The Gift of Days
It was a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon. Jo Ann and I visited the US Embassy to submit our absentee ballots, followed by an oil change on our Honda CRV in preparation for the next trip to one of our training centers for the Institute of Church Planting (ICP).
After arriving back in our apartment, I noticed something strange: my chest tightened up, and I felt a slight pain. The discomfort continued for a while, which was not normal, so I drove to the hospital with Jo Ann, and we checked into the ER for a tune-up. After running a couple of EKGs and blood tests, the Cardiologist appeared and told me that I was having a heart attack and needed to be taken up to the OR for a closer look. Within the hour, I had a nice new stent placed in one of my blood vessels where a clot was causing blockage.
This was not how we were planning to spend the weekend, but we were reminded of the prayer of Moses: “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Hopefully, my heart has more wisdom now along with the new stent. We did the math, and as of today, the Lord has given me 29,211 days, and we are asking Him for at least another 500. The doctor checked my heart today (Tuesday) and said that it was “perfect,” and I was released from the hospital. (Picture - Rich recovering in the hospital from the stent procedure).
When the cardiologist gave us the prescriptions and instructions today, he also surprised us. It turns out that another blood vessel is blocked, and I need to have a stent inserted in that blood vessel in about two months. For the next couple of months, I must refrain from heavy physical activity, which means that I may not be able to help Jo Ann with the dishes for a while! I am free to continue teaching, however.
Give Me This Hill Country
You might be wondering why we want at least another 500 days. At eighty-five years old, Caleb said to Joshua,
“Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken” (Joshua 14:10–12).
Caleb had things to do and planned to bring Hebron under the Lord’s control. The Apostle Paul also had plans, as he wrote to the believers in Rome, mentioning his intention to take the gospel to Spain. Just as Caleb and Paul had plans to continue serving the Lord, so do we. We desire to complete the training of our ICP leaders during the next several months and continue teaching the young students at the Christian University (UDG). Rich teaching the ICP students in Criuleni.
We would also like to finish the Criuleni church meeting hall that is currently being built. We are asking the Lord to give us Moldova for Christ.
The Gift of Giving
Jo Ann and I have several goals to accomplish before returning to the States. We have been pouring our lives into Moldova for seven years and want to finish well.
The Criuleni Church Building Project
Our most recent church plant is in Criuleni, where the Lord has given us a fantastic team of co-laborers. Our partner, Eduard Edu, is the CEO of a mission located in Germany and has close relationships with dozens of churches all over Moldova.
A house with some land was donated to us for the church plant, and Eduard’s mission granted us a line of credit to start building a meeting hall for the church. We purchased building materials with funds from the grant, while several Christian businessmen brought their equipment and employees to work on each aspect of the construction. By faith, these businessmen were willing to provide the labor and equipment, trusting that the Lord would provide the funds to cover their expenses in the coming days.
Our costs have slightly exceeded the original estimate of USD 50,000 due to the need for a roof on the original house and a large patio covering the ground approaching the meeting hall. Several individuals have been led to help financially support this project, and almost USD 11,000 has been provided for the construction. By God's grace, we would love to see all the necessary funds for the ICP construction project before the end of 2024. We need to repay the line of credit and the labor costs.
As the Lord leads, church leadership, mission committees, and individuals will make this a matter of prayer as we seek to accomplish this goal in the next 120 days. If you, as a church or as an individual, feel led to help with this worthy project, the following link provides easy access to the Moldova church planting account. Please designate your gift for the Criuleni Church Construction Project.
Vehicle Maintenance for Moldovan Church Planters in the ICP
All the leaders studying with us at the Institute for Church Planting (ICP) are bi-vocational. They have jobs in their towns and villages, families to support, and evangelistic outreaches to serve. Because Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe, the standard of living is often the bare minimum.
We do not charge the students anything to attend the training as we provide them with several manuals and meals on training days. About a year ago, we started a project to give a small amount of money to at least help the church planters keep fuel in their cars and keep them in repair. At this point, our monthly expense for the ICP project and missionary support is just under USD 900 a month. We have enough support to continue funding the ICP project and helping the church planters for another two months. Mihai - planting a church in the north.
We are so blessed that the Lord is allowing us to plant thirteen (13) new churches right now as we labor together with the Lord, Moldovan leaders, and you. Our goal is to saturate Moldova with solid New Testament Baptist Churches.
God told Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). If you have been blessed, please help us bless others. We are using the same project fund for the church construction and the monthly support of the ICP project while keeping the funds separate.
If you, as a church or as an individual, feel led to help with the ICP project and these Moldovan missionary church planters, the following link gives you easy access to the ABWE account for this project. Please designate your gift for the Monthly Support for the ICP Project and Church Planters.
Rich and Jo Ann Monthly Support
“I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need” (Philippians 4:12).
Since the Apostle Paul's time, missionaries have experienced fluctuations in their necessary support. Jo Ann and I are no exceptions to the rule. It would be a blessing to serve out this term in Moldova without the stress of lacking the minimal monthly support required by ABWE. We are now short by $305 a month. Please pray that the Lord will provide those monthly funds.
Rich and Jo Ann with Eduard and his wife, Victoria
If you, as a church or as an individual, feel led to help us with this support need, you will find the following link a help:
We are so grateful for each of you who pray for us and those who support us and have done so for many years. We are looking forward to visiting our friends and supporting churches in 2026. Please continue praying as we seek to finish well.