Sanders Family in Moldova

Outside of Our Flat

 Below is a video below that gives a quick 360 degree view of the area outside our flat, our front entrance, our new sliver mini-van and a special new "friend" for Kaity that is explained below.  

Needless to say after watching this video, you see that Kaity feels right at home with her sandbox, some climbing equipment and a slide, none of which were here when we first arrived.  It is exciting to see how God provides for our family in MD.  When we arrived, the campaign for presidency was hitting the peak with only a few weeks until election.  One evening we saw several men begin to dig holes in the ground and they were all dressed in blue suits that had a slogan on the back.  We didn't think much of it until the next morning when we saw several new pieces of playground equipment set up complete with a small sandbox.  We were excited for Kaity, but also in wonder of how our God loves and cares for His children so personally.

Fast forward a month to when the below video is taken of our surrounding area.  On this day, Kaity and I went outside to let Mom get some work done.  I thought I would take the camera along to get some shots of Kaity outside our flat.  It wasn't long into our time outside that I found out God had an even better plan for us this day.  As I began to talk with the Mom of a little girl Kaity was playing near in the sandbox, we soon discovered that her husband spoke English and that her daughter Nastea, playing next to Kaity, was born on the same day.  They are exactly the same age and eventually had a great time playing together. Because it was a holiday in MD (remembering the dead), the husband, Vlad, was home and eventually came over to say hello.  We had a warm and in depth conversation, especially for our first conversation.  By the end, we exchanged phone numbers and hope to get together again and let the girls play. 

It is exciting to see what the Lord continues to do to affirm us being here in MD.

Cold Watermelon without any Electricity

The county of Rezeni is located about 15 miles from Chisinau and I was able to make an afternoon visit while the church planter (cpr) had some time off from work during the day.  It was the first time I had been out to visit this cpr's home and village.  We had a very warm visit with a good start to forming a relationship that will allow us to come alongside them in the future. 

They have 6 children ranging from 3 years of age all the way to 22.  Most of the family was out working, but a few of us enjoyed some delicious watermelon that was cooled in his underground cellar.  It was such a joy to learn how they live life in the village, allow for their children to have a college education in Chisinau and are serving the kingdom through leading a church plant in a nearby village.  We look forward to visiting with them again during a time when they have their church meeting and we can get together with all of our family members.  

Caleb Getting the Giggles Over a Hiccup

Church Planter Visit in the South

It was the first visit that our whole family was able to participate in and God blessed our visit tremendously!  We went down on Saturday to stay the night, attend church Sun morning and observe some of the children's ministry and then go home after lunch on Sun. 

The church planter, Lucian, has a young family with similar age children as ours.  I already had a relationship with Lucian through a previous visit, but having my family there made it complete.  Their oldest daughter and Kaity had a blast together even though they could not understand each others' language.  They quickly became great friends.  When we left they were both sad to be leaving.

Jennifer and I were able to connect with Lucian and his wife, Sfeta, in a way that I could not when I am there by myself.  There was a sense of wholeness in our families being together, and it was an obvious blessing for Sfeta to be able to relate with Jennifer about being a Mom and serving along side her husband in ministry.  Jennifer was able to see the ministry first hand and understand more about the need for these church planters to have consistent encouragement and coaching in their difficult ministries.  Saturday evening we spent talking until very late in the evening about their church, different ways they are trying to reach their village and the difficulties they have faced.  We mainly just listened and encouraged them.  At the end, Lucian looked at us and said, "thank you so much for coming and listening becuase it gets very hard sometimes."  The depth of gratitude was evident in his eyes.  Lucian was encouraged and renewed in his spirit.

Please pray for Lucian as he continues to spread the gospel amongst the Orthodox in his village.  Please pray in particular for families to have the courage and commitment to follow Jesus Christ above their culture and reputation in their village.

Mentoring Young Leaders

Many years ago, right after we graduated from college our dear friends Beverly and Hal Haddock intentionally invested in our lives once a week.  We have been looking to do this in other's lives and now the Lord has given us a group of young adults with whom we can intentionally invest in.  We attempt to meet with them on a weekly basis to just talk about life, ministry and our personal relationships with the Lord.  We have found that right now in their life stage and in regards to their ministry they have a lot of questions and they need someone to listen to them, support and equip them to keep doing the tremendous work they have begun.  We are so proud of them.  We are also so thankful for Hal and Bev who invested in us and modeled this type of relationship.  We desire for the Lord to work through this relationship in the same way that our lives were changed by how God worked through the Haddocks!

CCI MD Staff Retreat

I had the opportunity to help plan and co-facilitate a staff retreat.  It was a nice time for the staff to get away, study God’s Word and talk about the future ministry of CCI Moldova.  .

The New Van

Join us in praising the Lord for the provision of our new van! (pictured below)  We were able to purchase the van after a series of circumstances that we believe He used to lead us to this vehicle.  It would not have been possible without your faithful prayers and sacrificial giving.  We want to thank all of you who prayed and gave in order to further His kingdom work here in Moldova!

Details...

2002 Toyota Previa (this is a European mini-van not sold in the US) with 65k.  It has a standard transmission with a diesel engine and gets about 30 mpg.  It is in excellent condition and had not been driven in MD previously.

We purchased the van in the beginning of April and have been very pleased thus far.  Please pray for safety as Richard drives in a different culture with an aggressive and unstructured driving environment.

From a Daily "Encouragement for Dads"

Christ's life means

His power is your strength,

His will is your purpose,

His mind if your wisdom,

His love is your motivation,

His presence is your joy.

~ Roy Lessin

God of This City

We have been singing a worship song called "God of This City" as part of our International Worship Services here in Moldova and each time we sing this song, God moves in our hearts and speaks hope and expectation into our hearts for the city of Chisinau and the country of Moldova.  I have posted a link to the music video down on the left side that you need to go and watch.  But before you see the video, take a minute to watch this video of Chris Tomlin telling the story behind the lyrics.  It is an inspiring story that will give even more meaning to this powerful song of declaration!  

May God give us all renewed hearts of hope and faith to see the the cities that we live and are called to minister in as God sees them.  Let this be our prayer;

"Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city"

Post Easter Tradition ~ Remembering The Dead

It has been one week since Easter (Moldova celebrates Easter according to the Orthodox calendar) and the celebration of the Lord's resurrection.  Ironically enough there is another holiday or tradition that is honored after Easter (for most Moldovans, either today or yesterday).  This is a day to honor, remember and "pray" for one's dead parents/grandparents.  Pictured at the right is a typical gravesight that has a permanent picnic bench.  Most gravesights here have such a place that is used for this day and any other time they might feel the need to visit with their deceased loved ones.  

Someone who is Orthodox believes there is no way to be assured of entrance into heaven.  So the assumed way to get to heaven is to do the best one can and hope for the best.  According to the one of the Evangelical Christian believers here in MD, honoring those who have the same DNA and are already experiencing the afterlife is a way that Orthodox believers can merit the favor of a loving God.  I have included a web site that explains this tradition and it is written by a Moldovan.  Please keep in mind that it is written from a Moldovan's perspective, which is different from our and an Evangelical Christian's worldview.  However, it gives great insight into other aspects of this tradition besides the spiritual or religious perspective.  It is very interesting,  Here is the link.
http://ervit.blogspot.com/2007/04/remembering-dead.html

Please use this as an opportunity to pray specifically for the people of MD and especially those that are longing for spiritual direction and seeking it through tradition and rituals instead of in the person of Jesus Christ!