If I had to sum up Greece in a few words, I would use the phrase “Be Intentional, yet Interruptible”. Greece was a month of operation with intentionality, whether that looked like being intentional to choose the team, being intentional to say “yes” to whatever ministry God called us to that day, or being intentional to pour into those in the community around us, whether we “felt” like God was moving or not (which, of course, He constantly was). Throughout our month of Ask The Lord ministry, God continually broke out of the boxes that we had put Him in. We were able to come into contact with so many people, build relationships, bring the name of Jesus into the public sphere, and pray continually.
As you pray, please continue to pray for all those we met and built relationships with while we were in Greece, and that the seeds God allowed us to plant while in Greece would continue to grow. Praise God that He is the ultimate Pursuer and will continue to draw His children to Him from all corners of the earth!
……………………………………..
Throughout Month 8 of our Race, we will be working at Peace with God Church in Pomorie, Bulgaria. Peace with God Church has recently relocated to a new church building, which they are so graciously letting us stay in for the month. The church’s mission focuses on advancing the Kingdom of God in Pomorie and the surrounding areas through evangelism and fellowship. Pomorie is predominately a beach/resort town, so many of those who attend the church may only attend for a month or for the summer season; however, because of Pomorie’s southeastern location, this provides enormous potential to spread the gospel throughout Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, and Istanbul! Some of the things we have begun and will continue to do this month include:
-Helping with projects in and around the church building, including cleaning, construction, and painting
-Doing ATL, prayer walks around the city, and reaching out to those in the beach community
-Sharing testimonies with the youth that attend Peace with God, as well as attending a week-long youth camp in the mountains
A cultural guide complied by Adventures in Missions staff explains that, “With the reforms of the 1900’s following the communist period of state-sponsored atheism, full freedom of religion was established. There is no official religion [in Bulgaria], and [most] religious Bulgarians are adherents of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Minority religious groups include Muslims, Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Gregorian Armenians. Within the Protestant minority are Great Commission Christians, Pentecostals, and Evangelicals. The Catholic minority are followers of the Bulgarian Catholic Church, which, in contrast to the Roman Catholic Church, uses the Byzantine rite in liturgy.”
Please pray for us as we prepare to enter this country full of people who need a relationship with a loving, present Father as opposed to a religion full of rules, regulations, and fear. Pray that, in everything we do, we would work for the glory of the Father and not for the glory of men, and that we would give our all to each and every opportunity presented to us this month.
……………………………………..
As we begin serving here in Pomorie, there are a few final things I would like to share with you:
-If you participated in ATL Around the World throughout this past month, please send any pictures and/or stories to [email protected]. We’re hoping to pull together a blog post or two featuring many of your ATL experiences!
-S Squad will be having team changes at the end of Month 8. Please be in prayer for S Squad, squad leaders, and AIM leadership as they seek God in how and what to change about the current teams.
-Additionally, please be in prayer for S Squad as we have received our “fly-home” date; please be in prayer that the peace of God would transcend all understanding and that each member of our squad would seek God in finding the balance between planning for the future and staying present here.
-If you haven’t already, consider subscribing to my blog! It’s easy; all you have to do is click on the orange “Subscribe for Updates” button directly under my picture and enter your e-mail! This will ensure that you get updates sent directly to your e-mail.
