To be honest, Eastern Europe is one of the areas in the world I knew of and thought the least about. I’ve been in Shvishtov, Bulgaria for two weeks and I’m absolutely loving life here.
My World Race team has partnered with New Life church and we have been helping the three American/ Bulgarian ministry families in their work for the gospel here. I believe these families are the true heroes. They have literally invested their lives in this city.
I have been trying my best to soak up Bulgarian culture as much as I can. I’ve learned some Bulgarian phrases, I know to nod my head for “no” and to shake my head for “yes”, I’ve eaten plenty of delicious meals full of cheese, bread, and potatoes (to the point where I’m full 90% percent of the time), and I’ve explored plenty around the city streets and its beautiful hillsides.
One of my favorite things to do is just walk around the city and look at the old houses and buildings; I can sense such a connection to history when I look at them. The architecture here can range from several decades to several centuries old, and you can see this when you look at these buildings. You can see colorful paint chipping away, cracks in the walls, and grass growing in between the concrete. Some would say they look old and run down, but I think it beautifully represents the past generations of lives in this country. When I look at these buildings, I think of the people here. I think it shows the growth, the pain, the overcoming of hardships, and the ups and downs of history for the Bulgarian people.
I tried to do some research before writing about Bulgaria. Of course, I found several articles on communism and the effects on Bulgarian society today. However, as I was researching, I discovered Bulgaria is one of the unhappiest countries in the world.
When I got here and thought about living in a society consisting of less than 1% percent Christian, I thought there would be a lot of darkness, but what I’ve sensed while being here is just a lot of emptiness. By no means am I saying these people are walking around completely depressed and openly hopeless, but after a lot of prayer, I can just sense many people here are spiritually dry. Most of them don’t even know it.
I found a blog called “Why Eastern Europe Needs the Gospel” by John Fraser where he talks about the effects of communism on these countries. He says even though these countries have been free for years, “their fragmented cultures have never fully healed.”
When I look at these run down, beautiful buildings, I am reminded to pray for the people living in them. I am reminded to pray for healing and hope. I look at these buildings and get excited thinking about the work left to do in this country. Right now, I feel like it’s a quiet movement about to turn into a loud revival. I look around the city and think, “God has not forgotten about you.”
Group hike during the New Life church retreat in the mountains last weekend.
Traditional Bulgarian Meal. Nom Nom.
New Life Church in Svishtov
Danube River (second longest river in Europe; borders 10 countries)
My wonderful World Race Team of lovely ladies!
Prayer Requests:
New Life Church in Svishtov
The Ministry team that consists of three families.
Building Trust with the people in the community. (many people are very hesitant about going to a protestant church)
The other 4 World Race teams from my team spread around Bulgaria.
One team from my squad who was sent to Macedonia this month.
For the hearts of people in Svishtov
For my team to seek God and do His will our last two weeks here.
Fundraising (78% funded!!)
