The Widow in Moldova - Kailah's Story
It was mid-morning when our van swerved into a large dirt lot outside of a white-washed church building in Moldova.
I pulled out my headphones and quickly ran my fingers through my hair, before stumbling out of the vehicle. I was immediately struck by a cold gust of wind and the strong scent of burning vegetation.
I pulled my jacket closer and looked out at a vast expanse of dead farmland and worn-down houses - we had gotten up early in order to cross the Romanian border, and this would be our first event in the Republic of Moldova.
We only had fourteen more events to go.
I really needed a cup of coffee…
Over the next few minutes, we entered the building, set up our equipment on the the small stage, prayed with several local pastors, and prepared to perform.
By the time we were ready, the room was flooded with elderly men and women bundled in hats and gloves - eager to consume the food that they knew would be coming.
I sat down at our table and breathed out, grateful for the chance to rest for a minute.
And then my dad leaned over and smiled, “Hey would you want to speak for a few minutes before our last song?”
I smiled back. I wasn’t really caught off guard - my dad had asked me to do the same thing several times over the past few days. I asked God to give me HIS words to reach the people’s hearts with the truth of the love of Jesus.
We sang with the people, tried to say a few of the words we had learned in their language, and the crowd laughed when we mispronounced them terribly.
And then it was time for me to share. I walked to the front of the stage and spoke loudly.
“Hello everybody! My name is Kailah and this is my very first time in Moldova - your country is beautiful and so are all of you!” I smiled and waited for our good friend, Daniel to translate, “We’ve had a great time singing with you all, but we didn’t come just to sing. We came to tell you about a message that changed our lives…”
And then I shared the simple message of the love of Jesus: that God created all of us for relationship with Him, that we’ve separated ourselves from Him by our sinful actions, and that Jesus loved us so much that He gave His life to pay the price for our re-connection with God.
“When I was younger, I was very afraid, but Jesus showed me in the Bible that when we say “yes” to Jesus, we never have to be alone again. I believed that. I asked God to take away my fear, and He did - now I’m not afraid, and I know that God is with me.”
They listened carefully.
We sang and then our friend Austin Hall spoke, offering an opportunity to say “yes” to the love of Jesus, and many people responded.
As I was walking off of the stage, I felt someone grab my hands tightly.
I looked down and saw an elderly woman with piercing blue eyes. Her headscarf and the rest of her clothes were quite colorful, but I hardly noticed those things.
All I noticed were her eyes.
They were red-rimmed and flooded with tears as she spoke to me intently in her own language.
As soon as she realized that I couldn’t understand her, she pulled me over to a younger woman who spoke English. She never lost her firm grip on my hands as she intensely told the interpreter what she wanted to say with a trembling voice.
“She says that her husband recently passed away,” the young interpreter explained, “She has five children, but they all live outside of the country.”
She paused and we waited for the rest of the story.
“She says that she often feels alone, but when you shared, she realized that with Jesus, she never has to be alone. She told me to thank you.”
I fought tears and pointed upwards.
“Praise Jesus. Thank you so much for telling me.” I smiled at her and looked into her eyes, “Do you know Jesus?”
The interpreter asked and the lady nodded fervently.
“Yes. She loves Jesus very much.” The interpreter smiled.
And then it was time for us to leave - a local volunteer began pulling me away.
As I started towards the door, a verse from the Bible (Psalm 68:5) suddenly came to my mind, “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows - this is God whose dwelling is holy.”
I called over my shoulder to the interpreter.
“Would you please tell her that God loves the widows?” She smiled and nodded.
When we say yes to Jesus, God is with us, even in the middle of the struggle, the pain, and the brokenness. He brings hope and life into the toughest situations, and when we say ‘yes’ to Him, He promises never to leave us or forsake us .
He loves the broken-hearted all over the world.
And this is why we do what we do.Our mandate is to reach AS MANY AS POSSIBLE with the message of Jesus – every time you pray for this ministry, support the mission financially, or share the music and the message, you help us reach thousands with the love of Jesus, and we can’t thank you enough for your partnership.
Already in 2019, we’ve shared this message in 10 nations and seen thousands respond to Jesus. We’re safely home in the USA after Eastern Europe, and now we’re looking forward to sharing Jesus in ZAMBIA, ITALY, and the USA in the first part of 2020!
If you’re interested in being part of our team, here are THREE easy ways you can help:
1) PRAY: We have countless stories of being strengthened to fulfill our mission overseas as a direct result of the faithful prayer of friends like you.
2) SUPPORT: Every gift helps us reach the nations with the love and message of Jesus!Thank you, friends - we love you and we’re so grateful for your friendship and partnership in reaching the world with the message of Jesus!
3) SHARE: Music is our tool to reach the world with this message. LIKE, SHARE, and SUBSCRIBE on social media if you like it – it helps more than you know!
If you haven’t heard our latest CD, THROUGH IT, please check it out! You can listen on Spotify or watch our latest music video here:
Also, please check out our “mission” video if you’d a little more in-depth look at what we do. Thank you so much for standing with us, friends - we’re so grateful for you!