Update on Moldova

the last few days we have been up north where there was the most flooding since 1900. in the village there was standing water covering the whole village over a meter and a half high. many houses were totally caved in and others had half fallen off. many have molding problems. lives were devastated, homes lost, with families losing all that they have. we were able to come in with 7 tons of food consisting of flour, vegetables, protein soups, beans, noodles, and salt. these are all non-perishable goods. we reached over 500 families in need. we also gave families slippers. Moldovan people don’t wear shoes inside. but as it is very cold, they need something inside. it was great way to bless them. at the outreach they held, an evangelist came and gave a salvation message. we came to meet physical needs, but he explained that only God can really meet all their needs. the mayor of the town gave us the list of the families needing help, and most were non-believers. great opportunity.

we split into groups of 2 to spend the night in the village. chris and I were put into a home that was very quaint. we got to the house around 10 pm and they still wanted to feed us. sitting at the table (which was also where their beds were) we ate the meal that they worked so hard to provide for us. i had the great opportunity to use the restroom which was right next to the pig pen. it was dark, and i slipped right into the pig pen, and ended up in ankle deep pig droppings!! i had a great laugh about that.

we were also able to go and visit a family in a nearby village who had recently lost their father. he was the pastor of the church in town. he decided one day to go down into the well and clean it out. he had a heart attack and died. he left a wife, 2 kids, grandchildren, a church, and a house not finished. they now have no one looking out for them. the mother had been praying that God would send someone to encourage them, and they thought they had been forgotten by everyone. we came un-announced and they were blessed with groceries, slippers, and the reminder that they were not forgotten by God or by believers. it was a great experience.