Sinai 30: 30 in 30

The desires of our contact Vitalle are seen as ridiculous to most Eastern Europeans. God has given him the desire to plant 30 churches in the surrounding villages of Cornesti, Moldova; a project that Vitalle has named Sinai 30. A task deemed as a failure from the beginning by many, both believers and non-believers. 

Vitalle never asks for money, nor does he desire to depend on others to provide for him; when asked what we can do for him, he always answers with “pray for me”. Vitalle’s goal is for the Cornesti church to become self-supporting, which will then allow the expansion of other churches. While talking to him about support needs, he simply said that they need people to provide financial support in the initial stages of their attempt at self-support and then teach them how to support themselves through agriculture and other endeavors. He compares the reliance on others for continuous support to the nature of a young child; if you continue to baby them, they will never grow up and be able to take care of themselves.    

A few nights ago, we had the opportunity to hear the challenges that Vitalle has faced while pursuing his passion. He has poured his heart into his vision of planting churches, while receiving little to no encouragement, except from family members. Tears glistened in his eyes as he described the hardened hearts of the council of the Orthodox church, a system which controls the churches. Rather than support Vitalle’s vision, their main accomplishment is collecting money for the sole purpose of their own selfish gain. 

I struggled to hold back tears as Vitalle described his interactions with the Orthodox council. They never call to ask how he’s doing, only to remind him that he owes his “dues” for the members of his church. They don’t know that he’s married and has three beautiful children, who will steal your heart upon meeting them. They don’t know his living conditions or even whether he has enough food to provide for his family. I highly doubt they would think twice about taking his last penny, along with the clothes off his back.      

Vitalle’s heart for others amazes me. He refers to everyone as “my friend”, and is always concerned with our comfort and happiness. Today, we had something called FIRE conference, which is an all-day event consisting of different sermons. During one of the breaks, we gathered together for tea and cookies outside. I was shivering with coldness so he reminded me to zip my jacket up all the way; he then searched for another jacket for me, which happened to be that of an 8 year old boy, but I was grateful.        

Vitalle has been an answer to prayer for me. I prayed for the Lord to renew the passion within me that burned brightly at the beginning of the race, which he answered by bringing me to Moldova. It’s been an honor to come alongside and encourage Vitalle in his ministry; we’ve spent countless hours fighting in prayer for the protection of his family, the church, and the spirit of oppression amongst the people here.