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In October 2023, volunteers were sought in Blomberg to help build a prayer house in Moldova. Seven young people responded, offering their assistance. The trip took place about a month later.
On Friday, November 17th, at 10 p.m., we set off on the long journey to Moldova in our blue church bus, equipped with plenty of tools. A member of our congregation, originally from Moldova, had already traveled ahead the day before to assist us with the construction and to act as our translator.
Due to supposedly simpler border controls, we chose the southern route via Austria, Hungary, and Romania. After a 30-hour drive, several breaks, and an encounter with a black bear that crossed our road in the snowy Romanian mountains, we arrived at our host family's home in the medium-sized town of Copceac, Moldova, at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday. Pawel and Lidia Kazov warmly welcomed us. That same day, we attended the morning service at the mother church in Bourci.
On Monday, work began at 8:30 a.m. as planned. The new prayer house in Copceac is approximately 10 meters wide and consists of a 15-meter-long hall and a 10-meter-long section with a hallway and 10 rooms. All these spaces were found to be timber-framed structures, which were to be insulated with rock wool and fiberglass, sealed with foil, and covered with drywall—and in some areas, OSB panels.
Five days of work followed, during which we were never alone. Up to ten helpers – from teenagers to pastors – were always actively involved. Most of them came from the mother church in Bourci, 40 kilometers away. The work sometimes ended at 6 p.m., but sometimes not until 10 p.m.
The timber frame construction of the new community center had been financed by American Christians. Consequently, the joist spacing conformed to American standards. Therefore, neither the insulation nor the drywall from the European building materials fit, so everything had to be cut to size. This made our work considerably more difficult.
Grateful and full of anticipation for their own community center, the local residents generously provided us with delicious, traditional dishes. Every meal began with a warm soup as a starter and was served with homemade compote. On two evenings, all the workers gathered in the sauna. It was wonderful to witness how people of different ages and from various nations came together here to participate in the work for the Kingdom of God.
On Friday, we left the construction site with the work almost complete. The members of the congregation there thanked us warmly and invited us to the planned church dedication in the summer of 2024. On Sunday, November 26, 2023, our blessed and eventful journey ended at 2:30 a.m. with our arrival in Blomberg.
Michael Dojan, Municipality of Blomberg
