Moldova is a land-locked nation in Eastern Europe surrounded by Ukraine and Romania. It is approximately the size of Maryland in terms of land mass. Moldova is an economically depressed country by western standards, but the people are far from poor. I was again blown away by their loving nature and open hospitality, giving all they had back to us as opportunities arose. Moldovans by their very nature are very generous, proud people.

The seven of us in Western Moldova included Wilber Bond, Josh Funderburk, Valorie Markham, Becky Purser, Tom Red, Helen Smith, and me. One aspect from this year's mission trip that made the trip so special was staying in a host family's home. Tom and I and our interpreter Slavic stayed with Nickoli and Mariana. They are Baptist by denomination, and professed believers in Jesus Christ, a common factor for all the host families. Nickoli and Marianna welcomed us with warm hospitality into their home. Already having three boys of her own, Mariana added three more, and was so generous to offer up her home. She cooked, cleaned, and provided for us. I especially enjoyed studying the Book of John with Nickoli one morning before we went out to the villages for our day's activity. Our communication was limited through words, but with a common love for Jesus Christ in our hearts, we shared with each other different aspects of chapter 3 and 14.

We spent our time in 4 different villages: Clocochen, Cuhnesti (also the village we stayed in), Biscericani, and Movileni. All the villages were within a 5 to 10 minute van ride of each other, so it made for short commutes from our host homes. All had a population of less than 500, with the exception of one that was 3173, as the mayor told us. In each village, we would set up a free clinic that was complete with a Moldovan doctor and pharmacist. The Association provided money for the drugs to be purchased ahead of time, so we did not have to deal with them at Customs going into Moldova.

The clinic was again a huge blessing to the Moldovan villages. We treated about 300 people for their physical needs, including a high amount of high-blood pressure and problems associated with that. While we had the clinic setup, we had a captive audience to share the gospel. We broke the large group waiting into groups of about 3 or 4. We found it better to talk with them about Jesus more in private, so they would not be concerned about being publicly singled out for their decision.

Christian Orthodox is the predominant religion in Moldova. According to Wikipedia, 98% of believers belong to the Orthodox Church, and its traditions are tightly entwined with the culture and patrimony of the country.

So when sharing the Gospel, it was important to understand a few aspects of the scope and background of the Orthodox Church. Baptists are a minority, and a lot of times not looked upon favorable by the Orthodox Church as a whole. Sharing the gospel was not always well received, and sometimes it just came down to someone having a strong belief in their own religion. Through the five actual working days in Moldova, we had 64 people pray to receive Jesus Christ as their savior. Praise God!

In addition to providing a clinic and sharing the gospel, we also provided some much needed staples of life for 60 families. The Association provided the money that was used in conjunction with the Baptist churches in the villages to purchase groceries for the needy. The mayor supplied the names of the neediest families to receive the food. This was also a new Outreach, modeling the church of Acts. What a blessing to provide a bag of groceries to someone who truly needs the help and to see their expression of shock that strangers from America and the Baptist Church cared about them. At that point, through the tears of appreciation, they learn Jesus Christ loves them, as he loves us all.

My final thoughts are for those we leave behind. Please pray for Pastor Michael and Stella as they continue to work with the IMB to bring teams to the more remote villages of the North and West. Mariana, Tatiana, Slavic, and Peter our interpreters who were instrumental in us sharing the gospel. They are all believers and will continue to work as interpreters this mission season and beyond. For Olga, our Moldovan doctor, and Lelia, the pharmacist, in their regular practice. Our host families for their generosity and hospitality, and for the people of Moldova in general, that revival would sweep across their land so all would come to know the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.