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Turning Setbacks to Strength in Moldova

Cornel has experienced setbacks as he leads a youth ministry in his town. But Innovista has helped his team get back on its feet.

Meet Cornel. He’s 27 and lives in Nisporeni, a town of 10,000 people in central Moldova. Many young people in Moldova leave towns like this for opportunities in either the capital, Chișinău, or the EU. But Cornel is committed to serving his community and uses his entrepreneurial talent to run two small businesses so that he and his wife, Maria, can stay in Nisporeni:

But me and my wife, we are the first [newly married couple] in the last 20 years to remain here in the church, here in the town. So, we are serving God and also we are serving people here."
Cornel is determined to stay in Nisporeni and serve the community there.

Strong team
Together, they lead the youth ministry of their church. The youth ministry team were very active, with Cornel, Maria, and seven others regularly reaching 40 teenagers in their community. After completing the Tempo leadership course in 2019, Cornel told us, “We are a strong team, with a purpose, and a vision. At our Tempo workshops we learned how to be a functional team and be creative. And we have a motto: the strong people are flexible in any situation”. 

An all-too-common problem
However, at the end of last year the other seven young people in the team left Nisporeni in search of higher education opportunities or jobs. This was very difficult for Cornel; he felt that they had been making real progress with the young people in the town.  

Cornel explains why so many young people leave Moldova, and why he stayed.

Cornel got in touch with our team again, looking for help. His situation is common in Moldova, and Maricela, our national director, knew how to support him. One of Innovista’s local trainers, Dima, started coaching Cornel, asking him questions that enabled him to see the opportunities amongst the disappointment.  

Building back
As a result, Cornel identified four new young leaders to serve alongside him and Maria. Dima is helping the new team build up their relationships with each other, so they can keep engaging with the young people in their community. Cornel said:

Because of Innovista, we have made this team and we are working together in our ministry in the church.”

Cornel reached out to Maricela, who was able to give him the help he needed.

Next for Nisporeni
Next, Dima and our Moldovan team will be starting a new Tempo course in the Nisporeni area. Dima told us, “Cornel, along with the new team he has gathered, will be joining this programme. We expect other churches from the Nisporeni area to participate as well, so it will be a great opportunity for him and his team to grow alongside others.” 

Many young leaders in Moldova are facing similar challenges, as people leave their rural towns, looking for more opportunities. Innovista’s local trainers know all about this struggle, and are equipped to help leaders like Cornel navigate these challenges, so they can keep serving their communities, wherever they are.

About Innovista

Supporting leaders where they're needed most.

Innovista identifies, equips and develops Christian leaders working in challenging locations. Every year, we train and mentor around 1,500 leaders in Britain, Ireland, Moldova, Ukraine, Central Asia and beyond. We help leaders transform people and communities through churches, ministries and enterprises. Inspired by Jesus, we equip leaders to build a better world.