Moldova
Moldova was a part of Romania for many years before falling under the Soviet Union. The mixed heritage produced by these foreign dominions – 65% of the population is Romanian, while 14% are Ukranian and 13% Russian – has caused divisions in Moldova. Not long after independence from Russia in 1991, the ethnic divisions in the newly formed country escalated. Romanian was reinstated as the national language and many began to believe that the country would end up either rejoining Romania or Russia.
Ethnic Russians, fearing that reunification with Romania was immanent, began a long and bloody inter-ethnic conflict and ended up seceding from Moldova in the Transdniestr and Gagauz regions of the country. The civil war that ensued remains unresolved. Moldova eventually reached a compromise with Gagauzia and gave the area privileges as an autonomous republic still under the rule of Moldova, but no agreement could be reached in Transdniestr. The area has declared itself a separate republic and maintains its own government, currency and police force. A cease-fire between this area and the country of Moldova has been in effect since the mid 1990s and both sides are dedicated to finding a peaceful solution. Unfortunately, episodes of violence still spring up intermittently and the 2001 election in Moldova, which marked Moldova as the first former Soviet nation to elect a Communist president, has exacerbated the problem. Ties to Russia have strengthened since the new party came into office, and attempts have been made to reinstate Russian as the national language. These controversial actions have caused increased hostility between ethnic groups and increased the occurrence of violent outbursts.
While political issues affect the country as a whole, the people of Moldova also suffer from a variety of social ills. Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe and, as with most former Soviet countries, living conditions have decreased significantly since the collapse of the Soviet Union, which they depended upon for many of their resources. Corruption is also rampant in both government as well as the church. This has caused a growing cynicism in the people, as many have become disillusioned with life and religion. 90% of Moldovans are Orthodox. However, corruption in the church has made many of the people wary of religion and turned people away from seeking the liberating power found in Christ. Southern Baptists are working in the area to salvage the hope of the disillusioned people and place that hope in a personal and saving relationship with Jesus Christ. With religious freedom regained since the country’s independence, please pray that the Truth about Christ would spread among the people. Pray that the hope of Christ would go to every heart in Moldova and that every people in Moldova would be impacted by a growing church-planting movement!
You can be a part of what Christ wants to accomplish in Moldova by partnering with us in our ministry there. For more information contact us at hope4cee@pobox.com.