February 17, 2005

Mission Trip to Moldova

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my church's mission trips to Moldova (I recommend that everyone read that post) and had mentioned that I was considering going to Moldova in July. I would like to tell everyone that I have made the decision to go.

Moldova is the poorest country in Europe (see map here), and much of their culture is still suffering from being under Soviet rule. On this trip, we will be working with one of the orphanages near the capital city of Chisinau. We will be taking supplies (clothing, socks, school supplies, etc etc), working directly with these kids, and sharing God's love with them.

It's a sad state there with the orphans in Moldova. Once a child turns 18, they must leave their orphanages and fend for themselves. Within a couple of years of leaving the orphanage, the stats for these children are shocking:

7 out of 10 of the girls will be trafficked into prostitution.
7 out of 10 of the boys will end up in prison.
1 out of 10 overall will commit suicide.

Work is being done to provide hope for these children. Not only that, but help is also being provided in giving these children skills to use and places to live after they leave the orphanages.

I've never really been on a mission trip before. I guess that it's a matter of moving outside of my comfort zone here in Tennessee and going outside of it to help others in need. Which is something that I stress churches should do a lot more.

So, I, along with others from my church will be heading over there in July. Two teams will be going each for 10 days. However, it's going to cost. Each person will have to pay $1,750. This is where I would like to ask for your help.

I would be extremely grateful to anyone who would like to donate funds that would allow me to go on this trip. In fact, I've already had a couple of people express interest in doing so. If you feel led to as well, you can give in a few ways. In the Donate section on the left side of this page, you will see two buttons. One for Amazon and the other for PayPal. Amazon donations can be made anonymously, but some people may prefer PayPal. Just be sure to comment that the donation is for my "Trip to Moldova." If you'd rather send a check, you can simply email me, and I'll provide you with a mailing address. Even if it's just a few dollars...every little bit helps. If, by any chance, that I receive more than the amount I must pay, I'll donate the extra to someone else going on the trip.

I will also be blogging this trip. I believe that I will be able to get some internet access there, and hopefully I'll be able to get some pictures up to go along with it.

After the blogger meetup the other day, Bill Hobbs and I were discussing how the internet has changed so many things. As an example, he mentioned that years ago, when a church would hear from a missionary, they would receive a letter that was probably six months old. Now, you can have video shot that very day sent to a church over the internet, and progress on that church's mission work can be shown instantaneously. I won't be sending video, but I will do my best to provide updates to my readers.

Speaking of which, be sure to catch Jake's mission updates (another one should be coming later today). The conversation with Hobbs gave me the idea to start posting those. I hope that everyone enjoys reading them.

Comments:

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Blake - put me down for $150 and tell me where to send and and the deadline you need it by.

Posted by: Bill Hobbs at February 17, 2005 02:36 PM