It was around the Christmas of 1994, the weather outside was frightful, but the fire was so delightful as Valentin and Emilia’s eyes met shyly across the room in their pastor’s home.
Despite having already known each other for a while, this was the beginning of their beautiful courtship. Emilia (Emi) was just sixteen years old when Valentin (Valo) proposed, so she needed a sign of confirmation from the Lord before she would accept. While prayerfully considering Valo’s proposal, Emi was reminded of the story of Isaac and Rebekah who also knew each other for a while before getting married. In her heart of hearts, she knew this was the confirmation she had been waiting for. So on August 5, 1995 they were finally married.
This year, Emi and Valo celebrated 20 precious years of marriage but still exude the same playfulness and affection of newlyweds. Their two teenage children Steffy and Dani live with their grandparents in Sofia where they attend school. As our incredibly gracious and welcoming hosts, they have given us a truly unforgettable first month in Bulgaria. They have loved us like five more daughters, spoiling us with delicious food, many laughs over coffee breaks and sightseeing excursions.
The work of the Lord and their hearts for this community are so evident in the way they live out each day. Both of them left successful careers in Sofia where they were financially secure and comfortable, but knew the Lord had more for them. After much prayer, this amazing godly couple chose to say yes to the Lord’s calling on their life in spite of their fears.
Abba’s call on their lives was enough for them to leave their old jobs and dive into the unknown. Now they are the incredible stewards of the Mission Possible House in Dobromirka. They live a simple but incredibly satisfying life, they work hard for the Kingdom but also take time to go for walks to the market as they hold hands and take coffee breaks outside under the shade of the trees.
The work it takes to prepare 24 rooms, cook meals for 70 people and clean the house can take our team anywhere from 2-5 hours. It takes Valo and Emi 2-5 days to do the same work when we’re not here. Valo and Emi are the true heroes of the Kingdom and serve as the long term missionaries who labour day in and day out to provide a space to people to grow in their calling and receive necessary training and certifications. This month we have seen a teacher’s conference that has given practical skills and encouragement to the teachers of Bulgaria and a women’s conference where chains of shame and unforgiveness have been broken off.
This couple has so inspired me all month to truly reflect on the question, “Is Christ enough?” While the answer may seem obvious, I needed to secure the answer in the depths of my heart. Jesus has taught me so much about His deep love and sacrifice for us, He laid down His life for us on the cross, He took the sin of the world upon Himself and in exchange gave us His righteousness. He left the throne room of heaven to be with us and is worthy of the reward for the sacrifices He made.
So I asked myself is Christ enough for me when I am away from all the comforts of home, my family and friends? Is Christ enough when I won’t be earning money for the first year out of college? Is Christ enough for me to stay present and not feel like I am missing out on documenting an experience with a fancy camera? Is Christ enough to live a life of abandonment, deal with the brokenness in my life and pursue Him and His kingdom for 11 months?
The answer is yes. A thousand times yes.
