Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples!                                                                      Psalm 96:3

Blog-training class

On Dec. 5, with God’s help, we had our first blog-training seminar for people from our churches who are interested in this ministry field and ready to use the Internet for the proclamation of the Gospel. It is a great opportunity since over 1million people who live in Moldova have a computer connected to the Internet, and young people spend many hours a week in Internet cafes in cities and villages.

We felt God calling us to start a Web ministry to reach as many as God gives us over the Internet and outside Moldovan borders. Our vision is to build a team of bloggers that will provide a wide spectrum of spiritual materials online, but at the same time, be united in offering the Word of God both to unbelievers and believers.

Many people wanted to come, but based on the number of computers available and room size, we had to limit the number to 25 people from many churches that were registered for the training. We also had a young man, Anatolii from Ukraine, who wants to use this tool to proclaim the Word of God in the Ukrainian language.

We began by reading text from the book of Romans where Paul says: “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish” (Romans 1:14). We also studied a segment from Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians: “I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some” (I Corinthians 9:22).

We understand that our responsibility in the Gospel is to serve people where they are and bring the Word of God to them so that they might be saved through faith in our Lord Jesus. This is the goal of this ministry. Also, we want to provide encouragement and instructions from the Word of God to the believers online.

Next, we studied blogging itself. We went through the basics of blogging terminology and techniques, and every participant started his blog right away!

“I have never dreamed of having my own personal blog,” said Cristina.

“I did not imagine before that the Internet can have such an impact on society!” shared Raisa.

The blogs that were started are in two different languages: Russian and Romanian. Some are for couples, some are for young people, some are for children, and some are for adults.

“This seminar opened a new door and new opportunity for me to serve God,” said Alla. “All the information I got at the training was new to me, but it was very interesting information as well.”

Ruslan decided to participate in this new ministry and to make maximum effort in offering quality and interesting material for people to read, and in this way, share the Gospel to people who do not know Jesus.

“It was very inspiring and encouraging,” he said.

Every participant was so excited to learn how to blog and encouraged to use it for furthering the Gospel. We decided to hold these trainings once a month in order to provide ongoing training for people who are involved in the blogging ministry. Please pray God will use this ministry to reach many with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. – Hebrews 13:3

For decades, Christians in Moldova faced severe persecution from the soviet government.  Our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ were harassed, fined, arrested, sentenced to prison, and even killed for their faith.  Believers from different denominations paid a price for following Jesus Christ and for bringing their children to church services.  Today we experience partial freedom in our country, but at the same time, we remember it was not always this way.  We also know brothers and sisters in other countries who are facing persecution.

Cupcini Day of Prayer for Persecuted Church

Our family was one of many who went through persecution during these times.  One instance, the soviet government brought my uncle to the center of the city and intentionally ran over him with a truck killing him.  Another time, schoolteachers came to our home and yelled at my parents for hours just because they took my two brothers and me to church.  Another time, doctors at the hospital would not provide treatment for me because I was a child of a preacher.

This past Sunday, joining with churches worldwide, all of our churches dedicated our Sunday morning service to pray for the persecuted churches in today’s world.  We began all of our church services with worship songs and prayer.  After reporting on the persecution in other countries, everyone formed teams of three to four people and prayed for each country where our brothers and sisters are currently undergoing persecution for the beliefs in Jesus Christ.

World map presentation at the Day of prayer for persecuted church

As suggested by the World Evangelical Alliance, we also prayed for other religions in countries where Christians are currently suffering religious persecution.  We prayed for the Muslim world in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Algeria, and for communist countries such as China, North Korea, Vietnam, and Turkmenistan.  We included Buddhist countries, Burma and Sri Lanka and Hindu countries, Nepal and India.  We also prayed for countries such as Ethiopia, The Philippines, Columbia, and Mexico, where Christians are persecuted for reasons other than religious beliefs.  It was an eye opening experience to actually hear personal testimonies from our church members who been to many of these countries.

We also prayed for the part of Moldova called Transnistria.  The Russian 14^th Army currently controls this area and has attempted to declare a separate new state, but has not been successful.  No other country officially recognizes this area as independent from Moldova.  However, the communist regime is in power there and Christians are not free to share their faith with others.  Please pray with us for this small area of our country that needs the Gospel proclaimed.

Day of Prayer for persecuted Church, Balti City Church of Hope

Most people listened to the report with a notebook and pen in hand.  Now, with people in their home Bible study groups, they will share and pray for persecuted believers around the world.  Therefore, prayer does not stop at the end of Sunday church service, but it continues.  It was a day filled with more prayer than usual during our Sunday morning church services, but it was a great blessing and was very helpful to everybody who attended.

We pray for those all around the world who are suffering persecution.  These are God’s precious children.  We ask that God touches every one of them in a very special way and will pour His peace into their hearts.

This small, landlocked nation sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, is among the poorest in Europe. About 80 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day.

Once ruled by Romania, it was added to the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Russian troops remained in Moldova even though it proclaimed its independence in 1991. The soldiers are there to support a Slavic minority, many of them Ukrainians and Russians, who are attempting to establish a “Transnistria” republic along the Ukrainian border.

In 2001, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a communist as its president. In a surprising election, communists were swept back into office after they won 71 of the 101 seats in the country’s Parliament. The communist government has continued with plans for privatizing several state-owned industries.

Moldova occupies what was once known as Bessarabia, a land that provided an historic passageway between Asia and southern Europe. Romans, Greeks, Huns and Bulgars all invaded the area. It was an independent state briefly in the 14^th century, but later fall under the Ottoman Empire in the 16^th century.

Ruslan at the church service in Cupcini

Ruslan, a 17-years-old young man, was saved at the Franklin Graham Festival that we partnered in organizing in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, in 2006. Since then, Ruslan has joined our church in Cupcini and brought his mother and grandmother to the Lord.

We could not imagine how the Lord was going to use this young man for His glory! Now he sings on our worship team, and his whole family is very active in church ministries.

Every summer Ruslan joins Moldova for Christ English Camp as a team leader. This gave him the opportunity to share Christ not only with the kids who come to the camp but also after the camp when he wears the English Camp t-shirt with Acts 16:31 printed on the back.

At school, his teacher had Ruslan sit in the front desk, so the whole class could read the Bible verse on his back. The scripture says, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved – you and your household. Several students approached Ruslan and asked him what those words meant. It was an answer to Ruslan’s prayer for the opportunity to share the Gospel with his classmates! Ruslan shared the Word of God with his classmates, and many were amazed by his answers. Even teachers asked how he knew the Bible so well.

Ruslan continued to pray for his classmates and for another opportunity to present the Word of God. Every day, he took his Bible and Precept study book waiting to see how the Lord would answer his prayer and ready to give an account of his faith at any time.

God heard his prayer – a teacher let someone from the class lead a lesson. Ruslan was the first to take this offer. He said, “This is my time and opportunity!” And for 45 minutes, he preached the Gospel and presented the Bible Study book to the whole class and answered their questions about God!

Last week during the history lesson, the teacher gave Ruslan an interesting assignment – to present a lesson on the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament. As he was preparing this presentation, his concern was how to present the Ten Commandments and present the Gospel by explaining how to be saved.

The books of Romans and Galatians were used to lay a foundation for regarding the Ten Commandments from a New Testament point of view. Ruslan had enough materials and Bible verses to speak for more than 40 minutes in from of the whole class! The teacher was very pleased, and when some of the students were not paying attention, the teacher called everyone to listen to the lecture since it was a very valuable lesson for life.

This generated dozens of questions from his classmates. As a result, Ruslan began a Bible study for his classmates to come once a week to his home and study “Having real relationship with God,” a Bible study course by Kay Arthur.

We praise God for the power of the Gospel to save people and to equip them for ministry, as we have observed it at work again and again all over Moldova!

By Barb Nave, Sanibel Community Church

When I was twelve years old, my parents allowed me to go to church camp.  It was a lovely lakeside camp and our days were filled with fun activities and Bible study.  During the week at camp I heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and accepted Him as my Savior.  Because camp is where I met Christ, I have always had a heart to make camp experiences possible for children and teenagers to have a similar opportunity as I did.

English Camp in Moldova is a wonderful and valuable opportunity for children and teenagers to experience the Love of Christ in a community of believers.  Each day is packed full of fun activities.  Students work with American English speaking teens and adults and increase their vocabulary and speaking skills throughout the camp time.  We study God’s Word in the English language which also helps to equip the students for their general studies in school as well.  God’s Word is presented in understandable terms and each student has opportunity to be transformed by the Word of God.

One of the things I enjoy the most about English Camp is the relationships I build during the camp time and the friendships that have grown over the years.  It is wonderful as students return each year and I can see their academic growth as well as their spiritual growth!

My husband’s passion is coming to Moldova for English Camps and teaching baseball in the afternoons.  During activity time, the students can choose many sports, crafts or arts to enjoy.  Chuck does “baseball”!  He helps the students learn to play this favorite American game.  He also has opportunity to share with the students what to do when “life” throws you a “curveball”…..or in other words…..how God can help you through difficult times and circumstances.  He is always amazed at the skill of the children and youth and their passion to learn new things.

We excitedly pray all year and are anxious to go when summer comes and it is time to go to Moldova for ENGLISH CAMP!

About 30,000 Young Moldovan protesters, mostly students, waved European Union (EU) flags and shouted anti-Communist slogans as smoke billowed from a fire outside the parliament building in Chisinau, Moldova’s capital. Although Moldova’s ruling Communist party gained enough votes to hold on to power in parliament in April 5 elections, they lacked the number of seats to install a new president.

Protests began after election results were announced Monday night. Opposition leaders on Tuesday accused the Communists of rigging the election and demanded a recount. Protesters stormed the presidential building, demanding that President Vladimir Voronin announce his resignation and leave Moldova. More than 30 people were injured in the protests.

Demonstrators stormed a fire engine during demonstrations. A protester used a police shield as he tried to climb the steps of the presidential palace. Police officers led away injured colleagues after protesters broke through a security cordon around the presidential offices in Chisinau.

Javier Solana, chief of foreign policy for the European Union, said that election observers had reported that the April 5 polls met many international standards, but that there had still been “undue administrative interference” and a lack of public confidence. At left, police detained a man during a protest outside the presidential offices.

Protesters kicked the shields of security forces during the Chisinau protest and stoned with road rocks police cordon and the buildings of Parliament and Presidency. Moldova was part of Romania until 1940, then was occupied by the Soviet Union until it declared independence in 1991. The Communist Party regained power in 2001 amid an economic downturn, making it the first post-Soviet state to reinstall a communist government.

A bonfire set by anti-Communist demonstrators in Chisinau, Moldova, burned on the steps of the Parliament building during protests against the declared results of Sunday’s parliamentary elections. Thousands of demonstrators attempted to storm the presidential palace and Parliament in a violent demonstration against what they said were fraudulent elections.

Demonstrators gathered in the center of Chisinau, shouted “We want Europe,” “We are Romanians” and “Down with Communism,” according to the Interfax news service.

Police arrested over 200 protesters. They were beaten severely, some even to death. No communication with relatives was provided and many families could not find their family members for many days.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Precept Ministries International Campus

With great joy we received an invitation to attend the Training Institute for Leaders at Precept Ministries International in Chattanooga, TN. It is always a refreshing time for us and an opportunity to charge our spiritual batteries. From March 4-14, we studied the book of Numbers taught by our trainers and Eurasian Directors for Precept Ministries, Mia and Costel Oglice.

We studied about Israel’s passage through the wilderness, Moses’ endurance and leadership, God’s protection and provision, and how these truths are to be applied to our lives and ministries. It is always a great encouragement to get to spend time with our friends and co-workers from other countries, like Russia, Poland, Romania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Syria, Egypt and others. Everyone has a personal story of how God is using Precept in their lives and ministry. Over the years of partnering in the Gospel, strong relationships were built around the Word of God and the training we received strengthened our unity and support for each other in prayer.

A special blessing for us was to attend Kay Arthur’s lectures on Tuesday mornings when she records TV programs at the auditorium. About 500 men and women drive to Precept Ministries’ campus to attend this weekly event and to be fed spiritually from the Word of God. Some drive several hundreds of miles every week to attend the study of the Word.

Also, we were one by one invited to cut a video program with the testimonies about the work in the Eurasia department of Precept Ministries. In this part of the world, the Word of God many times is proclaimed in difficult circumstances, but nothing can stop the preaching of the Gospel, like we read in Paul’s second letter to his disciple, Timothy, chapter two, verse nine:  “God’s word is not chained.”

Once again, we heard incredible stories of how our brothers and sisters were able to stay strong in the face of persecution and threats and boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ because they know their God and His promises.

Every evening of our stay at Precept Ministries’ headquarters we met with different Precept friends and staff who surrounded us with love and care. We were touched by some ladies who drove considerable distances in order to help us with anything needed during the training. Other people prepared meals for us and brought breakfast, lunch and dinner. We saw God’s love in action, flowing from the hearts of these precious children of God who love His Word and love us, his people.

Every single time we attend the Precept Training Institute, we leave with a stronger desire to study the Word of God and to share it with others as God opens the door. And we can’t wait to teach the book of Numbers in our churches and Bible study groups!

In partnership with Little Rock Church, AR evangelistic outreach was organized in the Northern Moldova. It is always a great joy to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with people that come to the programs we organize and receive the Word of God with the whole their hearts and stay strong even in the face of persecution.

September 25-28, we formed 2 teams that for 4 days in the evenings, went to 2 villages and conducted crusade type evangelistic meetings. Whole villages were invited and we had adults and children at our programs. Every evening we presented Precept Study materials we are using for home Bible studies and for other events. Many people approached us afterwards and asked more questions about the study materials on how they can start a bible study in their homes.

At last evening a young lady with the name of Felicia that we were working with for several years telling her about God, finally decided to give her heart to Jesus and was saved. Aster that she began attending Bible study in her village, Fetesti. Also, she traveled all the way to Cupcini to attend our church service. This village is considered the capital of Jehovah’s Witnesses of Moldova, since majority of this big village belongs to this organization and they have 2 huge kingdom halls – Jehovah’s witnesses churches.

In the second village, the village of Gordinesti, was a lady, called Galina, that had to fight with her husband every evening for the right to attend the Crusade. One evening her husband decided to call us and tell us that she is not coming. But during this discussion, in the background we could hear Galina’s voice, screaming: Brothers, I will not deny Jesus! He has even beaten hear but she still came to the Crusade every evening with a big smile on her face.

The culture Hall we rented for the programs was filled with many adults and children. Everybody enjoyed singing our songs with the worship team and children had motions for every song we sang.

It is with great joy we welcome you to our web site! For a long time we have dreamed and prayed for this day, and finally our Lord has provided for it!

We hope this site will be a blessing to you. As we share with you our heart and passion for the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, we will also keep you up to date as to what God is doing, not only throughout Moldova , but in the other countries where we work as well.

The people of Moldova face tremendous hardships, discouragement and difficulties. They see no hope for their lives or their country. Although there is much to accomplish for God’s kingdom, we praise Him for the work He is doing in all of our satellite churches, Bible studies, and ministry locations that were started and are led by members of our church. To God be the glory for what He has done, what He is doing and what He will do.

Please prayerfully consider joining our efforts in bringing the country of Moldova to the Lord Jesus Christ!

He truly is the world’s only hope!

Blessings to you.

Alexandru Sanduleac