In 2001 Georgia Baptists forged a new missions partnership with Moldova, once a part of the Soviet Union. The Republic of Moldova is strategically located at the crossroads between Central, Southeast and Eastern Europe. It borders Romania in the west and Ukraine in the east and south. Moldova occupies a territory of 13,000 square miles (about one-half the size of South Carolina) and has a population of nearly 4.5 million people.

Georgia Baptist Executive Director J. Robert White, along with Mike Gravette, specialist in GBC Missions Volunteer Ministries, and Allen Hill, specialist in Cooperative Program, Stewardship and State Missions Development, traveled to Moldova on November 17th to minister to the pastors and people of the former Communist-ruled country.

Georgia Baptists provided the funds for almost 100 Moldovan Baptist pastors to have a three-day spiritual retreat at a hotel in the capitol city of Chisinau. Most of the pastors brought their wives and expressed great gratitude for the time of refreshing, which the retreat afforded.

White taught his book, Healthy Kingdom Churches, in five different sessions and rejoiced at the tremendous response of the attendees to the principles highlighted in the book. The pastors listened as White's presentation was interpreted in two different languages. One college student stood next to White to translate his message into the Russian language; and another translated his words into the Romanian language by means of an audio system, which included headsets for those in attendance who identified with that language.

White stated, "Mike Gravette did five sessions on the priority of preaching and expository preaching. It was wonderful and very well received by the pastors." Both men also had an opportunity to teach pastors at the Moldovan Baptist Seminary in Chisinau. White also preached at the seminary chapel.

Allen Hill was in another meeting providing valuable information to the leaders of the Moldovan Baptist Federation about establishing a Cooperative Program model for giving in order provide financial support for their missions and ministries.

The Executive Director then added, "I was inspired to see how hungry the pastors were to hear what we had to say. They did not leave. They stayed to hear what was said in every session of the retreat. They took notes and soaked it up like a sponge."

White remarked, "We stayed at a hotel with all the Moldovan pastors, but while it was accommodating by their standards, it was not comparable to our American hotels. There was a very poor heating system and the showers were extremely ineffective. The water was mostly cold and sometimes the stream of water was reduced to a drip at a time."

"But the people were wonderful," White said. "The Moldovan people were warm and welcoming. They would invite us into their homes for a snack, but it was more like a four-course meal. The gave us the very best they had."

White returned just in time to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with his family and remarked, "God really dealt with me in Moldova. If Americans understood how remarkably blessed we are, we'd give thanks every day of the year."

While in Eastern Europe, White met with David Crutchfield, the team leader of the IMB missionaries in Moldova, and participated in a commissioning service for a young couple, whose names must be withheld for security reasons. White described them as a handsome, well-educated young couple, which will be going to another country in an effort to reach Muslims for Christ. The commissioning service was significant because of the couple's thrilling testimony and because they are the first international missionaries commissioned by the Moldovan Baptist Federation.

The churches were open to White, who preached to an overflow crowd on Saturday night in a church south of Chisinau. The people came early to the church and eagerly awaited the arrival of the preacher from America. White said with emotion, "At the invitation, a man in his 40's gave his life to Christ. He had apparently been quite a reprobate and the entire church had been praying for him. There was much weeping as the man confessed to the congregation that he had been a great sinner, but that Christ had come into his heart."

White said, "We left the church south of Chisinau late on Saturday night and had to travel across a mountainous terrain on a road that was rather treacherous. Furthermore, the fog was more dense than anyone could imagine. The headlights on our car could not penetrate the density of the fog. I was afraid I would die on that highway. It was about 10:30 pm there and 3:30 pm in Atlanta. All I could think of was Janice, my wife. I prayed that somehow the Holy Spirit would alert her to intercede for me in that frightening situation."

The next morning, after a very brief night of rest, White preached in a church north of Chisinau. White recalled, "We left the hotel at 7 a.m. to get to the church north of the city. I preached and also participated in the ordination of a new deacon. We had a full dinner at the church. Then the pastor took me to an orphanage, which the church had started. They were caring for about twenty children and were in the process of building a dining hall to accommodate even more children."

On Sunday evening, White preached in Jesus the Savior Church, where 1,100 had gathered for worship. There were 100 teenage Moldovans that comprised the youth choir that sang that night. Jon Duncan, specialist in Music and Worship for the GBC and who was visiting the country to make advance preparations for the Sons of Jubal to minister in Moldova in the spring, sang, "How Great Thou Art." The congregation joined Duncan in singing the chorus of the last verse and White declared, "They lifted the roof with their singing."

After White's sermon, a teenage girl came forward to receive Christ. According to custom in most Moldovan Baptist Churches, the girl was given the microphone in order to make her public profession of faith. Amidst many tears she cried, "Jesus has come into my heart."

White surmised, "There are 1,000 villages in Moldova without an evangelical church, but wherever the Gospel is preached, people are saved. That is why we encourage missions involvement. That is why we have missions offerings. That is why we encourage people to give to the Cooperative Program.

Relative to all of the needs in this wonderful country, Michael Gravette plaintively pleads with Georgia Baptists, "We need to have at least 100 more churches involved in the Moldovan partnership. There are many churches that need to be planted and multitudes of people who need to be saved."