April 23, 2025

A message from @DaGhostOfRichie aka @soyouknowwme via @MushKat

Thank you to all for taking the time to read this. Because of your support last year, our Mission Team was able to return to the Republic of Moldova and spread the word of God via a Youth Bible Camp in the city of Telenesti, and also, for the first time, hold an English-learning camp for the children in Leuseni (a town about 15km from Telenesti).

After arriving in Telenesti, the members of the Mission Team and Telenesti’s Betel Baptist Church made arrangements for the 3-day camp in Leuseni as well as the Youth Bible camp to be held at Betel Baptist Church. The camp in Leuseni was a huge success. I was told to keep my expectations low because there wouldn’t be many, if any, children from the village who would attend the camp. This, despite the fact that there has been a Baptist church in the village for over 15 years (sadly, it has struggled to gain parishioners, in addition to having a high turnover rate with pastors).

But our God is truly amazing. Every day of the 3-day camp (Monday-Wednesday), we had 40-50 children come to learn English, but more importantly, they learned about our loving God and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There had not been an English camp, nor any other kind of camp, in this village before and the children were eager and excited to attend ours each day. There were activities planned for the children: learning Vacation Bible School songs, arts/crafts, game/sports, English lessons, snacks/lunch, and devotion time. Each day of the camp ended with chapel time, where we taught the children about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each day ending also included a personal testimony from the Mission Team and some of the other teachers. It was crucial for these children to see how God has made an impact on and changed our lives for the better, and hopefully allow them to grow in their own faith.

The new preacher of the church, Pastor Pavel, and his wife were very happy with the camp’s turnout and success. Since the camp’s conclusion, the church has about 15 new children attending church each Sunday. Many of the children said this was the first camp they had ever attended, and cried when the camp was over, begging us to come back again.

When the Leuseni children’s camp ended, we turned our focus to the Youth of Telenesti. The Bible study camp was 3 evenings/nights (Thursday-Saturday). These same youth assisted with the Leuseni camp, and even though they were exhausted from helping out at the other camp, they were eager to have some fun with their fellow Youth. Each evening there were discussions about the Bible, how it teaches them to be different from the world’s expectations of society today. After Bible study, they had the opportunity to play games/activities (like a scavenger hunt), and the night ended with them helping to prepare a meal for themselves before walking home.

I have been in monthly contact since last July with Jana and Pastor Pavel. Prayerfully, I believe it is God’s will for me to return this year to do the same two camps in Leuseni and at Betel Baptist Church in Telenesti. We expect there to be great attendance as there has been every year previously.

Now that we’ve discussed the “what” and “why”, let’s get to the “how” and “when” of this fundraiser. There are many “Steps of Faith” we must undertake in preparation for this trip. The first and probably one of the hardest for the Mission Team is writing this letter to ask for your help.

There are three ways that you can be a part of our Mission Team, and what God will do in Moldova and consequently in all our lives:

1) Share this letter with your friends, family and other church members, and don’t forget to include the link to this fundraiser (link inserted here).

2) Pray daily for the Mission Team’s success for the kingdom. Specifically, pray for the team’s safety, and our mission work as we travel through the country, that we might be able to share the Gospel with as many people as we can.

3) Prayerfully consider supporting the Mission Team financially in any amount that God may lay on your heart. The total cost for this trip is $4,800.00 (airfare is $2,300.00, lodging at foster home $150, translator $250, transportation $550, $1,350 supplies (food, drinks, paper goods, materials for crafts, donation to the church to help pay their electricity bill that will increase from use of sound equipment) for the camps and $125 for GiveSendGo fundraising fees.

If it is the Lord’s will, we will leave on June 18, 2025, and return July 3, 2025. Our current plan is to assist in the English Camp, prayer walking around the city of Telenesti, and visiting some of the homes of the children that visit the English camp.

Whatever you believe you are led to do, whether in prayer and/or financial support, we thank you for considering both. If you are helping us financially, please see the above link to our GiveSendGo fundraiser. You can also give online at www.laurelbaptist.org (use the “Give” tab on the upper right of the homepage, then select the tab for Mission Fund and write “Moldova Missions” in Comments/Notes section. All gifts are tax deductible.

Prayer suggestion:

 “Show me the right path, O LORD: point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.” Psalm 25:4-5

Blessings to you,

@DaGhostOfRichie aka @soyouknowwme