Less is More

Greetings from Cahul, Moldova!

Our team has arrived safe and sound in Moldova and we have jumped into a new culture filled with new faces! This past week our team has learned what it means to be uncomfortable as we now walk around the land that is known as the “Africa of Europe.” Walking on broken roads filled with potholes, hearing stray dogs cry at night, and seeing poverty in the faces of the people we pass on the streets. It has not only given our team a bit of a “culture shock,” but has also given us a new level of appreciation. As we now share two rooms with mattresses side-by-side, cook in a kitchen made for one, and look to make our own fun instead of find it on our iPhones, we have been brought back to understanding that less is more.

This past week our team had the opportunity to go to a small village outside of Cahul to teach English to young students. As we drove to the village, our breath was taken away and our eyes were opened as we tried to process and understand a new world that was being revealed to us. Broken roads, run-down flats, and a land that is dull and gray were the only things that passed us along the way. Our team taught English to seven children between the ages of eight and twelve in a small broken-down school. Even as these students only had one piece of paper and pens to share, they were eager and excited to learn. They quickly opened up their hearts to us and showed just as much love to us as we showed to them. Playing charades and singing “Old McDonald” may be their entertainment highlight for the week. It seems to be easy access to a child’s mind and heart when there are no distractions from texts, phone calls, or Facebook notifications.



Having great luxury is the world’s view of what makes life so great. People are truly happy when they have everything they need in life. People living the “good life” are the ones who have it all together and MUST have Jesus on their side. On the other hand, people who live in poverty seem to be viewed as the ones who need Jesus the most. What if it’s the other way around? What if all the comforts that fill our life are hardening our hearts and blocking the bridge to having a relationship with Jesus? What if we need less to have more? As we begin to learn more about the Moldovan culture and the people in it, we are finding how open their hearts are and how they are looking for more of Jesus. With no distractions of getting the newest iPhone, checking their notifications, or shopping for the latest trends, their hearts are open wide and ready to be filled with more of Jesus. We have learned that having less in the way leads to more room for Jesus.