Moldova (MNN) — Europe’s poorest country faces a few Goliath-size problems.
Officials from the United States and Ukraine say Moldova could be Russia’s next target. Additionally, in two months, the “war next door” has sent hundreds of thousands of refugees into or through Moldova – a country roughly the size of Maryland.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, a Gospel worker told FARMS International:
“I can see some panic here in Moldova; chaos at the markets where people are going out and buying food, but so far, we are well. I may have to get some reserves for the house and the elderly people we feed. Please pray that God will keep us safe and protect us.”
In the weeks since, Western nations have rallied to support Moldova as it welcomed a flood of refugees from Ukraine. The European Union recently set up a humanitarian warehouse in the capital city.
Even though it’s Europe’s poorest country, Moldova cares for the most Ukraine refugees per capita. “They are already a people in poverty; people who are oppressed,” FARMS International’s Tim Landis says.
“With the Ukrainian crisis, the need’s even greater.”
A photo of a FARMS family member in Moldova.
(Photo, caption courtesy of FARMS International)
Resources were already scarce, and now there are more mouths to feed. Tamara, FARMS’ primary contact in Moldova, recently wrote:
“We are hosting more than 20 adults and kids (from Ukraine at the moment; we have a mom with two kids living with us since the war started. Also, we (Moldovan believers) are visiting people around our village hosting Ukrainians. We have so many requests (for help), but we do our best with the small [amount of resources] we have.
“It is not easy for us Moldovans. Because of the situation in Ukraine, our economy is down, and everything gets so expensive here.
“Please pray for us; that God will provide for us, and we will be able to provide for others. Thank you for praying for me and the ministry I am doing here. This means a lot because I am full-time in ministry. Every day, I live by faith, praying for God’s grace and help in all I am doing.”
You can help Tamara through FARMS International. Click here to give securely online, and in the “Notes” section, write “Moldova relief.”
“If God’s pressing on your heart to pray for the people there and give, don’t delay. There’s a great need for both,” Landis says.
FARMS’ microcredit program helps believers work their way out of poverty and support the local church. “We’ve created and built greenhouses to help them cultivate farming. [Tamara] has an orphanage, and she helps feed elderly people in need and struggling,” Landis says.
“Tamara is a native Moldovan, and she is a missionary to her own country; she labors greatly for her people.”
Learn more about FARMS’ work in Moldova.
Header image depicts a center for Ukrainian refugees set up in the “Manej” athletics center of Chișinău, Moldova. Refugees began arriving in Moldova in early March. (Wikimedia Commons)
