In 2000, Mihai Melancea asked Pastor Paul to come and begin training pastoral students in the Bible College there in Moldova. Mihai Melancea is the Academic Dean of the College of Theology in Chisinau (Kish-now) and also the pastor of a church in Chisinau, the capital city of Moldova. Pastor Paul is certified with Sonlife Ministries to train leaders in growing healthy churches. After two week-long sessions of training and two more practical training camps, the students asked Pastor Paul if he would bring a group of Americans to teach English and help run a camp that would be used by Christian teens to share the Gospel with their unbelieving friends. In the summer of 2003 a team of 10 from First Baptist Church of Palmdale, along with 2 from two other churches, went to Moldova to do just that. Both campers and leaders were so delighted with that first camp that they decided to continue and expand the camp! From this, Rock of Hope was formed.

Moldova is a small Eastern European country nestled between Romania and the Ukraine that is in danger of becoming closed to Christians in the not-too-distant future.

This country is landlocked and has an unemployment rate of over 80%. The people realize that if they are to compete and prosper in today’s world, they need to know the language of today’s commerce—English. They are especially interested in learning American English.

We can benefit from this unique need, by offering Christian English-teaching camps to the youth in Moldova.

The Christian English-teaching camp is a cooperative effort between our Christian volunteers and Moldovan church leaders. We provide the English teachers and camp program, and they provide the unbelieving students and a healthy church environment for discipleship or further evangelism after camp is over.