It’s week 2 of the Race! Here is a general update of life so far:
In our search for housing and ministry, we felt the Lord leading us to the little village of Lovech, which is nestled in the Balkan Mountains. A river winds its way through the rows of cozy cottages standing proudly on the cobblestones that have lived for hundreds of years. Everywhere you look, red rooftops peek out of grassy knolls, welcoming you into their story.
This town has quickly begun to feel like home, and acclimating ourselves to it in the past few days has come with a truckload of peace knowing this is where the Lord wants us.
Outside of the bustling capital of Sofia, English speakers are few and far between and lodging within our budget is difficult to come by. We eat a lot of cheap meals mainly consisting of bread and diary products (I’m not complaining), but the Lord has shown favor on our team; we have always had a roof over our heads and have spent the past four nights in the same charming cottage run by a man who speaks English. We are slowly making contacts with ministries in the area. We know where the market is and how to get around, and for the most part we can communicate with vendors through gestures and a garbled “blagodarya” (thank you).
Honestly though, we’ve all kind of been in survival mode finding food and housing the past couple of days. The Race (especially this month), is hard. It’s hard being thrown into a culture you know nothing about with a team who doesn’t really know each other. It’s hard living on a tiny missionary budget. It’s hard when you miss the people you love with every breath you take. It’s just hard.
However, the one thing we’ve all learned is to find wonder in the small things. It’s important to stop and take a minute to rejoice in the view, getting an email from home, or even finding someone who speaks English. God is romancing us in the little moments, and even if we’re not doing stereotypical ministry this month, he still has things to show us and a plan for Lovech.
Will you continue to pray that the Lord will show favor on us this month? We move out of our cozy cottage tomorrow morning and have no set place to stay this weekend. We are also trying to build relationships with the few English speakers in town to hopefully find more contacts for future World Race teams.
In the uncertainty, He is faithful. In the homesickness, He is constant. He is the same God in Kennesaw and in Lovech, and He is absolutely still our good, good Father!
