This month we are working at four different ministries around Kazanlak, Bulgaria. I was going to try and sum everything up in one blog, but I decided each ministry deserved its own. All four ministries have taught me a lot, but the common thread in all of them has once again been that familiar four letter word: love.
The Disability Center for Adults
The first ministry we were introduced to was a center where disabled adults (and some older kids) can come during the day to do crafts, homework, and games. They socialize with each other and receive one on one attention from the staff. The center has been recently renovated, so we’ve been doing a lot of cleaning and grounds work. We painted the fence along the outside, swept the courtyard, worked in the gardens a bit, and scrubbed two of the new rooms. On rainy days we’ve done crafts with the clients.
The most impactful part of serving at this ministry for me has by far been Mitko. Mitko is our translator, even though he is a client at the disability center. He loves helping us with our work and talking to us about his favorite things, fantasy books, Star Wars and rock music. He loves talking really fast and for some reason has taken a liking to my name. It’s easy to tell where Mitko is on the campus because you can usually hear him saying LibbyLibbyLibbyLibbyLibbyLibbyLibby wherever he is, which basically makes my day. I tried to sing him the “Libby on the Label” song but he didn’t much care for that.
The most amazing thing about Mitko, even more amazing than the fact that he fluently speaks two languages, is how well he loves. He loves deeply and unexclusively. He loves that Jesus is in his heart and asks everyone if they know Him. He loves Sarah the Cat because “she is beautiful when she purrs at him”. He loves white ducks with pink noses. He loves me, because I am “a beautiful friend”. He loves Lauren and Erika and Stephanie and Carolyn and “Kait” and “Aleshon” (LaShon). He loves lentil soup for lunch and chocolate for dessert. He is always having a good day, no matter what. He’s so full of joy and love that you can’t help but be happy around him.
I hope people see that kind of love in me. I hope one day I can feel love for people as deeply as he does, and I can call everyone “my beautiful friend.” I think sometimes I’m just so focused on trying to help people overcome the bad stuff that I forget to praise the good. I want to be someone that sees the good. I want to be someone that loves abundantly,I want to be someone that loves like Mitko.
