Transnistria was part of Moldova, however, after the tensions of Moldova’s separation from the Soviet Union part of Moldova decided they wanted to be a part of the Soviet Union; thus, creating Transnistria. Transnistria is an unrecognized, but independent, presidential republic with its own government, parliament, military, police, postal system and currency.
Most Transnistrians have Moldovan citizenship, but many Transnistrians also have Russian and Ukrainian citizenship. Wikipedia states: “Because of the Russian military contingent present in Transnistria, theEuropean Court of Human Rights considers Transnistria “under the effective authority or at least decisive influence of Russia.”
We were in a time warp. It felt like I went back to the Soviet Union era with fashion from the ‘80s.
You are probably wondering what in the world?! Trust me, visit Transnistria and you will totally understand what I am saying.
We helped Bethel Family Life Center in Tiraspol, Transnistria construct their new church. Our part in this big project was to move rocks and dirt to level the different areas of the property. We moved over 1900 ft of dirt around the property. The estimated date that the church building will be completed is 2016. We lived in a Rehab center for men that are overcoming drug and alcohol addiction. These men treated us all like their children. They made sure we were safe and well feed.
We also helped with the youth and young adult services. The services were like going to a techno club with all the strobe lights and music. It was so much fun! We didn’t understand what they were saying most of the time (because of the language barrier) but there was a lot of head banging going on. We helped with kids club and taught English to the children. We told them bible stories and played games with them.
We were very happy that we are not only building relationships with the people there but we were physically helping build a church.
