you for your thoughts, I�ll provide a link to our home details, including addresses, International Charity numbers, etc.

http://scmmoldova.blogspot.com/

I gather you�ve seen my diary notes before where I mentioned the lady who recently came to Moldova as a result of my BBC appeal this Summer? She has told me that her church is working towards arranging a van to go to Moldova from up north (Lincoln area). I don�t yet know what dates they�re working towards. I preached at her church last month and I know they are working on things.

Also, I�m delighted to learn this past week that three Rotary groups are working together (my local Rotary, Exmouth, and Rotary International) to help me at my school in the village of Budesti. When we first opened the school, I had a license for up to 700 children. I imagined that I would get approximately 100 children in the first year and add by a hundred a year until we were full. Instead, we had 653 children in the first year! This year, we�re at capacity! The challenge is that this is a village without an infrastructure. And as such, the mayor suggested that we simply use a pit toilet for the children and teachers. And during the next year we could raise the money to have running water and flush toilets installed. Big mistake. It didn�t take me 72 hours to realise I had made a monumental error in judgement. So now we have a crisis on our hands. I�m so thankful to Rotary for jumping in and agreeing to help. I desperately need

[VillageVicar]

Part 2

The meagre weight allowances I get are a real challenge for me, especially in that there is no direct air service to Moldova. (actually, there is now a flight that operates out of the midlands, but it�s not convenient for me. (I live on the South Coast.) When I go, I typically am about 100kg overweight. BA are lovely to me and help as best they can. However, I have to change planes in Budapest and I face weight problems on the miniature aircraft that flies over the Carpathian mountains to Chisinau. My other option is with Austrian Airlines. The pilots and crew are beyond fantastic in their help. But unfortunately, at Heathrow, it�s only contract staff who do not work for the airline. Consequently, they have no authority to waive excess baggage fees. The last option is on Turkish Airlines through Istanbul. Twice in one year my flight from Heathrow arrived late, causing me to miss the only onward flight to Chisinau. So I tend not to bother any more. It�s the same situation in Vienna. However, I can more easily cope begging for a bed for the night from staff at St Stephen�s than I can on the streets of Istanbul!

Romania is a completely different operation. I use Budapest as the terminus and we drive goods to the Romanian border. My home there is just across the border..so it�s only 4-5 hours from the time I leave Budapest airport to when I�m at my home.

Posting by insured, registered surface mail works fine to Chisinau, as of course, so does TNT, DHL & the like. However, items must clearly be listed as children�s gifts. A very lovely man in Alaska sent a computer scanner to us. He paid about USD$100 for the scanner, $120 for the shipping, but when it arrived, we were forced to pay $125 in duty to receive it, when all along, we could have gone to a local store and bought a new one for about �75.

Continued:

[VillageVicar]

Part 3

When I carry medical supplies or any controlled items, I ask the Moldovan Ambassador to issue a certificate for me, which grants me entry with the goods. Going into Romania, I just pack the things in the coffins, invite the border guards to inspect them, but scrunch up my nose and make �whiffy faces,� to suggest that one box may be particularly smelly�they just rush me on through!

Helly: It�s not far from the truth, is it? Bless their hearts! You have no idea how often I sit at a table in the mornings to be regaled with resident�s stories that are centred around their delight (amazement) at waking up this morning and their successful endeavours in having a bowel movement!

And on that note, it�s time for hospital rounds.

Be well all

Fr Bill

[weeal]

Shadow Man...

are you a vicar