Celebrating Easter in a time of war

Holy week in spring 2022 was anything but normal for Orthodox Christians in Moldova. [Sprays of holy water fly through the air against a crucifix in the background.]( Celebrating Easter in a time of war Holy week in spring 2022 was anything but normal for Orthodox Christians in Moldova. The war in Ukraine — their neighboring country — caused refugees, mostly women and children, to flood across the border seeking sanctuary. Despite being one of the poorest nations in Europe, both Moldovan churches and ordinary citizens haven’t let that stop them from opening their homes and helping some tens of thousands of refugees from Ukraine. Father Andrei Rusu of Saint Dumitru Church in Chișinău, Moldova, said the Easter holiday is the most important holiday in the Orthodox church. And despite the war, crowds of people still thronged to churches to celebrate Christ’s triumph over the grave. In the Orthodox tradition, the Easter service begins between 10 and 11 o’clock on Saturday night, lasting through the night and into the early morning hours of Sunday. At first people trickled in — collecting a candle as they entered — but as the hour grew later more and more people crowded into the sanctuary, mostly up front toward the altar. A choir of young people sang from the balcony, their harmonies ringing throughout the church. [READ MORE]( [A Malawian woman squats to give a young girl a loving, motherly, kiss. The girl smiles.]( Prayer for women and girls Join us as we pray for women and girls, that they may live the abundant life God intends for them. [READ MORE]( [Children wearing navy-and-white gingham school uniforms sit at a lunch table with red plates holding their meals.]( Haiti crisis and how to help The current situation in Haiti is dire. Learn more about the crisis and how World Vision is responding. [READ MORE]( [Portrait of a smiling Zambian girl]( “Water to our doorsteps” Access to clean water nearby has enabled Maggie to pursue her dream of nursing while enjoying her childhood. [READ MORE]( [A young girl and her grandma pose with arms around each other, smiling in their orange World Vision Global 6K shirts.]( Fundraising for clean water Learn how a grandmother and granddaughter have bonded through their World Vision Global 6K tradition. [READ MORE]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [World Vision Youtube Channel]( [Instagram]( --------------------------------------------------------------- World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. [Read more about our work.]( World Vision, P.O. Box 9716, Federal Way, WA 98063 1.888.511.6514 [Privacy Policy]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Sign In]( | Campaign = 400079760 | Donor No. = 106150834 Having trouble viewing this email? [View it online](.