As you may or may not know, Word Made Flesh is moving to Moldova. I realize that many people do not know the story of the birth of this new community, so I thought that it would be of interest to share it here.
I moved to Moldova exactly three years ago, in September 2006, in order to teach English at a state-run boarding school in Chisinau, the capital city. I was sent and employed by another organization to be in Moldova for one year. After that, I thought, I would return to the US and go to seminary.
God, however, had other plans for me that I began to understand as I entered more deeply into relationship with the students in my English class. I met two brothers whose father had died and whose mother was away working in Moscow. I met other children whose mother was struggling with a serious illness and could not afford to support them. I met countless children who had stories of severe abuse and neglect. God was showing me the places of brokenness in his heart.
During this time, I visited the existing WMF community in Galati, Romania, situated not far from the Moldovan border. I felt a deep connection with the methodology I saw present there and was intrigued by the model of ministry in community. Later, several Romanian staffers came to Moldova for a visit and asked me if I was interested in doing a servant team once my time in Moldova was over. No, I told them. I was already enrolled in seminary.
Time passed, however, and I continued to spend time with my English students. I got to know one teenage boy especially well, and through my relationship with him, I heard God speak. This boy often wept for his mother, a beautiful woman who struggles with alcoholism and who was caught in a situation of severe domestic violence. There were times in which he would cry out, wondering why these things were happening to his family. I would listen to him, overwhelmed by the suffering and often lying awake at night not knowing what to do. I became hopeless, drowning in what seemed like an impenetrable darkness. This young man, on the other hand, never stopped hoping and never stopped loving, gradually helping me to find the courage to believe as well. He was never slow in pointing out the places where he saw Love alive.
And so I met the crucified Jesus there in the midst of pain, suffering along with the poor and the oppressed. But I also met the resurrected Jesus in the hope of my friend. His hope was in Love and in a place where all things are made new.
Thus I began to reconsider my decision to go to seminary as I felt Jesus calling me into service among the most vulnerable of the poor. I didn’t know what this meant, but I knew that I couldn’t ignore his presence among the suffering. I needed to know and love him in those places. So, in the fall of 2007, I moved to Galati, Romania and completed a 4-month internship with WMF. Afterwards, I applied for staff and began serving full-time in May of 2008.
During this time, the brokenness I encountered in Moldova never left my mind. I knew that God was calling me to return there. So, I began seriously exploring the possibility of what it would look like for WMF to expand into Moldova. Over the past year, I have taken countless exploratory trips to Moldova in which we have met with all sorts of organizations serving among the marginalized. We have asked the question of whether or not there is a place for WMF in Moldova and have asked God where he is present and where we can meet with him.
Also, we have been building a team of people who will be the first members of the youngest WMF community. We come from Romania, Moldova and the US and are all ready to serve Jesus among the poor in Moldova. We will begin our activity in January 2010 through volunteer work with different organizations that offer services to children as we continue to pray about the exact direction we are to take in our ministry.
Please pray for us as we prepare to begin this work in January. Ask that God would be merciful to us in this time of transition as we grieve losses and anticipate what is to come.
Pray for our relationships as a team, that we would learn to care for each other well and that we would experience depth in our community.
Pray for those who are suffering in Moldova, that they might sense the presence of hope and love in the midst of darkness.
i intentionally checked the wmf website today as i wanted to see if you posted something new. the time i spent at the drop in center yesterday was amazing and i specifically wanted to thank you for your heart for Jesus and for the kids in Galati. the way you guided the “solitude time(right word?)” was exactly what i needed yesterday, so thank you! (also…how in the world can you speak romanian so perfectly???)
i am excited for you and for the new ministry in Moldova. i pray that you continue to share your heart and gifts with both staff and kinds here and i can’t wait to read the stories you will tell about God’s heart in Moldova.
[...] Anyway, my friend Annie Keith, has accepted a position with Word Made Flesh and will be serving for three years in Moldova. She will be leaving early in 2010. Since I am so up on the latest, I follow Word Made Flesh on Twitter and found this link on one of their tweets. It will give you a little insight into the work this organization does. Annie is one of the team members referenced in John’s article about Moldova. Word Made Flesh [...]