Harvest Service at Gotesti

Any one who has been following this blog recently will think that the only thing we do in Moldova in our churches is have harvest celebrations
This is the cake that some of our youth made for our harvest meeting in Gotesti on Sunday 27th September.

We had around 200 in total come to the celebration and we used it as a time to not only thank the Lord for the material things he has blessed us with in the last year but also all the spiritual things He has done - answers to prayer etc

This is Liuba giving testimony. Her 40 yr old daughter had contracted a cirrhossis in her liver while getting a blood transfusion in Chisinau.

She was now living in Serbia and the specialist there told her the bad news that if she didn't get a liver transplant she would die. This was next to impossible as there are so few available and she wasn't even a Serbian citizen. Liuba brought it to the church for prayer and we all with one heart together with her prayed and fasted for a miracle - either God's miraculous healing or a liver to be provided for the transplant. As she drew close to dying our prayers became more desperate. Can you imagine the joy for us all and especially Liuba when God answered with the provision of a liver for transplant.

She's had the transplant and is going on well. Our thanks also go to the surgeons whom we never met that got the liver and did the operation.

So it was an occassion f0r joy and thanksgiving for us all to remember at the harvest ( thanksgiving ) service God's answer to our prayers with Liuba

Various ones from our church family took part in the service.

This is David, Ruslan's son, doing a poem about how God created the various fruits - looks like he might have eaten the fruit already and our Abigail is about to tell him off after he's finished the poem.

This is Cristina and Aliona singing a duet.

This was Cristina's last Sunday with us as she is going off to University in Romania to study for 3 years

She'll be coming home at end of term times but it did feel like a parting was taking place.

Panainte Chicicov, the mayor of our villages also took the trouble to come to our harvest service with his wife Valentina. He spoke a short word of encouragement and they both stayed and ate with us at the after service meal.

Around 130 stayed for the meal afterwards and we were overjoyed that our believers had brought so many chickens, ducks, veg etc that we had an abundance to feed all and had plenty to spare.

It was a joyous occassion and we pray God's blessing that we may have many more.

Pray for us and the arrival of a team from Bayfarm Church in California on Frid 2 Oct and the ministry that they will do in our villages and others while they are here.

Pastor Mark