In the evening we took a bumpy ride over the hill to a small village where Pastor Sasha is working on a church plant. The road is dirt and it feels much longer than it is because of it. The building that was to be used belongs to the village. Pastor Sasha was given permission to use the building but there were some younger guys hoping to use the building for a bar/club. The team went over to wash and prep the walls for paint but time limited what we could accomplish. Since there is some unhappy individuals there, there has been pause to install windows. This may have been a blessing because the other half of the building was being used as a school and has since closed leaving the finished side available. Pastor is seeking permission to use that half instead. Keep in mind that decision making can be a long, dragged out process here and often times – money talks.
The team’s ministry time was divided up to include an outreach in a large field across from the church. There was a very good turn out. They came to play games and win prizes, be ministered to through puppet shows, face painting and hearing the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.
The food always goes fast. It’s easier to be still and hear God calling with something in the stomach.
Some time was spent in a northern village of Mihailini. The church congregation was working hard to get the building ready for dedication in the summer months. Because of the help this team brought, motivation kept high and the church officially opened it’s doors on time. It was amazing to see the building finished. The few light fixtures that did not get installed were up. The textured walls that we worked on were painted up nicely. The rest of the pews were completed with fresh varnish. They managed to tile the whole sanctuary since the team finished the painting of the radiator plumbing.
The kitchen was painted by the team as well.

With all the construction going on, time was also made for children ministry. Puppets are a favorite way to reach the young ones. It was fun watching the puppeteers learn their “rolls”. We’ll just leave it at that.
If you have a chance and a desire, please check out some video footage on YouTube. Search for “wuzzblind” and check out the videos with Montana and Bubuieci in the title.

Don

Twenty-three team members from Christ’s Church – Lincoln Nebraska arrived on April 29th, 2011. They worked with Convoy Of Hope Europe’s “Adopt A Community” program (http://convoyofhope.eu/adopt-a-community/) in the village of Leova. Leova is a village of about 14,000 people on the border of Romania in southwestern Moldova. The church of Leova had a tough start several years ago. It now has new leadership in Brother Dan Domnitais. The building was in very rough shape. A positive quality is that it is one property away from the primary intersection of the village. Much work needs to be done on the building, as well as bringing the good news of God’s salvation to more people living there.

The team was big enough to break into two parts so we were able to accomplish contruction projects, as well as outreach. Don worked mostly on the contruction by keeping the team supplied with tools and materials, lending a hand as time permitted. Beth worked on making sure the team had plenty of food, made all critical connections, as well as managing the books and aquiring permission to use village areas.

Led by Pastor Wesley Buck, the children’s ministries were well attended at the school, the House of Culture, and the local orphanage. The members of the team who worked with the children’s ministry had none worked with children’s ministry before. However, they submitted to God’s will and He used them mightily as clowns and puppeteers, as well as leaders in games and bringing messages through skits.

During home visits, personal testimonies were shared by team members that witnessed to and touched the people God had called into divine appointments. Worship and sermons were presented by the parent church from Cantemir, as well as more testimonies from the team, in a local park.

The mayor has welcomed us with open arms. There is an old, Jewish cemetery in Leova that the mayor said was overgrown from years of neglect. Several team members took to the task over a couple of days by clearing away weeds, brush and trash from around the gravesites. Still plenty left to do in 2012 when the team will return.

As you’d expect, church attendance spiked. When the dust settled, they regained lost ground from when the church had faultered years back. The people of Leova are watching where this church is heading. What an exciting time to be in on the ground level as this church continues to grow. Through the fall and winter, we look forward to planning and organizing the return trip of Christ’s Place to the village of Leova in 2012.

See videos, pictures and Christ’s Church trip commentary at their website:

http://leovamoldova.com/

Also a short video from the construction end of their visit made by Don at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/wuzzblind#p/u/19/oIgk4jCH7UI

(year: 1995 or 96, mom was in her mid-70’s)

Years have passed by. It’s now mom’s turn to be taken to the parade by her children. I phoned her, “Hi mom! We are going to the parade tomorrow. Would you like to come with?”

Mom hesitated. Not wanting to impose in any way, she half-heartedly declined, which wasn’t really unusual for mom. Coaxing, I said, “Ok, I’ll phone you tomorrow before we come and get you. We can sit in front of the church like we always did.”

I picked mom up bright and early the morning of the 4^th but something was bothering her. It was like she honestly didn’t want to go to the parade. Although I ignored it knowing she would likely snap out of her mood when the parade started, I still wondered what was troubling her. As we sat in our chairs on the curbside, mom was getting noticeably edgy and finally I firmly asked her, “What is the problem?” With tears welling up in her eyes and the demeanor of a child she said, “I hate parades. I don’t want to see them.”

“What? Why? I don’t understand. You and dad always brought us to the parades when we were kids and we all had a great time.” I said.

“I didn’t. I hate parades.”

“Why?” I repeated.

“It’s the drums. Those big, loud drums. They sound like the bombs and the war and it makes me think of my brothers. How they got killed in the war.”

That is when all the pieces feel into place. In a flash all of the following came to mind:

Two of mom’s three brothers were killed in WWII. Not much was ever discussed about them but mom spoke of how her little brother Harold, “just loved to dance.” Mom would tell us how her sisters, Harold and she would take the train from Racine to Kenosha to go dancing at the Eagles Ballroom, the place where mom eventually met my dad. When my grandma Mary passed away, there were some poems that had been found she had wrote about her lost sons the first and second year after they were killed. Harold was killed on July 7^th, 1944 and Lester on August 10, 1944. Those poems I had read once when I was a teenager were the following:

July 7, 1945

In loving memory of Harold Richtmyre.

He was killed in action a year age to day.

Peaceful be thy sleep dear son.

It sweet to breath thy name

In the lite we loved you dearly

In death we do the same.

Often we think of you dear son.

And our hearts are sad with pain.

Oh this world be a heaven

Could we hear your voice again.

You are gone but not forgotten

Never shall your memory fade

Sweetest thoughts shall ever linger.

Around the grave where you are laid.

Sadly missed by mother

Aug. 10 1945

In loving memory of Lester Richtmyre.

He was killed in action a year age to day.

Peaceful be your sleep dear son.

And many hearts you leave with pain.

In life we loved you dearly.

In death we do the same.

You are gone but not forgotten.

Never shall your memory fade.

Sweet thoughts shall never linger.

Around the grave where you are laid.

Sadly missed by your mother.

July 7, 1946

In memory of my loving son Harold.

2 years has passed to day.

God called your name in France

Somewhere on shore

And though ‘tis hard realize

That you’d come home no more

We have such precious memories

Of things you loved to do

And though you cannot come to us

Some day we’ll come to you

Very much missed by mother.

Aug. 10, 1946

In loving memory of my son Lester

2 years has passed to day

Since God has called you from us

In all our hearts your memory lingers

There is not a day dear son we do not think of you

Some may think we have forgotten

When at times they see us smile

But little they know the heartache

Our smiles hide all the while

Very much missed by mother

Our government, having a heart for a woman who lost her husband a year and a half earlier to a ruptured appendix and 2 of her 3 sons killed in action in less than 40 days, located her remaining son Danny and had him returned home …sort of like a real life “Saving Private Ryan”.

After this all flashed though my mind, my heart went to my throat. Mom was fighting hard to avoid outright crying. I told her I was sorry and we should go. She said, “No, we are going to stay.“

The parade was moving along now. Sure enough, the marching bands played. Then the loud drums. Every beat became a bomb to my mom and now to me. I never felt so much sadness coming from my mother until or since that 4^th of July parade as I sat there with her squeezing my hand tightly and both of us weeping. For the first time in my life I felt what that parade was really all about and I have never seen a parade the same way since.

Beth and I are here for several reasons. We believe James 2:14

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless^[? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.”

We want our faith to be alive. We want our faith to show by what we do, just as most of you want. That’s what the Bible teaches. Just as it teaches us to do works to please God, not man.

My gift is not socializing. I want to get my hands dirty. My part on our team is learning to run a well drilling rig and how to equip mission teams who come to Moldova. I need to learn many construction techniques and to use what is available locally.

Beth’s gift is in administration and organization. She researches local needs, locates food and lodging. Our prayer is that our gifts can allow Andy and Nancy to have the time needed to mentor at Freedom Home and to pastors around Moldova.

How does this further our purpose?

This enables teams to help build churches and teach the local Christians different ways to introduce the lost to Christ. What Beth and I do is “prepare the soil”, so to speak, for seeds to be planted. When we are not doing this, we are gathering tools and information to do our job better. We enable mission teams to have solid projects and guidance when they get here so they can get right to the task they are led to do.

 How does well drilling fit into this? It is a practical need. Unsafe drinking water in Moldova is a big problem. Putting in a well requires the equipment to be on location for several weeks. This is a good anchor in which to build relationships with those in the area. Sharing Christ becomes a part of building the relationships. It also provides the much needed fresh drinking water. 

Is God calling you to serve? What can we do to help you get on the field? Perhaps you are serving already by enabling us in the field. It would not be possible for us to be here if it weren’t for our supporters, both prayerfully and financially. To those, we say a big Thank You and may God bless you!

Drinking habits

Feb 14th 2011, 13:01 by The Economist online

Police seldom chase a car for a moving violation. Instead, they stand by the road with their flashlight baton. They point at you and then to the curb. Everyone stops when flagged down. Usually it’s just to check your license and registration and to work you for a bribe. The police do not need a reason to pull you over. They recently have been pulling people over to check tires. You can be fined for nearly any violation and it usually costs you driving points. Bribery is commonplace. The system is strange but it has it’s advantages. Bribes are more close to a tip than a bribe. They are only after a couple of dollars usually.

Police really come down on you hard for doing dangerous things. At crosswalks, people truly have the right of way. People will walk right out in front of a fast moving traffic and know if you don’t stop, you will be liable. People outside of crosswalks appear to be fair game in the law’s eyes.

When an accident occurs, the cars are not to be moved until the police come and take careful measurements of where the cars stopped.

There are few stop signs. At least ones that people actually obey. Mostly yield signs. Street mane signs are on buildings (maybe) instead of on a pole on the corner. Many round-a-bouts here. Traffic signals have a yellow light between the red light to the green sequence. No turning on red allowed. You will see several broken down vehicles on the roadside at any given day. Most people repair their own cars wherever they break.

People will also argue with the police. It often makes a difference who you know as well. Lots of people make phone calls when they get pulled over.

Parking is a complete disaster due to lack of space. People park on sidewalks, often with tail of car sticking out in the street. Police won’t usually bother giving you a parking ticket. Instead they will take your license plates and you have to bribe them to get them back.

Fender benders are quite common but serious accidents do not appear to be frequent. It is very difficult to keep track of who is in your mirrors. Keep concentrating to what is going on in front of you or you will be sorry. Elderly people do not do well driving here. Driving school cars are everywhere and you can bribe your way through to get your license. An American license is valid here. A license plate stays with the car when you sell it. Sometimes you will see license plates on the back of horse drawn carts. These are merely there for high quality, inexpensive safety reflectors.

Remember when you are here, wear your seat belt. It will give them one less reason to pull you over and may keep you alive.

The best part of driving here is it teaches one how to better pray.

Lord, please keep everyone safe. Amen.

Don

The following video is long but it has a lot of driving in it along with other things.

www.harvestingmoldova.org

You can send us a text message
from the States by going to
www.Orange.md,
click on the 1st white envelope
click on the next white envelope
There will be a drop down box
to choose our 37368, then
type in the rest of our number
and your message. This is especially
good with our eight hour time difference
in case of emergencies. We may not
see our e-mails, but we will receive
a beep on our phones that we have a text.

Physical address:
Don and Beth Minikel
Alba-Iulia 194, BLC 28
Moldova-2071 Chisinau

Mailing address:
Don and Beth Minikel
%The Pentecostal Union
Bd. Mircea cel Batrin 4/5
Moldova-2044 Chisinau

To give financially to our ministry in
Moldova: (Thank you)
World Missions
1445 N Boonville Ave.
Springfield, MO 65803
Acct. # 294646-5 in memo of check

As you will notice on this page, the Communist party is contested as the lead party. A year ago April, the Moldovan people voted. It was announced that the Communist party won. Many people didn’t agree with that announcement and protested. They believed there was fraud behind the outcome of the vote. You can read more about the protests at the following links – there are also others if you wish to research and read more. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/world/europe/08moldova.html?_r=1

http://politicom.moldova.org/news/april-2009s-protests-brought-moldova-closer-to-european-union-208001-eng.html

November 2010 – a new election. There is so much we don’t know about the people of Moldova and their history/politics/government. We started reading before we left the States and continue to be interested in learning more now that we are here. Prayerfully, the people will believe that their votes DO count and they will vote in this new election. We pray for the outcome of the vote to be in God’s perfect will. Please join us in covering this dear nation in prayer.

Another great article was just sent to us by Andy – reading it will give you background on Moldova – past and present.

http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20101118_geopolitical_journey_part_4_moldova

Thankful for the ability to vote – Beth :0)

Well drilling with this type of rig is not fast but it will not take nearly as long for future wells. We have been at this since our arrival in August. The location is 45 minutes south and we have only been able to get there about twice a week on average. Through the hands-on learning process, we have had to make custom tools and learned many things NOT to do.

We hit the top of the water table at 43 feet. On 19th of November we finally hit the bottom at 73′ which is made of a bright blue clay at least 6′ thick. Now is time to buy the permanent casing and seal it up properly. Weather is closing in on us fast and we have been blessed with unseasonable weather in the 60′s. The Lord is waiting on us. Amen!