We all start on the outside / the outside looking in / this is where grace begins / we were hungry, we were thirsty, with nothing left to give / for the shape that we were in / just when all hope seemed lost / love opened the door for us…
On Sunday afternoon, after church, our ministry hosts took our team on over an hour walk one way to The Monuments (recognizing the location of the beginning of the Russia and Turkish war). Instead of taking this time to be outside and see a part of history, I spent the several hours inside the church napping and spending time with Jesus. Let’s be real, being sick absolutely sucks, but being sick on a mission trip is even worse.
I had the lovely experience, for the second time in my life, of traveler’s diarrhea. Y’all, it is a real thing and I promise you do not ever want to experience it. Luckily, this time I spent just two days with it thanks to beautiful medicine. But in those two days, I had to constantly be near a bathroom. On my mission trip to Guatemala, I received the honor of joining the “Poop Your Pants” club. In Bulgaria, I received the honor of continuing my membership in this very elite club. Luckily for me, I have teammates who are incredible and instead of making fun of me, they found me clean shorts and prayed over my sensitive stomach.
He said come to the table / come join the sinners who have been redeemed / take your place beside the savior / sit down and be set free / come to the table…
As I sat on my bed dejected while my teammates and ministry hosts left the church, I felt this sense of being left out and being left behind. Honestly, I wanted to cry. But instead, this small voice spoke up, whispering “but you can spend time with me”. It was much needed time and much appreciated. I ended the afternoon grateful I had spent time at home.
Come meet this motley crew of misfits / these liars and these thieves / there’s no one unwelcome here / so that sin and shame that you brought with you / you can leave it at the door / let mercy draw you near…
Rewind to Sunday morning before church. Tim, our ministry host, took us to the Sunday morning market. This market is “church” for 99% of Svishtov. It is where they do much of their grocery shopping and where they catch up on their weekly gossip. While the majority of my teammates actually shopped for produce, Kim Rathod and I spent time walking the market with Tim. He explained in more detail to us about the market, about Bulgarian culture, about Bulgarian history, and about the church they have started. 95% of the country is Orthodox by tradition but they do not actually believe in the church or in God, 4.5% is Muslim, and .5% includes Protestant and any other religion. .5% y’all, that is barely anybody for an entire country.
Bulgaria is the poorest country in Europe. It is still greatly affected by being a communist country. While we have greatly enjoyed having a USD $1 equal nearly twice as much ($1.71 Lev), the people here are still very much so poor. They struggle to keep their family afloat. They do what they can to make money, but it is very hard. It is very common for families to not have more than two children because they cannot afford to care for more than that. In Bulgaria, many are very distrusting, very weary of people. They feel a sense of hopelessness, but do not have anything to give them hope.
Tim and Lydia, along with Jonathan and Amy (a couple on the ministry team), have spent years building relationships with many in this small city. They can regularly hangout with people for years and build relationships, but the second they mention church, the people immediately look at them with distrust. In Bulgaria, the church is seen as a cult. People are weary of even wanting to learn more, let alone attend church.
Come to the table / come join the sinners who have been redeemed / take your place beside the savior / sit down and be set free / come to the table / come to the table…
Fast forward to Monday morning. Lydia took us to the specific part of a center where social workers, psychologists, and educators work with children at risk. These are children who have faced many challenges in their lives. We spent a couple hours sitting around a table in a meeting room speaking with these wonderful women who work so hard for a system that is so unjust. As Lydia translated for everyone, we learned more about the Bulgarian culture surrounding these tough subjects.
Abuse is often a topic unspoken of. In Bulgaria, when a woman and/or child have been abused, the immediate reaction is to take the child out of the home. They do not favor with the woman as we know of in the States. They must investigate, have proof, and have witnesses. If by chance the case goes to court, the woman nearly always has to pay more, sometimes nearly double, in the court fees. And in all of this, the child was taken from the home. Up until about ten years ago, abuse was very common in many Bulgarian homes and not seen as anything wrong.
In some areas of Bulgaria, especially the gypsy populations, it is common for young women to become pregnant by the time they are just twelve to fourteen years old, often ending up with many children by a young age. Abortion and adoption are tough subjects. Abortion is very, very high in Bulgaria. Adoption is hard. Due to low income and poor families, often if a child is adopted, the child is adopted by a family who has no children. But families are very, very picky in adopting. They only want very young, very healthy, Bulgarian babies.
These women are working tirelessly to improve the lives of the children in Svishtov. But they are unfortunately working against a broken system. They are doing the best they can for these children and their families, but it is hard and they are tired and they are worn down. These women are brave, brave in their own courageous way.
These are the beautiful women that work with children at risk.
To the thief and to the doubter / to the hero and the coward / to the prisoner and the soldier / to the young and to the older / all who hunger, all who thirst / all the lasts and all the firsts / all the paupers and the princes / all who fail to be forgiven / all who dream and all who suffer / all who loved and lost another / all the chained and all the free / all who follow, all who lead / anyone who’s been let down / all the lost who have been found / all who’ve been labeled right and wrong / everyone who hears this song…
Quickly fast forward to Monday afternoon. We spent a couple hours doing yard work for the center. We pulled grass from between the cement, we turned soil in gardens, and we raked sidewalks of leaves. As I spent the afternoon raking leaves, I realized these beautiful people in Bulgaria are being left behind and left out.
Y’all, these people do not have a clue who Jesus is and how much Jesus loves us. They are being left out of such an incredible relationship with our good, good Father. They are being left out of a constant relationship of grace and mercy and hope and trust. And they do not even know they are being left out and left behind.
Tim and Lydia, Jonathan and Amy, and Josh and Lydia have such an amazing opportunity to minister to these beautiful children of God. And so do I, and so does my team, for the next several weeks.
Y’all, Abba can do big, big things. So please join me in prayer.
• Pray for this ministry team (Tim and Lydia, Jonathan and Amy, and Josh and Lydia) as they work endlessly to reach out to this community where people are weary.
• Pray for the people of Svishtov, pray their hearts are softened.
• Pray for the English clubs the church has created, for people to come and not only learn English, but their hearts to begin to change towards the church.
• Pray for the women in the park where Amy and Lydia take their young children, for Amy and Lydia to build strong relationships with them.
Come to the table / come join the sinners who have been redeemed / take your place beside the savior / sit down and be set free / whooooaa, sit down and be set free / come to the table / come to the table / just sit down and rest awhile / just sit down and rest awhile / come to the table…
Come to the Table || Sidewalk Prophets
Happy, happy 23rd birthday Kim!
First day exploring Svishtov!
Rocking that yard work at the center!
We made peach cobbler and it was amaaaaazing!
A 300+ year old clock tower near the college campus!
We survived and conquered our first trip to the Billa for groceries with no translator!
