Every month I figured I'd write a blog that let pictures do the talking. Well, at least for the most part. So here you go for month one! Enjoy Bulgaria through the lens of my camera.
Crossing the Dabube River (by ferry) to get from Romania to Bulgaria
I am so amazed by the beauty of the creation of my God. So awestruck by His majesty. To think that He created such wonderful sights as these, and yet He also created each one of us, and loves us more than we can understand. Our God is amazing. Breathe in His beauty. (This was taken at Belogradchik rocks,
Our first gypsy church visit in Belogradchik – the room was so tiny, but crammed full with a line out the door and people crowding around on the street. Very neat experience, and a blessing to be able to pray over the people of the town.
Gypsy church in Sofia
Preaching on the streets in a Gypsy village in Dunavtsi
Mother and Child Orphanage visit
The Good Samaritan puppet show
We spent time the first couple of weeks visiting with members of the church to get to know them, hear their stories, and encourage them. These ladies own/run the only Christian bookstore in this part of Bulgaria. And Marianca is a wonderful cook, too! Please pray for their store!
The sweetest lady! She made us a picnic in the park, and has memorized all of our birthdays! She did a lot of ministry with us when she was able.
Gypsy neighborhood visit
Sweet Gypsy faces
New friends made along the way
Our amazing host, Pastor Yavor, and his beautiful family.
Sarah, Pastor Yavor's daughter. We threw her a surprise sweet sixteen party! She is an amazing young woman that has such a strong faith. It is very apparent that she loves the Lord!
Rise Up by the Danube
There is so much more that I'd like to share, but I've run out of time and now must go back to the apartment to pack up all my belongings – tomorrow we head to Targu-Mures, Romania! If you want to hear some funny stories from the month, check out my teammate Hannah's blog here. Otherwise, the stories will have to wait for another day, and for now I just leave you with a quick summary of what ministry has looked like this month.
-Praying for the city of Vidin, Bulgaria – one of the poorest cities in the poorest nation in the European Union
-Visiting two different orphanages (twice each) to play with the kids, sing songs, put on puppet shows, pray over them, and even dig some sandboxes and clean up their play area.
-Visiting with church members to listen to their stories and encourage them in their faith. Here in post-communist Bulgaria, Christian churchers are often regarded as crazy sects, which makes living a life of faith one that is met with social opposition. The Christians here have such strong faith and courage, though. Also, part of Pastor Yavor's ministry is to bring religious freedom to Bulgaria, so it was great to hear about that during our stay.
-Visiting seven different Gypsy churches to share love and truth with them about God and Jesus. This also included much prayer for the people, churches, and communities.
-Ministry to various Gypsy villages and neighborhoods, including prayer, kids' games, worship, testimonies, and more.
-Neighborhood playground clean up.
That is just a VERY broad overview of the last month for us. Basically, no matter what we were doing, we were doing it for God, and He showed up. 🙂
See you in Romania!
