My wife Pat and I (Joe) had the privilege of visiting our program
in Moldova this past spring. It was a fascinating trip. Our
missionary liaisons, Ghiorghi and Cristiana Cazacu took us
from northern Moldova to the southern border of the
country. It is a beautiful country with rolling hills and rich
farmland. Along the way we visited several of the families
with existing FARMS projects and other families that need
our assistance.
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| A Baptist pastor gathering feed for his goats |
Moldova and Albania rank together as the poorest countries in Europe. Life in Moldova is extremely difficult, and signs of poverty are abundant. It is a common sight to see rows of men and women cultivating large fields with hand hoes; reminiscent of farming in America over a century ago! Good jobs are nearly non-existent, forcing many of the young and educated to leave the country. The costs of basic necessities are high and fuel is extremely costly. Horse drawn carts are a common sight. The average wage of a schoolteacher is about $100 a month! Couple this with winter heating costs of $300 a month, one wonders how people survive.
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| A widow who shared her strawberries with us |
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| Pat Richter at a well in Moldova |
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| Radu and Gheorghe Tardea, Ghiorghi, and Joe Richter in their
green house for tomatoes. Plants were grown in bags
and buckets due to a disease in the soil. Greenhouses
extend the growing season and the crops command a
greater price, increasing their profits. |
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Pat, Cristina, Mr. & Mrs. Ion Leca, and Ghiorghi in
front of their
homemade greenhouse. This couple has
a children’s ministry. |
When we asked families how they cope, the common answer was that one
could not depend on just their wages for all their needs, other sources of
income were needed. They shared that some families have relatives out of
the country that send some money home as they can, others take side jobs
to make ends meet. Otherwise, everyone seems to have a garden in their
yard and some animals. Fruits and vegetables are canned out of necessity.
Very little land, even around their
homes, is wasted. Pruned grape
vines were saved for firewood. We
saw strawberries growing under
the grape arbors, and each home
had several kinds of fruit trees.
Many have turned to agriculture as
a source of income, even though
this means long hours of hard labor.
The elderly are especially destitute,
depending on children and relatives to meet their needs.
Most pastors we met were also farmers, because tithing in the churches is
minimal. Our hope and trust is to see the FARMS program helping many
families to prosper enabling them to give generously to their churches. We
believe this will be an example to others that the church in Moldova can
prosper and be self-supported through the generosity of their members.
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| Christina, Ghiorghi, Pat and
Tamara Bucur. Tamara works
with Operation Mobilization
and has been sent as a
missionary to her home village.
She has been instrumental in
evangelizing many and a new
church has been planted in her
village. Tamara is on the
FARMS loan committee. We
are in front of her greenhouse.
She grows specialty crops of
high value, like red and yellow
peppers for a local pizzeria to
support her ministry.
|
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| Ion with his honey bees |
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| An example of the donated greenhouses |
Special Update: Through the generosity of a Christian
businessman in Michigan, 18 greenhouses, sized 26 x 48 feet, are in
the process of being donated to our program in Moldova. The donor
would like to see a matching fund challenge for the cost of shipping.
These funds would be used to provide loans to those receiving the
greenhouses. This is a great opportunity really to impact many
families with a very profitable enterprise. Please be in prayer as we
work out the logistics of shipping a container of these beautiful
greenhouses to Moldova. Interested? Contact us for more details.
- FARMS Executive Director Joe Richter
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