That strange order was repeated countless times last week in our city of Chisinau.  The news was reporting that our water would be off for four days, and no one knew when it would happen.  Due to the extreme flooding, bridges were covered, houses were destroyed, and lives were lost.  Authorities expected the city water pumping station to be out of commission for a while.

So all the bathtubs were filled at the ministry center.  We sent the kids to take showers.  We stored drinkable water in the refrigerator.

And nothing happened.  They were able to keep the water coming to the city, so life continued for us (though not for the thousands now displaced from their homes.)

I began thinking about how we react when there is a sense of urgency.  We don’t hesitate, but we do it NOW.  We don’t procrastinate, but we are motivated.  We don’t sit around and ask clarifying questions.  We just MOVE.

If a tornado siren blows, we rush to the basement.
If a hurricane is approaching, we board up windows and leave town.
If a snowstorm is howling, we lock the doors, stay home, and start a fire!

Yet I often wonder if I live my Christian faith with that same urgency, an eternal compulsion?  Do I live each moment knowing that “no man knows the hour” of the end of his life?  Do I minister knowing I might never see this person again?

What if we had some warning that Christ was returning one year from today?  What if we knew we had six months to live?

Who would you call to tell that you loved them?
With whom would you reconcile?
With whom would you share about Christ’s forgiveness?
What would you remove from your life?  Add to you life?
What would you do with your money or your time?
How would you like God to examine your spending habits?

If you knew the flood was coming, how would you prepare?

Lord, give me a sense of urgency for today!  Help me to not wait until tomorrow to share about you, but to act today.  Help me not to live with grudges or unforgiveness, but to clear the slate with both you and those around me.  Help me to build Your Church more than my kingdom.  Help to look at the fields that are ripe….and act.

Staying dry in Moldova,
Andy Raatz

To be technically accurate, life stunk. Our septic tank backed up about 2 weeks ago, and we were left with an interesting dilemma.  No one knew where the tank was located.

A previous owner had placed a tank in the backyard together with an elaborate drainage system.  No one had ever needed to pump out the tank and there was no access hole for emptying.  Obviously, something needed to be done!

We dug a few random test holes.  No luck.  We poked and explored—nothing but mucky arms to show for that effort.  Desperation forced me to search online for the name of a man I had never met, unsure if I knew how to spell his name.  Miracle of miracles—the second call was a bonanza!  I reached his elderly mother and we soon found the tank.

It is amazing the smelly stuff that can be buried out in the yard.  It is only when something happens that you are forced to dig it up.

It is amazing the smelly junk that is still buried in my life.  It is only when something happens that I am forced to dig it up.

I have discovered a cesspool of self-reliance buried in my life.  Missions forced me back to a stage of weakness, revealing how much more I relied on my own abilities than on God’s strength.

I have been forced to dig up a pit of cultural pride.  I grew up thinking that my culture was the right culture, and that we had a corner on theology and church.

Anger has been dug up every time someone passes me driving down a sidewalk, an official asks for “just one more document,” or one more person shoves in front of me in line.  God has been in the business of digging up lots of cesspools in my life, trying to make me in His image.  I, on the other hand, prefer to keep them buried.

My human nature is satisfied with self-centeredness, self-gain and self-appearance.  I don’t enjoy digging through the top layer to deal with buried garbage!  But whether I want to or not, I need to deal with the problems.

I am used to many odors in Moldova—squatty potties, garlicky body odors, rotting garbage and who-knows-what from over my neighbor’s fence!  I want God to clean my life so I may be a fragrance of life to each person I meet.

2 Cor. 2:14-16  But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.

Smelling better in Moldova,
Andy Raatz

PS:  Thanks again for your partnership in the work in Moldova.  You are investing in a country that needs the Church to bring transformation.  Our vision is simple–to see the Church bring life-changing transformation to each village and city, each neighborhood and apartment.  We want to see our country changed by God’s mercy and grace.

Then something woke me up.

I thought it was the neighbor chopping wood in his backyard.  I stumbled to the window, pressed my face to the glass and attempted to spot his cursed endeavors. As my eyes slowly focused, I found myself face to face with a 2-inch sparrow.

That tiny bird was my perceived lumberjack.  He was perched on the windowsill, pecking at his impressive reflection.  He was prepared to show the “other sparrow” who was boss, and if it took 1,000,000 pecks, he was going to show him!

Stupid bird.

The five a.m. lumberjack routine continued for four tortuous days, at which I was now making plans to exterminate the infidel.  Since the window was on the thrid floor, my assassination plans were a little more complicated, but I figured that my tennis racket duct-taped to a twelve-foot pole would just about do the trick.

As I reached the day of decision, my little friend must have reached the 1,000,000-peck threshold and he departed, never to peck again!  My vengeance was not assuaged, but at least I could sleep!

I am amazed at the impact of his tiny almost-imperceptible taps.  I wanted to ignore him, pretend he didn’t exist.  I tried to shoo him away, banging on the window to make him stop.  But his little taps would wake me up, over and over again.

I wonder how many times God has been tapping at my window, trying to wake me up to the world around.  How many times have I tried to shoo Him away, just wanted to sleep through it all, to go on living my “nice Christian life?”

I wonder if God was tapping for the eight month journey for our living permits, trying to say, “Andy, you need to learn patience and trust.”
I wonder if God was speaking through lonely kids like Tanya, trying to shake me up and say, “Who is going to reach these kids?”
I wonder if God is tapping me with every bone-jarring pothole, shaking loose my wallet to give, shaking loose my spirit to pray, and shaking loose my limited vision to expand to His expanding vision of a transformed Moldova.

“Lord, help me to not drown out Your still, small voice in order to retain my comfort.  Help me to cut loose from my personal agenda, my self-centeredness, and my complacency.

“Keep tapping on my life.  And help me to hear.”

Awake in Moldova,
Andy Raatz

PS:  The Home of Hope is almost ready to open!  We are working feverishly finishing the construction, training workers, and getting the pieces together to give life-changing ministry to victims of trafficking.  We are out of money, but not out of vision.  We are almost out of time, but not out of eternal perspective.  We are at the end of ourselves, but with less of us there is more room for God.  Thanks for praying, giving, and supporting.  Please continue.

I am soooooooo sick of that word.

We are back in Moldova finally, but during our last two months in the US, I must have said “Goodbye, see you in 2011” approximately 1,329 times (but who’s counting). We had a farewell dinner with the church and goodbye lunches with family and friends. With all the Last Suppers, I wasn’t sure if we were heading toward crucifixion or to Moldova!

I was so glad to get back to Moldova just so I could quit saying goodbye. It was draining to hug people one last time, knowing that some we would not see again. Some people will have changed tremendously, and when we return, we will have missed huge chapters of their lives, from weddings to babies; graduations to funerals.

Our grueling farewell tour was emotionally exhausting. It also gave me some insights on how people handle goodbyes.

Some people simply ignore you, skipping the farewells and simply fading away.
Some people smile and slap you on the back, acting as if four years is nothing.
Others cry buckets of tears, jumpstarting the gushing tear pumps of my four girls!

Through the farewell tour, I have realized how difficult separation can be. As a human being, I do not exist as an isolated entity, but as a network of threads, connecting myself to scores of other people. My family threads are multi-stranded, strong and unbreakable. Newer friendships might exist as a single strand, yet a separation stretch still occurs.

As we left America, my connections in the U.S. were stretched as the distance grew. A few of those strands might break, while the stronger relationships will just stretch with the miles. With our return to Moldova, our relationships here immediately refreshed as we were able to say hello. Last Sunday’s service was so fun as we saw our church friends again, even with a headache after three hours of Russian and Romanian!

Life is about relationships, and my lifelong ministry will always be about introducing my friends to the ultimate Friend. Jesus showed us his heart by living out his words, “Greater love has no one than this, than he lay down his life for his friends.”

Jesus did not just die for the world. He died for his friends.

I pray that you may start this day with a new appreciation of your friends and family. Call them, email them, and write them notes of appreciation, enjoying each moment with them. And may you know the joy of God’s grace and mercy. For when we experience His love, we realize that nothing can separate us from that Friend. Go make a friend!

Your long-distance friend,
Andy Raatz

PS: I know that the separation from friends and family outside of Moldova is sometimes difficult, but it is for the purpose of introducing new Moldovan friends to a new relationship, Jesus Christ. I want to hear them say “hello” to a new friend, Jesus Christ.

That word? “My.”

I don’t even know when that word crept into my missions vocabulary. It wasn’t always there, but its addition makes for meaningful change.

For when I now talk about Moldova, I ask people to pray for MY country.
When I share of the vision for church planting, I refer to Moldova as MY nation.
I want to be in MY country long enough to see it change.

I used to refer to Moldova as THAT country, as if it was distant and I was a foreigner and visitor. We were called to minister in Moldova, and we wanted to see THAT country impacted by the gospel of Jesus Christ. We cared about Moldova, but as THAT country.

But there is a world of difference with those words—MY (and OUR) and THAT.

As we have itinerated, I have shared about the needs in MY country. Moldovan girls who have been trafficked are OUR girls, OUR friends, OUR people. The needy children in the villages are OUR kids, the youth are OUR youth and the pastors are OUR friends. The problems in Moldova are OUR problems, needs that the Church seeks to change.

I am proud of MY country—and I want to see it change. I want to see God transform MY country, where each village has a church bringing hope to the community. I want to see MY nation’s children crowding the churches, finding hope for a future.

As long as Moldova is MY country, I will labor with blood, sweat and tears. If it becomes THAT country, my hands may be involved but my heart will never be.

As long as the problems in your community are THEIR problems, change will never come. If you talk about THAT bad side of town or THOSE troubled youth, your heart will never commit to reach them. If THOSE people designate either the opposite political party or the opposite side of the church sanctuary, neither peace nor civility will ever be found.

I pray that we may find our hearts fully committed to the needs in this world. May we see our nation’s problems as OUR problems, whether injustice, hunger or sin. May we see the needy as OUR brothers and sisters, whether black, brown or white. May we see the church as OUR family, no matter the music, style or appearance.

May our hearts be committed, not just our hands.

Praying for change in MY country—Moldova,
Andy Raatz

PS: We return home to Moldova in about 6 weeks. Thanks to all who have pledged support, committed prayers, or housed and fed traveling missionaries. You have blessed us this year as you have cared about OUR country. As we approach this crunch time of transition, we simply ask for:

Prayer—if you understand the unique pressure of international relocation, you realize the need for prayer.
Support—if you haven’t mailed in a pledge form, now is the time to do it! If you want to help with Home of Hope, Teen Challenge or church plant, now is the time to give!
Patience—if we don’t write back as quick as usual. “The Son of Man has no place to lay down his head” has a new meaning.

But for myself, I am praying for healing.

Since arriving in the US, I have had numerous fevers and fleeting bouts of illnesses. I have often fallen ill with the I-really-need-that fever, usually in a tech store. I have experienced the pangs of the everybody-else-has-one flu. Sometimes I can feel it deep in my heart, the throbbing pain of why-can°¶t-I-have-that, and the corresponding realization that my desired cure (to have it) will never come!

These illnesses have hit me in small ways, while looking at a 20-inch IMac computer, Macbook laptop, or a video IPod. I have fallen ill while wishing for the money to go Dall sheep or caribou hunting. I was sick with the fever while dreaming for a 3000-acre ranch in Montana and a matching luxurious log home, wondering why I couldn°¶t have one!

I have always faced small bouts of these sicknesses, even as a child. Paging through a Sears toy catalog probably infected me when I was too small to have immunities. Age has only brought greater dissonance, as the gap between reality and dream has grown.

I have struggled more with these illnesses since coming back to the States. I see the incredible houses ordinary people own, and I wonder how I could afford one. I witness the money spent on fun and I wonder, °ßWhy can°¶t I do that?°® I see land values rising and I wish I had a mere thousand acres!

While in Moldova, the fever never flares up like it does here. Materialism definitely exists among Moldovans, but we live with people who have so little that I usually do not see what I am missing.

So I am praying this year for God°¶s healing. When the I-wish-I-had fever strikes, I want the contentment that comes from God. When I-REALLY-want flu hits or the I-NEED-one-of-those measles strikes, I want come back to what I REALLY need.

For when the fever has passed, I realize what I really DO want. I want the same as the Apostle Paul—to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, and to somehow become like Christ. Things are not necessarily wrong or evil. They just pale in comparison to knowing Christ and seeing His grace and mercy change Moldova. That is my ultimate Christmas wish list.

With the continual bombardment of advertising, never-ending sales and a culture that says, °ßspend, spend, spend,°® avoiding the fever is as likely as avoiding a yearly cold. But when it strikes, I am going to practice the habit or reordering my wish list.

May all your deepest Christmas wishes be fulfilled.

Your Christmas-loving missionary,
Andy Raatz

PS: If you are interested in making an end-of-the-year donation to the work in Moldova, whether to help with the Home of Hope, Teen Challenge or church planting, please make sure it is post-marked by Dec 31. We appreciate all that you have done, your support both past and future, and your faithful prayers.

Last Saturday, I gazed at my photos of Moldova for the 329th time. Instead of blankly watching them, immune to their impact, I suddenly felt a tremendous feeling of homesickness grip my heart. My pictures of Moldova are not generic faces of missions, but people I know, with whom I talk, and for whom I care.

I suppose the holidays bring the old feelings of homesickness out in many people, but this experience was the reverse of what was expected. Instead of longing for American turkey and dressing, homemade pumpkin pie, or Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving special, I was missing Moldova.

I am missing my Moldovan friends, with our times around crowded tables, eating totally un-American traditional dishes. (Anybody for a helping of mother-in-law’s tongue? It is only sliced eggplant, garlic, and mayo!)
I am missing services in cold churches, singing Russian and Romanian songs.
I am missing imperfect churches, pastors that don’t preach well, and a culture that I still don’t totally understand.

In other words, I am NOT missing paradise. I have heard about paradise, and Moldova is not it! It is simply that Moldova is now home, with its potholes and roads, its food and customs.

We have already been incredibly blessed by our time in America. We are blessed with wonderful friends and family. We have enjoyed great churches, gracious pastors, and all the amenities of comfort. Things are definitely smoother, less corrupt, tastier (and more fattening), cheaper, warmer (in the winter), cooler (in the summer), and easier. We love America, but we just feel caught between two worlds.

But I am ready to go home.

I want to love on the kids, to see Natasha, Dima, and Ksusha learn about God’s grace.
I want to finish the Home of Hope, and see it filled with women finding healing.
I want to finally preach in Russian, stumbling through grammar that doesn’t make sense.

Our hearts lie in Moldova, doing the ministry to which God has called us. Our hearts lie with the people of Moldova, both the church and the millions that still don’t know Him. Our hearts are expecting God’s Spirit to change our country. Doing the work of God, in the place where God has called you, is the greatest wealth anyone owns.

The Bible says that where your heart is, there your treasure will be.

Our treasure lies in Moldova.

Thankful for Home,
Andy Raatz

PS: We are grateful for your faithful support, prayers, and encouragement. Our Thanksgiving is full of wonderful memories of the churches and individuals that support the work in Moldova, the fun times we have had with each of you, and the countless ways we have seen God work through you. I am thankful for a great hunting season, too many coffees, and weekly reunions with friends. We are not just thankful…we are blessed.

That small word seems so final, so terminal. At the moment, I strongly dislike that word.

We are once again living in the stage of ìgoodbyes.î Even though we are returning to Moldova after a year in the states, there is still a process of saying goodbye. We are closing out projects, packing up house, and preparing for our year of itineration.

In Russian, you can simply use the word ìuntilî (pa- ka ) to convey the sense of goodbye. Until we meet again; until next year; untilÖ. But with some of our friends, there isn’t an ìuntil.î It is ìgoodbye.î

We say goodbye to Baptist missionaries that will not be returning to Moldova . They have become good friends that have helped us keep our sanity as we processed our new culture.
We say goodbye to Moldovan friends who will be moving to other countries the year we are gone.
We are saying goodbye to people we might never see again this side of heaven.

It hit me hard when Elissa said goodbye to her close friend Nina, a missionary kid from Brazil . Her family might not be here next year when we return, and the thought of that permanent goodbye has been hard. Brazil is not on our often-traveled-to destinations. We have had some long nights mourning their departure.

Relational connections that intertwine our lives are part of what gives us peace, stability, and joy. Yet I find the missionary life stretches and pulls those connections, extending some relationships across thousands of miles, multiple borders, and various time zones. Though those friendships and relationships are wonderful, we need the relationships with skin, friends with which we can sit and drink coffee together, laugh together, picnic together, work together, and minister together.

Jesus told his closest disciples, ìÖI go to prepare a place for you. I will come backÖ.î Why did those words bother the disciples so much? It is because they wanted God with them, not simply coming back for them. They wanted presence, not promise. God has created us with a need for connection, both with Him and with other people.

It was a heart wrenching time that the disciples went through as their friend left them. And though they were saying, ìUntil we meet again,î it did not make the departure any easier. It is difficult to say either word: “goodbye” or ìuntil.î Both words signify a separation.

I am getting tired of separations.

The Apostle Paul had torn emotions, wanting to be both with his friends and to be with Christ. He wrestled with the emotions he felt as he said ìgoodbyeî and ìuntil.î Paul’s life showed that relationships and friendships anchor our soul. Oftentimes life pulls those relationships in different directions, forcing separations and reconnections.

Thus we leave home and friends ( Moldova ) to return to home and friends ( USA ), saying both goodbyes and hellos. Our hearts anticipate the time when we are all together, never needing to say ìuntilî again.

Until we meet again.

Andy Raatz

ìNever will I leave you; never will I forsake you.î –God (Hebrews 13:5)

We are so grateful for the friendships that have blessed our lives, both near and far. Some friendships are through cyberspace, while others exist via coffee shops. Thanks to each person that has supported the work in Moldova , whether with finances, with prayer, or with friendship.

As this e-mail goes out, we are expecting the papers to be signed for the purchase of the Home of Hope, for women who have been trafficked. We appreciate your prayers and support. That was one of the steps we were praying to finish before we left. Other projects will just need to be done long-distance and when we return. Please feel free to check out our website www.harvestmoldova.org for more information, needs, and links to our blogs.

After our last Convoy of Hope outreach, a man approached and said, “You have made me remember that which I had forgotten–God.” He hasn’t missed a service at the church since.

We are called to demonstrate God’s love to the world. On Saturday, April 7, the church in Ungheni, together with the support of Convoy of Hope Europe, showed about 1300 people the love of Jesus. We blessed the people with free groceries, free lunches, and free haircuts. Children were treated to a fantastic kids program, games and candy. Every person both heard and saw the message of God’s grace and mercy.

And people remembered.

They remembered that the world contained people that cared for them.
They remembered that love does not always come with strings attached.
They remembered that God had neither abandoned nor forgotten them.

We invited hundreds of the poorest people in Moldova; elderly people living on a monthly pension of $15, young widows trying to work and raise their kids; handicapped people. The mayor of the city gave us a list of the people most in need–and they all received an invitation!

Over 300 came an hour early, standing in cold, windy weather. Even though we told them that we had enough groceries, they waited, fearful of missing out. When the gates opened, almost eighty volunteers gave food, visited with guests, and let God’s love flow through them.

Pastor George and the church have been following up, bringing groceries to scores of people physically unable to come. They have followed up with the families, sharing more food to those with the greatest needs. They have invited kids and youth to special programs and events. And soon they will not be able to squeeze into the already packed room to worship the Lord.

My goal in Moldova is simple—to help people remember that God cares for them. I want to help awaken in them a hunger for God, a recognition of their spiritual vacuum. Scripture says that since the creation of the world, God’s power and divine nature have been clearly shown (Rom. 1:20). I want to help people remember what they once knew.

So I encourage you today to show God’s love to those around you. Help them to remember that the world is not full of terrorists, con artists, and criminals. Help them remember that love is not self-seeking, but God-centered. Remind them of God’s generosity, simply because He is love.

Do you remember?

ìGreat are the works of the Lord…. Glorious and majestic are his deedsÖ. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.î Ps. 111:3-4

Remembering in Moldova,

Andy Raatz

PS: We are swamped with prayer requests and needs. With just two months to go before we return to the states for our year of itineration, we are trying to get things in place for our absence.  Pray for the building purchases, church needs, and general sanity as we pack!

In the north. In the winter. On three feet of ice.

I don’t like the thrill of jumping out of the boat when the water is still liquid, and the waves are roaring, and the wind is howling, and the water is over my head.

Yet that is exactly where we feel we are walking right now. WW We feel like we are in over our heads as we purchase a home for women who have been trafficked. Nancy wrote some of her thoughts after a recent fact-finding trip to India where she looked at established ministries to trafficked women. She wrote:

The most amazing time of the trip for me was Monday.  We went to a home for girls who were trafficked in prostitution. They were all teenagers and had worked in the business 6 months to 2 years.  What they experienced to be broken is horrifying, but those stories didn’t make me cry.  I have read so much about the horrors of trafficking that these things aren’t new.  What amazed me though was the hope in that home, the joy on faces and their love for the Lord.  We had a time of devotions with them and at the end they said they had heard that we were starting a home in Moldova and they had been praying for me ever since. They had me stand in the middle of the room and they gathered around me to pray, interceding for me, the future home and the lives of Moldovan trafficked girls. That made me cry.

Visiting the ministries and holding the little children, showed me the hope that Christ can bring in the midst of such devastation. Many of the shelters are for the children of the prostitutes. The children are often forced to sleep under the cots that the women use. Many of the mothers drug their children so they don’t wake up to this during the night.  But Teen Challenge Bombay is taking these girls out (and boys too) and giving them a home and a hope. The girls know they won’t face the same fate as their mothers when they are early teens and they are learning to trust and love Jesus. What hope!

So I came home, knowing that we will give and bring hope to many lives of Moldovan women.  That is exciting.  We are ready to buy a house that is for sale and finish it. The house we have located costs about $85,000. We have most of it, but are short about $20,000.  If anyone wants to help with part of that, you can write me about how you can help.  It has walls, roof and electricity and will still take about another $100,000 to finish it.  But it is a great place and we are excited to get started with it.  

Fear and Trembling. Those emotions still come in steps of faith. But the excitement of knowing where God has directed help us see beyond the waves and water.

Thanks for praying.

Stepping out in Moldova
Andy and Nancy Raatz

PS: If you are interested in helping, please send your tax-deductible gift to AGWM, 1445 Boonville Ave. , Springfield , MO 65802 , with Acct. #2477537, Project 6976 in the memo.  You can also donate online at https://secure1.ag.org/contributions/detail.cfm?LedgerID=5D4C4FBA-0E7E-492B-90D6-C0022C0C40E1 .

Also check out our ever-changing website, www.harvestmoldova.org ; or http://raatz.blogs.com ; or Nancy ’s prayer blog at http://raatzmoldova.blogspot.com for more information.