Recently, I interviewed Elena, an English teacher in Moldova, a small country in Eastern Europe sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. 

Last September, teachers in her city began teaching in person after being out of their classrooms since the spring due to COVID-19. Elena and six friends had formed an International School Project group, and they wanted to help.

They gave masks to teachers in schools across the city. The masks came with a bookmark, thanking teachers for their selfless work and inviting them to be part of a Facebook group. The teachers were grateful. Some even cried because they’d been remembered. 

When the virus surged, some schools shut down completely and others stayed open half-time. Educators who had never taught using video conferencing were told they must teach online. Some students didn’t have computers but might be able to follow along on a cell phone. 

In December, 20 teachers who wanted face-to-face contact attended an in-person ISP Christmas party. They wore masks and sat socially distanced from each other. At the party, Elena and her friends invited the teachers to a parenting class featuring ISP curriculum. 

Now, every morning at 8:15, Elena and other teachers gather in her classroom to pray for each other, their students, the school and their country. When I asked if they had seen anything happen as a result of prayer, she offered a modest answer. 

She told me while some schools across the city had completely shut down and others had moved to half-time in person instruction because of COVID-19, her school had remained open for the entire school year.

God is at work around the world through teachers, even during a pandemic. This month, please pray for me as I write Elena’s story for our upcoming newsletter.

Thank you for your prayers and generous gifts. You allow us to continue following the call God has placed on our lives. We’re so grateful. And please let us know how we can pray for you, too.

— Anne Marie —