I remember in 1988 with our children joining with 15,000 other Chrisitians to walk around the new parliament house in Canberra Australia. The building was to be opened by the Queen and so many people took the pilgrimage to join and offer 24 hours of prayer before the opening. we sang songs as we walked in unity and many prayers were offerred. It was a peaceful and memorable expereince.
It was a very different story in Moldova this week when a similar number of people gathered around the Moldovan parliament building. They were not there for prayer, but rather to demonstrate their anger at the results of the election that had just taken place. Using modern technology - facebook, SMS the crowds came quickly and a violent frenzy erupted. The crowd stormed the building - the police retreated and the building was gutted. Furniture and papers thrown out windows, computers stolen, many floors set ablaze. 9 floors of the building decimated.
Two nights after the event I walked with friends around the building to observe the damage. It was interesting to watch the many locals who also came in disbelief and wonder. We looked at the building with the blackened walls, broken windows, vertical blinds hanging from the vacant places. We watched as the riot police packed away their riot gear into a big van. We looked at the piles of broken glass and wrecked furniture and littered paper. The result of the demonstration did little for the cause. Students now have no money to study as the government suspended all payments to pay for the damages. Moldova made the front page of news all around the world. This very poor country, struggling to recover its economy, struggling to finds its identity. An interesting place to find the Salvation Army. The challenges and opportunities are great.
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