As I ministered to so many children, I remember back to that first week in Moldova. I knew no Romanian, knew nothing about the culture. I didn’t know the pastor or his wife. I didn’t know anything about construction. But I was willing. And one thing I did know, and continue to know today…. Moldova is where we belong.

I am writing this post at 3:40a.m. We have just finished packing our suitcases. We leave tomorrow night on a bus from Chisinau to the airport in Kiev, Ukraine. From Kiev we fly to Copenhagen, Denmark and from Copenhagen to Chicago. We are coming to the U.S. to raise support for a second year in Moldova. We’re excited to see family and friends. To share our heart for Moldova with people and churches in America. Our heart is here; with the people, with the pastors, with the children.

Goodbye Moldova….. Hello USA!

At one point while cleaning up debries, a team member found a button. And then another… And yet another…. We came to find out they were falling from the attic while workers were cutting away the ceiling.

Over time, “button finding” turned into a small competition that lasted for two days. I don’t know who won. I found between ten and fifteen buttons. I’m sure there was at least a hundred that were found. Buttons of every size and color. They will be a great free souvenir (the best kind) that will always remind the team from Polson about their ministry trip to Moldova.

It reminds me of the parable in the Bible, of the widow and the lost coins. God still seeks after the lost. Whether in Moldova, Montana, or somewhere between, the lost are still important to God.

Sometimes this can happen in our Spiritual lives. When we first come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, everything is new and exciting. You read the Bible and every story amazes you. After serving God for a while, the stories can become familiar. If we don’t keep our guard up, complacency can set in. Who changed? God is still there, waiting to offer you all of the excitement that comes with a life devoted to Him. It is us who choose to sit back and “coast” through our Christian walk.

I want Moldova to be as exciting as the first day that we arrived. But more importantly, I want my relationship with Christ to remain as vibrant as the day I accepted Him.

We arrived in the village and greeted the family. They took us into the back porch where the body was laying on the ground on a sheet. The family was speaking too fast and so I didn’t know exactly what they wanted, but I had some idea, because six feet away from this dead woman was a coffin. In my mind I am thinking “There is no way I am touching a dead woman.” Luckily I didn’t have to as the board member came in and did this for me. We then decorated the body with lilacs and other flowers which people had brought and carried the coffin outside.

People gathered in the front yard as the service begin. We sang a couple of hymns after which I preached my sermon. It was a challenge to the people to live their lives to the fullest for Jesus just as others in scripture had and as Valentina had. After my message came more songs, and then a second message, and then more songs and a third message.

After the third message two children came to the front with flower wreaths and walked out of the driveway. They were followed by four men who carried the casket and one man carrying the grave marker. Then came the family, and then the musicians and finally all of the other guests. We sang more hymns as we walked from the house to the graveyard. Every few minutes we would stop and someone would present yet another message. We did this three times before arriving at the cemetery. (six sermons so far for those who are counting) I later came to learn that this was how the church used to evangelize when the USSR would not allow it. They could only preach publicly at weddings and funerals. So, the ritual began of preaching as many times as you can throughout the whole community, every time a believer died. The tradition is continued today even though they are now free to preach.

At the gravesite came one last sermon followed by more music. Then they put the top on the casket and nailed it shut. Two men jumped into the hand-dug grave and the casket was handed down to them. Then they climbed out of the grave, everybody grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it in. There was a closing prayer and after five hours and fifteen minutes of ceremony, the event was over.

We were all invited back to the widower’s home for a large dinner. We ate, We visited. The widower fed his chickens. (I think some of the chickens we ate may have come from his own yard.) All in all it was an interesting cultural experience and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to participate. When you read this, say a prayer for the Moldovan man who lost his precious wife after fifty years of marriage.

But, this Sunday would be different. Pastor Vitalie is in America raising support to do some youth camps this summer. I would be in charge of administering communion at a church plant in Orhei. I was both excited about this and nervous of drinking the leftover juice.

The drive to Orhei was beautiful. Spring has arrived and everything is so green. When we arrived at Orhei, we set up communion and began the service. After the songs were complete, I preached a sermon from Hebrews 12. The title was “running the race.” Then came communion time. It went very well, and luckily for me, I must have poured exactly the right amount of juice because at the end, there was none left. Phew….

We have just returned from a LARGE outreach in the village of Cornesti. We were supposed to have a team of around 30 people from America and Western Europe come and help us, but because of the volcanic ash, their planes were grounded.

But, ministry does not stop even though the planes did. The community was expecting the church to provide food bags and children's ministry. So, with the help of a new team of nationals, we headed north to Cornesti to minister.

While the other missionaries handled the food distribution, Donna and I were in charge of the children's ministry. We created a bunch of carnival games for the kids to play. Then we ministered a gospel presentation with puppets, magic, songs and a few games.

Donna wore her clown costume and walked through town announcing the days events. She attracted kids from all over town. In fact, the adults and senior citizens loved her too.

About an hour into the festivities, it began to rain. Suddenly over 200 kids had to fit into a small cafeteria. While I was scrambling to shift gears and start the program early, Donna kept all of the children entertained with her clowning.

It was an amazing day as people were fed physically and spiritually. Children experienced the love of Jesus as our team ministered to them. The Christian church continued to develop a good rapport with the community. As pleased as I was with the weekend's activities, I can only imagine how much more pleased the Lord must have been.

He sees the big picture. We see only in part. He knew the volcano was going to erupt. He knew the team would have to cancel. He knew exactly what the community of Cornesti needed. And He chose us to be His messengers.

I thought that I understood what leading the service meant.

I arrived Thursday night, ready to preach the word. Five minutes before the start of the service there was one other person in attendance. At 6:00 we had a few people but still none of the “key” leaders who usually help. At about 6:05, the children’s ministry leader asked me,

“When will you begin the service?”

To which I responded, “Where is Oxana, I didn’t think we could start without the worship leader.”

“You are leading the service.” Anna replied. “What songs will you lead?”

I was in shock. Another cultural miscommunication to blog about. Suddenly I find myself scrambling to figure out what Moldovan worship songs I can play on the piano that the congregation would know.

It was a simple service with oldies but goodies like “Lord I lift Your name on high,” “I could sing of your love forever,” and “I love you Lord.” God showed up, in spite of the confusion, and we had a good time in His presence.

I preached on “Involvement in ministry” using the story of the widow’s oil and Jesus’ teaching on the body of Christ as my scriptural basis. I challenged the group of about 30 people to do their part to accomplish God’s will in the community of Telecenter, the section of Chisinau where the church is located.

After the sermon there were no tears, no running to the altar, no repenting of a lack of involvement. At least not that I know of. But seeds were planted as I gave them something about which to think and pray.

I love this little church. I love the people, the pastor, the kids. I love Moldova. God does too. God loves Moldova so much that He shows up even in less than ideal conditions and inhabits the praises of His people.

On Saturday afternoon we took the kids to the mall for a photo scavenger hunt. We broke the kids into two teams, gave them a digital camera, and a list of things to take photos of. The kids loved it as you can see from the picture.

The most exciting part of the retreat is something that is hard to duplicate. I saw these kids go after God in a powerful way. In a way that can only happen when you get them away from the distractions of everyday life. No portable video games, cell phones, mp3 players, etc. No TV. Only a Bible, notebook, pen, sleeping bag, and the presence of God that comes when you give Him time to work in your life.

We love kids. I love to see the look on their faces when a spiritual truth sticks in their hearts. God loves kids. God has a plan for kids. Thank you God for using us to help bring children closer to You.