Moldavia

Quick, tell me three things you know about Moldavia. Outside the fact that it is part of the former USSR, do you know anything else? I confess I didn’t, but as of yesterday I can tell you a lot of things about the country. I even have a new friend from there! She is the President of the Women’s Department and lives in the capital of Moldavia.
It was a wonderful yesterday to meet and get to know both our missionary in Romania, and the Moldavian women’s leader. I suppose as you look at the photo you can figure out which one is which! She is here in Brazil to learn more about women’s work and visited our church to see our work with children and women.
It was so exciting to learn about life and work in Moldavia. I had no idea how hard life was there, in perhaps the poorest country in Europe. As I also had no idea how hard it is to be a woman there, at least by our standards. For instance, it was not possible for our missionary to invite her to study in Brazil. She had to speak to the man who leads the Baptists, who then communicated the invitation to her.
I was amazed at how well she has adapted in Brazilian culture, in just one week. She will only be here for 2 weeks, and most people wouldn’t bother. She is so soft spoken (as befits her culture) and quiet and retiring, and yet she hugged and kissed and didn’t flinch at the loud and simultaneous conversations taking place. She also commented that in Moldavia the women (I think she was referring to Christians) did not wear makeup or jewelry and revealing clothes, and at church wore a head covering.
I was most touched by her sharing about the suffering of her people. She comes from a Baptist family that has suffered generations of persecution.  I was struck by how easy life has been for us. I was convicted at how I have not held up my sisters who suffer in prayer.
It was a wonderful night for me and I was blessed. I was truly greeted by one of the saints in Christ Jesus.