Viktor Kulyak in a pandemic: No problems, only challenges!

The Coronavirus pandemic has also been challenging for the poor in Moldova. Viktor Kulyak, head of several institutions and pastor of Sarata Galbena, has also noticed. But instead of stopping, he moved on. This week’s devotion is about just that:

A few years ago I learned something very important from Pastor Jan Hanvold who has helped me move forward even in these difficult times. “Never say again that you have problems, but only challenges.” Yes, those were the words he used.
Wow, that’s a lot easier. Challenges always have a way out, problems only help to lock you in.
The important decisions
At the beginning of the ongoing corona pandemic, we had to make several important and right decisions: Should we stop now or move on?
Our congregation in Moldova, Christian Center Sarepta, has different departments and tasks. When everything was shut down, we had to ask ourselves: What do we do now? How should we respond?
1: Should we stop the operation of the private nursing home in Sarata Galbena? It’s impossible, most of the old people here have nowhere else to go.
2: What about the Handicap Center in the same city? Same thing here. Most have nowhere to go and most have prominent physical disabilities that need to be dealt with.
3: Should we stop the operation of the bakery, which provides bread to the mentioned places, but is also a help to the poor in Sarata Galbena?

The price of flour skyrocketed
The price of flour that we imported went up 30 percent for a short time. Much of the reason was for the pandemic, but also because there had been a drought in the area where we bought the flour from.
We decided to stop running the bakery.
After two weeks I was contacted by the mayor of Sarata Galbena who asked why we had stopped the operation of the bakery.
“Due to the pandemic”, I replied.
“But people need more food now than before the pandemic. You must please open the bakery again”, said the mayor.
It was a step of faith. We prayed and concluded: Let us move on.
It turned out that many more people came to get free bread from our bakery. We had to increase from 500 to 800 loaves per. day. The miracle made its entrance. Vision Norway’s many supporters helped us so that we
could buy 22 tons of flour, totaling in 66,000 number of loaves. Hallelujah!

What about the new building?
It was not easy to decide what to do with the construction of the new disability center, on the site next to the nursing home in Sarata Galbena. Should we continue construction, or stop?
Thank God for the Vision Norway family and Jan Hanvold who inspired us and helped us to move forward. God sees – and delivers.
During the pandemic, we have started several new congregations in the area around Sarata Galbena. Now we have plans to build five new buildings in different places, each with room for 100-150 people.
By the grace of God, we have taken on the challenges and moved forward. And today, as we look back, we see how God’s great hand has helped us.
He is our breadwinner. Trust Him and you will never regret it.

INFORMATION: Viktor Kulyak leads the congregation and several private institutions in Sarata Galbena. Among other things, a nursing home and disability
center. He also started a local bakery that benefits the whole area. He also established a type of “afterschool program” for poor school children in a new building close to the senior center. Here students receive tutoring and free food. He has been at the forefront of establishing a number of new congregations in the areas around Sarata Galbena. The projects in this city have been created with the help of Vision Norway and its many supporters. The projects in Sarata Galbena are one of two major areas that Vision Norway supports in Moldova. The other is led by Doru Cirdei and is located in and around the capital Chisinau.