Hi from Bulgaria!
My team and I are living in a sweet little town that is right on the border between Romania and Bulgaria. We have a wonderful host family that are Americans as well, and they have 4 beautiful blonde headed children aged 8,6,4 and 2. We are staying in the attic of the church and are loving this chilly fall weather. We have had a lot of ministry opportunities this month-and we are in the process of planning more for the remainder of our time in Bulgaria.
We have had the opportunity to teach English in several different settings. We help in the weekly English classes that are offered at the church. I have been in the beginner adult class, so we spend time learning the alphabet and working on worksheets together. Some of my teammates, have sat at the University café and helped college students work on their English during their off time from class. My teammate Bailey and I have been several times to a local school and taught the English lesson to a classroom of 7th, 5th graders and 12th graders. It has been really exciting to see how eager and thankful everyone is to learn English!
Earlier this week, we hosted a Beauty for Ashes retreat at the church. Beauty for Ashes is the Women’s Ministry that the World Race organizes. We planned, decorated, and hosted a successful event with activities that prompted discussions about God’s view of us. Powerful testimonies were shared, and an atmosphere of empowerment resonated. The women who attended the retreat responded with love and appreciation, and it was a joy to experience Beauty for Ashes from the viewpoint of hosting the event.
Last week, we traveled to an orphanage, where we went in with no vocalized expectations. We all made the assumption though, that the orphanage would be filled with babies and children, and we were met by a roomful of 16-18 year olds. We had such a joyous time though; we shared about ourselves, why we are here in Bulgaria and about America. They asked us many questions and were genuinely curious about our travels and hearing about the God we answered yes to that led us here to Bulgaria to spend time with them.
On Saturday, we will host a Kids Club, or Vacation Bible School, at a nearby village. We have games and songs planned, and will be acting out and teaching the story of David and Goliath. We are praying that this will be an opportunity to reach a small village of less than 1,000 people, where many of the children may not otherwise have an opportunity to hear about the bible.
We have several other outreach events coming up. We have an American Culture Night being planned for the local teenagers. We’re planning out red, white and blue decorations, a hot dog and hamburger bar, and American games and music. The other event we’re planning is a Fall Festival for the local children. Games, candy, and all the fun that comes with October is what we are hoping to bring here to Svistov, Bulgaria.
Team Beloved would love your prayers for these events to be a success and that we are able to continue to reach out to the Bulgarian people.
Much love, Elizabeth
Here are the Beloved’s volunteering at a park cleanup at a local school for disabled children, lots or pulling weeds and raking leaves happened this day & good news! They invited us back to spend the day with the kids next Friday!
