We are in Eastern Europe! It’s Month 6, nearly the halfway point of the Race.
We are here in Bulgaria. Bulgaria has a long history, formed in the 7th century AD; walking in the park we saw the ruins of ancient buildings and a fortress and wall they built to protect themselves from their enemies. It is in southeastern Europe, bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south and the Black Sea to the east.
We arrived to our ministry site late one night (or early in the morning, depending) and were welcomed in by our gracious host who had waited up very, very late for us. Upon awakening the next day, tired from jet lag, and having had not much sleep for 3 days and a 7 hour time change, we were welcomed again and got to explore a bit of our surroundings. We are in a beautiful place where our host’s vision for their home is for people to come and rest; we got to take the 1st day to rest and start to adjust. Our house has an indoor/outdoor garden attached to it, connecting to a larger garden and strawberry fields around the house, which is very much like a country cottage; this is what I had prayed for before coming, to get to live in a cottage!
The garden is so beautiful with a view of the country fields in the distance; another answer to prayer to experience the beauty of the countryside. We will be working in the garden and doing prayer walks around the town and nearby port city of Silistra. We will also be helping with the church and visiting schools; we already got to visit one last week. We will get to visit the gypsy population too. Though not always loved by the people around them, God’s heart is for these people who are known for wandering, though that’s not always the case (more to come on this-stay tuned and click Subscribe now if you haven’t by clicking underneath my picture above). Our gracious hosts are a missionary couple from Australia who have been here in Bulgaria for 5 years. Roger and Gail worked as a former professor (Roger) and nurse (Gail) before they were called to Bulgaria. Their goals are to build up the people here for sustainable change.
It is a very peaceful place here. The country is slower paced than other countries we’ve been at in Latin and South America. It has a different feel to it. Our hosts shared their vision how this is a place of rest and they want us to take our time to rest here, while doing ministry, to prepare for next month when we will be in Greece.
It’s been a time of our team getting to know each other more. Team changes took place at the beginning of last month, so we got our new team, and then headed off together to the jungles of Bolivia. Though we had several of the people from our last team who remained together, it was really a new team. We discussed it together, how even one person changes the atmosphere and dynamic of a team. It was a whole new dynamic and God was putting on my heart how He had a new place for us to go together. It was beautiful too, that one of our teammates shared Isaiah 54 (more to come on this!) with us, sharing how God was showing her this is what He had for this new team of 6 women.
I picked strawberries today for our dinner, in what is our new favorite salad meal: strawberries, feta cheese, peppers, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs for protein and carrots. With oil and vinegar, we had our own salad creation that quickly became a team favorite for dinners, as lunch is the main meal here instead of dinner. This is so much better in many ways and better for your health and metabolism too. This is a big step for me, as normally, before the Race, I would not view salad as a complete meal, but it is very delicious and filling! So that is an exciting change I can implement.
I am so excited for our time here, even before coming; I was thrilled for what God would have for us here in the country of Bulgaria. I lifted it up in prayer and was so excited to see some of God’s tender heart for His people here, who are so precious to Him. It was really neat too that our hosts showed us a blank book they had for us to fill with our notes and drawings and prayers and whatever God put on our hearts for them and for the beautiful people of Bulgaria. It will be exciting to see what God fills the pages of the book and our days with this month! Our hosts have really poured into us with authentic relationship and welcomed us in like family; it has been amazing so far to experience and see their hearts for the people they serve here.
The booklet our hosts gave us to fill with words, prayers and pictures from God about Bulgaria
Please pray:
- For God to reveal His tender heart to the people here
- For me to continue to walk in freedom and faith
- For confirmation of God’s calling and purpose on my life
- For life after the Race, as it’s the halfway point I am thinking more about this and trusting God with what is next
- For healthy communication and continued growth with my team; for love and grace for each other as we walk this journey together
- For God to provide for me to meet my final goal to finish the race of $2700
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