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SVETLY, Moldova \u2013 Across Eastern Europe, young people continue to leave their hometowns in search of stability, opportunity, and hope. But in one small village outside Chi\u0219in\u0103u, a young couple made a different choice, and their decision is transforming an entire community.<\/p>\n
As the sun rises over the quiet village of Svetly, the smell of fresh bread and coffee drifts past aging Soviet-era buildings.
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Inside a small bakery, Denis and Luba are already hard at work.<\/p>\n
“We want to do something good, something special. We want the people here to be motivated, to see that it’s possible to work and serve God without going abroad, to provide for your family right here, in your own community,” Luba Griciuk told CBN News through her tears.<\/p>\n
Fifteen years ago, this young couple reached a crossroads.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We were ordinary Christians, the kind of people who simply understood that you’re supposed to go to church on Sundays, listen to whatever is being preached, have someone tell you something interesting, and feel comfortable sitting through that Sunday service,” said Denis Griciuk.<\/p>\n
Newly married and full of dreams, the couple saw little reason to stay. In a village marked by poverty and unemployment, however, those dreams felt far away.<\/p>\n
Like so many others, they prepared to leave Moldova.<\/p>\n
“We had opportunities to leave. We were invited to move to the States. We also had the option to go to Turkey, with very good conditions,” said Denis.<\/p>\n
Svetly was shrinking. Poverty and unemployment were common. Young people left for countries like the United States, Turkey, and elsewhere in Europe, convinced there was no future at home.<\/p>\n
That changed during a single weekend encounter.<\/p>\n
The Griciuks met Alex Belev, a leader with Mission Eurasia, through its School Without Walls initiative, a ministry training program designed to equip local believers without requiring them to leave their communities.<\/p>\n
“What set them apart was their deep thirst to understand how to carry out ministry, how to raise new disciples, how to serve wherever God sent them,” Belev said.<\/p>\n
The training focused on Biblical wisdom, servant leadership, and practical ministry, not in a classroom, but lived out in everyday life.<\/p>\n
“We are here to raise new generations of church leaders, so that ministry does not stop here and now, but continues over time across generations,” Belev told CBN News.<\/p>\n
That weekend, the couple says, God gave them a new vision: stay and build.<\/p>\n
“It gave us opportunities to learn, to discover new things, to put our Christianity into action, not just to be passive Christians,” Denis said. “We realized that we can be useful right where we are, that we can do something not just be ordinary people, of which there are plenty around.”<\/p>\n
Instead of leaving Moldova, Denis and Luba opened a small bakery with support from Mission Eurasia. Later, they added a caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n
Today, Colos Coffee serves premium coffee and fresh pastries in a village that once had little to celebrate.<\/p>\n
But the caf\u00e9 is more than a business.<\/p>\n
Each day, Denis and Luba quietly provide free food to elderly residents and struggling families. Along with warm bread and coffee, they offer conversation, encouragement, and prayer.<\/p>\n
“We have the opportunity to talk with them, share a little about God, and plant a seed that we believe may one day bear fruit,” Denis said.<\/p>\n
The caf\u00e9 also employs young adults who once planned to leave, including 22-year-old Maria Gamarnic.<\/p>\n
“I had lived in Ukraine, Russia, and Poland, convinced there were no opportunities for me in Svetly,” she said. “When I returned, it was only meant to be for a short while. Then I heard about the coffee shop and decided to stay.”<\/p>\n
As the vision expanded, so did the needs they saw around them.<\/p>\n
First came a bicycle repair shop for children and families who couldn’t afford new bikes. Used bicycles are refurbished and given new life.<\/p>\n
“I see how Denis pours his soul into this day and night, and Luba as well, on weekends and weekdays alike, they devote an extraordinary amount of time to their ministry,” said Alexander Stoleicov who oversees the shop.<\/p>\n
Next, they opened a car repair shop to address transportation challenges caused by aging vehicles and costly maintenance. Luba’s father, a lifelong mechanic, now runs the operation.<\/p>\n
“I’ve been a mechanic since 1979,” he said. “We help with whatever we can.”<\/p>\n
Each initiative created jobs, provided essential services, and strengthened the local economy.<\/p>\n
But the heart of their mission beats strongest elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Inside a modest building in Svetly, dozens of children gather every afternoon for homework help, meals, games, and Bible lessons.<\/p>\n
The center focuses especially on children from difficult circumstances, those raised by single parents, grandparents, or in unstable homes.<\/p>\n
“We work with children from difficult families, those left without parents,” Denis explained. “Grandparents often can’t manage their upbringing, education, and development on their own.”<\/p>\n
Volunteers like Swiss missionary Damaris Blessing teach English and mentor students.<\/p>\n
“I care deeply about children, and I want them to know about Jesus,” Blessing told CBN News.<\/p>\n
What began with a single “yes” to God has now grown into five ministries, dozens of jobs, and countless lives touched.
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Alex Belev says the impact reaches far beyond Svetly.<\/p>\n
“They didn’t just make life in Svetly better through the bakery, the cafe, the workshop, the car shop, and the school for children,” Belev said. “They created a community that raises up other disciples who go on mission wherever there is need.”<\/p>\n
In a village many had written off, the Griciuks chose to believe something different was possible.<\/p>\n
“God gave us this opportunity,” Denis said. “We received the training, we learned the skills, and we decided it would be wrong to bury this talent, to keep it to ourselves.”<\/p>\n
Fifteen years later, their choice continues to ripple through Svetly, one cup of coffee, one repaired bicycle, one child at a time.
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