I wrote this blog my first week in Moldova and never posted it…so it’s a few weeks late, sorry friends 🙂
In Haiti, I decided that this year would be the perfect year to read the Bible from beginning to end. Lately, I’ve been reading 1 Samuel. The chapters that I read today seemed to directly relate to Moldova, which I don’t believe to be a coincidence.
Upon our arrival in Cornesti, our contact Vitalle, explained the lifestyle and religious beliefs that many Moldovans have. A quick background on Moldova: simple. beautiful. freezing as of right now. The “country” if you will; and when I say country, I mean sell vegetables on the side of the road, pick grapes in a field, use an out-house, have a wood-burning stove for heat, and ride a mule wagon to town. It’s the poorest Eastern European country, and it also has the highest number of people human trafficked in Europe (25,000). Vitalle’s vision is to plant 30 churches in 30 years around Cornesti; his vision also involves teaching Moldovans how to farm so they can have a system of self-support. It’s amazing to hear him speak with such passion about his vision; I’m excited to work alongside him as he pursues the desires that the Lord has placed inside of his heart.
Now, back to the religion aspect of Moldova. Vitalle told us that many people here put their trust in fortune tellers; we aren’t allowed to play cards in public, because non-believers will associate us with “black-magic”. People outside of the Catholic church have been persecuted for being Christians, because a lot of people view Christians as satanic worshipers and fortune tellers as “the truth”. Slightly backwards huh?
I was thinking about these things last night, while wondering what purpose God has for me in Moldova. Then, I read 1 Samuel 28 this morning, which resounded with a lot of revelations. Background: Samuel was anointed and spoke to God about Israel, but the Israelitest wanted a king like the other nations. Although God advised them not to have a king, he chose Saul to become king because they wouldn’t relent in their request. Long story short, Samuel became disappointed in Saul because he didn’t follow all of the Lord’s commandments.
Because Saul didn’t obey the commandments of the Lord after Samuel appointed him king over Israel, the voice of the Lord had fled from Saul, so he sought after a medium (fortune teller). Rather than becoming humbled before the Lord and admit that he was wrong, Saul took an alternative route to try to see what his future would hold. Saul himself had outlawed the practicing of mediums and spiritists, so he had to dress up in a disguise to visit one.
Hmmm. Fortune Teller. Humility. Disguise.
Ok, God, I see what you’re doing here. Many people in Moldova seek after the “wisdom” of fortune tellers, God has been teaching me humility from living in their simple way of life, and many Christians in Moldova disguise themselves as being “free”, but they’re still in fact enslaved to the traditions of the Orthodox church.
The first week in Moldova has proven to be one of learning to walk the line of respect and standing up for truth; many people are tied to the Orthodox church, which has many rules about worship and prayer. It’s been challenging at some times, but I know that God has His hand on this place; He is continuing to pursue and embrace the Moldovans in the spirit of freedom. I’m excited to see what the rest of this month of ministry will bring!
