By David Prairie
In God’s kind provision, he provided an opportunity for our family to spend a week in Chisinau, Moldova a couple of weeks ago. While Brandi and I had visited there previously for a survey trip, this was the first chance that our children had to experience Moldova, which was something that our boys had especially been hoping for. As a result of our week there, they (and we) are all the more eager to live there and serve the Lord alongside Imago Dei Church.
The primary purpose of our visit was to assist IDC with a children’s camp (ages 10-15). This was to be the biggest evangelistic outreach by the church in its brief history. Pastor Mihai Chisari had promoted and advertised the camp throughout the city in hopes that many children would come and hear the gospel for the first time.
In all, about 60 campers attended Speranta Camp (about 45 minutes northwest of Chisinau), and very few of them had any Christian background. I was able to speak twice at the camp. Mihai spoke twice as well. We worked through the Creation-Fall-Redemption-Restoration storyline of the Bible, and were able to explain the gospel clearly each time. Brandi and I each participated in small group discussions after the chapels, and realized that many of the campers were hearing these truths for the first time. They asked simple, but serious questions about God, the Bible, church, and Christianity.
Please pray for the members and leaders of Imago Dei Church to have wisdom to know how best to follow up with campers in the coming weeks. Pray that they will be able to strengthen relationships with students as well as to establish connections with parents. Pray for the gospel to be continually and clearly explained and that God would draw people to himself.
We were especially encouraged by brothers and sisters in Christ from Imago Dei Church and from partnering churches in Chisinau. They formed a great team of leaders for the campers. They led discussions, singing, skits, games, and provided help with the language barriers for those of who are still beginners in Romanian. Pray for these Moldovan believers to continue to be united together in service to the Lord and to others. We also enjoyed meeting and working with Daniel, an ABWE appointee to Romania. Daniel helped Brandi lead a workshop on conversational English. Finally, we were privileged to work alongside the Sokol family, missionaries to Ukraine (from our home church in Chattanooga) who made the trip to Moldova for the week. They are exceptional missionaries who are remarkably gifted and faithful.
I was able to lead a baseball workshop, teaching several boys about the game, its rules, how its played, and the fundamentals. Judah and Asher were able to assist me with this, and each day the boys learned more and enjoyed playing the game.
I also led the camp staff in devotions throughout the week from 1 Corinthians 12-13, talking about how to use our gifts in a loving way. I also preached at Imago Dei Church on the Sunday before camp, talking about the attributes of God found in Exodus 34:6-7, and what it means to worship him based on how he reveals himself.
Our kids traveled well, and we anticipate being able to move there and minister together among the people of Moldova. Please pray that our visit will have ongoing effects, and that we will soon be fully supported so that we can serve there full time.
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Prairie Quests 