Our partnership with the northern district of Moldova began in 2001, when the partnership between the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware and the Baptist Union of Moldova concluded. Early in the partnership, the Moldovan leadership concluded that the most effective way to plant churches in villages and towns would be through medical clinics in new churches and in communities where there were no churches. Because of communist influence, villagers were reluctant to attend evangelical Christian services, but they would participate in medical clinics. Clinics are performed by Moldovan Christian doctors and nurses and the Gospel is preached through translators by American pastors and laypersons. Since the beginning we have partnered in planting at least one church per year. In 2005, the partnership was extended into Ukraine.