Moldova, the little corner of Europe squashed up to Romania by the vast expanse of Ukraine, has gained a little notoriety recently when, as the poorest country in Europe, it found a place in history as the first post-Soviet state to re-elect the communists. Despite that Moldova remains a beautiful place of vineyards and rolling hills, peopled by an unassuming and welcoming mix of Romanians, Russians and various others. Even the odd Englishman still blinking in surprise at living in, as the billboards proclaim, ‘the most beautiful city on the planet’.
There’s no denying though that ‘things are not good’ and the end of the tunnel looks to be a while off yet. Students will continue to hang out at the bus station waiting for the food parcel to arrive from home. Men in desperation will continue to get drunk, and then in deeper desperation sell some of their organs or see their wives or daughters move away to suspicious jobs in Western Europe.
Many are quietly searching for meaning and a solid foundation for their life. Neither the old Soviet way nor the new capitalist way appears to work and there seems to be nothing more than the ‘law of the jungle’ to teach to their children. In this gloom the gospel, when lived out and preached, sparkles brightly with purity and genuine life.
So we’ve found student work here to be massively needed. Students, Christian and non-Christian, cry out for listening and caring believers who can help them make sense of life. With non-Christians a culture that calls itself ‘Christian’ enables us to get out the Bible, a respected book, early on. And the simplicity of people who know that they are no one important in the world (had you heard of Moldova?) makes them ready listeners. But an instinctive turning to the rituals of Orthodoxy is a common response to newly awoken spiritual hunger.
Many Christian students have found in their faith a refuge and healing place from broken families, and a real living community to belong to, one which isn’t built on false foundations of pride, self-promotion or temporary groupings. It’s been a privilege to invest in the lives of these students who are often hungry to learn to study the Bible, pray and reach out to their friends who are often suspicious of the ‘sect’ they have clearly got involved in.
We’ve often wondered whether the few relationships we’ve been involved in have been the best use of our time here. Especially when with a student like Anatol, the demands on him of church and studies have made our 1-1 contact apparently limited. However, the other night, over a McD’s orange juice (no chatting over beers here!) it was thrilling to hear him share how he’d learnt from us to value people over events and projects. Not a value often held in the churches here.
The week before had been equally thrilling when on a weekend conference 40 students learnt to dig deeper in the scriptures. If just half those go on to a lifetime of understanding and living out the Bible the church and society will be greatly blessed.
The opportunities here (and for that matter all over the former USSR) are vast. Not only are people searching, there are many students struggling to grow in faith and to be effective in evangelism, praying for someone to help and give them their time. While in England there are mountains of books to read and fantastic Word feasts to attend. Here there is often simply no one to disciple and encourage, and few opportunities to learn how to study the Bible well. For me it’s brought a helpful perspective to our desire to get that exegesis exactly right. That is a good thing to do but sometimes we just need to get out there and faithfully share what we do know.
Not that the growth has been all one way. Living and articulating the gospel in another culture has helped to blow away some of the cobwebs from my heart and mind. I have watched Moldovans exercise faith that moves mountains and in walking with them I have had real life breathed into truths ‘learnt’ at home. I have seen God help me to trust his plan more deeply as I have tried in faith to share his hope with people who at first glance are so different from me, yet whose hearts ache for the same reasons.
As I prepare to leave it’s a great joy to look back and see how God has graciously chosen to weave together all that we have done: the competent and incompetent times; the planned meetings and relationships and unplanned meetings and opportunities; our apparent successes and failures made in faith. A student movement is beginning to form.
So do pray for workers (especially Moldovan ones) for this part of the Lord’s harvest fields. Do pray for students to grow in wisdom, to live lives worthy of their Lord and to have their fear banished by the strength of his glorious might. Pray that they will go on to build a prayerful and biblically minded student movement and will make a difference for the Kingdom in all walks of life.
Matt Tindale
IFES Worker in Moldova