Hearts Transformed in Moldova

"After he had survived the first operation," says Pastor Sergej, "Vova could only walk very slowly. Coming to the children's lessons at church was an extreme eff ort for the boy. He tried to walk to church with his cousin a few times, but it was just too difficult for him. We could see how much Vova would have liked to take part in the children's lessons, how much he longed to learn more about God, so we organized transport to the church. Hearing the Bible stories together with the other children is the greatest joy for Vova, and it is quite obvious that God is beginning to work in his heart.

Vova's mother and grandmother do not yet know God, but they are very open to the church and also to our regular home visits. We are so grateful that we were able to bring a special gift to the families in our village in the form of the literature packs. We believe that God is also knocking on the hearts of Vova's little family through the calendars and brochures. He reads to his grandmother and mother from the evangelistic booklets again and again. The day will come when they will open up to Jesus and realize that HE can heal and change not only a boy with a heart condition, but the heart of every person - because the salvation of people is a matter of God's heart.”

From a human perspective, Vova would not have been viable. The fact that the Moldovan boy and his mother look so confidently into the camera today is a miracle. Vova was born with a congenital heart defect. One of the heart valves did not work and only one ventricle was intact. Without surgery, Vova would have had little chance of survival. After three operations, Vova's condition improved and the boy gradually regained his strength. But his mother is desperately poor - and it was only contact with the local community that brought hope to the difficult everyday life of Vova's small family. The child's father left the mother immediately after Vova's birth. He had learned of his son's diagnosis and did not want to take responsibility for the seriously ill child. To this day, the family receives no support from him. Vova's mother looks after her son devotedly. However, she has no permanent job and earns some extra money as a seamstress. The boy's grandmother also lives with Vova and his mother. After a stroke, she can no longer get out of bed and her care now also rests on the shoulders of Vova's mother.

But God does not ignore the plight of Vova's family. He had already called Pastor Sergej and his wife to Vova's home village in 2021. They took over the ministry in the small local church, and God put the children and young people especially close to their hearts. Since then, children's lessons have been held every week with 30-40 children, 99% of whom come from non-believing families, families who urgently need support, families like Vova and his mother.