Serving Ukrainian Refugees in Moldova

Many of us at Christchurch will remember Nate Longstaff who joined our congregation while he was studying at Trinity College in Bristol. In January, Nate headed out to Moldova where he joined the staff at a Christian university, the University of Divitia Gratiae in Chisinau, where he is teaching conversational English to the students.

Since the war in Ukraine started, Nate has been made responsible for refugee hospitality and has already worked with 100s of people (including many children and babies). 430,000 Ukrainian refugees have passed through Moldova since 24 February 2022, with a proportion continuing to Romania, Poland and other countries. Nate is now spending his time teaching and serving the university in helping the refugees.

These refugees are normal people and could easily have been my Mum or Dad, sister or brother – even nephews and nieces.

People here are desperate, lost and hurting, but here at the Universitatea Divitia Gratiae in Chisinau Moldova, they are welcomed with love and open arms as well as a cosy bed for however long is needed.

It is such a privilege to serve people and hear their stories whilst facilitating a temporary community of love and compassion.

Nate Longstaff

Nate has now closed the JustGiving page for donations as everyone has been so generous and the page exceeded the target. The money is being used to support the families staying with the university. The situation is changing as the stream of refugees is much less, the weather has improved and international social welfare is in place so the need for emergency funding has dropped significantly.

We will continue to keep in touch with Nate to hear how things are going for him and everyone at the university. Please pray for Nate for his work with the students and the refugee families as well as the political situation in Moldova as it is so close to Ukraine.