Background on the ministry of Moldova for Christ

I thought it might be good to share a little about the national ministry we are working with in Moldova. The ministry is generally known as Moldova for Christ and it is a church planting ministry. The ministry began about 20 years ago. In those twenty years over 20 small churches have been planted across the country, and over a hundred Bible studies in various cities and villages have been started. At the time that the ministry started, there was not even one evangelical Christian church in the country.

The ministry was started and head up by a man named Alex S., the son of a missionary family in the Ukraine. However, the ministry did not start because f his own plan and vision. It began when Alex was forced to take a break from studying music at the university in chisinau because of an injury. During this time, a music teacher in a school invited him to A typical day:

A typical day in Moldova for our team begins with a time of prayer and devotion in the morning, followed by breaking up into teams and visiting homes to share our testimonies and the gospel. Then, we break in the middle of the day for lunch and continue with visits in the afternoon. On average our team would collectively share the gospel in 12 homes each day. By the end of our trip we will most likely have been able to personally share the gospel in over a hundred homes. Not including evangelistic services or children's programs. Most of the visits we have are not random. They are all friends and relatives of believers in the church. The appointments will all be followed up by national missionaries from the church that lead in each village.

In the evening we would host a program for the children in whatever village we were visiting homes. The program would begin with a puppet show put on by people from the church, then we would all help lead the children in songs and games, after that people from our team would take turns in giving testimonies and teaching a lesson that would be translated by someone from the church. Attendance for these programs grow each time we hosted one in the same village, which was always encouraging.

Sometimes in the evening two or three people from the team would break from visiting homes and running the children's program to help run a church service at one of the many church plants. Generally, someone would give their testimony, someone else would lead music, and a third person would preach.

This has been the typical pattern for each day. There have not really been any days off because even on Sunday we had 3 church services to participate in and 2 children's programs to run. However we have taken two mornings off to rest and recuperate.

Please pray for discipleship for the many people we have met with, especially for those who decided to commit their lives to christ. God would continue to make their labor in Him fruitful. Pray for encouragement in the churches.

A Typical Day

A typical day in Moldova for our team begins with a time of prayer and devotion in the morning, followed by breaking up into teams and visiting homes to share our testimonies and the gospel. Then, we break in the middle of the day for lunch and continue with visits in the afternoon. On average our team would collectively share the gospel in 12 homes each day. By the end of our trip we will most likely have been able to personally share the gospel in over a hundred homes. Not including evangelistic services or children's programs. Most of the visits we have are not random. They are all friends and relatives of believers in the church. The appointments will all be followed up by national missionaries from the church that lead in each village.

In the evening we would host a program for the children in whatever village we were visiting homes. The program would begin with a puppet show put on by people from the church, then we would all help lead the children in songs and games, after that people from our team would take turns in giving testimonies and teaching a lesson that would be translated by someone from the church. Attendance for these programs grow each time we hosted one in the same village, which was always encouraging.

Sometimes in the evening two or three people from the team would break from visiting homes and running the children's program to help run a church service at one of the many church plants. Generally, someone would give their testimony, someone else would lead music, and a third person would preach.

This has been the typical pattern for each day. There have not really been any days off because even on Sunday we had 3 church services to participate in and 2 children's programs to run. However we have taken two mornings off to rest and recuperate.

Please pray for discipleship for the many people we have met with, especially for those who decided to commit their lives to christ.

Hello!

I am currently writing to you from a house 3 hours away from the Capitol of Moldova. The village in which I have been working is surrounded by the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen, and the people I have met have been some the kindest and most hospitable. 

My team is now 3 days into our two week time here in Moldova. In the past 3 days our team has had the opportunity to visit over 30 homes and share the gospel, run 3 VBS programs (with 20 children the first day, 60 the next, and 80 today), and share our testimonies and preach at two church services. It has been a humbling experience to get to be a part of the work God is doing in this country. The church planting ministry that we are partnering with is run completely by people who did not grow up in the faith, and in the past 17 years that the ministry has existed it has planted between 15-20 churches. 

The village that we have been working in this week has never had a place for the people who have put their trust in Christ to worship. Two days ago the ministry bought a property in the village so that they can host regular services for the new believers. This means we have the opportunity to be part of not only helping prepare the building as a meeting place, but we also get to be part of building up the body of believers. 

Please pray for the people in this village that hearts would continue to be soft as we share the gospel with friends and relatives of the Moldovan believers. We have also come to realize that there is a strong Jehovah's Witness presence in this country, and many of the people we have spoken to are confused by the message of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Please pray for wisdom as we try to talk  to people about the two messages they are hearing. Pray that the truth would be spoken with love and clarity. 

Thank you again for your prayers and love. I miss you all greatly.

Love,
Natalie

First day in Moldova

I am currently writing from the airport in Chisinau, Moldova. My dad and I made it here last night on a train from Odessa. We are now waiting for our team to arrive. Thank you for all of the prayers and encouragement for my dad and I to meet up easily in Kiev. God was definitely our protector and a presence.

Please pray that we will be able to start off our journey together as a team well. I'm excited to see them and very excited to get started working together. At this time I can't even imagine or anticipate our needs, and so I ask that you all please pray as the spirit leads you for us as we begin working together!

Thank you all, and I will update as opportunity arises.

Safely arrived in Kiev!

Hello friends!!

Thank you for your prayers for safe travel. My dad did miss his flight. However, God is good and He brought me safely to Kiev.

I have to say, I can't recall a time mixed with more terror and adventure than when I realized I would have to go to Kiev alone. I didn't realize how much I had been relying on my Dad's Russian practice to get me around until the safety net if his presence and knowledge was gone. Even ordering beef or fish on the flight became difficult without someone who knows the language. The real trouble was getting from the airport to the hotel. But instead of trying to navigate the subway directions from the kind woman at the info desk, I took my chances on an overpriced taxi ride. I'm just glad he took me where I needed to go.

Some blessings of the day (beyond the answer to prayer for safety) included that my hotel offers free wifi, which I can use on my phone; that my hotel is right across from one if the most beautiful parks with views of the city that I've ever seen; and that I was able to get food from one of the stands without saying a word (and consequently giving away my
naivety). Tonight, God gave me the opportunity to enjoy my Grandmothers city in quiet and inconspicuous contemplation. It was a remarkable experience to walk through this park and get to sit and journal while looking over views if the whole city. In some way, God gave me the gift of enjoying some moments to spend time on my own drinking in this place that I've imagined since my childhood. I do wish my dad had made it, but I am also appreciative if the unique experience God has given me in the midst of this mistake. He has successfully turned something I dreaded, into a blessing - again!

Thank you again for your love and prayers! Keep praying for my Dad to arrive safely tomorrow.

JFK arrival

Hello from NYC!

I am happy to report that I have arrived at the airport without any problems! Thank you for your prayers.

However, apparently my Dads connecting plane flew through a flock of geese and the flight is delayed 2hrs while they check out the damage. If the flight is any later than the delayed time we will probably miss our flight. Please pray for this situation if you happen to see this note in time.

There is good news from my dad as well though - he met a Moldovan man at the airport this morning! It was a truly encouraging experience for my Dad and his spirits are high still even with the potential of missing our flight today.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement!

Training update & Departure

Hello Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement in the past few weeks. I have truly felt strengthened through the love and prayer you've offered. The past two weeks have been a great time for preparation. 


Last week, each member of our team practiced sharing our testimony through an interpreter. This is something that we will do often while we are in Moldova. The church planting ministry we will be working with has strong connections with individual families in the villages where we will be running VBS camps. After running camps in the morning we will have the opportunity to visit with families in the villages and share our testimonies and listen to their stories. Please pray that the Spirit will speak through us in these conversations and give us hearts of humility as we speak and listen. 


Another part of our training last week included serving together in a nursing home. This outreach involved singing worship songs and sharing the meaning behind the lyrics with the members of this nursing home. It was such a beautiful thing to sing, "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus" and have half the room of elderly people join us in worship. I know that the ministry I am traveling with (REAL Ministries) does this outreach regularly, and I hope it is something I can join them in again someday. 


This past Sunday we sat down and finished gather materials for the curriculum we will use for the VBS camps. We had a goal to make sure that there was a Gospel presentation in every lesson we gave, and thankfully God provided us with a curriculum that accomplishes that goal. The curriculum we will be using is from a ministry called CEF.  Please pray that the Spirit would already be working on the hearts of the students who will be participating in these lessons and that they might walk away with a clearer understanding and love for Jesus. Pray also for the interpreters and that the Lord would bless them with clarity in their interpretation of the message. 


So, the time of departure has finally come. I will be taking a bus to NYC and then the subway to the airport to meet my dad tomorrow. Please pray that the Lord protects our travels and brings us to Kiev safely. I hope to find internet cafes to update as we travel as well. However, in case I can't update please keep my team in prayer as they will arrive and meet us in Chisinau, Moldova on the 6th of August. 


Thank you again for all of your love and support. I will miss you all greatly, but look forward to sharing the experiences the Lord has for my team with you. 

In Christ,
Natalie