Mission Trip to Moldova
Throughout the year, National Vision takes part in many mission trips across the globe by financing trips or providing greatly needed supplies and glasses. Last fall, NVI had the opportunity to support a mission trip to Basarabeasca, Moldova.
Image Credit: U.S. Dept. of State
About Moldova
Sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, the Eastern European country of Moldova emerged as an independent republic after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. With an economy heavily reliant on agriculture and few natural energy resources, Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe.
The country has also experienced serious civil unrest, energy shortages, political uncertainty, and trade obstacles – all which have taken a toll on its already weak economy.
Two-thirds of Moldovans are of Romanian descent. The languages are almost identical and the two countries share a common cultural heritage. Moldova’s main religion is Christian Orthodox.
Mission Trip to Basarabeasca, Moldova
In the fall of 2015, Pete Kendrick, joined by volunteers through Gospel Missions Now, traveled to Moldova to help a local church perform vision screenings for the community. Based in Gainesville, Georgia, this group’s mission is to provide humanitarian aid to people with physical needs. This was their 9th trip to Moldova since 2011 – each time helping hungry children and adults, carrying medicines and eyeglasses, and encouraging and giving hope to the locals.
Pete and his group were in Basarabeasca from October 29, 2015 – November 13, 2015. He tells us that people came to the church in large groups of over 200 to receive vision screenings and eyeglasses. In total, 350 Moldovans received reading glasses and sunglasses.
Stories from the people of Moldova
“I’m Lidia. Without the glasses, it was very bad to me. I could not read, and it was difficult to write. Thanks to your eyeglasses, I can read more books now. And when I read and write, then, with help of your glasses, my eyes will not be overstrained. Thank you very much for your eyeglasses and let God bless you.”
“I am Gennady Volkov, and with these glasses I can see perfectly at distance. It is very important to me, especially when I’m driving the car. Your eyeglasses helps me a lot to see well the road and car’s dashboard. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help. You did a great job.”
A few more photos of people’s new reading glasses!
We are so happy that we were able to support this mission trip to Moldova! Gospel Missions Now is making their 10th trip to Moldova this month and once again, we were able to supply them with readers and sunglasses to distribute once they were there. National Vision is grateful for partnerships with organizations like these, who are making a difference for the underserved populations around the world who are in need of vision correction.
Jessica Altamirano
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