Another month has come to a close, which means it's time for me to write a blog wrapping up this month's ministry!
This month was different for me in that my team had not one, but two different ministry contacts. This meant we spent the first half of the month in a small village called Grigorauca/Petropavloca (they're right next to each other and we lived in Petropavloca and did most of our ministry in Grigorauca) with a Catholic priest, and the second half of the month was spent in Chisinau (the capital of Moldova) with Campus Crusade for Christ.
I've decided that I'll tell this month's ministry using photos–enjoy!
Our house in Petropavloca, used as a center for village children and where food for the sick/elderly was prepared. Also right next door to the Catholic church for the village. We attended Russian mass every day at 4:30 pm.
The room my team and I stayed in. We put mattresses on the floor and our heaters were fed by the wood-burning furnace we had to feed every few hours.
A Pentecostal service in Romanian that Padre Daniel (our Catholic priest ministry contact) took us to.
Playing with the village children that would visit the property after school.
Foraging for mushrooms in the forest, and the traditional Moldovan meal including the mushrooms we picked (Padre Daniel on right).
Padre Daniel had a 5-seater sedan that we often fit 6 to 8 people into. We became really . . . close.
We visited the elderly and sick with Caritas Moldova (a branch of the Catholic ministry in the villages) and brought them food. For many of these villagers, we were their only visitors because their children had moved away and/or abandoned them. It was heart-breaking when some would cry at our arrival, and others would weep at our departure and kiss us on the cheeks while speaking Romanian.
Petropavloca had a lot of farmland.
My team and I visited the local Catholic preschool and played with the children there.
We often helped at the nuns' residence doing groundskeeping and maintenance. One day we also found them hard at work preparing a freshly slaughtered pig.
Our time with Padre Daniel showed that God is not bound by denominations, languages, church buildings, or ages. You can't stop the Spirit! Where His people are willing, He will work!
Campus Crusade was ready to receive us in Chisinau and promptly briefed us on their after school English club that had been weeks in the making. Over 200 students had signed up, spanning high school to university ages.
First day orientation:
My class explaining what they think about love and dating using photo cards. Later, I taught on 1 Corinthians 13 for content and vocabulary.
Teaching on Luke 15, the Prodigal Son.
Through English Club, we met 2 long-term American missionaries, Gregg and Luke, who are in Moldova to start a chocolate shop business, Coco Loco, that aims to employ women rescued from human trafficking. They invited us over to celebrate Thanksgiving with them, complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and chocolate cupcakes! The Lord is so good to bless us with these divine appointments along the Race.
Non-denominational church in Russian in Chisinau.
English Club graduation! There were games, snacks, diploma presentations, and an invitation to the students to sign-up for Campus Crusade's Alpha Course (an introduction to Christianity–in English!)
Me and my class (left) and me and Michael with one of my students, Carolina (right). We were able to meet with Carolina for coffee before class twice and I was able to share my testimony with her and talk to her about what Jesus has done in my life. She is such a tender-hearted young woman.
