When I look back on this month I see nothing but blessings, opportunities, and glorious ways that the Lord worked through me and my teammates. This month our team was split on ministry days. On Tuesday and Thursdays, three of us went to the town of Kardzhali to teach children and adult English and the other three stayed back and did all sorts of different projects to assist our ministry host. On Mondays we handed out flyers for our English club in the morning, then had club on Monday nights. On Wednesdays we participated in prayer meetings, prayer walks, dinners with a missionary family here, teaching English to some students, and all kinds of different things. Needless to say, the Lord gave us so many opportunities to see Him work here in Bulgaria.
The first Monday that we handed out flyers my teammate, Lynna, and I were paired to stand together at the local university. We handed out all our flyers, talked with some of the locals and felt good about our time there. I was not able to go to English club that night but I heard nothing but good news when my teammates got home that night. Some of the people we talked with actually went to club! This is when I first saw the Lord show up, and it was only day one!
That whole first week was full of God showing up. He brought a new student to our English class. He brought a young man that wanted to practice his English to our adults class. I got to see God bring more and more people to us. With each person it was a new opportunity to start a friendship. It was a new opportunity to share why I was here. Each person was another blessing.
The second week, I was paired with my teammate, Bethany, to pass out flyers at the same university. We felt a little discouraged in the first 15 minutes of handing out flyers. It seemed like no one even wanted to give us the time of day. Then Vlad happened.
He walked straight up to us and said, “Hello are you Americans?”
“Why yes we are. Are you looking to learn English?”
“No, I already know English. I am studying it here at school. But are you going to be here for a while.”
“Actually, yes, we will be here until the end of the month.”
“No, I mean standing here, I’m already late for class so I thought I could talk to you for a while.”
“We would love that!”
I looked at Bethany and we both smiled. This was our opportunity. Here was the beginning of a friendship. We ended up getting coffee that afternoon with Vlad, two of his friends, me and Bethany, and two more of my teammates. It was a great time. We learned more about them. They asked questions about us. It was wonderful.
Vlad told us that he had a friend that would love to come to English club on Monday nights and that they would both be coming that evening. Since that second Monday here in Bulgaria, I have had the pleasure of seeing Vlad and his friend at English club. He took Bethany and I to lunch this past Saturday. And he and his girlfriend had me and Bethany over for dinner that same evening. Jesus was such a relational person, he spent time with people. He got to know people by sitting, chatting, sharing meals, and just doing life with those around him. I am so thankful that he has given me opportunity after opportunity to learn to be more like him in these ways.
The Lord did not only bless me through my friendship with Vlad and his friends. He blessed me and my teammates, Lynna and Melissa, through English classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is an hour and a half drive to Kardzhali, the town where we teach English. Through these drives, I have the pleasure of riding through beautiful scenery with our host, Barry. I have gotten to see beautiful mountains and small villages. I have gotten to experience the wonderful town of Kardzhali. I have made a wonderful friendship with our host Barry through conversation and laughter. He has taught me so much about teaching English as a second language, about the life of an American living overseas, and just so too many other things to list. My teammates and I have had the opportunity to openly share why we are on this 11 month journey with the students in our English class. The Lord has just blessed us beyond what we could have imagined for this month!
With new laws being enforced in Turkey, we will not be not be traveling to Istanbul anymore to then fly to Malaysia. Our original plans had us leaving Bulgaria on October 31st. Now we aren’t leaving until November 4th!!! Yet again, God is blessing us with more time to nurture those friendships we have made here. We now have more time with all of our dear friends. Hallelujah!
That being said, if you did not know our next stop is Georgetown, Penang! Woo hoo! My team and I will travel to Sofia, Bulgaria to hop on a plane and be in Malaysia by November 5th! We haven’t been on a plane for that long since coming from the States, so prayers that our feet won’t swell and that we can take those 10 hours on the plane to rest up for what God has in store for us in Asia!!
Also, prayers that my team and I can use these next two weeks the way the Lord has planned. That we can follow in His footsteps as he leads us through these next two weeks.
With love, Sav
