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Friday, March 29, 2024

A mission in Moldova

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A friendship has been building between the congregation of Wrightsville Beach Baptist Church and residents of a tiny, landlocked European country called Moldova, and on JuneĀ 22, a few church members travelled there for a weeklong mission trip.

Moldova is about the size of Delaware and New Jersey combined, with a gross national product less than that of New Hanover County, pastor John McIntyre said. Itā€™s the poorest European country ā€” the average income is $8 a day. For the past five years, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina has worked to connect churches like Wrightsville Beach Baptist with Moldovan communities, but before that, McIntyre admitted, he had never heard of the country.

After several recent trips there, he has come to know the region and its residents ā€” especially the family of Ghena Bulgari, who has hosted him during past trips and will do so again this year.

Bulgari and his wife oversee seven churches in the region. Moldovan churches are generally more rustic than American churches; bathroom facilities are typically outdoor latrines and worship spaces are rarely heated, even during the cold winter months.

ā€œWhen we visited in October or November, you could literally see your breath in there,ā€ McIntyre said.

When McIntyre last visited, hundreds of Moldovans, bundled in warm clothing, packed into the small worship spaces to hear him speak. His words were then translated into Romanian and Russian. They listened patiently because ā€œthey were hungry for it,ā€ he said, although years of hard living were evident in their expressions.

ā€œYou donā€™t see many smiles,ā€ he noted.

The country spent decades under the Soviet Unionā€™s Communist rule, and while the Soviet Union was dissolved in the 1990s, the people of Moldova, especially the older generations, are struggling to transition to their new way of life, McIntyre said.

ā€œWhen youā€™ve spent five generations under Communist rule, itā€™s going to take a while to accept responsibility and learn how to think on your own,ā€ church member Carole Jackson said. ā€œThey are, in many ways, still trapped in a Communist mentality even though they donā€™t have a Communist government anymore.ā€

Parents seeking employment have had to leave their children to go find work elsewhere, McIntyre said, so large orphanages dot the countryside. Those children face the possibility of being sold into human trafficking or blood-typed for organ sales, he added.

He remembered meeting Maya, the adopted daughter of a local pastor. The pastor said when he brought Maya home her first questions were, ā€œWhat will you do with me?ā€ and ā€œWhat did you pay for me?ā€

ā€œItā€™s stuff you just donā€™t hear about here,ā€ McIntyre said.

Bulgari has adopted many children from the orphanage. His family of 15 is squeezed into an 800-square-foot house with a 500-square-foot barn attached. The home has just one modern bathroom and a hose outdoors that functions as a shower. The children retrieve drinking water by lowering a bucket into a well.

ā€œThey would scrape the dead stuff off the top and drink the water underneath,ā€ McIntyre said.

About one month ago, McIntyre received an email from Bulgari asking if he could borrow some money because a house down the road from his home was for sale. McIntyre forwarded the request around and raised $9,000 ā€” enough for Bulgari to buy the home for his oldest children.

ā€œFrom Wilmington, we were able to raise that money in a short amount of time, but for them it would have taken a lifetime,ā€ McIntyre said.

Video chatting has allowed the Baptist congregation to interact with the Moldovan people and form a personal connection with those they hope to benefit with their mission work.

ā€œNow, we know some of the kids that John [McIntyre] and the others are going to work with,ā€ Jackson said. ā€œIt changed the dynamic because it wasnā€™t just Moldova on a map anymore.ā€

In addition to the $9,000 for the house, the church members donated clothes for the orphans and $8,000 to fund two camps: one for 125 adults and another for 100 teenagers. Two thousand of those dollars were raised by Memorial Day beachgoers who parked in the churchā€™s lot and gave a small donation in return.

Donations taken during the July Fourth weekend will also support the Moldova mission, McIntyre said.

On his previous trip, McIntyre also took a few musical instruments for the children. He had received word that one boy could play the guitar, so he brought him one, and the boy was thrilled.

ā€œYou would have thought it was some high-end guitar,ā€ McIntyre said, because the instrument, which cost $300 in America, would have cost as much as $2,000 in Moldova. ā€œIā€™ll probably hear a concert from one of them this time.ā€

Next year, Wrightsville Beach Baptist Church will focus its mission work on another region. But, Jackson and McIntyre agreed, their connection with the people of Moldova will endure. McIntyre said he hopes to help other churches connect to Bulgari and the Moldovan people.

ā€œThis is not just a mission,ā€ Jackson said. ā€œItā€™s a relationship.ā€

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