Most of you that read this blog probably received this letter in the mail (or you should very soon!). I thought I would share it with anyone else and it will stay on the right side of the blog, under “pages.” If you didn’t receive this letter and would like to, just email me (marie@calvaryskyline.org) with your mailing address. If you received this letter, don’t worry – – you will be receiving our prayer cards in the summer!
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Dear Friends and Family,
We’re not sure if you knew this already, but we are planning to move to Moldova. If you already heard the news, then then that sentence didn’t shock you. If this is the first you’ve read of it, you’re probably thinking things like, “Where or what is Moldova?” “Why would anyone want to move there?” Or maybe, “Who’s this letter from?” And, “Why are you telling me this?” Hopefully we can answer those questions for you!
Moldova is the poorest country in Europe, wedged in between Ukraine and Romania. Although it’s technically been a democracy since the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Moldovan people have “elected” the Communist party since 1992. That alone should be enough to understand why it’s so poor. The people there have to deal with corruption, crime, and poverty. On top of all of that, the country has been spiritually suppressed since the Communists took over.
As a family, we consider our faith in Jesus to be the most important facet of our lives. It is this faith that compels us to minister to the people in Moldova. We often ask ourselves, “Why DO we want to move there?” Primarily, it is obedience to the call that God has placed on our lives. The location itself is not on our top-10 list of ideal homesteads. Our faith reminds us that we will be more content in the will of God than we will be anywhere else. So, Moldova it is!
Our goal in Moldova is to start a church in the city of Balti, the second largest city in the country. We will be working alongside our friends Steven and Teresa Yeats, who have been ministering in Moldova for the last 5 years. Practically speaking, we will be doing things like teaching English, providing activities for youth, and generally trying to better the lives of the Moldovan people.
This is just a short note about our intentions to move to Eastern Europe as missionaries of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our plan is to spend the next year in preparation while continuing to work at Calvary Chapel Skyline, here in Thousand Oaks, California. We are planning to fly out to Moldova in early 2012. We have been starting to learn the Russian language, which is definitely a challenge. We will also be building a team here in the States that will pledge to support us financially, emotionally, and spiritually.
We’ve shared this information with you because we would love for you to partner with us. This will be an exciting and trying time for our family, so we can use as much support as possible. In the coming months, we will be getting our administration in place, and will keep you updated as to our progress. We try to keep our blog updated regularly at https://kleinburtts.com, so head on over there and check it out.
Most of all, thank you in advance for your prayers and support. We are excited to share this adventure with you!
Sincerely,
Christian, Marie, and Addy Burtt
