we made it to sofia, bulgaria yesterday after an 11 hr train ride. god definitely showed up for us in our travels… it began with the weather cooling off drastically as we left our hostel with our packs (due to a storm rolling in). we went to a nearby park to hang out and worship for a little while before leaving for the train station. as the sky got darker we decided to catch a cable car to the metro & make our way to the train station. thankfully, the one we got on went all the way to the train station, saving us time, money, & hassle. just as we started moving, it started storming (so much so that the electricity for the cable car went out momentarily and gave me a slight heart attack). after making it to the train, we hung out for a few hours and eventually caught our train around 12:30am. i had prepared for a hot & sweaty 11 hours on the train, but thankfully the rain cooled it off quite a bit. after a night of light sleep due to crazy long/ scary passport checks, i awoke to an amazing view of field after field of sunflowers & a gorgeous sunrise. we made it to sofia, where we were greeted by an adorable little man named alex, the assistant to our ministry host at mission possible. he was full of joy and praising god for our arrival, even after waiting for 3 hours for us at the station. alex drove us to the offices of mission possible, where we met the staff and rested for a few hours while hearing about their various ministries. they publish a christian women's magazine (the only one in all of bulgaria), run soup kitchens for gypsy children in the winter, translate popular christian books to bulgarian, provide educational courses and conferences for groups & sunday school teachers. and more. most recently, mission possible felt led by the lord to purchase a building in dobromirka (which means good peace), a village about 3 hours from their office in sofia. it is a beautiful 3 story building that was once government-owned, that they received at a very good price, and that they are busy renovating to run multiple programs out of including lodging/ shelter for abused women & children and christian conferences. this place is an absolute refuge…so peaceful, overlooking the village, away from the noise and distractions of the city. i feel that this is going to be a place of true rest and revitalization for my soul this month. i will have the time and quiet to focus on nurturing my relationship with god & reading the word, and i am so thankful for that! our team has also been very blessed with cool nights, a bounty of good food provided by our hosts, & clean rooms w/ beds and showers (the showers are interesting– just a hand-held shower head in the bathroom– no tub or shower door– water gets everywhere…all over the toilet, etc if you aren't careful– quite humorous the first time!) this place is absolute luxury compared to the accommodations i expect us to have in other countries, so we are soaking it up & thanking god for every bit of it. great things are going to happen for each member of my team & for us as a new family. i can't wait to see how we grow, serve & learn this month! it is so fitting that the name of this town & house ("dobromirka") means good peace because that is what i feel here, and i know that the women & children who are blessed by its shelter will find great refuge here too!
our team w/ the Mission Possible staff @ their office Dobromirka "Good Peace"
Sofia, Bulgaria shelter & conference center,
our home & project for the month
