Month 1: Bulgaria Summary and Update

Hello everyone!

Month one of ministry is under our belt! While is has been a long month it is hard to believe that we are headed into month two already. I want to thank all of you for how connected you have been. All of you likes and comments and emails mean a lot to me. Your encouraging words and prayers are worth more than you will know.

Ministry

Ministry this month has been all over the place. We have been doing different things each week.

Our first week in Bulgaria we able to work in a small gypsy community with a wonderful girl named Alex who works in this community regularly. Each day the children of the community would come to the church and each day we would sing songs, tell stories, and play games with them. As we got to know them better we were able to share Jesus with them on a more personal level. These children are so beautiful. Their love of life and the joy and laughter they bring to every situation is beautiful. We were able to see Jesus in them in the way that they prayed, worshiped, played, and just were. We experienced so much love from them. One of my favorite things about this week was at the end when we had the children pray over us. They prayed with such power and genuineness (then proceeded to lock us in the church to keep us from leaving).

Our second week of ministry was in another small village. We were able to help a local church clear out their back yard, which was covered in weeds and bricks, to allow a safe and more efficient space for children to play and church gatherings to meet. We were also able to walk around the village on several occasions sharing the love Jesus with the people we encountered. We were welcomed into homes and got to pray with the families there. We also spent one whole day playing with the children in a giant field. This was so much fun!

Our third week of ministry was at a summer camp called New Wave. This was a great experience. To be around believers close to your age is always so encouraging to me. To pray with them, worship with them, share Jesus and fellowship with them, and just be with them is so awesome. There is a fire burning in the hearts of the Bulgarian youth to know who Jesus really is.

By far the best part of this month was all the people we have met along the way. We have made some very dear friends in Bulgaria. Three girls in particular really blessed my time here. Alex, Debbie, and Alex are three of the most kind and loving people have ever met. The times I got to spend with them talking, laughing, walking through town, worshiping, and just being with them was incredible. They prayed for us, loved us, and encouraged us in so many ways. There were also two families from the church in Varna that took us in, fed us, did our laundry, prayed with us and for us, encouraged us, and loved us. We were incredibly blessed by all these people. They were truly apart of making this month so special.

Lessons and Challenges of Month 1 and Goals for Month 2

I have learned this month to accept the blessings The Lord gives with a gracious heart. Sometimes I feel guilty when so many blessings are being poured out. I feel like there is something I need to do in return for the people The Lord is using to bless us. The Lord has been teaching me that He is a good God who likes to give gifts to his children. That these blessings are in fact gifts given to us not because of anything we did or need to do but simply because He loves us. He is teaching me to be thankful in all circumstances and how find and receive his love and blessing in every situation.

This month has been challenging for the obvious reasons. Living with complete strangers is not easy. It sort of feels like freshman year of college all over again. You are feeling each other out and learning how to communicate in a way that the other person receive that communication. You are learning to give and receive love in different way. You are learning to trust. Unlike freshman year The Lord was in the middle of this from the beginning and we all knew it. Learning to love each other like Jesus and see each other as Jesus sees us is harder than I thought it would be.

This month I have been able to see The Lord’s provision in many ways. The biggest way for me is how He provides time for us. These moments with The Lord no matter how long or short have been really great. He fills me up and allows me to keep going each time. I don’t feel cheated of alone time with Him nor do I feel like I am cheating Him. I don?t feel as drained or overwhelmed with constantly being around people all the time. My time with God has been really amazing and he is showing me so many things already.

My hope for this upcoming month is to continue to say “yes” to whatever The Lord has. I truly desire to know him in every capacity. I want my heart to beat for what His heart beats for. I want to be so close to him. I also want to grow more in love with my team and squad. The Lord has placed each of them in my life for such a time as this and I want to soak up everything they bring to the table. I want to continue to build a community that is built on freedom in Christ, grace, and love. I want a place and to be a place for people to come as they are without fear. A place for them to have the freedom to be exactly who The Lord made them to, a place where they can safely give and receive love, a place that show grace when grace is needed and challenges each other in love to be more of the people God wants us to be and created us to be.

Albania

In August my team will be in Lezhe, Albania for all squad month. This means will be reunited the all the teams of E squad and have the opportunity to serve together during the month of August. Our squad will be working with Lifeforce ministry. This ministry hosts summer camps so will be helping to supervise activities when there are camps and maintain the camp facilities while there aren’t camps.

I am excited to see what this looks like. It will be so good to be back with the whole squad and to work along side them.

Fundraising

As of this moment I have $8731 in my support account. It has truly been both humbling and encouraging to see how God uses each of you to help me meet my goals. In order for me to stay on the race I will need to have $11,000 in my support account by October 1, 2014. I am about $3000 shy of that goal. If 50 people gave $60 I would meet this goal. I can’t continue the Race if I don’t meet this goal. Please pray and ask The Lord how you can be apart of helping me reach my goal.

You can donate to my World Race two ways.
1. Click the “Support Me” button to left of this blog and make a donation online.
2. You can mail your donation to P.O. Box 742570 Atlanta GA 30374-2570. Make all checks payable to Adventures in Missions and in the memo line of your check be sure to write JESSICAJOHNSONRAVIN to be sure that your donation gets to me.

Thank you so much to those of your who have already donated to my trip. Your generosity has made it possible for me to do what The Lord has called me to do for this season of my life. There will never be enough words to thank you enough. I pray that The Lord blesses you for the generosity you have shown me.

Prayer

While Albania is a safe country for the most part please continue to pray for our squads safety. Pray for us as we work together and do ministry. Pray for us to united and have eyes and ears open to Holy Spirit. Pray that God would continue to refine us and continue to show the areas in our lives that need more of Him.

Pray for me as I continue to form relationships with my team and squad. Pray that I would learn and grow from them and fully utilize them and the gifts The Lord has given them. Pray for me also that I would continue to seek The Lord and have a hunger for His truth, that I would press the through the hard moments, and be open and vulnerable at the right times. Pray that my heart would desire the things of His heart.

Stay In Touch

You can get ahold of me through my Facebook page and my email, [email protected]. I will be posting pictures and updates on my page so that is best way to stay updated on everything. Also be sure to subscribe to my blog to get email notifications each time a new blog is posted. My blog is the best way to keep up with stories and see what The Lord is doing in the places we will be serving and to read about what is doing in my heart as well.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Thank you for all your prayers and support and encouraging words. As always feel free at any point to contact me.