Have I got a deal for you! I can offer you a Moldovan vacuum cleaner for only $3! It works anywhere in the world, regardless of power source. It doesn’t require batteries. You’ll never change a dirty vacuum bag. And best of all, it has a lifetime guarantee.

It is a stick.

It is not technically a stick, but more like a gigantic, metal flyswatter. Moldovans don’t clean their carpets inside the house. They take the rugs outside. The rugs are thrown over large iron bars where they are beaten! BOOM! BOOM!

Initially, I thought the “rug racks” were Moldova jungle gyms. When I first heard that resounding BOOM, I thought someone was shooting a gun, kids were shooting off fireworks, or we were in the midst of a large, cloud-free thunderstorm!

Other countries have exotic sounds of culture. On some mission fields, you can hear the Muslim call to prayer. In other countries, missionaries listen to the hyenas laughing outside of the village or a Buddhist temple resounding with the chants of monks.

In Moldova, we hear rugs being cleaned.

People are busiest after a fresh snow. With a fresh snowfall, everyone drags their rugs out and drags them through the white blanket, using the dry powder to scrub their carpets. Then they hang them up and beat the snow and dirt off the rug.

I love that sound…especially at 10 pm when I trying to sleep!

It is also a vivid illustration of the spiritual life of Moldova. People desperately try to “beat” their lives clean. When Easter arrives, people will flock to their Orthodox church, give some money, kiss an icon, and cross themselves over and over. They baptize their babies, give alms to the poor, and hang icons all around their homes. All in an attempt to get clean.

People want to be clean. They want to be free from guilt and sin. They want to find everlasting peace. And they keep beating themselves in an attempt to get clean.

Most of the world doesn’t know that Jesus offers cleansing. He will make our lives as white as snow, free from the stains sin has left behind. He offers us freedom from the residue of guilt. And He is the only one who can clean us to the depths of our soul

So as you vacuum your floors this week, remember to pray for Moldova. Pray that people will look toward the source of cleansing-Jesus. Pray they will submit their lives to One who can truly clean and provide them purity. Pray that the meet Jesus.

Listening to the sounds of Moldova,

Andy Raatz