Seven new Community centres located on the premises of local protestant churches open their doors to poor elderly and underprivileged people offering a daily warm meal, Bible lesson and atmosphere of acceptance and compassion. Protestant churches in Bulgaria have long been defined by Bulgarian society as Christian cults. Over the past years church public initiatives have served to decrease the negative attitude however most people are suspicious when it comes to practicing Christians. The partnership under the Community centre program has enhanced the contacts with local authorities and served to build a positive image of the church in local communities. Please, pray for the partnering churches, for the pastors and their families – for protection, wisdom and fresh anointing. Pray for the churches to have the wisdom and guidance how to shine the light of Jesus Christ through various locally relevant actions. Pray for church congregations as source of volunteers for MWB projects; for people to be open and willing to serve God by supporting the joint ministries.
Pray for the Christian ministry coordinators to be able to respond to the needs of beneficiaries, to have grace in the communication and building of relationships, to have wisdom in the aspects of their ministry to the poor and neglected. May God inspire them to strive for the further development and diversification of activities in the centers.  We experience God’s grace and mercy every day as we see His action in the hearts of the 130 beneficiaries. We continue to pray for more open hearts to receive the Gospel, for transformed minds and changed life circumstances. Join us in prayer as we ask God to call His sheep and draw them to the local churches where they would find their place of belonging.

Today was our final day in Moldova.  A day of tourist visits, shopping and relaxation.  A day to say “thank you” to our generous hosts and a day to return to our families and friends.

As we travelled we couldn’t help smiling and sharing as memories of the week came to mind.  What an amazing week!  It will take many weeks to think through all that we have seen.

We parted at Heathrow airport this evening with many new friends and a determination  to share our experiences with others (you have been warned!)

In this, the final “Postcard from Moldova”, Mission Without Borders would like to thank those who joined us on the journey - whether physically or virtually.  We are told that it is better to give than receive: On this MWB Supporters’ Tour we have been blessed by giving AND receiving.

God Bless!

Today we spent much of our time with the MWB Staff in Chisinau meeting those who work “behind the scenes”.  In some ways it would have been nicer to meet them at the start of our trip, but meeting them at the end allowed us to appreciate all that they do in supporting our Field Staff.  It also allowed us to thank them based on what we had seen!

We met the wonderful people who translate the messages and updates for children and families; the Special Projects Co-ordinator; the Emotional Support staff; the medical staff;  the Bible Corrspondence Course co-ordinators; the Christian Input staff; the media staff … the list goes on!  And what they all summed up for us was Integrity and Professionalism but very clearly mixed with love and a desire to do God’s work.

We asked one member of staff about the education: they had studied at University and trained as a teacher before working for the Mission.  When asked about their ambition they answered “to serve God”.

After lunch we visited the MWB Warehouse and marvelled at the towers of goods there - assured that within a month most of the goods would have been distributed to the appropriate beneficiaries.

And then to our final stop: the MWB Farm and Vocational Training Centre.  Once more our hearts lifted as we saw the fresh produce in the greenhouses (destined for the Homes and Families that we serve); admired the sunflower oil production; and marvelled at the new centre to provide practical training in Car Maintenance.

What a wonderful day!

As we met this evening for our last time of prayer together, our hearts turned to thanks.  Thanks for all the people that we have met. Thanks for all the hope that we have witnessed; Thanks for all the integrity and the obvious love of God;/ Thanks for each other and the opportunity to share time together and to learn a little of each one’s story.

We give Thanks.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phillipians, Chapter 1 Verses 3-6, NIV)

Today we travelled to the south of Moldova along dusty roads in temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius.  The journey took over two and a half hours and yet again we were grateful for the skills and experience of our MWB Driver - Dimitri.

Our first stop was at a Home to visit a sponsored child.  The Home was built in the 1960’s and was not in good condition and yet the place was filled with love and hope.  The Home Director explained that she was the “Great Mother” and that her staff were her right hands - and the analogy worked as we visited the home.  The Art teacher proudly displayed the children’s work; the carpentry teacher displayed the intricate woodwork and we saw carpet weaving and needlework too.  The classrooms that we visited were spotless and the children looked happy.  Some of the children in the home have been abused in some way - either physically or mentally - the staff need to work with them to “unlock” some of the issues. All of the staff that we met seemed dedicated to their work.  There are needs - roofs to be replaced, new windows, new shower fittings and so on plus all the resourcing shortages - but still there was hope.  Many of the “graduates” from the Home go on to further education and they stay in touch with the “Great Mother” and her staff.

We then visited a sponsored family.  The husband and wife are in their late twenties  and they have three young children.  The Sponsors had recently paid for a greenhouse to help the family improve their small holding.  We were amazed by the results: the greenhouse was huge and packed full of tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables; the chicken enclosure was crowded and they were hoping to expand the area soon; they were building a new home in the grounds (one bedroom and a kitchen) from the proceeds of the “market garden”.  But what struck is all - apart from their obvious gratitude and generosity - was just how hard working they both are and how committed they are to raising the family out of poverty.  It is amazing how the help that they have been given has lifted them so far so quickly.  It was a blessing to witness.

We then moved on to a large community centre attached to a Baptist Church.  The scale of the operation was much bigger than anything else we had seen in Moldova.  Earlier in the day some of the elderly people had come to the centre for lunch.  After school the children had arrived for their main meal too.  Many attended an after-school club where help is given to them to do their homework and to attend to other issues that arise out of poverty or family issues.  Our “Choir” were quick to sing along with the children.  We met the two young ladies who work as volunteers teaching tailoring and helping the children and others with repairs to clothing, production of scarves, blankets and sheets and so on.  You don’t have to be a Christian to benefit from the Centre but many come along for help and stay to find out why the help is being offered.  We then joined some of the other children in the sports hall and several members of our group surprised themselves and us all by joining in the running games with great accomplishment!

We were then invited to visit the Baptist Church - the Pastor works as an Administrator in the Community Centre too.  He sees the work of the Community Centre as a major witness to the local people.  So much so that the church is often full and and the community Centre has to be used for Sunday School because they have no room for all of the people in the Church building. What a wonderful problem to have!

We had a wonderfully happy day.  And yet this evening we were more sombre.  Today we started to say “good-bye”: we have a different driver looking after us for the next two days and our wonderful translator and guide for the past 5 days - Alexandra - has stayed down in the south of Moldova and the equally wonderful Veronica will return to translate for us and attempt to keep us to our timetable!

Both Dimitri and Alexandra have been wonderful examples of the dedication and joy that we have witnessed in the MWB staff on our travels … and we were said to say “good-bye”.  But we are all partners in the gospel and  each of us has our part to play.  Which brings us on to “responsibility”.

Yesterday we all felt privileged to be here and to witness the work.  Today our return home came more into focus and with it the idea that with privilege comes responsibility.  We have a responsibility to tell others what we have seen; we have a responsibility to make sure that we tell our stories in a respectful and loving way; and we have a responsibility to help our Brothers and Sisters in Christ whom we have met this week.  Quite a responsibility and one that we will think about further over the coming weeks.

Today we read Psalm 33 together.

Privileged - we’re all agreed: that is how we feel ….Privileged

Privileged to be able to come and see the MWB Projects for ourselves; privileged to be able to meet the gifted and willing workers; privileged to meet the staff in the Homes; privileged to meet the Beneficiaries who are so generous with all that they have.

Today we travelled to a Home for Deaf Children.  Only one child is an orphan but the others  come from poor homes.  Most go home during the longer holidays such as Christmas and Summer and the one child without any family is taken home by one of the teachers to live with their family in the local village.

We started in the Carpentry Workshop which had been recently renovated by a MWB Special Project.  Lots of new tools and a lot of good quality wood.  In the past they had scavenged for wood from the local forest and other sources but the quality of the wood was poor. But for the next six months or so they had good quality wood that enabled the children to make wonderful wooden items.  We were all completely captivated by the hand carved chopping boards and decorative markings on chairs and toys.  The young boys were being taught when we arrived. We may not have spoken the same language (English, Romanian, Russian or the appropriate sign language) but the joy and happiness of these young men was obvious.  They liked visitors and they wanted to show us their work.

The teacher had worked at the Home for many years and his love for the children and his desire to see them learn useful vocational skills was obvious.  All too soon we were being moved on.  Some of the children had prepared a presentation for us.  Any thoughts of “Death by Powerpoint” soon disappeared when we realised that the children were wearing national costume.  The presentation was of the dance students.  But these children are deaf: how can they dance?  How quickly we leap to conclusions and how often we are wrong!  The Director explained that by teaching the children to dance they learnt that they could overcome the prejudices of hearing people and show that they can do all kinds of things.  Loud music was played (the children are dependent on feeling the vibrations and watching their teacher) and fast intricate dancing began!

The children had obviously worked very hard and the standard was very high.  But what shone through was the pleasure in dancing for us.  The costumes were beautifully decorated  and the children were spotless.  We clapped and smiled and enjoyed every minute.  As we thanked them our words were translated first into Romanian and then into sign-language.  But the children wanted more than that and very soon we were all using sign language to say “thank you”!

All too soon it was time to move on.  But what a privilege to witness the work done within this school - the love and care for the children, the dedication of the staff and the children.  Yes - privileged is the right word to use!

After lunch our next call was to a children’s home to meet a sponsored child: a delightful young lady with a wonderful smile.  Over the past few days there has been a growing volume of noise from the back of our coach: it would appear that the MWB Supporters’ Tour Choir has been formed!  A small group will start singing loudly (with actions) at the drop of a hat.  Encouraged by the MWB Co-ordinator for the home and the appearance of a guitar, the “”choir sprang into action and soon all 80+ children were joining in.  It can appear a comical sight at first - communal singing in English and Romanian simultaneously - but a great time was had by all.

The Home itself was in a poor state of repair.  There are problems with the sewerage; the inside toilets do not work; half of the showers do not work; and the resultant smells pervaded the entire home.  One block of dormitories has been refurbished but two more remain to be done and the rather ancient looking laundry appears to have poor foundations and is slowly falling down.  The Director of the Home understandably looked tired and stressed by it all and yet her obvious love for the children still shone through: the children were happy as she stopped and checked on various things and the staff welcomed our visit.

As we left the Home the same word came into our minds: privileged.

What a privilege it is to:

• Sing with these children
• Enjoy their happiness
• Think of how we can help them
• Admire the skills and personality of the MWB co-ordinators and the small part we play in the partnership with them.

Yes - we are all agreed: privileged!

We were sat at lunchtime in a Community Centre in a small town to the South west of the capital, Chisinau.  It is a small building attached to a Pentecostal Church.  They offer a wide range of services to the local community - children, families and the elderly.  In addition to hot meals five days a week there are a wide ranged of facilities provided including an art class, chess classes after school and a laundry.  The laundry is particularly important because of a lack of running water to many homes and the difficulties of drying clothes in winter.

Some members of our group started singing - about third of the people sang in Romanian/Moldovan and the rest in English.  One young boy popped his head around the door in bewilderment: what were these people doing - they obviously didn’t understand each other but they were singing loudly and laughing?

They began to sing “Give me Joy in my heart” and that’s when I realised just how very full of joy I felt.  We had just left one of the Orphanages where we had visited a sponsored child.  Three years earlier I had visited the same orphanage and I had been appalled.  The roofs leaked badly and the cooks wore plastic bags on their feet to keep the water out of their shoes - they were standing in 2.5 inches of water; the dormitories smelt and the bathrooms and toilets were “basic”.  There was nothing for the children to do and few items of sports equipment available.

Three years ago I left with a heavy heart.  The young girl that we sponsored had so little and the “home” was not particularly joyful.  The staff tried their best with very few resources.

How things had changed in three years.  The roofs had been repaired, the bathrooms and toilets improved to western standards, play and sports equipment had been donated … the list goes on.  The staff had worked hard and were obviously trying their best for the children.  There are areas of improvement still requiring resources - floorboards in a few buildings needed replacements and some of the rooms were still obviously on the “to do” list.

But what a change and what an improvement!  I waved goodbye to the sponsored child and watched as she skipped back to her classroom.  Sad to say goodbye but pleased that her existence was much better than it would have been three years earlier.

After lunch we visited another home some 60 kilometres away to visit two more sponsored children.  The two girls were very different but both delightful.  One aged 12 spoke of how she had been filled with joy when she heard that she was being sponsored and she had gifts to send back to the UK for her sponsor.  A very generous hearted young woman who would love to continue her studies - perhaps going to University and studying medicine.

The other was 10 years old and equally delightful.  At this stage she wants to work in a shop and serve others.

We finished off our day with a trip to an historic monastery.  A time of reflection for some of us and a realisation that God is speaking to us all through this tour.  Today is a day of Joy!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (NIV Phillipians Chapter 4 Verses 4-8)

 Today has been a day of travel: it took nearly 2.5 hours to reach the Orphanage that we were visiting.  It is far up on the west side of Moldova next to the Romanian border.  The roads are poor in places and we have begun to admire and respect the very considerable skills of our MWB Driver.

We pulled outside a series of low level buildings.  It is a school and home for “slow learners” and those with mild disabilities.  In many cases though there seemed little wrong with children although they have to “pass” a series of medical tests before they are sent to the Home.  Most come from very poor families in the local area.  Today was a school holiday: the village was celebrating the 500th anniversary of its establishment and all the children had been granted a holiday.

We were welcomed by the Home Director and her Deputy  and the young boy was brought forward to meet his sponsor.  He looked very tense and nervous initially and took a deep breath before launching on the recital of a poem about his recently departed grandmother and several verses of a song that he had been rehearsing in honour of his sponsor’s visit.  He received his present with huge smiles and refused to open it for quite some time but carried it everywhere with him! He was truly charming and grabbed hold of his sponsor’s hand and escorted us on our tour of the home.  Some of the beds in the dormitories were in urgent need of replacement but others had been replaced over the past few years.

The main problem was poor sewerage and drains.  There were pools of water around the site that definitely were not pure water - the smell was enough to delay any thoughts of lunch!  There were limited facilities for the children and it must be a nightmare keeping them entertained during wet or cold weather.  Yet everywhere we went we saw examples of love from the staff and the children.  They just need more resources.

Over lunch we heard more from the Home Director and her Deputy.  They spoke of the gratitude they felt to Mission Without Borders and its supporters for all that they had received and continue to receive.  They spoke of their pride that we had chosen to travel so far to see them and how that had been a great encouragement to all of the staff and the children.  And she spoke of “darker days” when there had been little state funding available and the director had had to ask all of the staff to bring in any spare food for the children.  At the end of a very dark week someone from the Mission had arrived to ask if they needed help and that was the start of their collaboration with MWB.

The Director noted that the children hadn’t “done anything wrong” they simply were slower learners than others.  They deserved every chance that other children got.

The Director and her Deputy joined us on the coach and we travelled a short distance to the “Cultural Palace” for the village. There we found displays from all of the different local schools including the Home that we had visited .  It was a delight to see the obvious pride that these two ladies had in their school and their children.

They kissed and hugged us all as we prepared to leave and sent us on our way with God’s blessing.

They had prayed to God and found Him to be a Rock and a Refuge.

We broke the return journey to visit a family.  The Mother and Father have seven children and live with the Mother’s Father.  The Father came from an Orphanage and has no family.  He has a job in the construction industry painting walls.  We were welcomed by the Mother and the children (the father was still at work) as honoured guests.  They tend a few chickens and some other small animals but would like to build on their tiny small-holding so that they can produce more food and earn more money.  The children was wonderful to meet and the family stood and sang us a song- one of those infuriating moments when everyone knew the tune but couldn’t name it and the translation of the words didn’t help!

We left the family with their thanks and gratitude ringing in our ears.  Their trust is in the Lord and they know that He has a plan for them.  They know that He is their Rock.

Be my rock of refuge,to which I can always go;give the command to save me,for you are my rock and my fortress.  (Psalm 71 Verse 4, NIV)

Several members of the group have commented on how awkward they feel when we are thanked by the various beneficiaries that we meet.  We all feel like stopping them and saying, “No! No! I want to thank you for pointing me towards God”!

Today we attended a large Evangelical church in the centre of Chisinau.   Most of the service was in Russian with some Moldovan/Romanian parts.  Few of us understood much of the three (!) sermons, but we followed the readings in our English Bibles and watched.

It is amazing how much one can absorb by watching: one lady read a poem.  We couldn’t understand a word and yet several of us found it a very moving experience simply because of the emotion that she put into reading it.  At the end of the service we were all asked to stand up and be welcomed by the congregation.  As everyone left the building people from the Church came up to us individually to greet us and thank us.  I lost count of how many times someone blessed me.

The Pastor invited us to follow him.  He took us to the back of the building to the Community Centre.  Around 20 people were already there and their food was being served.  We greeted each person and among the many smiles and nods, they thanked us and blessed us yet again.  We were invited to sit and have lunch too.  Over a magnificent lunch we were able to meet the Pastor, one of the Deacons, the cooks and one of the helpers.  Using two translators we were able to ask many questions.  Again it was explained to us that we were such a blessing to them and how we are partners in Mission together.

Some of the group had bought the Mission Without Borders’ alternative gifts - including the “£30 - Meals for a Month” gift.  It was suddenly so very meaningful to meet some of the recipients of that gift face-to-face.  If you have bought someone one of the alternative gifts, then we can reassure you that it was money very well spent.  Many of the beneficiaries have no family living in Moldova (many of them have emigrated to find work elsewhere) and the State pension will not buy food and heating.  As the others finished their meal, they all came across to us to thank us and - you guessed it - even more blessings!

There is something very awful about the sense of disbelief that one feels when the alarm clock goes off very early in the morning: can it really be time to get up already!

Yet despite the early start, everyone was at Heathrow Airport  by 6:45am this morning.  Even the intricacies of the new machines that issue boarding passes could not manage to dampen our enthusiasm.  The flights went smoothly and it was warm and sunny when we landed in Chisinau this afternoon.  We were met by the MWB Country Manager, Ion and his assistant, Veronica.  Together with our driver, Dimitriu, they have made us all feel very welcome in Moldova.  Over dinner this evening the topics ranged from the changing structures in Moldovan society to British Football, from the need for more teddy bears to the heartache of sending children away for economic reasons.

The local MWB staff really want us to see their country and genuinely see us as partners in their Mission work.  It is very humbling for us all: our contribution may seem small but without it far fewer people could be reached in Christ’s name in Eastern Europe.  In our evening “debrief” after dinner we talked about expectations.  Obviously we all have come with very different expectations of what will happen on the trip.  Some see it as a reality check on our western shaped lives.  Others see it as an opportunity to see how their contribution to the work makes a difference to lives.  Others want to be able to tell more people about the work and show them how they can make a real change. Some are not entirely sure why they wanted to come: but they do know that they want to be here and learn more.  What is very encouraging is that we have come expecting to see God in the situations that we experience.

But what is becoming apparent is that God has pulled together a group of people with very different experiences and that we will all learn from one another and from those that we meet.  Please join us in praying that our visit will be a blessing to all those that we meet.

Tomorrow is our day of rest and recuperation.  After the exertions of the travel, we need to time to prepare for a packed week of visits to children, families, homes and community centres.

There was an earthquake and a quite strong one that was felt throughout the country. It was about 7 of the Richter scale in the epicenter. It damaged about 1000 houses in a few villages of North Albania. Most of the damaged buildings have walls badly cracked while a few others are totally crashed. Thank God there are no human casualties.

The quakes have continued almost every day since September 6th, with less intensity, but this is enough to calm the already-existing panic of the people who keep sleeping outside.

The North of Albania is a poorer area compared to the South and also more isolate, more mountainous and somewhat more backwards. The families are also more numerous. The weather is much colder especially during the winter when it snows for months. The inhabitants of the earthquake areas are worried that although the cold season is approaching they will not be able to have their houses repaired in time.

The government has provided tents but the inhabitants of the affected zones prefer to settle in the yards of their houses so that they can keep an eye on their belongings as well as be able to take care of the livestock, etc.

Actually they are not asking for emergency or relief aid; the only thing they are asking from the government is to have their damaged houses repaired and habitable before winter.

The situation remains tense and it is feared that it may get worse with the approaching of rains and dropping of temperatures which might affect the health of the children or elderly.
 
Monika Qerimi   - MWB Albania