When I joined Mission Without Borders in 1998, Moldova was a newly independent country following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
There was so much poverty; most people lacked the basics for survival. Orphanages and placement centres represented the frontline of the disaster: the children had little food or clothing and lacked other basics like beds or warmth in the winter. It was bleak. These were the images that moved the world.
The spiritual poverty and hunger were even more pronounced. After 70 years of communism and atheist propaganda, people had little awareness of God’s Word and the gospel. Thus, the harvest was there and the challenge accepted. By the year 2000, we were present in more than 65 state institutions, housing around 13,000 children and teenagers in need of God’s love and care. Gradually those institutions have closed and children have been sent home to their biological families or to live with foster carers.
The need is just as great as it was in 1998, although the circumstances have changed, and now we can work through the growing local churches. That encourages me. Looking back over the years, I am grateful to God for allowing me to be part of this blessed ministry for almost two decades.
It’s very satisfying to notice how God has used this ministry to reveal Himself to people, whose lives were changed in ways we could never have imagined back then.
Serghei, who worked with Mission Without Borders in Moldova until 2014
Return to all stories