The elaborate wall mural looks a little bare. The painting depicting a vineyard is far from a harvest with only three grapes on the vines.
“Each grape is the fingerprint of a Gagauz believer,” International Mission Board (IMB) missionary Nancy Russell said. “One day, that mural will be filled with grapes. We are praying for a harvest.”
Chris and Nancy Russell work with the Gagauz people in Moldova. The Gagauz live in their own small corner of Moldova — autonomous from the larger capital city. The Gagauz left Turkey when Islam came to that country in search of a place far away from religious persecution. These orthodox Christians settled in Moldova.
Chris estimates that around 1 percent of the Gagauz are evangelical Christians. Finding an opening to share Christ in this tight community has proven difficult at times. Offering English classes has been one of the most successful ways for the missionaries.
“English classes give us an opportunity to use the Bible,” Chris said. Nancy added that most young Gagauz are so enthralled with America that they know even more about it than she does.
So the couple uses a combination of lessons on American Christian culture with English to plant the gospel seeds.
It has been chocolate and an attempt to learn the Romanian language used in Moldova that has opened doors for Larry and Dianne Martin, the other IMB missionary couple serving in Moldova.
“Chocolate is fairly inexpensive according to American standards, but the average Moldovan might only have chocolate once a year due to the expense,” Larry explained. “It’s a special treat for the children — and adults — to receive chocolate. For us, it’s a chance to not just practice our language but share about Christ.”
Learning language is about more than just grammar and words, it’s also a way to learn culture and the way of life of a particular people.
“Moldovans enjoy the fact that we are struggling through Romanian,” Dianne said. “It helps them see that we are here to love them as they are and not make them into something else.”
Larry added, “Language is a barrier breaker for us. Their eyes light up when they hear us try to speak it. Then they ask why we are here. That’s when we have an opening to share the gospel in their heart language.” (WMU)
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