Not A Trip: Relationship as Mission - Moldova
November 18, 2021
Lipscomb's mission team in Moldova.
Carlee Watson and Kari Bidwell love the people of Moldova. Carlee was a team member during her time at Lipscomb and then became a team leader. Kari has served as Mobilization and Events Manager with Justice and Mercy international for 7 years. Both of them have a deep love for the people of Moldova and the work being done there.
Justice and Mercy International (JMI) works primarily in Moldova and in the Amazon region of Brazil to care for the orphans, widowed, and forgotten by the rest of the world. They provide for physical needs through medical care, clean water access, and food relief. JMI also works with vulnerable children and teenagers, supports local preachers and churches, and mobilizes churches to participate in their work. JMI is committed to changing lives by confronting international injustice.
A large part of the work that JMI does is working to meet the needs of the children in their communities. JMI has a sponsorship program where children can gain access to resources that further their education and provide for basic needs such as food and hygiene. There are sponsorship counselors on the ground full time who know the specific needs of every child. When children in the sponsorship program turn 16, they have the option to move into a transitional living facility. JMI has two transitional homes for each gender. In these homes, girls and boys live with a house parent and have access to care, counseling, Bible studies, and any support they need. The transitional living programs are focused on not only meeting the needs of teenagers, but cultivating Christlike character as well.
Lipscomb has been sending teams to Moldova with JMI since 2011. The Lipscomb groups primarily work with the teenagers in the transitional homes. This mission trip is unique from other short term trips because the focus is on spending time and building relationships with the Moldovans. JMI puts on a camp to provide an opportunity for the kids to just be kids and focus on the Lord. Camp is the highlight of the year for many of the children in the program. Mission groups like the ones from Lipscomb come alongside the ministry that JMI is already doing and aim to connect and build relationships with individual kids during their week.
Kari and Carlee have both experienced the power of relationships built in Moldova. Carlee spoke about the work JMI does and how it is full circle. Through her years as a participant and leader of the team, she has watched Moldovans raising up younger Moldovans to become leaders in Christ. She has watched girls who were formally in the transitional living program form their own homes and families. “You have a picture in your mind of what mission trips are going to be like, but I learn so much from this group of people,” she said. “Every time I go, I form genuine relationships and friendships with the Moldovans.”
Kari shared that a trip to Moldova with JMI might be short term, but JMI does not do short term missions. The work that JMI does continues because of the relationships built and strengthened year after year. “Life change happens in the context of intentional, loving relationships,” she said. “That can be years of ministry or a week, or through one phone call.” Kari shared the story of a Moldovan girl in the transitional living program. When Kari first met her, the girl was shy, guarded, and overall not interested in anything the team or staff said. Over the years, she grew into trust with the staff and into confidence in herself and the Lord. She began leading groups at church and mission groups, and eventually she joined the staff at JMI. Kari spoke about the Lord’s faithfulness in partnering with JMI. “Now she relates to the kids in a way that I can’t,” Kari said. “This kind of transformation would not be possible without the Lord. JMI plays a part in it, but God really does it.”
You can read more about JMI on their website.
Not a Trip
Category: Student Life
Tags: Moldova, Lipscomb missions, missions, Justice and Mercy International, student missions.