CEE Story From The Mission Field
The Power of Passion
December 12, 2007
With the ladder removed and the basement hatch shut, the prisoners noticed a movement in the darkness, It was rats—hundreds of them!
In only seconds they felt the sting of the small teeth biting their flesh. For 30 days they’d been given the chance to write a statement renouncing their faith. It would have been their ticket home. But, all six prisoners refused. Instead, they endured the beatings.
When the guards placed metal buckets on their heads and beat the buckets with rubber sticks, the men stood firm. Even when the guards placed their hands in the doorway of the police station and slammed the door shut over and over again, the believers refused to renounce Christ.
After 30 days of torture, the six believers found themselves locked in a basement full of hungry rats.
Realizing they were not going to survive their overnight sentence, the eldest prisoner, Malanciuc, scanned the basement only to find an empty wooden wine vat.The barrels were about the same height as the men, so Malanciuc told the men to climb inside in order to survive. All six crammed into a barrel, where they stood close together, swatting the rats away from the opening at the top.
The next morning, the soldiers were so shocked to discover they survived they sent down a ladder to let them out. One by one, an officer looked them over.
Seeing they were tired, dirty, and covered in rat bites, he said, “We have thrown many people in that basement, but no one has ever come out alive. If you came out of there alive, that means your God is alive.”
The officer then began to weep and released the prisoners.
After three days of walking, the men returned to their wives and children in Balti where the believers had been praying for their return.
This story may have taken place in 1949, but it and many like it are retold in Baptist churches today. Stories of persecution are part of Moldovan Baptist's heritage and growth. Children grow up hearing the tales of parents and grandparents who endured persecution for their faith. Descendents of the persecuted church are now present day leaders in the Baptist community. In fact, Malanciuc’s grandson Andrey now serves as the children’s minister at Bethany Baptist.
Like Andrey, head pastor Valeriy Pislar grew up hearing the story of his own grandfather’s persecution. Pislar is familiar with stories of his grandfather continuing to preach, even as authorities carried him out of the church. Pislar strives to bring that same passion to the pulpit today.
Both Andrey and Pislar know the price their ancestors paid for their religious freedom; and like many Moldovan believers, they chose to preach the same gospel message today.
“A person values freedom when he knows the price of it,” says Vasiliy Sazikin, missions pastor at Bethany Baptist Church.
According to the most recent In-ternational Religious Freedom Report released by the US Department of State in 2005, Moldovan Baptists still experience subtle forms of religious persecution today. Though these believers may not experience the extent of persecution their ancestors did, Moldova’s rich heritage of devotion has encouraged many Moldovan believers to preach the gospel and remain faithful today.
While believers at Bethany Baptist know the stories of those who were persecuted for their faith under communism, some, like Anna Dotsina, lived to experience this persecution first-hand.
When the authorities beat Dotsina’s pastor, he left the ministry to then 14-year-old Dotsina and a cluster of women who prayed fervently for the church.
Dotsina still remembers being chased by the authorities while walking home from a prayer meeting in the middle of the night. She still pictures the well she hid behind as patrolmen stood on the other side wondering aloud where she had gone. And, she still remembers the fact that the chickens made no noise when she crawled into her neighbor’s chicken coop to hide as authorities searched the yard for her.
Although Dotsina could have been severely punished if the guards had found her that night, she continued to meet with believers for prayer. Even today, at age 79, Dotsina remains an active member of the women’s prayer ministry at Bethany Baptist.
Pray for Moldova
The Baptist church in Moldova has experienced massive growth in 17 years. Despite this growth, much still needs to be done in this country. Join Moldovan Baptists in praying for:
- *Church leaders, pastors, and missionaries. The harvest is plenty but the workers are few. There is a dire need for pastors, ministers, and missionaries in Moldova. These leaders also need to be trained and discipled.
- *The strengthening of the churches. Church planting is a process that requires time, and the plants need to be strengthened and brought to maturity. Moldovan Baptists desire to have strong, healthy churches and not just a lot of churches.
- *Planting churches in Moldova and within the former Soviet Union. Pray for protection of those starting the churches as they often face opposition.
- *The young people of Moldova. Baptists believe the younger generation is the future of Moldova and for their churches. Pray Baptists will be able to show this younger generation of teenagers and children hope through Jesus Christ.