Moldova Trip Summary
From September 24-October 2, a nine-member group from Restoration visited the east European nation of Moldova. Charged with seeking out “the broken people and places of the world”, Restoration’s outreach foci seem tailored for a struggling former Soviet Republic like Moldova. Relatively small, with only 4.5 million people, Moldova is an agrarian country without natural resources or industrial development. Widespread poverty and a church still emerging from “survival mode” under state sanctioned atheism have left many young people – especially orphaned girls – vulnerable to human trafficking exploitation.
Partnering with the Jesus Savior Church in the town of Şoldăneşti, Restoration’s goal is to develop sustainable after-care for those most vulnerable to exploitative situations. The local congregation hosts a home for six teenage girls that have either come from state-run orphanages or been rescued from danger. In addition to working with the girls and acquiring sewing machines as job training tools, Restoration visitors took groceries to elderly and infirm townspeople, part of Jesus Savior Church’s local outreach and ministry. Three orphanages were visited in order to present on the dangers of human trafficking, in the hopes that more children can be prevented from falling into exploitation.
What’s Next:
We desire to develop a long term partnership with our brothers and sisters in Soldanesti Molodva. That means there are plenty of things we can do to help keep up the relationship as well as empower this project to continue to care for girls in need.
So what does that mean for our church?
- Constant Contact – We have a team interested in maintaining regular contact with our friends in Moldova. This includes Christmas care packages, letters, gifts, pictures, etc.
- Congregational Involvement – We would like to make sure this project never becomes just a budget line item for our church. There are many ways that every member of Restoration can be involved from prayer support to helping with specific project needs.
- Sustainability – From the beginning of the project self-sustainability for the girls and ultimately the project is a primary goal. We are looking for ways to help create paths for self-sustainability through micro-enterprise.
If you are interested in helping in any way, please contact Liz.
