Andy and Nancy Raatz are missionaries to Moldova.
We have three daughters, Elissa, Natalie, and Lauren. After pastoring for nearly 13 years, we clearly sensed God’s direction to serve in missions, specifically to Moldova, finally arriving in Moldova in spring 2003.
Below is just a short newsletter that describes the life of a missionary!
Missions means that we now live in a strange neighborhood. I can hum Mr. Rogers’ theme song, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” all day long. You still won’t be living next door to me. And it is still quite difficult to build deep relationships here since I am still unable to speak the heart language of Moldovans. We are making friends here, but it takes time. And we do have wonderful friendships with other missionaries, from all denominations.
But don’t take this e-letter as a poor-me story. I am not asking for pity or compassion. I write this letter to say how blessed we are! We have friends around this world…fantastic friends, both new and renewed.
Some have blessed us with communication. There have been wonderful Christmas cards and letters, scores of encouraging e-mails. And when the phone lines are acting nice, we can even chat on the phone! I once received a phone call from a new friend from England, just to tell us he was praying for us! Whether paper, electronic, or voice, it is nice to hear from friends, whether old or new, young or old.
