BIBLES IN MOLDOVA __ __________ April 2012

Report

Bibles in Moldova

April 2012

Dear friends, At the end of March an outreach team from OM travelled to the North of Moldova to do a two week outreach. During this time they sold many Bibles and many great testimonies were heard. In this report you will get a small taste of what happened and how people reacted.

“Will you still be here later on? I want to come back and buy a Bible.” This was a frequently asked question. Many people were amazed to see Bibles at such an affordable price and did not want to miss the chance to get their own Bible or even more copies to give to others. One teacher bought a couple of Bibles – both Bibles for adults and Children’s Bibles – so she could give them as gifts at her school. Pastors from surrounding villages came to buy Bibles they could give as a present to new believers. Almost all the Bibles the team had taken with them were sold; some people even asked for an address where they could find them to get more Bibles and the team could bring them in contact with our OM base in Chisinau.

A gift for someone you don’t even know! One lady from the local church came to us and paid for two Bibles, but she didn’t take any with her. Instead she instructed us: “If anybody comes to the bus and you see that he really wants a Bible but truly can’t afford to buy one, even at this reduced price, then give him one as a gift.” A birthday present for Daria. Another woman who entered the bus was well dressed and educated and we found out she was a teacher at the local school. After she had been looking at several books but not seemed to have found anything that caught her interest, I suggested a Bible to her. When she saw one of the Children’s Bibles her eyes lit up: “It is my granddaughter’s birthday today. Please put this Bible aside for me! I need to go back to school but I will send someone with the money to pick it up. Don’t give it to anybody else!” A bit later a lady came to get a Bible, but we did not realize she had been sent by that teacher, so we simply sold her a normal Bible. Later that afternoon we received another visit by the teacher who came to exchange the Bible. She also asked us to write some greeting for her granddaughter Daria inside the cover, so we chose a Bible verse for her and added some birthday wishes. When she finally held this unique Bible in her hands, the lady was really excited. “I am so happy I have found something interesting for Daria!” Not a usual sight! When I was in Drochia at one point I was alone in the bus. Just then a man entered: he was the chief police officer over the whole region. I knew we had the permission to stay in that place, but still I was a bit nervous when he presented himself. Soon I found there was nothing to be afraid

BIBLES IN MOLDOVA __ __________ April 2012

of, on the contrary: He gave me his phone number and assured me: “You are safe here. If anything happens or anybody comes and gives you trouble, just call me and I will come and sort it out!” By that time a brother from church had also arrived at the bus and he decided to pay for a Bible to give to this man. For the next few hours people could see the chief police officer walking around town with a Bible in his hand – not a usual sight!

Distributing Bibles. One lady bought a bigger number of Bibles, all nicely wrapped in their original wrapping. She isn’t even a believer herself, but got enthusiastic about distributing Bibles: “This is a perfect gift! Now wherever I go I will bring a Bible as a present.” A lady is waiting. In one village we parked near a place where buses transporting packages arrive from Italy and other places abroad. So there were always a lot of people around, waiting for some delivery and while they were waiting we invited them to visit the bus. At one point a brother from church came up to me: “There is a lady waiting in her car. She is sick and can’t get out of the car, but she wants a Bible!” So I went outside, taking a Bible along with me. I found a couple sitting in a car, waiting for a transport to arrive. The husband was trying to discourage his wife from buying a Bible, but she was very set upon it. “I want to have my own Bible and this one has nice big writing, I can easily read it. And it is very cheap!” School work is put on hold in order to present the Bible. The children in the village Lozova are having a normal day at school. As the teacher is explaining some lessons, the door opens and the director enters the classroom. Behind him another three men enter. The director asks the children: “Do you know these people?” In one voice the children reply, “Yes; these are the people who gave us winter clothes, Christmas presents, food parcels and wood.” “Well, today they brought all of you the most important book on earth: the Bible. You will all receive a Bible and I encourage you to read the Bible because in this book you will be able to find all the knowledge you need” the director explains. After the Bibles have been handed out, the children are proud and most happy to have some pictures taken, while they are holding their personal Bible in their hands.

Ianos Munteanu Literature Project Coordinator - OM Moldova

Email: ianos.munteanu@om.org If you wish to support the Literature project,

Please contact your local OM office and make a note on your donation “Literature in Moldova."