23

Mar

Springtime in Moldova…

Posted by Stittler  Published in Updates
Dear Friends and Family,

The World is such a beautiful place with a little bit of sunshine.  As the snow is melting around us, Chisinau is getting greener and prettier.  We’re starting to getting into a more regular swing and synching into the culture… sort of.

Our First Visitors to Moldova!

Our dear friends Jess and Robyn from Minnesota came to Moldova. We were so blessed to have these two wonderful ladies come all the way from the USA to share in our lives and get involved in our ministry.  Both of these women have a heart for ministries against human trafficking into prostitution; it was great to share passion and ideas. They blessed the ministry and learned about Freedom Home’s vision and methodology.  Their brief period here was a major blessing, they did whatever they could to help.  They even preached at a small rural church for their missions conference.  It was so  wonderful to have people visit us from the USA.  On top of the great work they did we had a ton of fun. We celebrated Finnian’s birthday, went to the $5 opera and ate Moldovan food.  It was an awesome time.

Life is starting to get into a somewhat regular schedule, or as much regularity as missions permits. Even at the Freedom Home things seems to be getting into a more normal flow. Recently we’ve been able to have some really exciting conversations about focusing on the women’s spiritual development.  At times we’ve felt like we’re in a sinking ship, trying to rapidly throw buckets of water out to keep from drowning, but lately we’ve felt we’re not going down and we can really focus on moving forward.

Pastors of Moldova are envisioning great things for the Church. We’ve been attending and preaching at Churches all over Moldova.  Patrick has been at several conferences and been building wonderful relationships.  The Ministers want to see the Holy Spirit do amazing work here.  They’re visualizing a new wave of spiritual freedom and uninhibited worship.  This synchronizes with the Freedom Home’s hope for the women.  One of our women recently attended a Revival and experienced a new dimension of freedom.  She’s constantly telling us about the new joy the Lord has given her.  We want to see all women have a new closeness with the Lord, and Pastors here are helping to make this a reality.

We’re starting a garden at Freedom Home. I’ve never in my life had the slightest interest in gardening but now we’re going to try to build something.  We’ve been studying which end of the shovel to hold and what color plants are supposed to be.  Some of the women are really excited about it.  So if you have any horticultural tips please let us know.
Vice-President Joseph Biden came to Chisinau, Moldova. Vice-President Biden is the highest ranking US official to ever come to Moldova.  We all volunteered to make his visit efficient and memorable.  Moldova is coming out of a political metamorphosis and the people are wanting greater freedom.  It has been a difficult process but there is now a greater optimism in Moldova.  Biden’s visit gave real encouragement to the Moldovan people during their struggle for political freedom.  The VP did a fantastic job of showing political solidarity with the USA and Moldova.  Please pray for Moldova as it matures into a solid entity and for the USA guiding them through.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. God is keeping us safe, well, happy and blessed.  Please continue to keep us in your thoughts; we rely on all our partners and can’t function without your prayers.  Thank you so much for being there for us.

With Love and Prayers,

Patrick, Kalyna, Jack, Finnian and Levi Stitt
Mission Moldova

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19

Jan

Here Comes 2011….

Posted by Stittler  Published in Updates

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Here Comes 2011…
Dear Friends and Family,

It seems incredible to think but 2010 has passed us by.  What a year it’s been!  Its hard to believe that we began 2010 wondering how on earth we could raise the majority of our budget but it came to a close listening to our Moldovan neighbors blasting fireworks and singing some lovely Russian melody.  Let’s here it for 2010!
Christmas and New Years in Moldova!

As Christmas and New Years roll in life slows way down in Moldova. From the last week of December through the first week of January, Moldovans celebrate the New Year and Christmas.  Businesses close down and people surround themselvPresentses with their families .  This Christmas we went Moldovan. The Stitt family had a fantastic time together, opening presents, celebrating festivities with our friends and enjoying the sights of Chisinau. It was lovely. Moldovan Christmas is on January 7th so we were able to observe it twice; with the advantage that as we opened presents Moldovans began their mad shop.  We also enjoyed the added blessing of having our wonderful friends and family send us marvelous gifts.  We were well looked after.  Although it a was challenging to spend Christmas away from family and friends we were blessed to be around our team and  our new Moldovan friends.

Christmas celebration at Freedom Home was wonderfully unique.  Many of the women from the Freedom Home do not have families with which to honor the birth of Jesus. Even so we always have our family in Christ with whom to celebrate.  This year the women spent the holidays with Christian families all over Moldova.  It was a tremendously successful.  The families bonded with and doted on the women and their children wonderfully.  All the women experienced a safe, Christ-centered, family Christmas.  They also attended Churches that embraced them regardless of their pasts or scars gained on the way.  The women had a wonderful time; when we picked up one woman from her family she had such a glow about her.  One said the time with the family was like “Heaven”.  Part of the vision of Freedom Home is to enable the women to live independently.  The success of this holiday season also provides an external group who are invested in loving the individual woman and their children.  When such a time arrives for the women to progress into independent living it it’s such a blessing that there are families and churches who will hold their hand through the next stage of their transition.
While we meditate on the miraculous elements of Christ’s birth it is worth noting the social difficulties Jesus was born into.  Our Lord was a crisis pregnancy, with the powers that be seeking to execute Him and His peers.  Born destitute, the Holy family then became refugees.  It is from these humbling circumstances that a child was born who became the centerpiece of human history.  It reminds us that from humble or even heartbreaking  beginnings can erupt a life that rebuilds the very fiber of humanity.

Christ’s life exemplifies His message of finding something so beautifully precious within every human being.  Christ once said

“Inasmuch as ye have done unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done unto me.”  In this sense, these wonderful families took in the Holy Family for Christmas. They did this because they saw intrinsic beauty regardless of circumstances.  For all our wonderful friends who pray for the Freedom Home thank you for seeing people in this same light.
With Love and Prayers,

Patrick, Kalyna, Jack, Finnian and Levi Stitt
Mission Moldova
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1

Dec

Posted by Stittler  Published in Updates

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A time of sadness…
Greetings Friends and Family,

Since we last wrote to you we have had some devastating news.  On September 25th we received the news that Patrick’s father, Dr. Sean Stitt, passed away. He was 57 years old.  Although he had recently been sick, his untimely death was a complete shock.

Sean Gerard Stitt 1952 – 2010

When we lose someone close to us it is so naturally comforting to bring to mind our fondest memories.  Fortunately Dad gave us so many wonderful memories to choose from.  As painful as the loss is, we were so blessed to have known and loved Dad.

For those who didn’t have the honor of knowing Sean, he really was a remarkable man.

My father had many passions in his life. He was sensitive to the causes of social justice and was a fervent academic. As well as serving the underdog through practical development and scholastic research, he was an accomplished intellectual. He was the first member of his family to attend college and continued in this path, eventually achieving a Ph.d. Dr. Stitt was an author and a university lecturer.

He loved Celtic football club with fanatical devotion.  He also adored fishing. Little gave dad as much pleasure as the solitude of the hunt. When we were young our family spent many happy weeks in Cavan. Dad spent much of that time there fishing as is evidenSean Stittt by our holiday photos, were he is never pictured without displaying his latest catch.

In the past few years dad hadn’t been in the best of health. Despite this he stayed active. He was lecturing in Britain and also he traveled to Minnesota to see his grandchildren who love him dearly. Only a few weeks ago he was discussing going back college and was looking forward to meeting his youngest grandchild, Levi.

Dad gave us all unconditional love and encouragement.  He taught us the importance of standing up for what is right, regardless of the cost or the support.  He was a wonderful father and we’ll all miss him so much.

Joys and Trials at the Freedom Home!

Prayers are being answered but more are needed.  Last time we wrote we asked you to pray for Mary*.  Mary decided to give her life to Christ but shortly thereafter began to have nightmares, leaving her timid and fearful.  This was exacerbated by the approaching trial of Mary’s traffickers.  Prior to leaving for Ireland we received the news that the traffickers were convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison.  Since then Mary has completely transformed.  Today she seems to be an endless fountain of joy.  She never stops smiling, laughing, telling jokes and above all singing.  I can barely reconcile the memory of a withdrawn and timorous girl with the new creation in Christ, who skips down the road singing songs of praise.

Psa 5:11 “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.”

Thank you so much for your prayer, but please keep praying as we need miracles everyday.

Mary’s testimony is cause for celebration but there have also been trials.  Ali* had been in the home for a few years and her progress has always been precarious.  After some difficult decisions it was decided it would be better for Ali if we rented her an apartment and help her transition into the real world.  Alas, the transition did not go well.  Ali became hysterical. She called the police and summoned neighbors under the guise that those who were helping her were criminals.

To make a long story short Patrick, along with the director of Freedom Home and Jessie Love (another missionary) were brought to the police station and questioned by the Anti-human trafficking bureau for several hours.  This was certainly a unique and harrowing experience.  The police are still investigating the incident; please pray that the Lord’s Will will be done.  We need the Lord’s protection, pray that we can have solid cooperation with the police and neighbors.  Also pray for Ali.  As hurt as we are by her actions we must remember to love and pray for her.  Christ died for all and loves all, and He loves Ali.  We must love her too.  Also she has two beautiful children who need your prayers.
We are continually reminded that those who partner with us pray for us and love us.  It is a constant source of strength that we are united with our siblings in Christ to fight the evils of exploitation in Moldova.  We are deeply indebted to those who give so sacrificially.  Thank you so VERY much.

With Love and Prayers,

Patrick, Kalyna, Jack, Finnian and Levi Stitt
Mission Moldova

If you have sent in a pledge form or a donation, and have not received a receipt or acknowledgment from Assemblies of
God World Missions, please let us know as soon as possible.  We have had some technical issues dealing with our
support and we would like to resolve any problems as quickly as possible.

Thank you so much for your support!

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24

Jun

June Update

Posted by Kalyna  Published in Updates

Dear Family and Friends,

We have arrived in Moldova! Our journey here was long and tiresome, for our flights were rerouted and we ended up taking over 30 hours to get here, but we arrived in the end! We have now spent one full week in Chisinau, Moldova, and are enjoying exploring the city and learning about the new culture we have been placed in.

The apartment we will be moving into was not ready for us when we arrived, but we will be moving in on Saturday. This week we have been hanging out in a guest room at the Pentecostal Union Building, and this has given us a chance to get adjusted to the new time zone before worrying about moving into a new place.

Our boys are loving Moldova – especially the trolley buses; they love the excitement of travelling around the city in a big orange bus. Riding the bus is one of our main forms of transportation here, and so far they boys never tire of it.

The team of missionaries here are wonderful and have done a fantastic job of welcoming us to the country and making us feel comfortable and at home right away. We are very excited about being part of the team over the next two years.

We got to visit the Home of Hope this week and see the beautiful place where the girls live. We spent some quality time with the workers at the Home and Patrick had great fun playing with the children.

Our first three months here will be largely focused on learning the language. We begin our first language lessons with our tutor, Olga, tomorrow afternoon, and we are looking forward to the time when we will be able to properly communicate with the people around us. Please pray we will make rapid progress in this area.

All in all, we have had a very successful and enjoyable first week here and are ready to take the plunge and get involved in the language and ministry here in Chisinau. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for and supporting us. It’s wonderful to know you care as we experience each new and often difficult change. Thank you!

Many Blessings,

Patrick, Kalyna, Jack, Finnian and Levi Stitt

If you would like to receive our newsletters via e-mail, please e-mail us and let us know – kalynastitt@gmail.com, or stittlers@gmail.com

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27

May

Final Departure Date!

Posted by Kalyna  Published in Updates

We are very pleased and excited to announce to you that we have actually bought our airline tickets and will soon be leaving for Moldova! A huge thank you to all of you who have made this possible. Your prayer and support are essential and we are ever grateful for the sacrifices you have made. Our final date of departure is Wednesday, June 16. We will be leaving Minneapolis at 8:55 am. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel so far with three tiny children. We will be making three stops along the way, so pray we don’t miss any of our flights, or lose our baggage along the way! We are planning to arrive in Moldova at noon (Moldova time) on the following day, June 17.

It is truly wonderful to finally be reaching the culmination of so long a process of planning and preparation. We are delighted to finally embark on the next stage of our life and let the journey of our ministry truly begin. Again, thank you all for getting us here and we will be sure to keep you updated!

Many thanks and blessings,

Patrick and Kalyna Stitt

If you would like to receive these updates as an email, please email your address to kalynastitt@gmail.com or stittlers@gmail.com.

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15

Apr

Our Spring Newsletter

Posted by Kalyna  Published in Updates

Dear Friends and Family,

We are only a few hundred dollars a month shy of raising ALL of our support! We are so happy to be able to finally report that we are very close to reaching that goal. To all of you who have so generously given your finances, time, hard work and prayers, THANK YOU! It’s been quite the journey but we still have a lot of work to do.

We are confident that we will be leaving in the early summer. If you have thought about supporting us this would be the best time. We have raised all of our setup cost so every donation given goes toward our monthly cost. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us and help bring Christ’s message to the people of Moldova.  If you have already made a pledge, this is a reminder to begin sending in your monthly donation in June so we will have the support we need as we leave for the field. We are very grateful to you for your sacrificial contribution. We couldn’t get there without you!

2010 has so far been a pretty crazy year. Last time we wrote to you, Levi was a newborn. He is now ten months old and crawling all over the place, trying to keep up with his brothers. He loves his brothers’ attention, even if they beat up on him a little. Finnian just turned two and loves music. He is constantly singing songs. His favorites include “The Lord’s Army”, “Deep and Wide”, and “My God is So Big.” He has also been learning memory verses along with his older brother, Jack, both of whom love to recite them. Jack is now three and we have started teaching him how to read and write, which he greatly enjoys. It is fun to see him glow with pride at each new accomplishment.

Kalyna has been working hard at her full-time job – raising the kids. It may not be a paid position, but it’s full of its own rewards. She has also been studying Russian in order to be prepared for serving in Moldova. Last year the Lord led Patrick to seek his ministerial license with Assemblies of God. After many nights studying online, filling out applications, doing interviews and praying Patrick has been approved. So if you know anyone who needs to be married or buried, Patrick is now available.

A lot has been happening at the Home of Hope in Moldova, as well. Several new girls have arrived over the past few months and are being introduced to the healing power of Jesus. It is difficult for them to adjust to their new life, and one of them recently had to face her traffickers in court. This is a very traumatic time for her and your continued prayers are desperately needed. Never doubt the power of prayer! Two of the girls have begun a cooking class, a wonderful opportunity for those without proper education. Some are discovering the joy of having a loving family for the first time. God is doing marvelous things at the Home of Hope and we are very anxious to join the team there.

Again, thank you so much for your prayers and support. If you would like to partner with us for the first time, please visit our support page, where you can donate online or print a pledge form to mail.  To go to this page, click here. We are nearing our goal and we appreciate every little sacrifice you can make for the women of Moldova. While we are in Moldova, we will be sending out regular updates via e-mail. If you would like to receive these newsletters, please go to the Get Involved page and fill out the contact form there. To view the form, click here. Thank you!

Many Blessings,

Patrick and Kalyna Stitt

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25

Jan

Support Update

Posted by Kalyna  Published in Updates

Hello, everyone!

January 2010 has arrived, and we are aware that this was the month in which we told many of you we would be leaving.  We really wish that were the case, for we are getting very anxious to be at the Home of Hope and be a part of the wonderful ministry going on there.  However, we cannot leave until we have raised all of our support, and unfortunately, we are not there yet.  So, here is a little update on where we are with out support and how far we have to go.

The good news:  We have raised all of our setup money!  That means that the cash we had to raise to pay for getting us to Moldova (the money that pays for plane tickets, passports, first months’ rent, etc.) is ready and waiting for us when we are ready to go!  We are very excited about that and thank you to all our supporters and everyone who has donated to us to get us this far!

We are still working on raising our monthly support.  These are the pledges that people make to us to support us every month for the two years we will be in Moldova.  We are currently at just about 50% of our monthly pledges, so if you are able, please consider making a commitment to give monthly to our ministry.  We cannot leave until we have 100% of our support, because we do not want to arrive with insufficient funds to stay in Moldova and do our ministry.  Thank you to everyone who is currently giving every month.  We are so grateful to you and couldn’t have gotten this far without you!

So, where does that put us now?  Well, we are currently hoping to have the rest of our support raised this spring, and so be able to leave in May or June.  This is still a tentative date, because, of course, it depends on whether we can raise the money by that time or not.  We are getting very excited about going soon!

God bless you all and thanks again for your support!

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18

Aug

Levi Lorenzo

Posted by Kalyna  Published in Updates

Announcing the long awaited arrival of Levi Lorenzo Stitt – born May 18.  (I’m a little late posting the news, but three boys keep me busy!)  He was born a healthy 7 lbs 6 ozs, and now is over twice that!  He’s growing fast!  He has been such a joy to our family and it is wonderful to have three boys to love and raise.

In other news, we have been continuing our efforts at raising more support.  We are now nearing 40% of our budget in pledges, and we would like to thank all of you who have contributed to our mission.  We are hoping to still make it out to Moldova in the beginning of next year, so if you have been thinking of supporting us, but haven’t made the committment yet, we would really appreciate it at this time.

Thanks so much for your help!  We’d never get there without you!

Levi Lorenzo

Levi Lorenzo

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2

Mar

Another Update

Posted by Kalyna  Published in Updates

Hello, everybody!

We are still in the process of raising support right now.  We currently have about 20% of our startup money (which we receive through one-time donations) and about 15% of our monthly support.  Thanks to everyone who has been supporting us to get us this far.  If you haven’t contributed to our ministry yet, please consider doing so soon.  We would love to have you get behind us!  For more information about supporting us, click here.

Also, we want to be speaking at churches, and letting pastors and congregations know about our ministry, so if you know of a church, small group, Bible study, or other group that would be interested in hearing about us, please contact us and let us know so we can meet with them.

Our family news right now is that Finnian just had his first birthday!  He is growing up so fast all of a sudden and seems like such a big kid now that he can walk and is learning to talk!  We had a fun party for him to celebrate his birthday, and he had a great time. 

We are also looking forward to the birth of our third baby, in less than three months (May 25th).  We have found out that it is another boy, and we are very excited for the three of them to grow up together.  Jack likes to talk to the baby in Mommy’s tummy, and even knows the baby’s name – Levi.  We cannot wait to meet this new addition to our family.

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15

Nov

Our Big News

Posted by Kalyna  Published in Updates

Hey, everybody!  It has been longer than I meant it to be since we have posted our newest news on this site.  There are two main things we would like to announce:

First of all – we are now expecting another baby!  The baby is due at the end of May, and we are very excited for our family to be growing in such blessings.  We haven’t decided on a name yet, so any suggestions are welcome!  Please pray for us as we try to make room, both in our house and our paycheck for this newest little one.  Also, pray that the pregnancy goes well, because Kalyna has a history of preterm labor, and we would like this baby to go full term without such complications.

The second big news – We finally sent out our support letters!  Now we have officially begun raising support, and we are really excited about it.  We have already had several people get behind us and contributed, both financially and prayerfully, to our ministry.  If you would like to receive one of our support letters in the mail, as well as our further updates, please go to our Mailing List page and send us your mailing address.  A note on the letters – we do not at this time have electronic forms of them, so if you wish to receive them, please give us your mailing address.  We may at a later date be sending out e-mail updates, but for now it is limited to the mail and this website.  Thanks for your cooperation! 

We would like to thank those of you who have already donated to us, both online and through the mail.  We really appreciate your support!  We could never do this without you!

Much love and many blessings from God,

Kalyna

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