In this Update:

What’s happening? – A read-out of current efforts in preparation to this summer

Dates – Information on dates for children camps

Point person – link to our active preparation

Website update – what’s new on our website and how you can use it

Welcome to our next in series of updates we post for those directly involved in our projects as well as those who are interested, but not certain of their participation.

What’s Happening?

Last time most of us saw each other was in January during our fabulous Reunion in Gatlinburg, TN. As always, it was a time of superb fellowship, fun, and recognition.  Especially it was nice to have with us a number of our dear partners in ministry from Moldova.

From firsthand experience, we know that times like our Reunion serve as a vivid testimony to the common work God performs in our hearts individually. Miles away from each other, scattered throughout the entire geographical United States, yet united by one mission we ourselves bear witness to God’s cause in Moldova.

So “What’s happening” is first and foremost a question for your own heart because that’s where the preparation for Moldova projects starts.

For some people God’s direction about their ministry this summer is obvious and clear; for others it’s a matter of stepping out in faith that God will provide all that’s needed to make a commitment; still many more are just getting ready to be awakened to God’s calling. Wherever we are, God’s grace purposefully leads us, so let us all make sure we are on the same page with God concerning our service to Him this summer.

Networking

During our previous discussions we discovered that most of us became involved in this ministry having been “fired up” by those who have gone to Moldova before. There is a certain “impulse” or “charge” that originated with God and travels through person to person as we cross each other’s path. In fact, most likely you are reading this because you were inspired by a friend or a relative to consider this ministry, rather than bumping into us on the internet, or hearing about us in a church presentation. Yet whatever the case, we believe this “impulse” to be God’s gravitational work as He pulls His resources together for the ministry He intends to do in Moldova this summer.

So at this time, many of us are interacting with other people on personal basis with a purpose of sharing information, developing contacts, and ultimately recruiting for the Moldova team. To get in the “tighter” communication loop, please see the “point person” section below.

Fundraising

It is from solid experience that we know that God always provides what is necessary for carrying out the ministry He ordains. Therefore each year we rest in confidence that God has arranged all finances and resources we need. Our job is to go out and collect them. This is how we strive to be faithful in fundraising: by showing up in the right place, at the right time, and vocalizing the needs of this ministry. It is the only active part in our fundraising. We do not attempt to persuade people into donating or going with us; all we do is verbalize God’s work in Moldova. The rest is only patient waiting and trust that God had divinely arranged the needed response – be it money, supplies, prayer support commitment, or personal participation. Obviously, the question is how do you know what is the right place, and when is the right time? That’s why our approach to fundraising requires being led by the Spirit, without Whom it is impossible to function in God’s ministry anyway.

We encourage every single volunteer to accept this model of fundraising: trusting God with arranging, and being faithful in receiving.

Being faithful in receiving means opening up to opportunities for presenting the work of God in Moldova in places and times when such opportunities arise. To help bring to mind the different opportunities for sharing with people about the work in Moldova, here is a list of fundraising ideas:

-       Church presentations

-       Charity dinners

-       Individual contributions

-       Door-to-door fundraising

-       Car washes

-       Bake sale

-       Jewelry sale

-       Garage sale

-       Silent auction

-       Tournaments

-       Letters to business owners

-       Good neighbor acts (garden work, etc.)

This list by all means is not exhaustive and can include many other ideas. The important part is to act faithfully when we see that the occasion arises. Results happen when we are prepared to act upon these opportunities. The most important part, however, is to trust in the Lord and happily look to God’s provision for the work He ordained.

If you see an opportunity for doing some fundraising within your network, contact your point person with any questions or requests for information and assistance.

What’s happening in Moldova?

Kids camps

Presently, the teaching staff in Vestea Buna is working on the program for the children camps for this summer. They work on developing and calibrating Bible lessons for the children we expect this summer, as well as populating the program with new songs, skits, games, and new ideas for each day in the upcoming camps. Also, they recruit and train local volunteers with whom we hope to work this summer through regular seminars & training sessions they call “Villas.”

The management of Vestea Buna has a very complicated task of working sometimes “through” and other times “around” bureaucratic obstacles set in the way of conducting children outreach camps. To make these camps possible and legal, they must go through many meetings with the state officials, obtain permissions from local authorities, receive countless approvals from government branches, and even complete unwarranted and unreasonable certifications. All of this takes an immense amount of time and effort; nevertheless, management of Vestea Buna is patient for the sake of the benefits to the children in the remote areas of Moldova and eager to do everything they can to make the camps happen.

Missionaries from Vestea Buna also maintain an inventory of the previously delivered camp equipment and program supplies, making sure that we have everything needed for the camps this year. They communicate to our local volunteer coordinator anything that is worn out, missing, broken, or needs repair parts. This information is in turn submitted to our point persons who arrange for obtaining the needed supplies.

In reality, much of the preparatory work is done by the time we join our forces with partners in Moldova to complete summer camps.

XiT youth camp

In essence, much of the efforts put into preparing extreme youth camps by the XiT team are similar to the work described above. They regularly meet to work on the program, pray for the success of the ministry, conduct field visits to gather information on the best possible camp site and hiking routes, visit youth clubs and discuss with local leaders any suggested adjustments to the course of the ministry.

Camp Dates

The dates for the children camps have been finalized. Below is the schedule. Please plan your travel accordingly in order to make sure to be there for the mandatory program seminar. The specific dates for the camps are subject to change due to unpredictable circumstances, such as weather, Moldovan infrastructure, and any other events that would make camp dates adjustment necessary. As much as we would like to set these dates “in stone,” based on our experience in Moldova, dates may be shifted, as well as timed events. However, camps will occur during the period listed (July 2^nd – Aug 2^nd.) We will do everything possible to keep to the schedule as planned.

DOWNLOAD SCHEDULE PDF FILE

Point Person

While our volunteer coordinator is currently serving in Moldova, we handle preparation work in the United States through our point persons. A point person is an experienced volunteer who basically functions as an active link to our mechanism of preparation.

Point persons normally operate within their geographical areas with responsibilities ranging from one city to several states. They track progress in preparation, respond to various information requests, and stay on top of fundraising opportunities and volunteer recruitment.

Point persons lead the way by helping other local volunteers with step-by-step instructions, answering questions, and providing hands on assistance to individual volunteers.

If you are not yet “linked in” to our work in the United States, please contact us and we will connect you with a point person in your geographical area.

Tax-deductible receipts

We are able to award a tax-deductible receipt to anyone making a donation by cash or a check. Please see the “Donate” section of our website for more information.

Website update:

Updates to the contents of our web pages have been made. We aim to provide people with information about us as a team, our projects in Moldova, and the way we conduct our ministry.

The information in our website is detailed enough to help people browsing these pages determine whether they take any further interest in our ministry or not. We also encourage all participants of our projects to familiarize themselves with the contents of our website to make sure we are all on the same page.

Specific updates have been made to elaborate on the way we operate, detailing our vision, mission, goals, and tasks. We treat this part very seriously as it represents the idea behind everything we do in this ministry. We also updated the Projects” page reporting on the work we do in Moldova. We reserved specific names and locations for internal communication out of safety precaution.

There is now a photo gallery that we plan to update with pictures of our summer camps. A special page was made for all our alumni. If you ever participated in our projects, we would love to hear from you. Please visit this page and leave a brief comment or let us know about the work God performed in your life through this ministry. This might be a great way to see how many lives have been touched in the course of our ministry!

As we continue our preparation work, more changes to the website will be made in order to meet communication needs, so please check back regularly in order not to miss any important updates. We plan to create a FAQs page, and add a feature that would allow people to donate online.

If you have any questions, either contact your point person, or submit your requests for information, comments, questions on this website by clicking contact us link.

Thank you and God bless you!

XiT Ministries Team.

Project Inspiration

Extreme Youth Camps project has a direct connection to our children’s camp. It was born in the hearts of most committed volunteers as a necessary next step in the flow of our ministry in Moldova. Since the beginning of the successful ministry of children camps in 2002, many of the then-children, grew up to become teenagers and young adults. Seeds of God’s word planted in their hearts along with experiential knowledge of God’s love are destined to bring forth fruit in the kingdom of God. For many it happens sooner than later.

Known as the «XiT» camp, extreme youth camps serve as a very powerful and quick way to create a favorable environment for young people to seal their commitment to follow Jesus Christ. The whole program is geared towards creating a special atmosphere that encourages young adults to truly get to know themselves, examine their values, and to honestly answer questions relating to their wholehearted commitment to Jesus.

What makes this project unique is that they face these tough decisions surrounded by experienced Christian leaders who can testify to God’s faithfulness in trials, affirm His promises, and become inspirational examples as they chose Christ for life. The decisions made in this camp are informed decisions; these young people become keenly aware of the risks and consequences of their choice to serve Jesus Christ in the environment so hostile to genuine followers of Christ.

Project Objective

«XiT» camp was created in anticipation of God’s providential direction in the lives of those young people who are close to sealing their commitment to serve Jesus. Through this project we seek to create opportunities that help teenagers and young adults become self-conscious of their spiritual calling.

To achieve this, «XiT» camp takes them out of their familiar environment where they feel pleasant and comfortable, and exposes them (alongside professionally trained leaders) to conditions where they are forced to depend, trust, and rely on each other. Extreme conditions such as weather, terrain, tasks, and competitions help them to freshly reevaluate themselves and re-assess their needs and abilities. In extreme environment young people quickly develop real and trustworthy relationships between each other and their leaders. Coupled with ongoing spiritual teaching, these relationships become vital in communicating God’s character and love for them.

«XiT» camp also serves as the launch pad for the ministry of youth clubs, which exist to help retain close connections built in the extreme camps between all participants.

Specifics of the XiT camp

XiT camp is a project that is partly stationary and partly on the move. During the on-the-move phase it involves several days of hiking, caving, rock climbing, and water rafting. It usually ends with several days at the “base camp” where the leaders take time to help participants “digest” their experience, make parallels and applications to their spiritual life, and arrive to the decision-making point. Throughout the whole camp young people develop friendships, learn timeless biblical truths, and receive spiritual mentorship and prayer support from their devoted leaders. Upon culmination of the program, they are gently ushered into local youth clubs in their home area along with the leaders from that area respectively.

The Team

XiT Ministries has a special division, committed to developing and implementing this project. Because of the high level of responsibility and accountability largely due to the nature of the extreme camps, this project takes almost a yearly commitment to operate. Led by our volunteer coordinator in Moldova, a group of mostly local devoted missionaries makes up the «XiT» team. The team meets regularly to pray, envision, plan, coordinate, scrutinize, and carefully probe into all aspects of the extreme camp program before its implementation each summer.

Your Participation

We would like to ask you to prayerfully consider participating in this ministry financially and/or through prayer support.

There are many expenses related to conducting extreme camps, such as program supplies, fuel costs, communication, food, etc. We use all of the raised funds to cover the expenses of the outreach camps.

We believe God Himself directs His human and financial resources and have faith He will provide for this project as well. If you feel that God is leading you to support this project financially, your gift of any size would be highly valued.

Tax-deductible receipts may be provided upon request. Please see our “Donate” section for more information on how to make contributions.

May God bless you!

Project Inspiration

Jesus told His disciples: «Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.» (John 4:35) It is obvious that our daily cares and concerns require our immediate attention. Frequently these things demand most of our time as we try to closely follow current fashion trends, gain something significant in our eyes, or achieve an important status in the eyes of others. These things lock our focus in life. Perhaps for this very reason Jesus Christ tells His disciples to lift up their eyes and look! As if telling us to shift our focus from the earthly troubles, He invites us to look and see that the world is ready to hear the Word of God and answer the call of salvation!

It is precisely in response to this call to harvest labor that our ministry of Children Outreach Camps exits in Moldova.

“Permit the children to come to Me…”

These words belong to the Son of God, who rebuked His disciples when they restrained parents from bringing their children to him so that He would touch them. Today, while being able to give children an opportunity to come to Jesus, we may be guilty of the same indiscretion as the disciples who became a hindrance to children when parents brought them to Jesus. God’s compassionate touch brings healing and eternal life to the soul. Sadly, there are many children who do not have parents who could bring them to Jesus. Through sincere love and care of the missionaries these Christian Outreach Camps present this kind of an opportunity for Jesus to «touch» the unfortunate and underprivileged children of Moldova.

Project Objective

During summer time we conduct Outreach Camps for children from non-Christian and underprivileged families in the remote villages of Moldova. The children spend four to five days in an atmosphere of true Christian fellowship, getting to know Bible truths while experiencing sincere love and care from those who know the Lord. Obviously, the first and foremost goal of any contact with these kids is their eternal salvation.

The Team

Our team consists of young men and women from all over the United States of America joined in partnership with brothers and sisters in Christ who are indigenous to Moldova.  All of our participants are members of local Churches who are united by deep and sincere love for Christ and have strong missionary goals. Throughout the year, everyone in our group including our Moldovan partners is actively involved in their Church life activities such as Sunday school, Bible Studies, Worship Groups, etc. They are passionate about passing on vital Bible virtues to children and surrounding them with a healthy Christian atmosphere of love and understanding to promote their spiritual growth.

Specifics of the Camp Ministry

In reliable cooperation with the local Christian mission organization “Vestea Buna” (Good News) we prepare a campground near a remote village where the children live.  We set up tents, clear the area for games, prepare sports equipment, musical equipment, and arrange a stage and space for evening chapels and gatherings.  At a set time during the week, local children gather in our campground in the morning, usually by 9 o’clock. They spend the whole day in our camp where, apart from listening to the message of Christ at daily Bible lessons, they play various games, sing, and simply experience an atmosphere of Christian lifestyle. We also feed the children and provide basic medical care.  Around 9 o’clock in the evening, we take kids back to their village, where their parents, who will bring them back the next morning, meet them. After a short break, we then have campfire fellowship with young adults from the same village.

Since 2002, our team had the privilege to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the children from deprived families in many villages of the Republic of Moldova.  On average we conduct about four to five camps each summer. The number of villages, however, is higher due to strategic locations we chose in order to bless children from more than one village at a time. Although we strive for quality and not quantity, we had several summers in our history where the total number of children came close to 2000. Today, the average size of our camps is between 150 to 220 children.

We Need Your Participation

Every summer as our team embarks on a mission trip to Moldova we rest in God’s promise for provision through consistent prayers and generous gifts and donations of many committed Christians. We do encourage our team members to be responsible to cover their trip expenses apart from making a personal contribution towards the camp ministry.

Also we would like to ask you to prayerfully search your heart and see if God is leading you to participate in this ministry financially and/or through prayer support.

We use all of the raised funds to cover the expenses of the outreach camps. A gift of $25 will cover the expenses of one child’s stay in our camp between four to five days. This amount includes food, camp supplies, songbooks, craft material, gifts, and other items.

We believe God Himself directs His human and financial resources and have faith He will provide for every project. If you would like to help support this project financially, your gift of any size would be highly valued. Tax-deductible receipts may be provided upon request. Please see our “Donate” section for more information on how to make contributions.

May God bless you!

Project Inspiration

The traveling nature of our ministry brings us to various locations in rural Moldova. We conduct our camps in the areas where unending economic crisis struck many families with poverty of shocking proportions. Upon entering villages, signs of economic hardship are immediately evident through destroyed roads, abandoned homes with tumbling fences, neglected water wells, no street lighting, dysfunctional farming, etc. Most of the labor ready population deserted their homes in search of better paying jobs, mainly favoring illegal employment outside of Moldova in countries such as Italy, Spain, or Russia. While themselves in search of employment elsewhere, in an unsurprising move parents entrust their children to the care and responsibility of their aging and fragile grandparents. These children and teenagers, both local and visiting from other towns and villages make up the body of our camps. They are most vulnerable to the effects of economic hardships, frequently lacking healthy nutrition, basic medical care, clothing, and opportunities for education, not to mention spiritual instruction.

Project objective

Through meeting needs of the poverty stricken families we seek to bring Christ’s compassionate touch to the heart of families in rural areas of Moldova. Providing them with food supplies, basic medical care, and other items of daily use we hope to demonstrate that Jesus cares about all aspects of their lives.

Project specifics

As we carry out our daily program activities in each camp, our counselors, nurses, and other camp staff watch for the signs and clues to cases of extreme poverty, as well as neglect and abuse. Spending so much time in close proximity with kids and teens yields plenty occasions for learning about their family life, economic condition, urgent needs and troubles. By the end of each camp session, our staff is well informed about children from extremely impoverished families. Without making any announcements, we target these families for assistance. Our assistance is strictly need-based, but usually consists of extended food supply; medical care necessities, clothing, items of personal care, etc. On occasion, after careful consideration, a monetary gift maybe appropriate such as paying outstanding electricity or gas bill to avoid shutoff, purchasing a desperately needed household item, or investing into a farm animal, etc. Although such families are very open to these acts of charity and welcome any assistance, we ensure that we do not diminish their dignity by just showing up at the door with gifts. We take genuine concern in the wellbeing of each family, pray for them, and attempt to establish relationship with the parents prior to delivering our aid. These acts of compassion leave them very grateful to God and testify to His providential care for the poor.

We Need Your Participation

We believe that we don’t bring anything in this world and don’t take anything out. God gave us everything that we have in one way or another. The question is whether we are willing to share what was given to us with those who lack even basic necessities.

Through this project we ask the body of Christ to consider material needs of those less fortunate than us.

Please join us in our effort to make a difference in the lives of many poor families in rural Moldova by donating to this specific ministry.

Tax-deductible receipts may be provided upon request. Please see our “Donate” section for more information on how to make contributions.

May God bless you!

Project Inspiration

Christian outreach camps present an invaluable opportunity for our missionaries to express their genuine love and concern for those without hope in Christ. This is tried and true:  opening up our hearts and showing compassion produces a lasting impact on both children and youth. It leaves them longing for relationships that breathe the same Spirit of love and truth they experienced in our camps. Without an opportunity for ongoing fellowship with Christians, however, many of them will succumb to peer pressures in their towns and villages. Critical here is the need to provide them with a place of refuge from these pressures, and a safe “haven” for nurturing Christian relationships.  Absence of this follow up ministry would undermine the work done in outreach camps.

Project Objective

The Youth Club and Children Club ministry represents this follow up work to our current projects in Moldova. Further referred to as the “club ministry” it exists to provide children and young people with an opportunity for spiritual growth. It ultimately serves as a means for them to be absorbed into the body of Christ by gradually transitioning into a local church. Essentially, as a ministry, we exist to aid the Church in its growth through outreach projects. Club ministry is absolutely vital in the course of navigating children and young people into the fellowship of true believers.

Project Scope

Club ministry serves as an effective way to follow up with children and teenagers from our camps to ensure their spiritual growth. However, our goals extend further than maintaining a connection during the interlude between summer camps. We aim to bring each club to such maturity that it is able to function independently of XiT Ministries, drawing on the support from indigenous churches. By offering proportional to the need financial support, program supplies, training and inspiration we strive to ignite a movement to passionate evangelical outreach among local churches. Our goal is to see in local Christians a mature and lasting commitment to save young souls expressed through independently functioning children and youth clubs.

Practical Approach

Despite their direct connection to our summer camps, children and youth clubs are homegrown by nature. Prior to our corresponding commitment to support any club, we ensure that club leaders share a strong sense of ownership in this ministry, and have genuine compassion for their own people. We place such high value on the above-mentioned criteria, that it affects our choice of villages and towns in which we conduct our summer camps. This suggests that club ministry not only follows our summer camps, but in many cases will precede them as well. Faithful to our practical approach, we highly regard what God is already doing in any place. A sign of God’s moving Spirit that attracted us to partnership in launching a local club ministry has undeniably been presence of native Christian leaders with a passion to serve Jesus. Thus we seek opportunities to join Him in His work by matching our calling to the local spiritual needs.

Project Specifics

On weekly to monthly basis, children and young people from a local village or town get together on a weekend day. United by their common experience of summer camps, they are welcomed to a similar atmosphere of genuine love and appreciation sustained through camp-like activities, such as singing, playing games, studying the Bible, praying, doing arts and crafts, enjoying treats and simply having a good time. XiT Ministries supports each club proportionally to the need while working closely on helping the club to achieve a level of maturity that allows it to function independently. Volunteer Coordinators at XiT Ministries regularly visit club meetings, conduct seminars and training for the leaders, and organize special events during Christmas and Easter celebrations. Alternative to local entertainment tainted by alcohol, drugs, and violence these clubs become sanctuaries where children and young people cultivate a heart of obedience, learn to love the truth, and honor God.

[Insert Exit Chart somewhere here]

The Team

Always at the head of children and youth clubs are local Christian leaders and volunteers who have been marked with the sacrificial love for their countrymen. These leaders become our close partners during summer camps, growing in trust and respect with the kids and youth from their geographical areas. Towards the end of each camp session, kids and teens return home with a relationship developed with these leaders in the context of their memorable time spent in camps. These previously fused relationships help both leaders and children grow even closer. All leaders conduct their ministry on volunteer basis and work in close partnership with XiT Ministries volunteer & project coordinators.

We Need Your Participation

We would like to ask you to prayerfully consider participating in this ministry financially and/or through prayer support.

Though one of the most important projects, club ministry, unfortunately, tends to be financially least supported. Perhaps the reason is that it does not boast such thrill or excitement relative to the one produced in our summer projects. However, we achieve this colorfulness in our summer camps in order to draw attention from children and youth, not our sponsors primarily. Since follow up work by far is the largest expense in XiT Ministries, we ask you to consider joining in supporting this very essential project, however unnoticeable it may be throughout the year.

Expenses of this project largely include fuel and communication costs, program supplies, arts & crafts, food, etc. We use all of the raised funds to cover expenses of the designated projects.

We believe God Himself directs His human and financial resources and have faith He will provide for this project as well. If you feel that God is leading you to support this project financially, your gift of any size would be highly valued.

Tax-deductible receipts may be provided upon request. Please see our “Donate” section for more information on how to make contributions.

May God bless you!